APS Member Count Tops 48,000

The official count of the APS membership has been tallied up, and the Society has reached a new record of 48,263 members. This passes last year’s record of 47,947 members by a net of 316 people. It is also the first time that the number of members has broken 48,000 on the final official count.

The growth was spread throughout several different sections of the membership, including student members, international members and junior members.

“Overall as an organization we’re doing a better job. We’re offering better programs and also communicating better to the community,” said Trish Lettieri, Director of Membership.

Students made up the biggest growing section with 345 new dues-paying students, and 113 participating in the free trial program. The society also enrolled 84 new junior members. The total number of regular members was down by 398 members, in part the result of current economic times and a generation of physicists reaching retirement.

International members saw their ranks grow as well. This year there are 10,349 international members, up 156 from last year. All together, international members make up nearly 22 percent of the total membership. Amy Flatten, APS’s director of international affairs, credited the increase to more efforts to reach out to physicists internationally.

“The Society is working to expand its international engagement and to better serve its international members,” Flatten said. “We have already expanded the number of APS International Councillors in our governing body, the APS Council, and have established a network of contacts worldwide, the International Friends Network that will help us strengthen the Society’s communication and offerings to our members outside of the United States.”

These membership counts are held every year to assess the health of the Society. The membership numbers are important also in enhancing the Society’s grass roots lobbying efforts when advocating for improvements in science policy and increased research funding.