APS Valley Prize Rewards Tomorrow’s Physicists

George E. Valley, Jr.

As noted in the Back Page article, funding for young scientists at the outset of their careers can be crucially important. This year, the APS calls for nominations for the fourth presentation of the George E. Valley, Jr. Prize, which is aimed specifically to help with this problem.

The Valley Prize is given every other year to an outstanding young physicist who has received his or her PhD no more than five years ago. To be eligible for this year's competition, nominees must have received their PhD no earlier than April 1, 2003. The Prize carries the largest stipend of any APS Prize–$20,000–with the intention of providing a potentially significant contribution to the recipient's research effort.

The nomination deadline is July 1, 2008. More information about the nature of the Prize, and the nomination and selection process, can be found on the Valley Prize web page.

The Prize was established by APS Council in 2000, and was endowed by a bequest from the estate of George E. Valley, Jr., who was Project Supervisor and a senior staff member of the Radiation Laboratory at MIT from 1941 to 1945. He was on the faculty at MIT from 1946 to 1974, was one of the founders of MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and was Chief Scientist of the Air Force in 1957-58. His areas of research included: Artificial Radioactivity, Mass Spectroscopy, Cosmic Rays, design of Rada.