Here’s Why YOU Should Join SPS

As two people who were active in SPS, first as undergraduates and now in helping the society run smoothly, we know there are many benefits to getting involved in the Society of Physics Students (SPS)! SPS is a professional association for all undergraduate students interested in physics or astronomy. It’s a chapter-based society that works at the campus, regional, national, and sometimes international level to help students build community and essential skills such as research, networking, and presenting. SPS also helps connect undergraduates with advisors, fellow physics and astronomy students around the world, and their local community.

Want to get involved? First, check whether your school has an SPS chapter. If you can’t find any information by talking to your department, reach out to the SPS office at sps [at] aip.org and ask. If it does, we’ll be happy to connect you to the advisor. If not, we’ll be able to help you start or reactivate a chapter! (You don’t need to have a chapter to join SPS officially, but that’s the way to get the most out of the experience.)

So what exactly do you gain from becoming a member?

A supportive and diverse community

The main goal of SPS is to support physics and astronomy students! Chapters receive a wide array of resources, from help building inclusive chapters to science outreach kits and ideas for fun and educational community-building events. Both your chapter and the SPS office will be there to help you in your journey through this incredibly difficult major.

Chapter meetings, zone meetings, and the SPS-led Physics and Astronomy Congress (which takes place once every three years) are great places to meet fellow students and share experiences.
By helping form communities within your department and chapter, and creating connections beyond them, SPS helps you build a support system that can last a lifetime.

Professional development opportunities

Joining SPS makes you eligible for a wide variety of professional opportunities. For example, SPS regularly publishes student-written articles about undergraduate experiences, special events, and research. This is a fantastic way to share your work, practice science communication, improve your writing skills, and get published. Students who publish a research paper in SPS’s Journal of Undergraduate Research in Physics and Astronomy (JURPA) are introduced to the scientific publishing process and have a paper with a DOI to their name.

Additionally, membership enables you to attend regional meetings of SPS chapters (zone meetings) and receive travel support to attend national or international professional science conferences, such as meetings of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and American Physical Society (APS). Such meetings can expand your professional network, help you connect with potential graduate schools and employers, and reveal career paths you might take. You can also present your research in poster sessions or by giving a talk—and even win awards.

These are just a few of the professional development opportunities SPS offers. You can also take on leadership roles, learn the grant-writing process through award applications, and more. Whether you want to go into academia or industry or pursue another path, professional skills like presenting, leading, and writing are extremely valuable. SPS provides resources and a safe space to practice these essential skills!

Eligibility for scholarships, awards, and more!

Whether you want to conduct research as a chapter, host outreach events, participate in scientific meetings, or build community, or if you’re in financial need, SPS offers support at the chapter and member levels. Check out the full list on the SPS website!

SPS membership includes:

• Subscription to Physics Today, the most influential and closely followed physics magazine in the world
• Subscription to the SPS Observer
• Print copy of the annual Journal of Undergraduate Research in Physics and Astronomy (JURPA)
• Eligibility for scholarships, internships, research awards, and outreach awards
• Membership in two American Institute of Physics Member Societies
• Membership in the National Society of Black Physicists or the National Society of Hispanic Physicists
• An individual membership is $24 per year, and discounts are available for group and chapter memberships! Learn more and join at

  

• General information: spsnational.org
• Awards and scholarships: spsnational.org/awards
• Internships: spsnational.org/programs/internships
• Outreach: spsnational.org/programs/outreach
• SPS Zone and Professional Meetings: spsnational.org/meetings
• Journal of Undergraduate Research in Physics and Astronomy (JURPA): spsnational.org/jurpa
• The SPS Observer: spsnational.org/the-sps-observer
• Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics and astronomy honor society: sigmapisigma.org

Does your school already have an SPS chapter? If so, consider lending it your support and encouraging your students to join! If not, consider starting or reactivating a chapter. Here are just a few of the benefits.

Funding for activities

SPS chapters have various pathways to funding student and departmental activities. The SPS Chapter Research Award, for instance, grants chapters up to $2,000 for a group research project. Are you the catalyst for your department’s physics and astronomy outreach events to local communities? SPS chapters can receive up to $600 to host such events. These are just a few of the many opportunities!

A supportive community

SPS aims to provide a supportive space for students interested in physics and astronomy to explore their thirst for knowledge. SPS advisors are at the forefront of that journey, mentoring students through outreach events, research projects, and conference attendance, and otherwise helping them grow into professionals. Advisors receive regular correspondence from the SPS office with opportunities, posters, and flyers. They also join
a network of over 800 like-minded SPS advisors.

Recognition

Being an SPS advisor offers faculty and staff a way to get recognition for the mentoring and activities they may already be doing in their department, including through the annual SPS Outstanding Chapter Award and Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award.