What is The Society of Physics Students?

The Society of Physics Students is a national professional association for physics enthusiasts. Membership, through collegiate chapters, is open to anyone interested in physics; you need not be a physics major, our members include students in chemistry, computer science, engineering, geology, mathematics, medicine, and other fields. You need not even be in a science; past members have included sociology and english majors!

Within SPS is Sigma Pi Sigma, the national physics honor society, which elects members on the basis of outstanding academic achievement and community involvement. 

This unique two-in-one society operates within the American Institute of Physics, an umbrella organization for ten other professional science societies.

SPS Purpose and Mission

 From the national Website:

"The SPS exists to help students transform themselves into contributing members of the professional community. Course work develops only one range of skills. Other skills needed to flourish professionally include effective communication and personal interactions, leadership experience, establishing a personal network of contacts, presenting scholarly work in professional meetings and journals, and outreach services to the campus and local communities.

Locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally, the SPS offers the opportunity for these important enrichments to the student’s experience."

SPS History

The Society of Physics Students was formed in 1968 with a constitution that combined its two "parent" organizations, The AIP Student Sections and the Sigma Pi Sigma honor society. SPS now has over 700 chapters on campuses across the country. About 5,000 students take part in chapter activities each year, making SPS the fourth largest physics society in the country. The associated honor society, Sigma Pi Sigma, now exists in about 450 of those chapters with over 75,000 inductees throughout its history.

The UNO Chapter of Sigma Pi Sigma has been active since the 1960s and has many inductees that have moved on to jobs at NASA, etc. The APS Student Chapter, later renamed Society of Physics Students, was revived in 1999, and quickly won several awards nationally for being an active and involved chapter. It was recently re-revived in 2006 after Hurricane Katrina as a place for physics majors to get to know one another, and pool our skills to try to help the community. We are working hard to once again bring such honors upon our chapter and university.