Held for the first time in 2019, this relatively informal session included a mix of tutorial, research, and hybrid talks "for students, by students" (and also some postdocs). The goal was to offer graduate students an easier introduction to the annual meeting, a chance to learn the basics about sub-fields not found at their institutions, and an opportunity to connect with other student attendees. Other interested parties near the graduate studies phase of their education/career (including, e.g., postdocs, other recent Ph.D. graduates, and undergraduates) were also welcome to join.
When: Sunday 20 October 2019, 2:00 p.m - 6:00 p.m.
Where: Ft. Lauderdale Convention Center
Schedule:
2 p.m. = intro
Topic 1: Magnetic confinement fusion
2:10 p.m. = tutorial (Tom Neiser, General Atomic)
2:40 p.m. = hybrid (Curtis Johnson, Auburn)
Topic 2: Innovative confinement concepts
3:00 p.m. = tutorial (James Michael Penna, University of Washington)
Topic 3: Basic, space, and astrophysical plasmas
3:30 p.m. = tutorial (Jim Schroeder, Wheaton College)
[4 p.m. = coffee break]
4:15 p.m. = research (Emily Lichko, University of Wisconsin Madison)
4:30 p.m. = research (Jimmy Juno, University of Maryland College Park)
Topic 4: High-energy-density plasmas
4:45 p.m. = tutorial (Marissa Adams, University of Rochester)
5:15 p.m. = research (Sophia Rocco, Cornell University)
Topic 5: Laser-plasma acceleration
5:30 p.m. = tutorial (Blagoje Djordjevic, UC Berkeley)
[6 p.m. = reception, sponsored by the DPP Chair Elect]
Acknowledgements: Many thanks to our speakers, whose excellent talks made our first Student Day a success! Many thanks also to the DPP Executive Committe and meeting organizers for their support and assistance, and all others who provided nominations, word-of-mouth advertising, etc.
The COJS held the annual Town Hall Meeting during the Tuesday 22 October lunch break of the 2019 DPP meeting. The event took the form of a Q&A panel discussion, offering junior scientists the opportunity to hear from more established researchers about career choices and trajectories.
We would like to thank the panelists again for their time and insights:
| Petros Tzeferacos | Director of the Flash Center for Computational Science | University of Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| Félicie Albert | Deputy Director of LLNL High Energy Density (HED) Science Center | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Hendrik Monkhorst | Professor Emeritus of Physics and Chemistry | University of Florida |
| Gunsu Yun | Associate Professor | Pohang University of Science and Technology · Department of Physics |
As in past years, the meeting was well attended (60-55 people), despite having to compete with lunch, and it ran into the end of its time slot before exhausting the supply of questions. There were a notable number of questions about influencing funding sources, inspired by the CPP, as well as questions about resources for students in more isolated groups.