Section meetings are held in the fall of each year, including all subdisciplines and emphasizing the unity of the various fields of physics. Public events are planned with the meetings to strengthen broader perceptions of and support for science.

When it can be arranged suitably, the Section will meet jointly with the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), the Student Physics Society (SPS), and possibly with regional sections of the Optical Society of America (OSA), the American Ceramic Society (ACerS), AAAS, and other scientific groups.

The scientific meetings will rotate among the four states in the Section. The opportunity to present papers will be open to any APS member and to all students. Both oral and poster presentations will generally be accommodated, and sessions especially for students, or other means of encouraging student participation, are included in the meetings.