Student Programs

The Society of Physics Students and Sigma Pi Sigma provide students with scholarly opportunities and resources for their academic, personal and professional development. Your support will fuel vectors of exploration for new generations, keeping the physics and astronomy communities strong and growing.

Make a gift to SPS and Sigma Pi Sigma through one or more of these designations:

The Sigma Pi Sigma Annual Fund

Your gift to the annual fund provides real-time support for students who seek merit- or needs-based scholarships to pursue their education and realize their potential.

This fund is also used to support SPS Chapters to conduct science outreach programs in their local communities—programs that stimulate interest and engagement in STEM.

The Sigma Pi Sigma Endowment

Your investment in the Sigma Pi Sigma Endowment provides benefit to students today while building a resource to support them in perpetuity. Through prudent financial management, this endowed fund has steadily grown, and so has its impact.

Revenue generated by this fund is allocated in support of student travel grants, making it possible for them to attend seminars and conferences or to present research and other work at symposia.

This fund also supports programs and gatherings of the physics and astronomy communities themselves, furnishing networks of support that are vital complements to a rigorous and often grueling curriculum.

The Congress Centennial Endowment Fund

PhysCon is the largest gathering of undergraduate physics students in the world. As Sigma Pi Sigma approaches its 100th anniversary in 2021, the Congress Centennial Endowment Fund was established in part to herald this remarkable milestone.

Sigma Pi Sigma has provided a gathering place for those who share an interest in physics and related sciences. To commemorate the Society’s Centennial, this endowment has been established to underwrite future PhysCon events.

PhysCon is the modern incarnation of historical Sigma Pi Sigma Congresses, where inter-generational attendees spend a weekend making new connections, interacting with other scientists, hearing distinguished speakers, and making important connections with each other as part of a community that shares a passion for learning, discovery and science.

This fund will specifically lower the financial burden to students who might otherwise not attend the Congress, by reducing the costs of travel, lodging and meals.

The Mather Fund for Science Policy Internships

Through a generous gift from Nobel Laureate John Mather, the Mather Fund is used to send science students into service as policy interns in the United States Capitol.

With a goal of bridging the gap between policymakers and scientists, the program is a step forward in linking the vigorous scientific approach of fact-finding to the policy development process. Ensuring that empirical data remains a fundamental component in decision-making and providing opportunities for young science students to engage in policy research and development are both important outcomes of the Mather Fund.

In a time where science has been regarded with growing skepticism, these internships reinforce the importance of including scientific perspectives in the public dialogue.