Events

Upcoming events ! coming soon.

''Becoming an Astronomer - Obstacles in academia''- 21st November 2023

The Warwick Ethnic Minorities in Physics Network will be hosting another talk called "Becoming an Astronomer- Obstacles in academia" on Tuesday 21^st November. This event is designed for everyone, so please come!

The speaker of the event will be Dr. Sthabile Kowla who is an Early-Career Astronomer from the University of Johannesburg (South Africa), who is currently a visiting Research Fellow at Durham University. In her talk, she will narrate her journey from being an inquisitive school-kid fascinated by black holes to an astronomer in the making. Along the way, she faced obstacles that daunted her in ways that mirrored the experiences of many minorities within academia. She will talk about her adversities and the triumphs that followed them.

The session will also discuss ways in which one can overcome the trials of being a first-generation graduate, a cultural / racialised / gendered/neurodiverse minority in your field, and other such challenges. It will also benefit allies as it would give them an insight into the issues that are faced and how to provide support.

The session will cover ways in which minorities can protect themselves from over-exertion and over-commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) work.

Information:

Date: 21st November 2023 (Save the date!)

Time: 14:00-16:00

Location: Physics Common Room

About Sthabile :

Sthabile Kolwa (they/she) is an early-career astronomer from South Africa. In 2019, she completed her Ph.D. at LMU Munich through the IMPRS studentship program at ESO. After which, she returned to South Africa to begin postdoctoral research work. In this, Sthabile studies galaxy evolution using MeerKAT radio continuum data and complementary multiwavelength observations. In addition to research, she lectures physics and astronomy courses for undergrads at the University of Johannesburg. She is currently a visiting Research Fellow at Durham University.

Past Events

''Finding my Inner Selfie''- 23rd November 2022

Warwick Ethnic Minorities in Physics will be hosting a talk by Yolanda Ohene. Yolanda will talk about her journey from physics to neuroimaging covering some of the barriers faced as Black woman in STEM and science communication as a vehicle for change.

Information:

Date: 23rd November 2022

Time: 1-2 pm

Location: MAS2.06/2.05

About Yolanda:

Dr Yolanda Ohene is a neuroimaging scientist and STEM communicator.

Currently a Postdoctoral Researcher within the Neuroimaging group at he University of Manchester, Yolanda holds a PhD in Medical Imaging from UCL (2019), a Masters in Plasma Physics from Université Pierre & Marie Curie, Paris VI (2014) and an MSci in Physics from Imperial College London (2013). In 2019, she was awarded the Institute of Physics Bronze medal for outstanding contribution to physics by an early career researcher, celebrating her work in

the development of a new MRI technique. Yolanda has spoken at some of the biggest UK science events including Cheltenham Science Festival (2016, 2017), Einstein’s Garden at GreenMan Festival (2019), and is a recipient of the British Science Festival Award Lectures (2021). She has spoken on BBC Tomorrow’s World Live, is a speaker for Maths Inspiration and regularly gives talks for schools. Yolanda is committed to helping make academia a more inclusive place. She co-founded the Minorities in STEM network to connect, support and showcase people in STEM fields from ethnic minority background, and she is one of the founding members of The Blackett Lab Familly the UK collective of Black physicists.

28th July 2022 -Warwick Astronomy Knowledge Exchange (WAKE) Potluck event

The physics deparment hosted a Warwick Astronomy Knowledge Exchange (WAKE) in collaboration with Warwick Ethnic Minorities in Physics Network where students from across the globe will join us. As part of the WAKE project, potluck was hosted where students from across the department were able to meet the WAKE students.

6th May 2022 -Navigating STEM as a person of colour

4th February 2022 - Lunar New Year- Sweets and Treats event!

In celebration of the Lunar New Year, the department will be decorated with lanterns, and snacks and sweets will be provided on Friday morning at 10 am in the physics common room. To keep with tradition please wear bright colours, i.e. red, yellow and orange.

16th March 2022 - Holi celebration- Sweets and Treats event!

In celebration of the Holi ( which is on the 18th March), the network will be hosting an event providing traditional Indian sweets (Barfi (different flavours)), Ladoo, and petha) on the 16th March during lunchtime (12:30-1:30 pm) in the physics common room. Students are suggested the university-wide colour party that took place the day before.