American Institute of Physics
Encyclopedia
The American Institute of Physics (AIP) promotes science, the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies. Its corporate headquarters are at the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland
, but the institute also has an office in Melville, New York and Beijing, China.
Another core activity is publishing the science of physics in research journals, magazines, and conference proceedings. Other core activities are tracking employment and education trends with six decades of coverage, being a liaison between research science and industry, historical collections and outreach programs, and supporting science education initiatives and supporting undergraduate physics. One other core activity is as an advocate for science policy to the U.S. Congress and the general public.
. It formally incorporated in 1932 consisting of five, original, "member-societies", and a total of 4 thousand members. A new set of "member-societies" was added beginning in the mid 1960s. As soon as the AIP was established it began publishing scientific journals.
College Park, Maryland
College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA. The population was 30,413 at the 2010 census. It is best known as the home of the University of Maryland, College Park, and since 1994 the city has also been home to the "Archives II" facility of the U.S...
, but the institute also has an office in Melville, New York and Beijing, China.
Core activities
The focus of the AIP appears to be organized around a set of core activities. The first delineated activity is to support member societies regarding essential society functions. This is accomplished by annually convening the various society officers to discuss common areas of concern. A range of topics is discussed which includes scientific publishing, public policy issues, membership-base issues, philanthropic giving, science education, science careers for a diverse population, and a forum for sharing ideas.Another core activity is publishing the science of physics in research journals, magazines, and conference proceedings. Other core activities are tracking employment and education trends with six decades of coverage, being a liaison between research science and industry, historical collections and outreach programs, and supporting science education initiatives and supporting undergraduate physics. One other core activity is as an advocate for science policy to the U.S. Congress and the general public.
Historical overview
The AIP was founded in 1931 as a response to lack of funding for the sciences during the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. It formally incorporated in 1932 consisting of five, original, "member-societies", and a total of 4 thousand members. A new set of "member-societies" was added beginning in the mid 1960s. As soon as the AIP was established it began publishing scientific journals.