A. E-Mail & Telephones
The School and the Institute communicates with students through an e-mail account that is assigned to each student. It is essential that a student activate this account and check it every day. Students can do this at http://mail.gatech.edu or with your favorite email client.
We do not provide phones in student offices. Students may use the phones in the main office for emergency outgoing calls. However, the front office does not pass on telephone messages to students. Students actively engaged in research may have access to phones in the research space of their advisors. If so, outgoing calls must be restricted to professional matters. A phone for local calls is located adjacent to the mail room.
B. Mailboxes
Students have personal mailboxes in room W101. Check it every day. The mailing address is:
School of Physics
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 30332-0430
C. Office Space
Students will be assigned a desk somewhere in the School. Typically, students share an office with several other students. Later, they may move to a desk given to them by a thesis advisor.
D. Room Access
A student's Buzz Card opens the exterior doors of the Howey Physics Building. A student's key or Buzz Card opens a student's office, the mailroom, and the Interaction Zone. If you need access to additional rooms or buildings, please ask your advisor to request access through the appropriate building manager. If you are locked out of your office during business hours please see the Howey building manager, Alan Pruitt (Howey S103B). If you are locked out of your office or Howey outside of business hours, you will need to call a colleague for help or, in the case of an emergency, the Campus Police.
All room keys are State property and must be returned after graduation!
E. Travel Funds
I. Graduate Student Travel Awards
The School of Physics offers travel awards to support Ph.D. students in attending conferences and workshops. Funded by the Amelio Endowment and the Weatherly Fund, these awards assist students in their professional development.
Eligibility
To be eligible, students must be in good academic standing (no overdue Thesis Proposals or Annual Reviews). Additionally, they must have an accepted abstract for a talk or poster presentation at the conference/workshop. If no student presentations are planned, this requirement may be waived with advisor confirmation.
Funding
Funding typically covers up to $500 for domestic travel. Support for larger expenses, such as summer schools or international conferences, may be considered with appropriate justification and depending on fund availability.
Application Process
To apply, students must submit an online application through this form: https://forms.office.com/r/Uf9Zs0czwP. The application requires a 1-page travel justification letter endorsed by the advisor (including both student and advisor names), a detailed travel budget outlining estimated costs (transportation, hotel, registration, per diem, etc.), and a list of any other funding sources obtained or sought.
Award Timeline
Application deadlines occur on a subset of February 1st, May 1st, August 1st, and November 1st. The academic office will review applications quarterly, and successful applicants will be notified shortly thereafter.
Post-Travel Requirements
Reimbursements are processed after travel and submission of receipts to the Financial Office. Within 10 days of returning from the trip, students must submit a brief conference summary to the academic office, highlighting the professional development gained from the experience.
Important Notes
- Graduate students may receive only one Travel Award per calendar year.
II. SGA Funds
The Graduate Student Senate also has a fund to support professional travel. Apply directly to them through the student center (click here).
III. College of Science Doctoral Student Travel Supplement
The College of Science also provides some funds to supplement Ph.D. students to travel to present work at conferences. Download the application form and follow the instructions. Note that students need to already have obtained funds from the School and/or the SGA prior to applying to the College.
F. Security
Our campus is in an urban environment. Take special care if walking in the adjacent neighborhoods after dark. Security on the campus and in our building is very good. We need students help to keep it that way. All persons who have reason to be in this building at night or on weekends have a key. Therefore, there is never any reason to let a person in. Never prop open a door to allow people to enter. Always lock office doors. Anyone who steals the private property of another person (or of the School itself) will be dismissed from the program. If a student ever finds unauthorized persons in the building, open doors, or unusual activities, report them to the campus Police (Ext 2500) immediately.
