Programs on Critical Problems in Physics, Astrophysics and Biophysics at the Aspen Center for Physics

该奖项资助阿斯彭物理中心（ACP）的科学活动，该中心是世界上最重要的理论物理研究机构之一。ACP的独特之处在于它将高科学质量的项目与极其丰富的合作研究环境相结合。每年5月下旬至9月中旬，ACP都会吸引约500名世界顶尖物理学家来到阿斯彭，参加为期数周的研讨会、工作组或个人研究项目，他们相互交流、讨论、合作和挑战，同时分享各自学科前沿的想法。ACP还组织五到八次为期一周的冬季会议，每周聚集多达100名研究人员，对当前物理学和跨学科研究领域的快速突破发展做出反应。由于这种激烈的活动，每年都有数百篇期刊文章、书籍章节和科学手稿明确承认ACP是新思想的诞生、合作的形成和培育、集中精力推进或完成工作的机会，以及研究人员为克服进步的障碍所做出的重要贡献。因此，对ACP的资助通过促进物理学各个分支学科的基础科学的进步来推进国家利益。在夏季和冬季，参与的物理学家也为丰富而可见的科学推广计划做出了贡献。每个冬季会议都有一个免费的公开讲座，在此之前有一个“物理咖啡馆”，两到三名与会者与50到100名听众进行交流。每年夏天，ACP校园都会举办10到12场免费的公开讲座，出席人数通常接近100人。所有公开讲座及讲座均录下，并上载于机场谘询中心网页。每周“物理是为孩子们准备的”夏季烧烤活动都有动手活动和ACP参与者的互动演示/演讲。同样在夏天，来自当地高中的顶尖物理学学生在ACP工作一周，并与物理学家一对一会面，讨论STEM的兴趣和职业。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award funds the scientific activities at the Aspen Center for Physics (ACP), one of the premier theoretical physics research institutions in the world. The ACP is unique in its combination of programs of high scientific quality coupled with an extraordinarily fertile collaborative research environment. Each year, from late May to mid-September, the ACP attracts about 500 of the world's leading physicists to Aspen where, participating in multiple-week workshops, working groups, or individual research projects, they interact, discuss, collaborate, and challenge each other while sharing ideas at the forefront of their disciplines. The ACP also organizes between five and eight one-week Winter Conferences, bringing together as many as 100 researchers each week to respond to rapidly breaking developments in areas of current interest in physics and interdisciplinary research. As a result of this intense activity, each year several hundred journal articles, book chapters and scientific manuscripts explicitly acknowledge the ACP for the birth of new ideas, for the formation and nurturing of collaborations, for the opportunity to concentrate on advancing or completing work, and for essential ingredients contributed by fellow researchers to overcome roadblocks to progress. Thus, funding for the ACP advances the national interest by promoting the progress of fundamental science across a variety of subdisciplines of physics.In both summer and winter, participating physicists also contribute to a rich and visible science outreach program. Each winter conference features a free public lecture, preceded by a "Physics Café" in which two to three conference participants engage with an audience of 50 to 100. Each summer, ten to twelve free public talks are held on the ACP campus, with typical attendance close to 100. All public lectures and talks are recorded and made available on the ACP web site. Weekly "Physics is for Kids" summer barbeques feature hands-on activities and an interactive demonstration/talk by an ACP participant. Also in the summer, top physics students from local high schools work at the ACP for a week each and meet one-on-one with physicists to discuss STEM interests and careers.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.