Why I Give

OCT 01, 2018

Samantha Pedek, Sigma Pi Sigma Member, University of Wisconsin, River Falls & Graduate Student in Astrophysics, University of Alabama

SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma have given me a home in the physics community. Not only do these organizations provide a means to connect students to other students and professionals, they also support research, travel to conferences, scholarships, resources for career and personal development, and much more! SPS is a well of opportunity, and more people need to take advantage of all the wonderful things they provide.

In a word, SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma means community. Not only do the organizations create a community of physicists, they also serve as an outlet for involvement in both the local and larger public communities.

One of my favorite memories of SPS was volunteering at the Astronomy on the Mall event on the National Mall with my group of SPS interns in summer 2017. We ran an outreach table with demonstrations ranging from gravity to optics to acoustics, and we saw hundreds of kids and adults who were all very engaged and were eager to learn about science. I see PhysCon 2019 as an extension of this outreach where we can inspire even more students to engage with physics and astronomy and make a difference in their communities.

I decided to become a sustaining donor for the Centennial Campaign because, unlike the vast majority of students, my physics department and alumni completely funded our chapter’s expenses to go to PhysCon 2016. It was, and is, an extraordinary opportunity for young physicists to experience a large conference. This is one of the only conferences of this magnitude aimed at physics undergraduates, meaning that they get to hear about the new and exciting happenings of the science community, and most importantly, learn about what kinds of careers they can pursue and meet others that are also interested and involved in those careers and areas of research.

Since my expenses were paid for, I felt that I could help support students who want to attend PhysCon but do not have the means to fund themselves. By helping students attend PhysCon, you are helping them find their home in the physics community. You are helping them find where they belong.

I hope you will join me in making a difference for our community and become a sustaining donor as well.

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Simply visit donate.aip.org and enter the amount you would like to donate along with your payment information. Your credit card will be automatically charged each month. In addition to saving yourself time, your money goes further as a sustaining donor because it reduces administrative expenses related to mailings and paperwork. Automatic payments can be changed at any time.