Sven Alskog
News Editor
For seven years straight, the Idaho State University Society of Physics Students (SPS) has taken home the Outstanding Chapter Award from the National Society of Physics Students and the American Physical Society.
The honor is one that the ISU chapter has received on an annual basis, recently in large part due to its involvement within the community.
This year, the chapter earned the award after hosting numerous events to get as many people as possible involved in science.
One of these was the Eastern Idaho Science Olympiad, hosted on-campus. The olympiad allowed students in seventh and eighth grade to become active in science by building their own projects and/or taking part in other activities.
Along with the olympiad, a Haunted Science Lab held during October of 2012 allowed for an interactive experience for all participants. This event gave younger students the chance to learn about science in a drastically different way than they normally would.
“It was a way to expose kids to some science that might not typically seek that,” said SPS adviser Steve Shropshire.
Allowing the younger generation to experience hands-on time with many different objects is something that the chapter strives to do often.
Hands-on opportunities are one of many reasons why students in the organization say they enjoy being involved.
As is this case with any club at ISU, there are many unique experiences in the SPS.
“My favorite part is doing all the fun stuff,” said Ben Pearson, the 2012-2013 chapter president.
For Pearson, that fun stuff has quite the endless range of possibilities, something that he tries to make the most of.
“Destruction, lighting things on fire, then freezing them and playing with the cool toys,” said Pearson.
Winning awards and playing with “the cool toys” allows all the SPS members to enhance their skills within physics and beyond.
“We have had activities that involve the community, such as the Haunted Laboratory and physics demo shows, both on campus and in schools,” said Mark Wetzel, the current SPS president. “I like being able to share my interest in science and see others get excited about it. Being a member has benefits. There are opportunities to get together with other members for socializing as well as learning via homework help and study groups. Our student lounge is a nice place to hang out with other members between and after classes.”
“You get to let your inner nerd out,” said Pearson.
While letting his inner nerd out, Pearson also says that it is rewarding to get more children interested in science.
Having a strong foundation set within the chapter for years to come, Wetzel hopes to tie the record for the most years in a row winning the Outstanding Chapter Award at eight. Only two other schools have ever achieved that feat.
He has numerous tasks to handle in his leadership role at ISU.
“As president of our chapter, I arrange chapter events and activities, such as a trip to go launch pumpkins with our trebuchet, and represent the ISU chapter at the SPS regional zone meetings,” said Wetzel. “The president acts as the bridge of communication between the members and our SPS faculty adviser, Dr. Steven Shropshire.”
By winning seven years in a row, ISU joins a prestigious list including four other schools.
The eventual goal is to break the record for consecutive years as the outstanding chapter, continuing the heavy involvement in the community and at ISU. If the past is any indication, their chances look promising.
Within the past few years alone, on top of the Outstanding Chapter Award, ISU has earned the Blake Lilly Award for outreach in 2010-2011 and the Spookiest Photo Award in 2009. A look at the wall of awards in the department gives those who walk past a good idea of how successful the program has been, with multiple other honors, along with the ones listed previously.
Just remember, when these students are letting their inner-nerd out, it’s for both the benefit of science and the younger generation.
