SPS Reporter Awards
Sign up to be a Reporter--$200 Awards Available!
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| SPS Reporter Eteri Svanidze (left) and Mildred Dresselhaus (right) at the 2009 Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics at Yale University. See feature article here... |
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The Society of Physics Students (SPS) offers travel support at a level of $200 for SPS chapters or individual students reporting on a national physics meeting for SPS.
The resulting articles are 2-3 page reflections about the meeting from a student perspective, often used as feature articles on the SPS website and included in SPS publications such as The SPS Observer or Radiations, the magazine of Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics honor society. The articles may also be used in publications of the organization hosting the meeting.
Examples of qualifying meeting include, but are not limited to, national meetings of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), the American Physical Society (APS), the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the American Astronomical Society (AAS).
Logistics of the Award
SPS Reporter Awards are given at a level of $200, to be used for travel reimbursement.
If more than one student elects to be an SPS Reporter, then the funding is awarded to the chapter, with the mandate that funds go toward travel expenses. If an individual student is the SPS Reporter, then the funding is awarded to the individual.
Funds are distributed in the form of a check upon receipt of the article . The article must follow the award guidelines and must be submitted no later than 30 days after the meeting ends.
In some cases, SPS Reporters may receive a reduced registration fee and access to the press room. This depends on the organization hosting the meeting.
The SPS Reporter Award is available to any undergraduate student that is a member of the SPS national organization (Not sure if you’re a member? Check here).
Want to be an SPS Reporter?
Complete the appropriate SPS Reporter Award request form below at least 10 days prior to the meeting you would like to report on. You will be notified about the award within 5 business days.
Article Guidelines
There is no set format for the article, but it should include the following elements:
- Interesting title
- A little about yourself, your SPS chapter, and why you were interested in attending this particular meeting
- A discussion of the student presence at the meeting and, if applicable, several paragraphs about the SPS research sessions
- The highlights of the meeting in your opinion (keynote speakers, demonstrations, cutting-edge research, etc.)
- You are encouraged to interview at least one leading physicist at the meeting, and include quotes if they enhance your article—person-on-the-street interviews can be compelling also, so consider that as well.
- Several photos from the meeting with captions and photo credits. Please include at least one photo that includes the reporter(s)
Articles should be submitted electronically as Microsoft Word™ documents. (PDF files are acceptable, but they must be accompanied by the original text file for editing purposes).
In addition, you MUST submit the following along with your article:
Program Support
The SPS Reporter Awards are funded, in part, by the generosity of Sigma Pi Sigma members through the Sigma Pi Sigma Alumni and Trust Funds. |
Upcoming Meetings
AGU 2009 Fall Meeting
American Geophysical Union 2009 Fall Meeting, 14-18 December 2009, San Francisco, CA
 AGU's Vision is a worldwide scientific community that advances, through unselfish cooperation in research, an understanding of Earth and space that is used for the benefit of humanity.
AAS 215th Meeting
American Astronomical Society 215th Meeting,
3-7 January 2010, Washington, DC
 The mission of the American Astronomical Society is to enhance and share humanity’s scientific understanding of the Universe.
NSBP & NSHP Joint Conference
Joint Annual Conference of the National Society of Black Physicists & the National Society of Hispanic Physicists,
February 10-14, 2010, Washington, DC
 The Joint Annual Conference of the National Society of Black Physicist and National Society of Hispanic Physicists brings together over 500 African American and Hispanic American physics students and professionals. This conference has a cutting-edge scientific program as well as a student professional development program that includes mentor-protege match-making and a recruiting fair.
AAPT & APS Joint Meeting
Joint meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers & the American Physical Society, February 13-17, 2010, Washington, DC
 The APS April Meeting 2010 will be held in February next year. It's not a typo. By holding the meeting in February, APS is able to join the Winter Meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers.
 In addition, meeting in February allows us to have a special plenary session on Saturday, February 13, with the National Society of Black Physicists and the National Society of Hispanic Physicists.
The April Meeting will offer its usual outstanding scientific program consisting of three plenary sessions (nine plenary talks), approximately 75 invited sessions, more than 100 contributed sessions, plus poster sessions. There will also be a public lecture on one of the evenings during the meeting.
Recently Featured Reporters
Scott Vaughn Burger
Fermi's First Results and the APS April Meeting
 ...within minutes of my arrival into
this new world of science journalism, I was
bombarded with physicists antsy to talk to
journalists. Having a press badge at a
conference like this was a lightning rod for
attracting scientists. I had never talked to an
academic outside of my own Department ... and now here I was, neck-deep in a
conversation about fusion with someone who
had gotten their doctorate under Werner
Heisenberg, one of the most famous physicists
in history.
Therese Jones
2009 AAS Winter Meeting Report
 Both workshops I attended were International Year of Astronomy focused, and were free to attend. The first, focused on Hands-On Optics and the Galileoscope, involved a plethora of demonstrations using lenses, lasers, UV beads, and a black light. We each received a free kit containing these items and mini-telescopes, which our chapter has already used at an elementary school science day and while teaching middle school Science Olympiad students.
Jenna Smith
AAPT/AAAS 2009 Joint Meeting
 Thousands of attendees, hundreds of presenters, tens of speakers, two hotels, one city. This year’s AAPT (American Association of Physics Teachers) Winter meeting was held jointly with the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Winter Meeting in Chicago, IL. ... After workshops and field trips to Fermilab or the Museum of Science and Industry, former U.S. Vice-President and Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Al Gore gave a special invited address.
Chicago State SPS Reporters
The Quadrennial Congress of Simga Pi Sigma Though the Eyes of Students
 While Physics is a universally challenging subject, [Congress speaker] Dr. Aziza
Baccouche faces challenges that would seem daunting to anyone. Due to a tumor in her third ventricle, her optic nerve was damaged and caused her to
become legally blind at the age of eight. This however, did nothing to impair her “vision.” She makes a definitive distinction between
“sight” and “vision.” Sight is one of the five senses. Vision is your outlook on life; your ability to imagine and pursue your goals. For Dr.
Aziza her vision is something that her medical affliction cannot tarnish.
Lincoln University SPS Reporters
A Year Like None Other: The NSBP/NSHP Annual Conference
 Whoever said, “Dreams can come true” was dead on. It all began with an idea that was transformed into reality, thus three months of planning and scheduling accorded Lincoln University’s Physics and Engineering club the opportunity to attend the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) and National Society of Hispanic Physicists (NSHP) annual conference in Washington, DC.
When you join SPS national as an undergraduate, you get free one-year membership in one of ten other physics societies.
A limited number of grants, on the order of $200 each, are offered to help fund the travel of SPS members' presenting at a national meeting of AIP Member Societies holding a "SPS Session" co-organized by SPS and the Member Society.
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