Each of our committees serves an important role in carrying out the GPAS mission. They help our graduate students build meaningful personal connections and develop their professional lives during their time in the Physics & Astronomy department.
Committees are always looking for new members. If you are interested in joining, you may contact the chair listed below, or a member of E-Board for more information.
Social Committee
Social Committee aims to foster friendship and community among Physics & Astronomy graduate students. We organize a number of events throughout the year, including game nights, movie nights, and football tailgates.
Current Chairs:
Alicen Houff
August Lee
Professional Development Committee
This committee provides workshops and resources to help students develop skills to further their career in academia. Our most prolific event is the annual GPAS Conference, where students present posters and talks to other members of the department.
Current Chair:
Sergi Castells
Outreach Committee
The Outreach Committee works closely with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics (JINA-CEE) and department leadership to organize outreach events at Notre Dame and in the South Bend area.
Current Chair:
Fabio Rivero
International Committee
We provide support and guidance to international students as they adjust to life in the United States. We also collaborate with Social Committee to organize departmental celebrations of various cultural holidays, including Dia de los Muertos, Holi, and the Lunar New Year.
Current Chairs:
Jihye Hong
Pranav Nalamwar
Public Relations Committee
The PR Committee maintains the website and authors the monthly GPAS newsletter. We work with chairs of other committees to promote events, and take photos and videos for our publications.
Current Chair:
David Shaw
Gender & Inclusivity Committee
We work to promote an inclusive, welcoming environment in the department for graduate students of all orientations and gender identities.
Current Chairs:
Jess Koros
Grace Longbons
Fundraising Committee
The Fundraising Committee organizes events to raise money for GPAS. These include the department bake sale, profit-sharing programs with nearby restaurants, and the annual university fundraising drive ND Day.
Current Chairs:
Alicen Houff
Sam Porter
Mentoring Committee
The mentoring committee aims to provide guidance to undergraduate Physics & Astronomy majors at Notre Dame, by pairing them with a graduate student mentor to help them navigate academic life.
Current Chair:
Rey Zite