Foreign students awarded for their academic and research excellence

By Jason S Gardner, FIP Executive Committee Member-at-Large

The Forum on International Physics (FIP) has sought out foreign students requiring travel support to attend the annual meetings in either March or April. Over the past two years, over 40 undergraduate and graduate students have applied for these travel monies and awardees were given between 500 and 2500 USD depending on the location of their academic institute.

Students were chosen based on their academic and research excellence, teaching and community outreach. Special attention has been given to applications from less economically developed countries or working in those countries.

Eighteen students from as far as the Philippines and Argentina have travelled to Salt Lake City, Washington D.C. and New Orleans to present their work at the APS Meetings in 2016 and 2017.

The next call for the Distinguished Student (DS) travel support program closes on 13th September 2017. (https://www.aps.org/units/fip/awards/student-seminar.cfm). Awardees will attend the APS March or April meeting in 2018 in Los Angeles or Columbus respectively, depending on their physics interest.

The DS travel program has successfully brought young researchers from distant lands to the annual APS meetings to interact with many of the worlds’ leading researchers in Physics. The Forum on International Physics, with support from the Office of International Affairs at the American Physical Society, wish to continue this very successful program into the future and are discussing ways to attain funds. If members wish to support this very deserving program, please make a donation to the international program when renewing your annual dues with the society and mention the DS program specifically.

Currently, Jason is leading the Taiwanese effort in neutron scattering at the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center. His group maintain and operate the cold neutron, three axis spectrometer at the Australian source just outside of Sydney and specialize in the study of low temperature magnetism.

A selection of DS awardees. Top left: undergraduate Jansen Keith Domoguen (Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines) at his poster. Both at April Meeting 2016. Bottom: Chair of FIP 2017, Cherrill Spencer (far right) and DS organizer, Jason S. Gardner (3rd from left) with April Meeting 2017 awardees. Bottom right: Maria Spiropulu (FIP Chair 2016) with Mr Sharma (Veltech University, India).