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Thank you to everyone who attended and presented at UPCC 2026! The conference took place on Saturday, September 19th, 2026, in Duane Physics and Astrophysics at the University of Colorado Boulder. Here's a quick recap of UPCC 2026 by the numbers:
30
undergraduate speakers
32
undergraduate posters
230+
attendees
8+
institutions represented from across Colorado—and beyond!
The institutions represented included the University of Denver, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, Colorado College, Colorado Mesa University, Front Range Community College, University of Colorado Denver, University of Colorado Anschutz, and the Ohio State University.
AWARDS
Arabella Quane
Arabella Quane
Best Speaker | AMO Physics
Modeling and Measuring Molecular Motion
Charlotte Snow
Charlotte Snow
Best Speaker | Astrophysics
Investigating Optical Analogues of Cosmological Perturbation Dynamics
Jake LaFore
Jake LaFore
Best Speaker | High-Energy Physics
Computational Analyses for Validation and Acceleration of a Machine Learning Approach to Neutron Flux Reconstruction in Next-Generation Nuclear Reactors
Saksham Hassanandani
Saksham Hassanandani
Best Speaker | Quantum, CM, & Living Systems
Central Limit Theorem for Fermionic Quantum Channels
Adam Ballas
Adam Ballas
Best Poster | Astrophysics
Creating Asteroseismic Target List for NASA ROMAN Mission
PLENARY SPEAKER
Dr. Jun Ye
Dr. Jun Ye
TITLE: Life as a CU Student & Researcher — A Journey for Precision Physics
ABSTRACT: My education at CU and collaboration with local faculty and worldwide scientists have inspired passion and provided ideas for a long journey of precision measurement and quantum science.
ABOUT: Dr. Jun Ye is a NIST Fellow, JILA Fellow, and Professor of Physics Adjoint at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research is primarily in atomic, molecular, and optical physics, with an emphasis on precision measurements and ultracold atoms and molecules. Dr. Ye has received many prestigious awards for his research, most notably the 2022 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, the 2021 Niels Bohr Institute Medal of Honor, the U.S. Presidential Rank Award, and five Department of Commerce Gold Medals (2001, 2011, 2014, 2019, 2022). Dr. Ye was elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, as a Fellow of both the American Physical Society and the Optical Society of America, and as a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
CAREER & OPPORTUNITIES FAIR
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Co-Director
Jeremy Goodkin
University of Colorado Boulder
Co-Director
Zack Larter
University of Colorado Boulder
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Colin West
University of Colorado Boulder
Founder & Advisor
Ben Braun
Princeton University
Photographer
Tab Rodriguez
University of Colorado Boulder
With special thanks to our graduate student volunteers:
Soren Plueger
Tuan Ngyuen
Ruby Wei
Noah Welikson
Emma Nelson
Yorick Andeweg
Brooke Henry
Darwin Quiroz
Dylan McCuskey
Branden Esses
And to our undergraduate student volunteers:
Em Lezotte
Henning Normann
Addison Newcome
Logan Woods
Edison Lin
Carson Griffin
Owen Thompson
Sebastian Kartadjoemena
Richie Yang
Davin Schulson
Egan Heisey-Grove
Sophia Jobst
Will Burczyk
Jack Nolan
Jay Peckham
Percy Nizamova
Nawaf Alwabel
Kylie Watson
Special thanks to the CU Boulder Physics Department for its generous financial and organizational support. Additional thanks to the CU Boulder Society of Physics Students and CU-Prime for organization support.
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