Chapter Reporter Awards

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Sign up to be Reporters — $600 Awards Available!

A limited number of PhysCon Reporter Awards in the amount of $600 per chapter will be offered to help fund SPS chapters who travel to and report about PhysCon 2016. 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.

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Logistics of the Award

PhysCon Reporter Awards are given at a level of $600 per chapter to assist a minimum of three students from an SPS chapter to attend and report about PhysCon 2016. The students must be undergraduate members of the SPS national organization. Funds are distributed in the form of a check upon receipt of the article, and may be distrubuted amongst the reports as the chapter sees fit. The article must follow the award guidelines and must be submitted no later than 30 days after the meeting ends.

Application Procedure

Applications were due by October 1, 2016. The application asks chapters to rank their preferred reporting topic or to suggest a topic of their own and to provide a statement stating why they would like to participate in PhysCon 2016. The application also requires a certification from an advisor or academic mentor that the applicants are in good standing with the department; the online application will guide applicants through the process of requesting this certification.

Award Details

If you receive a PhysCon Reporter Award, you will receive the check after the SPS National Office approves the submitted report. Each of the reporters must submit a W-9 form (or equivalent). A student may not receive both a PhysCon Travel Award and a PhysCon Reporter Award.

Article Guidelines

There is no set format for the article, but it should include the following elements:

  • At least 1,000 words
  • An interesting title
  • A little about yourself, your SPS chapter, and why you were interested in attending PhysCon
  • Highlights and a discussion of the aspect of the meeting on which you were asked to report.
  • 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. Include at least one photo that includes the reporter(s)

Articles must be submitted electronically as Microsoft Word™ documents. You are encouraged to interview at least one meeting attendee who is not from your chapter, and include quotes if they enhance your article.

Program Support

The PhysCon Reporter Awards are funded, in part, by the generosity of Sigma Pi Sigma members.