National Society of Black Physicists
Encyclopedia
The National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) was established in 1977 to promote the professional well-being of African Diaspora
physicist
s and physics students within the international scientific community and the world community at large.
NSBP has an active Pre-college Programs Committee that participates in outreach events at local elementary schools in tandem with NSBP's annual conference.
. Attendance at these conferences is upwards of 500 persons, drawing people from all over the world, from Kenya to California. This conference has a cutting-edge scientific program as well as a student professional development program that includes mentor-protege match-making and a recruiting fair.
Throughout its history NSBP has had an active interest in physics related activities outside of the United States
. Twenty years ago under the leadership of the late Nobel Laureate, Abdus Salam
, and the late Charles Brown, several NSBP members organized the Edward Bouchet-Abdus Salam Institute (EBASI). EBASI (1) provides mechanisms for synergistic scientific and technical collaborations between African and American physical scientists, engineers, and technologists, (2) enhances the impact of science and technology on the sustainable development of the countries on the African continent, and (3) increases the technical manpower pool working in Africa today by facilitating the training of Ph.D. students from African universities. More recently, through a program funded by the Kellogg Foundation NSBP will assist South Africa
in its efforts to increase the number of Black astronomers and astrophysicists and to build capacity in the field.
African diaspora
The African diaspora was the movement of Africans and their descendants to places throughout the world—predominantly to the Americas also to Europe, the Middle East and other places around the globe...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
s and physics students within the international scientific community and the world community at large.
Brief history
The Society of Black Physicists was inaugurated on Thursday, April 28, 1977 at Morgan State University with Drs. Walter Massey and James Davenport serving respectively as interim president and secretary-treasurer. In 1978 at Morehouse College the Society formally elected its first officers, and later the society was renamed the National Society of Black Physicists. Not long after the 1978 meeting, a Constitution and Bylaws were written which called for the election to two-year terms of the following officers: President, President-Elect/Past- President, Treasurer, Administrative Executive Officer, and Technical Executive Officer.Mission
The organization seeks to develop and support efforts to increase opportunities for African Americans in physics and to increase their numbers and visibility of their scientific work. It also seeks to develop activities and programs that highlight and enhance the benefits of the scientific contributions that African American physicists provide for the international community. The society seeks to raise the general knowledge and appreciation of physics in the African American community.NSBP has an active Pre-college Programs Committee that participates in outreach events at local elementary schools in tandem with NSBP's annual conference.
Activities
The organization holds its annual conference in February. More recently, it has jointly held these conferences with the National Society of Hispanic PhysicistsNational Society of Hispanic Physicists
The National Society of Hispanic Physicists was established in 1996 with the goal of promoting the participation and advancement of Hispanic-Americans in physics and celebrating the contributions of Hispanic-American physicists to the study and teaching of physics.-Brief history:A grant from the...
. Attendance at these conferences is upwards of 500 persons, drawing people from all over the world, from Kenya to California. This conference has a cutting-edge scientific program as well as a student professional development program that includes mentor-protege match-making and a recruiting fair.
Throughout its history NSBP has had an active interest in physics related activities outside of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Twenty years ago under the leadership of the late Nobel Laureate, Abdus Salam
Abdus Salam
Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk (Urdu: محمد عبد السلام, pronounced , (January 29, 1926– November 21, 1996) was a Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate in Physics for his work on the electroweak unification of the...
, and the late Charles Brown, several NSBP members organized the Edward Bouchet-Abdus Salam Institute (EBASI). EBASI (1) provides mechanisms for synergistic scientific and technical collaborations between African and American physical scientists, engineers, and technologists, (2) enhances the impact of science and technology on the sustainable development of the countries on the African continent, and (3) increases the technical manpower pool working in Africa today by facilitating the training of Ph.D. students from African universities. More recently, through a program funded by the Kellogg Foundation NSBP will assist South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in its efforts to increase the number of Black astronomers and astrophysicists and to build capacity in the field.