On the eve of the announcement of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics, AIP Development hosted its first Physics Nobel Celebration in Bethesda, Maryland. Friend and donor of the History Programs, Nancy Greenspan, generously offered her lovely home and welcomed friends of AIP's history and education programs in recognition of physics and its remarkable contributions to society. Guests engaged in lively discourse about which field of physics would be singled out in the morning's announcement from Stockholm. The most votes (or guesses) were cast for the Higgs boson theory, and these predictions rang true. Many entered the raffle for the chance to win coveted prizes; as luck would have it, two students from the George Washington University Society of Physics Students (SPS) chapter won a lunch with a laureate—prizes generously donated by laureates Adam Reiss and Bill Phillips. Another guest won lunch with John Mather.
The highlight of the evening was listening to notables in science and science communication recount their experiences about making or reporting on groundbreaking discoveries. It was a wonderful night, and we are already looking forward to next year's event!
