Your gift supports the first APS-level prize honoring research in climate physics
As more physicists become interested in applying their domain knowledge to climate challenges, the APS Topical Group on the Physics of Climate (GPC) proposes to establish the first APS prize recognizing climate physics research. This prize will establish the importance of climate research in the physics community, as from the early days of climate science, physicists made major contributions to the field. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our time, and scientific research and teaching are critical to addressing climate change. Climate science is an interdisciplinary field, and physics is one of the core climate science disciplines. The prize will be named for one of the early physicists who made enormous contributions to climate science: Eunice Newton Foote.
APS GPC is currently one of the few APS units without an APS-level prize, nor is there an APS-level prize honoring research in climate physics. If we raise enough funds, this will become the second APS-level award honoring a female scientist, discounting early career awards. The first award was the Mildred Dresselhaus Prize in Nanoscience or Nanomaterials, which was created by generous contributors.
While our initial goal is $150,000 our long-term goal is to raise $300,000 to make this a Society-level prize.
Support the Foote Award
About Eunice Newton Foote
Eunice Newton Foote (1819-1888) was a trailblazing female scientist, and a suffragist who lived in upstate New York and worked with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth C Stanton. She pioneered the investigation of radiative effects of water vapor and carbon dioxide, presaging the discovery of the greenhouse effect. Foote was the first to demonstrate the ability of atmospheric water vapor and carbon dioxide to absorb and be heated by solar radiation. Her work, which pre-dated John Tyndall's discovery of the greenhouse effect, fell into obscurity only to be recognized over 100 years later and is now widely regarded as one of the most significant early discoveries in climate physics.
The Eunice Newton Foote Prize will contribute to building the climate research community and honor the wide range of physicists who have, are, and will contribute to addressing fundamental scientific, technological, and social problems.
About GPC
APS GPC was founded in 2012 to urge physicists to more actively participate in advancing understanding of the climate system and developing technologies to mitigate the effects of climate change.
