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Andrew Gemant Award

About the Award

The Andrew W. Gemant Award recognizes the accomplishments of a person who has made significant contributions to the cultural, artistic, or humanistic dimension of physics given annually. The award is made possible by a bequest of Andrew Gemant to the American Institute of Physics.

The awardee receives a $5,000 cash award, designates an academic institution to receive a grant of $3,000 to further the public communication of physics, and is invited to deliver a public lecture in a suitable forum.

John S. Rigden
Dr. Brian Schwartz

Current Gemant Award winner

The 2009 Andrew Gemant Award is presented to Dr. Brian Schwartz for ingenious creativity in engaging the public with the history and cultural aspects of physics and for inventing ways to celebrate physics through such varied vehicles as plays, musicals, exhibitions, street fairs, cabaret, posters, and opera. As cited by one of his nominators, Dr. Schwartz's qualifications for the Gemant Award "rise from the extraordinary to the unique." He has sustained this work and kept it fresh for more than two decades, reaching large audiences without sacrificing intellectual or artistic integrity.

See past Gemant Award recipients.

Criteria

The awardee is named by the AIP Governing Board during the annual spring meeting based on the recommendation of an outside Selection Committee appointed by the Institute's Board Chairman. The awardee is chosen based on contributions in one or more of the following areas:

  • Creative work in the arts and humanities that derives from a deep knowledge of and love for physics
  • The interpretation of physics to the public through such means as mass media presentations or public lectures
  • The enlightenment of physicists and the public regarding the history of physics or other cultural aspects of physics
  • Clear communication of physics to students who are learning physics as part of their general education

Contact information

Nominations with supporting material (i.e., CV's, articles, book reviews) should be sent by January 31 of each year, to:

Vice President, Physics Resources Center
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse
College Park, MD 20740-3843

For more information, call the Office of the Vice President, Physics Resources at (301) 209-3127.