The

American Institute of Physics The American Institute of Physics (AIP) promotes science and the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies. Its corpora ...

(AIP) instituted their Science Writing Award to "promote effective

science communication Science communication encompasses a wide range of activities that connect science and society. Common goals of science communication include informing non-experts about scientific findings, raising the Public awareness of science, public awar ...

in print and broadcast media in order to improve the general public's appreciation of physics, astronomy, and allied science fields." The winner receives $3000, and an engraved

Windsor chair A Windsor chair is a chair built with a solid wooden seat into which the chair-back and legs are round- tenoned, or pushed into drilled holes, in contrast to other styles of chairs whose back legs and back uprights are continuous. The seats of ...

. The award is given in three broad categories: 1) science writing, 2) work intended for children, and 3) work done in new media. The AIP stopped issuing awards to three categories: 1) work by a professional journalist (last awarded in 2011) 2) work by a scientist (last awarded in 2009), and 3) broadcast media (last awarded in 2009) Winners of this

Science Writing Science journalism conveys reporting about science to the public. The field typically involves interactions between scientists, journalists and the public. Origins Modern science journalism originated in weather and other natural history obs ...

Award include Nobel Prize winners

Charles Townes Charles Hard Townes (July 28, 1915 – January 27, 2015) was an American physicist. Townes worked on the theory and application of the maser, for which he obtained the fundamental patent, and other work in quantum electronics associated with b ...

Steven Weinberg Steven Weinberg (; May 3, 1933 – July 23, 2021) was an American theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate in physics for his contributions with Abdus Salam and Sheldon Glashow to the unification of the weak force and electromagnetic inter ...

, and

Kip Thorne Kip Stephen Thorne (born June 1, 1940) is an American theoretical physicist and writer known for his contributions in gravitational physics and astrophysics. Along with Rainer Weiss and Barry C. Barish, he was awarded the 2017 Nobel Pri ...

; other notable winners include

Simon Singh Simon Lehna Singh, (born 19 September 1964) is a British popular science author and theoretical and particle physicist. His written works include ''Fermat's Last Theorem'' (in the United States titled ''Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve ...

Neil DeGrasse Tyson Neil deGrasse Tyson ( or ; born October 5, 1958) is an American astrophysics, astrophysicist, author, and science communication, science communicator. Tyson studied at Harvard University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Columbia Univ ...

Lawrence Krauss Lawrence Maxwell Krauss (born May 27, 1954) is a Canadian-American theoretical physicist and cosmologist who taught at Arizona State University (ASU), Yale University, and Case Western Reserve University. He founded ASU's Origins Project in ...

, John Wheeler,

Leonard Susskind Leonard Susskind (; born June 16, 1940)his 60th birth anniversary was celebrated with a special symposium at Stanford University.in Geoffrey West's introduction, he gives Suskind's current age as 74 and says his birthday was recent. is an Americ ...

, Clifford Martin Will,

Abraham Pais Abraham Pais (; May 19, 1918 – July 28, 2000) was a Dutch- American physicist and science historian. Pais earned his Ph.D. from University of Utrecht just prior to a Nazi ban on Jewish participation in Dutch universities during World War II ...

, Heinz Pagels,

Banesh Hoffmann Banesh Hoffmann (6 September 1906 – 5 August 1986) was a British mathematician and physicist known for his association with Albert Einstein. Life Banesh Hoffmann was born in Richmond, Surrey, on 6 September 1906. He studied mathematics and t ...

, and

Martin Gardner Martin Gardner (October 21, 1914May 22, 2010) was an American popular mathematics and popular science writer with interests also encompassing magic, scientific skepticism, micromagic, philosophy, religion, and literatureespecially the writin ...

. Marcia Bartusiak has won the award three times, twice for her books (in 2019 and 2001) and once for her journalism (in 1982).

Winners: New Media

*2012: - Anna Rothschild for

Nova A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...

