UBC Physics & Astronomy Launchpad Program

We invited undergraduate students from equity-deserving groups in physics and astronomy – who were women or non-binary, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), 2SLGBTQ+, living with disabilities, and/or were in the first generation in their family to attend university – to join our Launchpad Program. This program opened to undergraduates or recent graduates who were interested in applying for research-oriented graduate programs in physics and astronomy for the Fall 2022 application cycle (for entry in 2023-24) or in Fall 2023 application cycle (for entry in 2024-25).

Program details

The program included a workshop event (in-person and remote) from June 15 to 18, 2022. Students were invited to:

  • Meet with faculty members and students in the department
  • Attend panel discussions on student life at UBC and industry career paths
  • Learn about various research areas and projects researchers in the department work on
  • Experience what it is like working in a lab, and take part in lab tours at various research facilities at UBC
  • Participate in workshops on preparing and improving your graduate program application and securing a paid research experience

Participants will also be paired up with UBC Physics & Astronomy mentors (graduate students and post-docs) who will continue to be in touch to provide support and guidance in participants’ journey to join graduate school in the future.

Who can participate?

See workshop application guidelines. 12 applicants residing or studying in Canada, the United States or Mexico were invited to participate in person at UBC. Students from other locations were invited to participate remotely.

Is there a fee for this?

There is no fee for participating in this program. For students accepted to participate in-person, all costs, including travel, were be paid by the program. For in-person participants application fees for UBC Physics and Astronomy graduate school for the years 2023 and 2024 were waived.

Contact

Launchpad Program questions can be directed to launchpad@phas.ubc.ca. Make sure to review all the website materials before contacting us.