After reading the New York Times article “Why Are There Still So Few Women in Science?”, Jordan Hartzell was inspired to learn more about gender inequality in physics and to take action to address this problem in her community and beyond. As one of the few female physics students in her class, she knew that many female students do not have the opportunity to work with female physicists or learn about research conducted by women in the field.
Jordan contacted Bucknell University and began working with Deepak Iyer, a physics and astronomy professor, and Kristen Recine, a physics and astronomy lab coordinator. Soon, several Bucknell students joined the organizing committee and the PA YWiP Conference took shape as an established event.
The team started the PA YWiP Conference in order to expose teens to the variety of educational paths and careers in physics, to provide positive female role models in the field, and to share the incredible research of female professors from across the state.
Through the PA YWiP Conference, the team hopes to expose high school students to an academic conference setting in which they can interact with peers, chat with scientists in the field, and learn about exciting research across the state.