Join Us in Documenting & Celebrating Women’s Contributions to the Physical Sciences

I’m excited to share that AIP has received a generous $220,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to launch a major initiative documenting and celebrating women’s contributions to the physical sciences. Over the next year, we’ll be working to collect, preserve, and share stories that reflect the many ways women have shaped—and continue to shape—the field.

As we launch this effort, I want to share some of what we’ll be doing—and how you can get involved.

Share Your Story: Photos and Reflections Welcome

As part of this initiative, we invite women at all stages of their physical science careers to document their experiences—through words or images—and to contribute them for consideration for inclusion in the collections of AIP’s Niels Bohr Library and Archives. Selected materials will become part of our permanent collections and serve as a resource for current and future STEM professionals and historians.

Why Photos Matter

Photos and personal stories shape how people imagine who scientists are and what their lives and work look like. That’s why it’s vital for an organization like AIP—committed to expanding access and removing barriers in the physical sciences—to help build collections that reflect a fuller picture of the people who make science happen. Through this initiative, we’re expanding our collection of visual and narrative documentation to better reflect the diversity of experiences within the scientific community.

One of the Niels Bohr Library and Archives’ most widely used resources is the Emilio Segrè Visual Archives —a collection of over 30,000 photographs documenting the lives and work of physical scientists. Named for Nobel laureate and amateur photographer Emilio Segrè , the archive includes both formal portraits and candid snapshots, many donated by scientists and their families over the years. These digitized and born digital photos are freely available to the public and regularly appear in books, exhibitions, and online resources. That said, the current collection does not yet fully reflect the breadth of professionals and practices across the physical sciences.

Submit a Photo Today

It’s easier than ever for scientists to document and share their stories—whether through digital photography, memoir, or personal reflection. Many physical scientists are already capturing meaningful moments in their careers and communities, often with just a smartphone. To support this growing practice, and as part of AIP’s 2025 Research Agenda , we’ve launched a simple one-page form where you can describe and upload photos for potential inclusion in the Niels Bohr Library and Archives. When you submit a photo, you’ll be invited to share a brief description and select how you’d like others to be able to use it through a licensing option.

The simplest way to participate is to look through your own photo collection for moments worth sharing—and submit one. Do you have a photo of yourself with a mentor? A snapshot of your lab group or a conference trip? Consider uploading it today with a short description.

Encourage others to submit photos

You can also help by encouraging others to share their photos. Reach out to mentors, colleagues, or classmates—especially those whose stories deserve to be seen—and offer to support them in uploading images. Consider spreading the word within your lab, workplace, campus, or professional networks. If you’d like to write something to encourage participation, or if you want us to present or write about this initiative to a group or newsletter you’re part of, we’d be happy to help. Feel free to reach out to me directly—my contact info is on my bio page .

Opportunities for interns and fellows

This grant is also supporting opportunities for graduate students in the D.C. Metro area to help launch and lead this work. If you—or someone you know—might be interested, we’re currently accepting applications for a year-long, half-time archives fellowship as well as a paid internship position. Students in these roles will be involved in highlighting the stories and images of women in our existing collections through in our blog and social media, enriching coverage of women in the physical sciences in Wikipedia, and inviting donations of photos, biographical materials, and personal stories from women involved in physics, astronomy, and the physical sciences.

See you at the Physics and Astronomy Congress

As part of this initiative, Corinne Mona, Rebecca Charbonneau, and I—representing AIP’s library and history teams—will be at the upcoming Physics and Astronomy Congress in Denver . We’ll be hosting a Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon focused on improving coverage of women in the physical sciences. If you’re attending the conference, we’d love for you to join us in this effort to enrich the historical record and celebrate the contributions of women scientists. Hope to see you there.