Her idea was to introduce female students to real humans who had been through the same difficult situations and had learned shortcuts. Graduate women lend confidence when undergrads they think they are failing exams or lost in their classes. I wanted to get rid of the unfriendly feeling and welcome them and encourage them to major in physics. The 13 mentoring groups consist of about 4-5 undergrads and are informally led by a woman graduate student. Groups might take lab tours to learn about physics sub-fields, visit science museums, attend seminars and colloquia, and review for exams.
Mentors lend advice on everything from classes to graduate school to finding research positions.
Events are meant to let students socialize and try hands-on activities that are required in classes, but students might not be experienced in, such as handling tools or using the Internet. Events are also meant to allow women to discuss issues that might be of particular interest to them, such as juggling family and a science career. Lang's group has garnered popularity at Berkeley and beyond. There is a group modeled after hers that started this fall at the University of Pennsylvania. Lang is all for the expansion.