This award supports travel of undergraduate students, graduate students, and two members of the National Society of Hispanic Physicists (NSHP) to the Annual Conference of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). SACNAS was established over 30 years ago with the specific mission of encouraging Chicano/Latino and Native American students to pursue graduate degrees and obtain the advanced degrees necessary to have research careers and to teach the science professions at all levels. The conference will be held in Annaheim, CA, Sept. 30 through Oct. 3, 2010. NSHP is organizing three sessions at SACNAS: "The Frontier of Nuclear and Particle Physics"; "Exploring the Universe", and "Astronomy and Astrophysics: The Next Ten Years". The sessions organized by NSHP at each SACNAS meeting are meant for undergraduate students in physics and astronomy and are meant to serve as: 1) a way of introducing the students to some of the most interesting areas of research; 2) a way for students to ask the presenters about their research; 3) a way of introducing the students to successful minorities in their field; 4) a way for students to ask the presenters or other professionals when and where to apply for graduate schools. This award is funded by the Division of Physics and the Division of Astronomical Sciences in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
The project supported the attendance of physics students and two professionals at the 2010 National Conference of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)held in Annaheim, CA, in October, 2010. This support also helps to foster the synergistic partnership that has developed over the years between SACNAS and the National Society of Hispanic Physicists (NSHP). Minorities are very under-represented in the area of physics, more so than in most other fields of science and engineering. This conference offers students, predominately Hispanics and Native Americans, the opportunity to learn about forefront research, to participate in professional development sessions and mentoring activities, and to network with professionals and other students in their fields. NSHP works closely with SACNAS to assist with the development of the programming of the conference, both in general and specifically in those aspects which relate directly to physics, where physics is defined very broadly to include the usual subdisciplines but also astronomy, materials science, medical physics, geoophysics, atmospheric physics, acoustics, etc. The rapid growth of the conference is an indiction that students are finding it quite useful in helping them to gain confidence and to succeed in their educational and subsquent endeavors.
