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The Congress was Awesome! - Oct 19, 2004 at 11:07AM
Dave San Marcos, Texas 308 Posts	I thought I would start a thread where people who attende the Sigma Pi Sigma Congress can post their impressions. We are interested in finding out what people thought about the Congress, both good points and bad. I thought the Congress was excellent. I think the high points were Dr. Dwight Neuenschwander's presentation on Einstein's ethics. This topic resonated with me because I have always been an admirer of Einstein's humanism, and I feel that aspect of Einstein's life was illuminated very eloquently by Dr. Neuenschwander. I also enjoyed Dr. Worth Seagondollar's recounting of his involvement in Manhattan project and his witnessing of the Trinity explosion. The sessions on ethics were also excellent and provided a lot of food for thought. The only criticism I might have was that the days were very long for those of us on the council. All in all, though, it was an excellent experience! Let me know what you think. Dave Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value -- Albert Einstein Login to reply

Replies to The Congress was Awesome!

Re: The Congress was Awesome! - Oct 19 2004 11:50AM
Karen Williams 8 Posts	Yes. I was amazed at the participation of everyone, their honesty, how great the speakers fit into the total theme of the program, and everyone stayed awake during the sessions even though we were all tired due to the full schedule. What a kickoff for the WYP! Some students mentioned to me "the famous people are great, I'm not afraid to go up to them any longer." when speaking of Wieman and Joceyln Bell Burnell. My thanks to all that participated, those that didn't get your WYP 2005 activities ready and then wait for 2008 congress. Login to reply \| Condense

Re: The Congress was Awesome! - Oct 19 2004 11:50AM

Karen Williams
8 Posts

Yes.  I was amazed at the participation of everyone,
their honesty, how great the speakers fit into the total
theme of the program, and everyone stayed awake
during the sessions even though we were all tired due
to the full schedule.  What a kickoff for the WYP!  Some
students mentioned to me "the famous people are
great, I'm not afraid to go up to them any longer."
when speaking of Wieman and Joceyln Bell Burnell.
My thanks to all that participated, those that didn't get
your WYP 2005 activities ready and then wait for 2008
congress.

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Re: The Congress was Awesome! - Nov 01 2004 10:56PM
Justin Chico, CA 32 Posts	Four officers from our SPS chapter (CSU Chico) attended the Congress, with three presenting posters during the Saturday session. We all thought it was a great experience, and are very glad we attended. Personally, I thought it was one of the best conferences I've been to. It went very smoothly (nod to the staff, you all know who you are), the lectures were very interesting (Wieman, Seagondollar, Burnell, and Sohn stood out for me), and the round-table discussions were very productive. It was also a great oppurtunity to meet new people from around the country and close to home. The CSUS and NMSU folks, and the AZCs were especially fun to hang out with. And of course, talking with famous physicists is pretty cool... ;-) The chance to visit Trinity Site was really special. It made a big impression on me, and I really think it brought the 'ethics' theme of the Congress to life. I could ramble even more about how great the Congress was, but I think I'll instead encourage those undergraduates who have not yet attended a conference to really make an effort to do so in the near future. If you have research to present, there are ways of finding the funding to help with the travel costs. It really is a fantastic experience and I hope you get a chance to find out for yourself! :-) Login to reply \| Condense

Re: The Congress was Awesome! - Nov 01 2004 10:56PM

Justin
Chico, CA
32 Posts

Four officers from our SPS chapter (CSU Chico) attended the Congress, with three presenting posters during the Saturday session. We all thought it was a great experience, and are very glad we attended.

Personally, I thought it was one of the best conferences I've been to. It went very smoothly (*nod* to the staff, you all know who you are), the lectures were very interesting (Wieman, Seagondollar, Burnell, and Sohn stood out for me), and the round-table discussions were very productive.

It was also a great oppurtunity to meet new people from around the country and close to home. The CSUS and NMSU folks, and the AZCs were especially fun to hang out with. And of course, talking with famous physicists is pretty cool... ;-)

The chance to visit Trinity Site was really special. It made a big impression on me, and I really think it brought the 'ethics' theme of the Congress to life.

I could ramble even more about how great the Congress was, but I think I'll instead encourage those undergraduates who have not yet attended a conference to really make an effort to do so in the near future. If you have research to present, there are ways of finding the funding to help with the travel costs. It really is a fantastic experience and I hope you get a chance to find out for yourself! :-)

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