The Forum on the History of Physics brings together physicists, historians, and other members of APS with an interest in the history physics and its impact on culture, education, and physics research itself. The Forum issues a semiannual Newsletter and organizes and sponsors sessions at the March and April APS meetings.

See the latest FHP Newsletter

The FHP Fall 2012 Newsletter is now available.

FHP Graduate Student Oral History Workshops at March and April Meetings

More Information

2012 FHP Election Results

The incoming Vice Chair is Brian Schwartz of City University of New York. The incoming At-Large member of the Executive Committee representing students and recent students is Lisa Crystal of Harvard University. The other incoming At-Large member of the Executive Committee is Paul Halpern of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

2012 Abraham Pais Prize Awarded to Lillian Hoddeson

Lillian Hoddeson, University of Illinois

The 2012 Abraham Pais Prize for the History of Physics has been awarded to Lillian Hoddeson "For her leadership and contributions to writing the history of twentieth-century physics, her pioneering studies of American research laboratories -particularly Bell Labs, Los Alamos and Fermilab- and her perceptive scientific biography of John Bardeen." More Information

Nominations

Nominations for Fellowship in the American Physical Society through the Forum on the History of Physics are open through June 1, 2012. More Information.

Nominations for the Abraham Pais Prize for History of Physics are open through May 1, 2012. More Information.

FHP welcomes one new APS Fellow

The Forum on the History of Physics extends a welcome and congratulations to one APS member who was elected to fellowship in 2011.

Cathryn Carson
“For her contributions to the history and philosophy of physics, especially regarding Heisenberg in postwar West Germany, and for her professional leadership as program director, book and journal editor, and conference organizer.”

FHP Sessions in 2012

APS March Meeting 2012

B19: One Hundred Fifty Years of Maxwell's Equations (1862-2012)
Q19: The Scientific Legacy of Edward Purcell (1912-2012)
X2: History of Metrology and Today's Frontiers of Measurement

APS April Meeting 2012

C5: The Scientific Legacy of Bruno Rossi
H5: Physicists Advising on National Security
T5: Pais Prize Session: The National Laboratories after 1980

View FHP Sessions Online

Slides and audio records of many of the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 FHP-sponsored sessions at APS meetings are available online. A recently posted session is "BCS: 50 Years" by Leon Cooper, Brown University.

2011
March Meeting Presentations & Audio
April Meeting Presentations & Audio

2010
March Meeting Presentations & Audio
April Meeting Presentations & Audio

2009
March Meeting Presentations & Audio
April Meeting Presentations & Audio

2008
March Meeting Presentations & Audio
April Meeting Presentations & Audio

Pictures of FHP sessions can be seen at the Image Gallery

Other Announcements

Student Travel Awards
AIP Grants-in-Aid for History of Modern Physics and Allied Fields