Montreal Young Physicists’ EXPO
We want to highlight passion projects that high school and CEGEP students around Montreal might be working on. Every project can be impressive, and we’d like to give students a platform to showcase their hard work; no project is too small or too simple! If pursuing physics or research feels uncertain or intimidating, our goal is to demystify what it actually looks like and help you build industrial and academic connections. The event will be held for one full day in June.
This bilingual event is open to all students, and we encourage underrepresented groups and those looking for mentorship and research experience to apply! You do NOT need prior research experience; curiosity, effort and interest are what matter! Here are some of the things you’ll get to enjoy:
- Food and transportation included!
- Present your work in a poster showcase
- Have the chance to give a 3-minute sparkler talk on your work
- Meet physics professors and visit research labs
- Ask research or academia questions in a Q&A
- Meet like-minded students and industrial partners
- Receive funding and mentorship to help bring your passion project to the next level
Registration
Registration is open, use the link here to register. We encourage you to sign up to our email list here, to get updates on the event. Registration will be on a first-come-first-served basis. Registration will close on March 13th and you will be contacted soon after. This event will host at most 40 students this year. You may be put on a waitlist, while we await answers from other students regarding paying the registration fee
Who are we?
This first-ever event will be organized by the McGill International Physicists’ Tournament Club (MIPT). This student-run club participates in the International Physicists’ Tournament (IPT), where students present their work on select experiments. With this being our fourth year participating in the IPT, we wanted to spread the love of physics beyond McGill!
Why are we doing this?
Physics is a fascinating field with rich opportunities to develop your curiosity and career. We want to light the spark or fuel the fire of physics interest in you, with the hopes of more students pursuing a degree in physics! Our goal is to keep building toward a welcoming and diverse department where everyone is invited to pursue their interests.
This is also a phenomenal way to build your CV, develop skills and learn more about what it’s really like to work in academia or industry. It’s hard to know what being a “physicist” is really like, and we want to help answer these questions!
Who can join?
Everyone! We simply require teams of 2-5 people per project. If you cannot find a teammate, please contact us. As long as you are willing to work toward a project, you should apply! We especially encourage underrepresented groups or those looking for mentorship and research experience to apply. We want to continue building an accessible and welcoming department, breaking down any potential barriers to entry/success. There are no age/grade restrictions.
You do NOT need research or physics experience to join, and we will help fund your projects! Don’t have a project in mind? We’ve got a list of problems you can choose from! Unsure if your project is a good fit? Let us know, and we can help! We’d rather you join than not :))
Why join?
Do you have a passion project you’ve been meaning to work on? Do you want to build your CV and develop your abilities in science and to pursue independent research? Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to have a career in physics or what a physics degree looks like? This event will answer all of these questions!
With the opportunity to visit research labs, meet professors and present your work, you’ll get to develop ties with the physics department and get first-hand experience with what “physicists” actually do!
What will your experience look like?
We will provide up to 100$ in funding for each problem and offer mentorship for your problems. Our team mentors are motivated to give you weekly help with your problems and bring your project to life. You can find a detailed schedule on our website. We will also pay for transportation to the event, overnight accommodations (if required), and will provide food throughout the day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and refreshments). There will also be prizes for those with outstanding projects and presentations.
Presentations
Students will be asked to summarize their results into one A1 academic-style poster. We will provide workshops on how to properly design such a poster and how to effectively communicate your findings to others. The organizers will pay for printing your posters. Deadlines for printing your posters will be announced later. You are welcome to bring supplemental media (videos, photos, powerpoints) to complement your presentation. In-person experiments are always encouraged!
Sparkler talks are a format wherein students will summarize their whole projects into a 3-minute talk, inspired by the 3-minute thesis competition.The challenge is to present complex research in an accessible and compelling way with the assistance of only one static slide (CAGS). This often means discussing the problem and your solution in an accessible and “artistic” way, instead of analyzing your results and breaking down your experiment. Registration for this will open in May, with 12 spots available. Slots will be given to projects with healthy progress and a compelling description of their presentation.
