Yearly Events

GSO hosts exciting movie nights at least once a year. In Fall 2023, GSO organized an “Ice-Cream & Movie Night,” featuring “The Martian” out under the stars in front of Kinard Hall. In Fall 2024, GSO hosted a movie night to watch “Deadpool and Wolverine“.

Halloween Party

The GSO hosts a Halloween Party every year leading up to Halloween where graduate students show up in their Halloween costumes. These nights are full of fun with spooky games/murder mystery game, a potluck of food, and photoshoots.

October, 2023

October, 2024

Fellowship Workshop 

The GSO will periodically host Fellowship and Grant Writing Workshops for graduate students. For NSF related applications, Professor Jens Oberheide led these workshops for graduate students where he shared insider tips and tricks for writing a winning proposal. For FINNST, we host a how-to workshop led by previous awardees on how to write outstanding FINNST applications.

NSF Workshop, 2024

Tailgate 

Every fall, the GSO hosts a Physics and Astronomy Department tailgate during a Clemson home football game. The department tailgate is always a large event with faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students mingling and cheering on our football team! We always grill up a plentiful amount of burgers, veggie patties, and hot dogs with all the compliments and have a full spread of yard games there to play as well. 

In Fall 2024, GSO hosted a tailgate during the Clemson vs. Virginia game.

SIRPA 

SIRPA stands for the Symposium for the Introduction to Research in Physics and Astronomy.  Every year GSO hosts SIRPAat the beginning of each Fall semester. This symposium is a one day conference where Physics and Astronomy graduate students showcase their research in short talks and research groups present posters to highlight each group’s research niche.

Interview Weekend

Every year, the GSO spearheads the organization and execution of “Recruitment Weekend” where prospective graduate students visit Clemson. The GSO organizes events for the weekend such as a dinner and board game night, a graduate panel, and going downtown to Nicks, our favorite spot in downtown Clemson, with the graduate students. We also organize professor talks on each topic area, lab tours, and a dinner-trivia night with the faculty. We use this weekend as an opportunity to learn more about prospective graduate students and for them to learn about the department and the people in it.

International Food Potluck

Every winter, the GSO hosts an “International Food Potluck” where students bring a dish from their home country/ region to share with other students. This is a great experience for everyone trying homemade dishes from around the world and the USA which mean so much to those who brought it. Sharing cultural foods from one’s home helps build friendships and community here in the Physics and Astronomy Department among all the other events we do.

Solar Eclipse Watch Party

We were lucky to get a partial (almost total) solar eclipse in April of 2024. So of course the GSO and the department hosted a “Solar Eclipse Watch Party” during the “April 8, 2024 Solar Eclipse” where hundreds of people got to see the eclipse together through telescopes with solar filters and solar glasses.

Board Game Night

Periodically, the GSO will organize a board game and pizza night once or twice every semester. Everyone brings a board game or two and we will play all night long!

SMASH Bros Tournament and Mario Kart Tournament 

Periodically, the GSO will host an exhilarating SMASH Bros Tournament or Mario Kart Tournament for the graduate students. There will be friendly smack-talk the week leading up to the tournament until the victors are decided in fierce gaming. This is always an exciting event!

Coffee and Donuts 

Approximately every 2 weeks through the semester, the GSO will arrange a coffee and donuts kaffeeklatsch for the graduate students. This is a casual event to chat with other graduate students and GSO Officers about anything and everything!