(Posted December 15, 2020)

Evan Ulrich, who served as the Society of Physics Students chapter president during the 2019-2020 academic year, left, and chapter adviser Jim Borgardt, Woolford Professor of Physics, take a look at an item in the Physics Department's Human Space Flight collection. This photo was taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Evan Ulrich, who served as the Society of Physics Students chapter president during the 2019-2020 academic year, left, and chapter adviser Jim Borgardt, Woolford Professor of Physics, take a look at an item in the Physics Department's Human Space Flight collection. This photo was taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Juniata College chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) has won an Outstanding Chapter Award from the SPS National Office. This is the 22nd consecutive time the chapter has been recognized for its excellence as a top-tier student-led physical sciences organization, a designation given to fewer than 10 percent of all SPS chapters at colleges and universities in the United States and internationally, and the longest uninterrupted run of recognition in the country.

The Society of Physics Students (SPS) is a professional association designed for students and membership is open to anyone interested in physics and related fields. SPS operates within the American Institute of Physics (AIP), an umbrella organization for professional physical science societies.

The SPS chapter at Juniata College is advised by Jim Borgardt, Woolford Professor of Physics, and is led by student officers. The 2020-2021 officers are Tristen White, a senior from Everett, Pennsylvania, who serves as the club president; Jake Grove, a senior from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who serves as vice president; Charlie Kovach, a senior from Carnegie, Pennsylvania, who serves as secretary; and Thomas Cope, a junior from Fogelsville, Pennsylvania, who serves as treasurer. 

“This award recognizes the amazing work and dedication our students have in creating an inclusive physics culture, driven towards outreach within the greater Juniata and Huntingdon communities,” said Evan Ulrich, who served as the chapter president during the 2019-2020 academic year. 

SPS chapters are evaluated on their level of interaction with the campus community, the professional physics community, the public, and with SPS national programs. The Outstanding Chapter Award recognizes high levels of outreach as well as unique approaches to fulfilling the mission of SPS to “help students transform themselves into contributing members of the professional community.” 

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.