Proud to be Excellent! More Distinguished Students (DS) are coming to the APS meetings

Another call for travel awards for foreign students to disseminate their academic and research excellence

Jason S. Gardner, FIP Executive Committee Member-at-Large 2017

Another cohort of outstanding young researchers has recently applied to the Forum on International Physics (FIP) for travel support to attend the APS annual meetings in 2018. More than twenty-five foreign applications were received for these competitive travel awards from countries as far away as Taiwan and Australia.

A committee made up of prominent scientists from the FIP executive deliberated over the applications and awarded 11 worthy undergraduate and graduate students with grants between 500 and 2500 USD. Students were chosen based on their academic and research excellence, teaching and community outreach. Special consideration was given to applications from underrepresented communities at the annual meetings.

Along with the travel support, these 11 awardees will give oral presentations and receive a certificate. In Los Angeles, 7 students will listen and present work on topics as diverse as high-tech magnetic recording material to diffusion of molecules in confined space. While the 4 awardees heading to Columbus, Ohio will ponder topics ranging from the evolution of massive stars to pseudoscalar interactions.

In the Spring Newsletter, I will report generally on the achievements of these young researchers at the annual meetings. It is also hoped that one or two of the awardees will write an article on their adventures to America, often for the first time.

Over the past two years, the DS travel program has successfully brought over 15 young researchers from distant lands to the annual APS meetings to interact with many of the worlds’ leading researchers in Physics. The Forum on International Physics, with support from the Office of International Affairs at the American Physical Society, wish to continue this very successful program into the future and are discussing ways to attain funds. If members wish to support this very deserving program, please make a donation to the international program when renewing your annual dues with the society and mention the DS program specifically.