AIP Plans Outreach Programs for World Year of Physics

Physics societies, laboratories and other organizations around the world are gearing up for the upcoming World Year of Physics in 2005, with numerous planned activities to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of Albert Einstein's "miracle year" and the three papers that revolutionized the field of physics.

The American Institute of Physics (AIP) is no exception, organizing a wide range of education and outreach activities to capitalize on the event. Among other activities, Physics Today—AIP's flagship publication—is planning monthly features throughout the year in honor of the World Year of Physics.

And AIP's Center for the History of Physics is revising and enhancing their immensely popular 1996 on- line exhibit on Albert Einstein [http://www.aip.org/history/einstein].

New features will include a new site design, a new bibliography, and reprints of five seminal essays by noted historians on various aspects of Einstein's thinking in 1905.

The various chapters of the Society of Physics Students around the country will be sponsoring physics department and public events to celebrate 2005, as part of a "physics department challenge."

Awards for the best proposals will be handed out and featured at the upcoming SPS Congress this October in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The Marsh White Awards for Physics Outreach will also be geared towards the best physics outreach projects in 2005.

Meanwhile SPS will be putting together outreach catalyst kits around the theme of "Einstein in the 21^st century." These will be disseminated to about 25 SPS chapters in the US this fall.

More information about AIP's planned activities for the World Year of Physics