Sigma Pi Sigma Member Jack Hehn Supports New Leadership Scholarship

Jack Hehn dedicated his entire career to supporting physics students and teachers, first as a high school teacher, then as a professor, and then, for more than 30 years combined, in the leadership of the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics (AIP, home to Sigma Pi Sigma). Now retired, he continues making an impact as an AIP board director, advocate for students, and volunteer, and by supporting the new Sigma Pi Sigma Leadership Scholarship.

SPS has awarded leadership scholarships to undergraduates for many years, but the new scholarship is the first to require Sigma Pi Sigma membership. The $2,500–$3,000 awards are for honor society members within 10 years of their induction date to support their advanced education in physics, astronomy, or a closely related field. The first two were given in the fall of 2023.

Hehn sees the scholarships as an investment in the future of the field. “You can’t have a future for any discipline without having people educated at a higher level in that discipline,” he says. Essential to a healthy future is
attracting a large and diverse population of students, providing leadership opportunities to student scholars, and encouraging service, according to Hehn. He hopes that scholarship recipients will maintain a strong connection to Sigma Pi Sigma and their chapter over the years. “I want people to feel like they belong in a physics department, that this is where they should be,” he says.

Hehn is supporting the scholarships through donations to the AIP Foundation via the Hehn Family Charitable Trust.

More information

Learn more and apply for the Sigma Pi Sigma Leadership Scholarship at