AIP and COVID-19

A message from Michael H. Moloney, Ph.D.
CEO, American Institute of Physics

April 20, 2020

Like organizations across the world, the staff at the American Institute of Physics have done a tremendous job of stepping up to the challenge of continuing to pursue the Institute’s mission and serving our stakeholders at this extraordinary time. I am reaching out to keep you informed about how we are navigating the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our team at AIP and of colleagues across the physical sciences enterprise. That is why the leadership at AIP proactively made the decision to have staff begin working remotely on March 16. As a science organization, it is imperative that we lead by example in our communities and do all that we can to reduce community exposure and help to flatten the curve of viral transmission.

All AIP staff have fully embraced the transition to remote work, and I am impressed by their dedication to our mission, never faltering in their efforts to advance, promote and serve the physical sciences. Our technological backbone at AIP is robust, and our ability to continue our work remotely is largely unimpeded.

At the same time, I am reminded of the enormous responsibility of our friends and family whose work on the frontlines – in healthcare, grocery stores, security services, postal services, and so much more – enables all of us to feel a semblance of normalcy and security during these trying times.

While we at AIP navigate this period of extended remote work, I wanted to keep our friends and colleagues informed about the ways AIP resources can be accessed while our offices remain closed.

How to Reach AIP Staff?

Continue to contact us as you normally would. During this time, email would be best. If you are calling our office phones, please be mindful that it might take some time to return your call. If you do call our office phones, please leave a voicemail, as this will generate an alert that gets sent to our email.

Updates to Member Society Meetings

We continue to work closely with all 10 AIP Member Societies. In particular, we have been monitoring developments regarding Member Society scientific meetings and posting the latest information regarding cancellation, postponement or the move to virtual meetings on our Meetings Calendar, which can be found here.

AIP Online Offerings

There are a number of ways to keep up-to-date on AIP resources during this time:

Updates Directly from our Member Societies

Acoustical Society of America 

American Association of Physicists in Medicine 

American Association of Physics Teachers 

American Astronomical Society 

American Crystallographic Association 

American Meteorological Society 

American Physical Society 

AVS: Science & Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and Processing 

The Optical Society 

As an organization, we will continue to monitor scientific data relating to the global COVID-19 pandemic, and make recommendations to return to our offices in College Park, Maryland, only when we are satisfied that we can do so in a safe and controlled manner.

Until then, know that we are mindful of you, and all members of our community. I know I speak on behalf of everyone at AIP when I say we look forward to seeing you at future events, meetings and gatherings once this has all passed.

May you and your loved ones be well. Let’s look out for each other and stay safe.