21st Century Campaign Programs

Each 21st Century Campaign program has been carefully designed to address specific and critical issues facing our nation. You may designate all or part of your donation for one of these programs, or donate generally to APS programs as a whole.

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The Physics Teachers Education Coalition (PhysTEC)

The program also produces over 400 elementary teachers per year from PhysTEC sites. In addition, a successful model has been developed through PhysTEC which includes increased recruitment; reformed courses; collaborative engagement between the physics department, education department, and school districts; a teacher-in-residence partnering with the institution; and an induction and mentoring program for the graduated teachers.

Beyond the funded PhysTEC sites, the project developed PTEC, a national coalition including both recognized leaders in science teacher preparation and institutions eager to enlarge and improve their programs. This growing coalition consists of 82 member institutions that participate in an annual national conference and share innovative best practices on an ongoing basis.

High School Physics Teachers' Days

Teachers also networked with physicists and fellow teachers at breakout sessions and “lunch with a physicist.” Teachers come away with new ideas for experiments, sample activity materials, and a renewed enthusiasm for teaching science. Due to the success of Teachers’ Days, an increasing number of APS units, such as DPP, DAMOP, and DPB, are holding similar events in connection with their separate meetings throughout the year.

The Minority Scholarship Program for Undergraduate Physics Majors

The Minority Scholarship Program for Undergraduate Physics Majors supports talented undergraduate physics students who come from minority groups that are currently under-represented among PhD physicists. This highly successful program has now awarded 637 new and one-year renewal scholarships since its inception in 1980. Sixty-fve percent of the scholarship recipients receive their undergraduate degrees in physics or a related feld and twenty percent go on to pursue their PhD in physics.

Since 80-100 qualified students apply annually, and only one quarter of those were funded due to budget restraints, additional funding is helping provide more scholarships and accompanying mentors to talented minorities applying to the program. Students cite the local mentor as a key source of support and encouragement in helping them complete their physics degree. A newer feature of the program provides for a second mentor from APS’ Committee on Minorities to give them even more role model support and career guidance.

Student Travel Grants For Physics Meetings

Student Travel Grants For Physics Meetings provide physics students with an opportunity to attend APS meetings and gain a sense of the physics community as they are beginning to pursue their scientific careers. They hear about exciting research, participate in special events, network with physicists and fellow students, and obtain career counseling at a critical time in their education. Through this program’s grants, students who would ordinarily not be able to handle the financial burden of travel, lodging and registration to experience APS meetings are able to do so.

Women And Minorities Speakers Program

The Women's Speaker Program and the Minorities Speakers Program reaches out to the untapped resource of women and under represented minorities at a time when the need for a scientifcally literate and technical workforce is growing so as to enroll and retain more of these students in scientifc programs. In this most recent year, the APS online listing of prominent physicists who have agreed to give talks and serve as role models at high schools, colleges and universities included 400 women speakers and 110 minority speakers.

The program allows for grants to cover the costs incurred by departments that host the colloquiums and seminars featuring the speakers. Several years ago, external funding made possible at brochure promoting physics to middle and high school young women. A similar brochure has now been developed to expose middle and high school minorities to the opportunities in physics.

The PhysicsCentral Website

The PhysicsCentral Website brings the excitement and importance of physics to the public at large. Visitors to the PhysicsCentral website learn about fundamental physics, delve into contemporary research, and explore links to the best physics sites on the web. The site includes in-depth stories, profles of physicists, artistic visuals, and educational materials. Launched in November 2000, it has won several awards and has consistently ranked among the top Google and Yahoo! physics sites. The site was recently redesigned to include blogs, podcasts and vodcasts.

"Chladni"
© Eric J. Heller, 2000

The tumbling tiles above are from "Chladni," an image depicting the physical results of vibrations is symbolic of the 21st Century Campaign's belief that increased support of physics education will resonate through the community and produce equally visible and lasting results.