Frequently Asked Questions

No. You apply to APS attend a CU*iP conference (the one closest to you), and you are accepted, wait-listed or declined depending on your application and available slots. Application is free, and the deadline is October 24th, 5 PM ET. 

After you have been accepted, you then register with the conference to which you have been accepted to confirm that you will actually be attending. There is a registration fee of $45. You may be assigned to a different location from your application based on the number of applicants and other circumstances. The deadline for registration is Dec 4th, 5 PM ET.

Yes, everyone needs to apply to attend CU*iP.

Unfortunately, students studying in a country other than the United States and Canada are ineligible to apply. CU*iP is supported by federal funding which does not support in-person attendance for international students. 

Yes, students of all genders are welcome to attend this conference. If you have questions, or concerns about the housing for this conference, please contact us at cuwipboulder@colorado.edu

Good news: you do not. However, priority will be given to undergraduate physics majors.

Yes, you can! The conference for this year will be slightly different from last year, so we encourage you to apply for a second year. However, priority will be given to students who have not attended a CU*iP conference in the past.

First, make sure you submit your application by the deadline.

Second, make sure you put some thought into why you want to attend and what you want to get out of the conference. Please answer all questions on the application fully and honestly. Offering to present a talk or a poster, or indicating interest in travel support, will not affect your chances of being selected to attend.

Because of the high demand of students and travel costs of those who are not in our region, we will only be able to accept students who are in the region at the time of the conference. Please don't treat this conference as a chance to visit your intended graduate school!

First, reach out to your department to see if there is funding to help cover your registration fee - many departments are happy to help cover this cost for their students. If you receive confirmation from your department to cover your fee, please email women@aps.org by November 26th.

If your department cannot cover your cost, you can request a fee waiver from APS. Fee waiver form is due on December 2nd. Please email women@aps.org to request the fee waiver form.

We offer a payment option for departments who would like a secure way to pay for their students. Please contact women@aps.org for more information.

Payment requests must be submitted by Tuesday, November 26, 2024.

No, but it would be great if you do! It is a low-stress environment compared to other conferences, which is a great opportunity for you to try how it feels to present on your work. If you choose to do so (yay you), please let us know on your registration.

No, you do not! The host committee (us) plan and reserve rooms for all the attendees. We also plan to pay for all meals during the conference, including lunches on Saturday and Sunday and a dinner on Saturday. The only plans you need to make are your individual travel plans from your home to University of Colorado - Boulder. You are encouraged to seek help to cover this cost from your home institutuion.

Yes, that is fine. Please let us know if you have alternative housing e.g. with friends or relatives in town, so that we can save the hotel spot for another participant.

We will provide breakfast, lunch and dinner starting from Friday (Jan 24) dinner to Sunday (Jan 26) lunch.

First, we expect all attendees to talk to their department head and see if the department can cover the cost of travel to the conference. 

However, if this is not an option (demonstrated by an email/letter from the department to us), we will work with you to find an alternative travel funding. Please do not book any travel before discussing with us if you would like to receive financial assistance. Once funding for tickets are confirmed for your case, we will be booking the tickets for you.

No, but you should have an estimate of the cost. If you are traveling by air and your travel cost is not covered by your department, we will be booking the flight for you. Due to the limited nature of our travel funds, we ask that you find the most economical means of transportation to and from the conference.  Only expenses that have been pre-approved by the conference organizing committee will be eligible for reimbursement.  

We recommend that you arrive before 1 PM on Friday in order to participate in the Lab Tours that happens 3-5 PM on Friday. There are many great research facilities around Boulder, and it's always one of the best way to learn about real research projects and learn more about current problems in research.

Check-in for the conference is to confirm your arrival and to provide you with swags, schedules, and other necessary information. Check-in will happen at:

• Duane building from 1 - 5 PM on Friday

• UMC building from 5 - 9 PM on Friday

• If needed, UMC building from 8:30 AM - noon on Saturday morning (for late arrivals)

Because your travel costs are not generally reimbursable (see above for exceptions), it is expected that you will attend all of the conference events as scheduled. If you have special circumstances, please contact us to discuss them.

After the conference, you can submit the reimbursement form that will be provided to you. Reimbursement will be mailed to you within the month. Please contact us if there's any problem.

We will request dietary restriction information on the registration form. If you cannot fully express your dietary restriction on the form, please contact us and we will find a way to accomodate you.

Students will have the option to present their research at a poster session. Please see the Poster Presentation tab for more information.

We encourage you to wear clothing that makes you feel comfortable, warm, and yourself during this conference. There will be a banquet that is an opportunity for something nice, if you feel inclined. Keep in mind that there will be a decent amount of walking, so plan on wearing comfortable shoes! For more information and suggestions, check out the Packing Tips page.

Please let us know of any request for accommodation on the registration form. We will work with CU Boulder's Disabilities Services to provide support for attendees with special needs.

If you are traveling with a dependent, please contact us ahead of time and we will provide information on the available child care options

Most people say "Cue-Wip".

A gender pronoun is the pronoun that a person chooses to use for themselves. For example, if Xena's preferred pronouns are she, her, and hers, you could say "Xena ate her food because she was hungry." She, her, hers and he, him, his are common examples of pronouns. Some people call these "female/feminine" and "male/masculine" pronouns, but many avoid these labels because, for example, not everyone who uses he feels like a "male" or "masculine."

There are also lots of gender-neutral pronouns in use. Here are a few you might hear:

• They, them, theirs (Xena ate their food because they were hungry.) This is a pretty common gender-neutral pronoun.... And yes, it can in fact be used in the singular.

• Ze, hir (Xena ate hir food because ze was hungry.)

• Ze is pronounced like "zee" can also be spelled zie or xe, and replaces she/he/they. Hir is pronounced like "here" and replaces her/hers/him/his/they/theirs.

•  Just my name please! (Xena ate Xena's food because Xena was hungry) Some people prefer not to use pronouns at all, using their name as a pronoun instead.

•  Never, ever refer to a person as “it” or “he-she” (unless they specifically ask you to.) These are often used as offensive slurs. 

CU*iP seeks to be a safe space for all participants.  By asking for preferred pronouns, we are ensuring that we don’t accidentally misgender any of our participants or make harmful assumptions based on appearance. Even if you have never considered this in relation to yourself, by including your preferred pronouns on your name badge you can help to make other CU*iP participants comfortable. We hope you will consider this.