Solis provides solace for students studying plasma physics

Solis is a student-led group where women and gender minorities in plasma physics at UW-Madison can find a sense of community. Plasma physics is a broad research field that spans multiple departments at the university. Solis bridges this gap, bringing a community of students together who may not otherwise interact with each other outside of classes or seminars. All members share a common interest in plasma in some capacity, but everyone has a different background, is in a different department, or is at a different stage in their studies. 

Solis is also a space for allies and those who want to learn to be better allies for women and gender minorities in plasma physics. Jill Peery, a PhD student in the Physics Department and member of the Pegasus Fusion Experiment group, says “Plasma physics has the lowest ratio of women to men of all of the physics fields.” The most recent statistics show only 11% of plasma physicists are women, but that demographic is not growing as fast as it is in other physics fields. “There’s still a long way to go,” Peery adds.

Carolyn Schaefer, a PhD student in the Pegasus Fusion Experiment group, says, “For some people, they don’t have within their research group other women or gender minorities. So [Solis] is meant to be a bigger support system for people who are in that situation.”

Seminar series for women and gender minorities in plasma physics

During the fall semester of 2022, Solis led the effort to bring more representation to the plasma physics seminars. With a grant from the Women in Science and Engineering Leadership Institute (WISELI) and the support of the Departments of nuclear engineering and engineering physics, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics, Solis invited three guest speakers to campus to give formal research talks, and also to talk about their experiences and share their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts with the audience.  

The goal of the series was to provide an outlet to raise awareness and encourage audience members to take a more active role in allyship. While these conversations can be tense and difficult to have, leading to participants to be uncertain of how to speak or act, Kelly Garcia, a PhD student in the 3D Plasma Surface Interaction group, says that’s an important part of being an ally.

“Allyship is about continuous learning and continuous support. [Yes], people make mistakes a lot of times when you’re supporting each other, that’s how relationships work a lot of times with anybody. That’s what’s great about allyship and inclusivity. [It’s about learning and saying], ‘Oh I made a mistake, but I won’t do that again,” Garcia says.  

Solis hosted a luncheon after each seminar, where participants could have conversations with the presenters in a safe space. “We did get more allies at the end than we had at the beginning,” Louise Ferris, a graduate student in the Pegasus group, says.

Outreach and engaging the next generation of plasma physicists

In addition to their efforts of raising awareness around gender inclusivity, Solis has an educational outreach mission they fulfill. Since they started in 2021, Solis has participated in a variety of events, including Tech Savvy at UW-Whitewater, the Wisconsin Science Festival, and Teacher’s Day with the American Physical Society-Division of Plasma Physics .

At each of these events, Solis members guided participants in creating their own spectroscopes, building electric motors to learn about plasma forces, and experimenting with plasma balls and fluorescent tubes. At the Wisconsin Science Festival, they also included a demonstration of making plasma in a microwave. Through these events, Solis has been able to reach thousands of members of the public over a variety of age groups. They plan to expand their outreach activities during the 2023 spring semester by volunteering with two local Girl Scout troops.

Ferris, Garcia, and Peery also attended the mid-west Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) in January 2023. For Ferris and Garcia, CUWiP holds a special place in their hearts, as they attended a conference during their undergraduate careers, changing their own trajectories and setting them on the path to plasma physics. At the conference, they participated in various panels, including “Applying to internships,” “How to apply to graduate school,” and “Diversity in Physics.” During the career fair, they hosted a table to advertise the Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics and Physics graduate programs at UW-Madison.

“It’s the besties.”

For its members, Solis provides an invaluable experience. Ferris says, “Even if we’re talking about things that are hard to talk about, it’s always a safe space. We’re all coming to this group with the same mindset of, ‘We want and need this community, so we’re going to build it together.’”

Schaefer says, “I had someone tell me that they didn’t drop out of their research group because of [Solis].”

“It’s nice to be able to talk about things very, very openly and have feedback,” Garcia says.

“A large part of my social group, I connected with through Solis and now hang out with outside [of Solis],” says Peery.

Solis provides its members with a sense of solace, community, and empowerment. It is a safe space where they can work together to direct change in their field while building strong friendships and inspiring the next generation of plasma physicists.

Read more: Solis member Kelly Garcia was interviewed by the American Physical Society about obtaining a summer internship in Physics.