Travel: Travel Support for Students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to the 2022 Physics Congress

2022年物理大会(Physcon)由Sigma Pi Sigma(物理荣誉协会)组织，美国物理学会(AIP)支持，是世界上规模最大的一次物理本科生聚会。授予AIP的这一奖项支持物理学中代表性不足的团体的成员参加这次会议。今年的会议主题为百年动能，将包括著名科学家的主题演讲；关于对物理学本科生重要的关键主题的互动研讨会；以及参观主要科学设施，为学生提供变革性的体验。非洲裔美国人和拉美裔美国人在物理学领域的代表性都严重不足。根据2020年美国人口普查数据，在美国20-24岁的人口中，16%是非洲裔美国人，22.3%是西班牙裔。相比之下，AIP统计研究中心的数据显示，2019年略高于3%的物理学学士学位授予了非裔美国人，2019年授予了拉美裔美国人11%。因此，这两个民族在物理学本科生中的比例低于预期，而这应该是基于人口的预期。该奖项旨在通过让未被充分代表的学生意识到资源并与物理界建立联系，来解决他们在物理学领域的参与和成功。该计划将由SP和志愿者领导人单独与各部门合作，以确定将从该计划中受益的学生。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The 2022 Physics Congress (PhysCon), organized by Sigma Pi Sigma (the physics honor society) and supported by the American Institute of Physics (AIP), is the largest single gathering of physics undergraduate students in the world. This award to AIP supports the attendance to this meeting by members of underrepresented groups in physics. This year’s conference, themed 100 Years of Momentum, will include keynote lectures by renowned scientists; interactive workshops on key topics of importance to undergraduates in the physical sciences; and tours of major science facilities to provide transformative experiences for the students.African Americans and Hispanics are both extremely underrepresented in physics. According to 2020 U.S. Census data, 16% of the 20–24-year-olds in the U.S. are African American and 22.3% are Hispanic. By comparison, data from the AIP Statistical Research Center shows that just over 3% of physics bachelor’s degrees in 2019 were awarded to African Americans, and 11% to Hispanics in 2019. Thus, both ethnic groups see less than the expected representation among physics undergraduates that should be expected based on the population. This award aims to address the participation and success of underrepresented students in physics by making them aware of resources and building connections to the physics community. This program would have SPS and volunteer leaders work with departments individually to identify students that would benefit from the program.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.