APS Membership Stands at 49,653; Students, Foreign Members Increase

The official APS membership count for 2012 has been tabulated, and stands at 49,653 total dues-paying members in the Society. The count is down about 402 people from last year, but still up more 1,390 over the year before.

“Although it’s disappointing to not have another record this year, we’re still showing growth over the long run,” said Trish Lettieri, the director of APS Membership. 

She said that one of the reasons for the slight decline may have been the popularity of last year’s March Meeting in Boston. The meeting drew nearly 10,000 physicists, about 1,500 more than usual. It’s likely that some fraction of the extra attendees joined only for the year.

“One of the bright spots in these numbers is that the number of paying student members is up over four hundred,” Lettieri said. She commended the APS Education Department for reaching out to students. “APS has been working hard to offer great benefits to our student members and to keep them engaged.”

In addition, the number of international members has shown consistent growth. The count this year showed almost 400 new international members, about a fifth of which came from China. Lettieri credited the efforts of the APS Office of International Affairs for the continued membership growth from overseas.