WSU physics students win national recognition
The Wayne State University chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) has won an Outstanding Chapter Award from the SPS National Office. This is the fifth time the chapter has been recognized for its excellence as a top-tier student-led physical sciences organization, a designation given to fewer than 10 percent of all SPS chapters at colleges and universities in the United States and internationally.
The Society of Physics Students (SPS) is a professional association designed for students, and membership is open to anyone interested in physics and related fields. SPS operates within the American Institute of Physics (AIP), an umbrella organization for professional physical science societies.
The SPS chapter at Wayne State University is advised by Professor Christopher Kelly and Dawn Niedermiller and is led by student officers. The 2020-2021 officers are:
"We are honored to receive this prestigious award, and we hope to continue the history of excellence during the 2020-2021 academic year," said current president Amelia Doetsch.
SPS chapters are evaluated on their level of interaction with the campus community, the professional physics community, the public, and SPS national programs. The Outstanding Chapter Award recognizes high levels of outreach as well as unique approaches to fulfilling the mission of SPS to "help students transform themselves into contributing members of the professional community."
The Wayne State University SPS chapter was recognized as outstanding for its efforts in creating a sense of community within the Physics Department. Last year, SPS students at Wayne State University hosted a research conference, which gave undergraduate researchers a chance to share their research with the rest of the department. They also hosted several meetings and parties for faculty and students to mingle, and they participated in outreach events within broader Wayne State University and Detroit communities.