Highlights From the Second Conference on Graduate Education in Physics

The Second Conference on Graduate Education in Physics was held in January 2013 with more than 100 participants from 74 different institutions. The participants comprised a diverse group faculty from large and small departments, staff from industry and national labs, and graduate students and postdocs. The conference was aimed at fostering innovation and creativity in our approach to graduate education in physics. Because the majority of physics PhDs ultimately find permanent employment outside academia, and because of the many competing demands on new faculty, many departments are reviewing their graduate programs. The presentations and discussions at the conference included the increasing attention being paid to broader and more flexible graduate curricula, forming industrial partnerships, strategies to increase diversity, professional skills training for graduate students and postdocs, and improving mentoring practices and instituting family-friendly policies for graduate students.