Welcome to this first issue of the 2019 FECS newsletter. I am looking forward to a very proactive year on the forum business, especially in the international physics and young scientists front.

The APS staff from the president and CEO down recognise the importance of this critical group both for the good of global science and the vitality of the APS. Our membership represent the future leaders in science and are those who will have to live and work through some of the major changes that will happen over the next couple of decades. The APS has just released its Strategic Plan: 2019. As it clearly highlights, APS IS HERE FOR YOU. The APS deliberately sought out input from the FECS leadership for this document, recognising our importance. The CEO Kate Kirby, other members of the Board of Directors, senior members of the editorial staff and APS staff, and other unit leaders discussed the purpose and content of the Strategic Plan: 2019 before it was published. I recommend you read this short document.

A new slate of officers was installed in January, with the chair line moving one step forward. I welcome the new members of the Executive Committee: Ben Ueland (Chair-Elect), Ames Laboratory; Adam Iaizzi, National Taiwan University and Eric Sorte, Sandia National Laboratories (Members-at-Large). I thank Kevin Ludwick for stepping up and filling our Secretary/Treasurer position. As a team, the executive members hope to promote the issues of early career scientists, both in academia and industry, to the APS leadership and to assist the leadership in developing programs to retain members.

We are always looking for APS members to join our forum. In my year as chair, I am especially interested in finding more senior scientists in the world of industry and academia to join and help give back by advising and advocating for the younger scientist. Later in the summer we will be looking for candidates to run for up to 5 open positions on the executive. It is never too early to approach us, help at a meeting, and get your name out there. After all, those of us who live in America are already hearing of the big election in 2020.

As executives of our forum we continuously promote and defend the issues important to young scientists. This includes, but is not limited to, science in the international arena, open communication, safe and welcoming work environments, equal access to information and education, diversity, and gender equality. We are always open to suggestions for other areas of interest to members, topics to highlight at our annual meetings, and programs at the APS to support or start.