Physics Education

In its seventh episode, the "Humans of JILA" podcast highlights the Partnerships for Informal Science Education in the Community (PISEC) program.

PISEC is an educational outreach program supported by JILA's Physics Frontier Center (PFC) and the University of Colorado Boulder. Its mission revolves around connecting university volunteers with local K-12 students. Through playful and engaging inquiry-based science activities, it aims to inspire underrepresented student groups in STEM.

In an initiative to foster research and innovation, JILA's postdoctoral group recently organized a panel discussion focusing on proposal funding from national foundations. The event featured esteemed JILA Fellows and University of Colorado Boulder Physics Heather Lewandowski and Ann-Marie Madigan, who shared their insights and experiences in securing research funding. 

JILA's commitment to excellence and inclusivity was recently celebrated with the presentation of the JILA JEDI (JILA Excellence in Diversity and Inclusivity) Awards.JILA Postdocs Rachael Merritt and Jake Higgins were honored for their exemplary leadership of the recently founded JILA Postdoctoral Group. Additionally, JILA graduate student Sinéad Ryan also received a JILA JEDI Award, recognizing her outstanding leadership of the 'Life after JILA' group and her pivotal role in organizing the successful Life After JILA Alumni mixer.

For postdoctoral researchers looking to pursue a career in academia, understanding and writing faculty applications can be far from straightforward. To assist in this process, the JILA Postdoc Group, a group within JILA designed to support the postdoctoral community, held a “Write-in,” led by JILA’s Science Communicator Kenna Hughes-Castleberry.