Not-So-Secret Societies: What Professional Societies Can Do For Undergrads

SPS provides important opportunities for physics students to connect locally, regionally, nationally, and beyond. You can join the even larger community of physicists by participating in one of the many physics-related professional societies, from the Acoustical Society of America to the Optical Society. Most of these are global societies that consist of students, post-docs, and professionals in academia and industry.
Professional societies differ in size, structure, topical areas, and benefits, but there are a few key components—scientific meetings, opportunities for professional growth and development, advocacy, and a community of potential collaborators, friends, and mentors.

By engaging in these broader professional societies, SPS students have the opportunity to network, learn from, and attend meetings with thousands of professional physicists. They can learn about emerging areas of research, attend talks by Nobel laureates, and present their research to audiences that extend far beyond their department and include potential collaborators. SPS students also can engage with their peers who share their passions through these unique professional opportunities in ways that may not be as accessible on a typical undergraduate campus.

One of the main benefits to joining a professional society is that undergraduates are exposed to technical areas that may not be represented on their campus, says Michelle Sander, an assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering at Boston University and a student ambassador for The Optical Society (OSA). “That can be helpful because it’s somewhat random how [students] end up getting engaged in an undergraduate research project.”

OSA is an international society that promotes the generation, application, archiving, and dissemination of knowledge in optics and photonics. Through student chapters and a newly formed student ambassadors program, the society aims to help students develop professional skills, learn more about research and career opportunities within optics and photonics, and network with the community.

Yoshitomo (Yoshi) Okawachi, a research scientist in the Gaeta Group at Columbia University and an OSA student ambassador, has developed some online content for OSA, including a video on networking at conferences. “Whether as a postdoc or as a professor or as a research scientist or someone from industry, [the OSA members] have a wide range of backgrounds,” he says. By sharing their experiences, they aim to help students develop and expand the community.

SPS students have the opportunity to attend meetings of professional physics societies, like OSA, sometimes with financial support from SPS National. Travel and reporter awards are offered to SPS students in an effort to encourage attendance at professional society meetings. Students can use travel awards to attend and present their research at professional society meetings. Reporter awards are also available to SPS students who wish to attend a professional society meeting and provide a report about their experience. Both awards provide funding of up to $200 to support a student’s meeting attendance. To review eligibility requirements and other pertinent information, read more at

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Undergraduate SPS students are eligible for free membership in any two of the ten Member Societies within the American Institute of Physics umbrella. In addition, SPS members can join the National Society of Black Physicists and the National Society of Hispanic Physicists for free. For details on these partnerships, visit www.spsnational.org/about/membership/free-ms-membership . Students interested in areas not represented by these societies should explore memberships in other societies, too. Many other professional societies have discounted or free student memberships.