Society of Physics Students
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The Society of Physics Students (SPS) is a professional association with international participation, granting membership through college chapters with the only requirement that the student member be interested in physics.[SPS Member Info] All college majors are welcome to join SPS, but the highest representation tends to come from majors in the natural sciences, engineering, and medicine. Within the SPS is Sigma Pi Sigma, a nationally recognized scholastic honor society. SPS is a member society of the American Institute of Physics[About AIP].
National Organization
The SPS National Council decides the policies of SPS. It is made up of 36 members, elected by chapters from one of 18 geographic zones; each Zone represents a section of the country and is represented by a faculty Councilor and a student Associate Councilor. Both Councilors and Associate Councilors participate in zone activities and in the annual policy-making meeting of the Council. The Director of SPS is a salaried physicist, designated by AIP to administer the National Office's services and programs for SPS members. [SPS National Council] [Recent SPS National Council Meeting News]
Services and Activities
The SPS helps shape students into contributing members of the professional scientific community with the philosophy that since college courses only develop a particular range of skills in a student, it is important to develop other skills including effective written and verbal communication, leadership experience, professional networking, presenting scholarly work in professional meetings and journals, and educational outreach to the campus and local communities.[SPS Mission and Membership Info.]
To promote these goals, SPS allows students to take part in professional membership societies, receive peer-reviewed journals, present research[Presenting Research through SPS], and obtain scholarships[SPS Scholarship Programs], and receive awards as incentives for excellent performance[SPS Awards Programs]. Further, SPS supports several publications[SPS Pubs], and SPS members stay involved with public science issues, education, and outreach[SPS Feature Article: Teach For America] [SPS Digital Library Participation] [Wonderlab Prototype Support] [Absolute Zero Partnership]
SOCKS
The latest SPS outreach project is called the SPS Outreach Catalyst Kit, or SOCK, modeled after a similar successful outreach effort at an SPS Zone meeting at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. SOCKS are designed for SPS Chapters and collegiate physics departments to use in outreach presentations to local elementary, middle and high school students. The presentations and contents of the first SOCK was spearheaded by the 2001 SPS national intern Mark Lentz, to teach about properties of light.[SPS SOCKS Program]
References
External links
Society of Physics Students Information and Activities
- [Main SPS Website]
- [SPS U.Platt. National Award]
- [SPS Statement to Kansas BOE]
- [Adopt a Scientist Project]
- [ACU SPS Award]
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