This award supports the US Physics Talent Search which is the United States component of an international project: the "World Year of Physics 2005 Physics Talent Search." It is an educational project aimed at increasing awareness of and participation in physics among students and their families. Young people aged 10-18 will be eligible to participate. During the initial stages, large numbers of young people will participate, including many who have no previous engagement with physics. As established by the International Organizing Committee, the structure of the Physics Talent Search (PTS) stresses new achievements rather than prior knowledge, and avoids labeling participants as "winners" and "losers." The primary goal of the PTS is "learning about physics" rather than "learning physics" although such learning is an expected secondary outcome. The first round of the PTS will follow a "merit badge" model. Students will complete tasks drawn from several lists, and earn varying numbers of "points." Any student earning 10 or more points will be recognized as a "United States WYP2005 Physics Talent," and receive a certificate of achievement and a letter from a physicist. Students who earn points equal to their age in years will be recognized as an "International honorable mention," and will receive further rewards. The broader impacts of this project are increased awareness of and interest in physics among a large group of young people. In addition, inclusion of the participants' teachers and families will further improve the profile of the physics in the US as a whole. This award is co-funded by the Divisions of Physics and Materials Research and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate.
