The Randolph College chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) has won yet another Outstanding Chapter Award from the SPS national office. The annual designation is given to fewer than 15 percent of all SPS chapters at colleges and universities in the United States and internationally, and Randolph has now received the award for 13 of the last 15 years.
The Society of Physics Students (SPS) is a professional association designed for students and membership is open to anyone interested in physics and related fields. SPS operates within the American Institute of Physics, an umbrella organization for professional physical science societies.
The SPS chapter at Randolph is advised by Peter Sheldon, the Charles A. Dana Professor of Physics and Engineering, who was also recently named runner-up for the SPS’s Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award. The organization is also led by student officers. The 2019-20 officers for Randolph’s chapter are Hailey Gilman ’21, Joe Vazquez ’20, Jessica Gross ’21, and Paige Edwards ’21.
SPS chapters are evaluated on their level of interaction with the campus community, the professional physics community, the public, and with SPS national programs. The Outstanding Chapter Award recognizes high levels of outreach as well as unique approaches to fulfilling the mission of SPS to “help students transform themselves into contributing members of the professional community.”
Randolph’s SPS organizes several community and campus outreach initiatives, including the annual Randolph College Science Festival and a science jeopardy tournament each semester. The group has also participated in Children’s Assistive Technology Service’s Hallowheels fundraiser and competition for the past three years, where they construct a Halloween costume for a child in a wheelchair. Randolph SPS won the competition in 2018 when they designed a Cinderella-themed costume for a disabled six-year-old.
Tags: awards, national recognition, national recognitions, Peter Sheldon, society of physics students, SPS