, "The Amazing Atomic Clock"

Past Winners: Books

*2020: Susan Hockfield for ''The Age of Living Machines'' (W.W. Norton & Company). *2019: Marcia Bartusiak for ''Dispatches from Planet 3'' (Yale University Press). *2019: David Hu for ''How to Walk on Water and Climb Up Walls'' (Yale University Press). *2018: David Baron for ''American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World'' (Liveright Publishing Corporation/W. W. Norton & Company). *2017: Timothy Jorgensen for ''Strange Glow: The Story of Radiation'' (Princeton University Press). *2016: Chris Woodford for ''Atoms Under the Floorboards: The Surprising Science Hidden in Your Home'' (Bloomsbury). *2015: Charles Adler for ''Wizards, Aliens, and Starships: Physics and Math in Fantasy and Science Fiction'' (Princeton University Press). *2014: Lee Billings for '' Five Billion Years of Solitude: the Search for Life Among the Stars'' (Current/Penguin).

Past Winners: Journalist

*2011: George Musser for ''

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it, with more than 150 Nobel Pri ...

'' magazine,"Could Time End?" *2010:

Tom Zoellner Tom Zoellner (born 1968) is an American author and journalist. He is the author of popular non-fiction books which take multidimensional views of their subject. His work has been widely reviewed and has been featured on ''The Daily Show''. His ...

for Penguin Group, "Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock that Shaped the World" *2008:

Ann Finkbeiner Ann Finkbeiner is a science writer who has contributed to various publications including ''Scientific American'', ''Nature (magazine), Nature'', ''Science (journal), Science'', ''Hakai Magazine'', ''Quanta Magazine'', ''Discover (magazine), Disco ...

for Viking/Penguin,"The Jasons" *2007: Tim Folger,

Discover Magazine ''Discover'' is an American general audience science magazine launched in October 1980 by Time Inc. It is currently owned by LabX Media Group. History Founding ''Discover'' was created primarily through the efforts of ''Time'' magazine e ...

,"If an Electron can be in Two Places at Once, Why Can't You?" *2006:

Barbara Goldsmith Barbara Goldsmith (May 18, 1931 – June 26, 2016) was an American author, journalist, and philanthropist. She received critical and popular acclaim for her best-selling books, essays, articles, and her philanthropic work. She was awarded four ...

for WW Norton and Atlas Books, "Obsessive Genius" *2005: Michael Moyer for

Popular Science Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad ranging. It may be written ...

, "Journey to the 10th Dimension" *2004: J. Madeleine Nash for Warner Books, ''El Niño: Unlocking the Secrets of the Master Weather-Maker''Best Sci-Tech Books 2004: The Masters of Science Writing: 3/1/2005: Library Journal
*2003: Diane Tennant for ''

The Virginian-Pilot ''The Virginian-Pilot'' is the daily newspaper for Hampton Roads, Virginia. Commonly known as ''The Pilot'', it is Virginia's largest daily. It serves the five cities of South Hampton Roads as well as several smaller towns across southeast Virgi ...

'',"A Cosmic Tale" *2002: No award given *2001: Marcia Bartusiak for Joseph Henry Press, ''Einstein's Unfinished Symphony''Physics Today December 2001
/ref> *2000:

Ron Cowen Ron Cowen is an American writer and producer. He is a partner with Daniel Lipman in the television production company Cowlip Productions. Filmography As a writer * ''Queer as Folk (U.S.), Queer as Folk'' (2000–2005) TV Series (developed by, ...

for ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'', "Quantum Leap in Research Draws Cosmic Insight Closer"; Science News "Travelin' Light"; The Washington Post "Now Hear This!" *1999:

Michael Lemonick Michael D. Lemonick ( , born 13 October 1953) is an opinion editor at ''Scientific American'', a former senior staff writer at Climate Central and a former senior science writer at ''Time''. He has also written for ''Discover'', Yale Environm ...

, '' Other Worlds: The Search for Life in the Universe'', Simon & Schuster *1998: Robyn Suriano and Todd Halvorson for ''

Florida Today ''Florida Today'' is the major daily newspaper serving Brevard County, Florida. Al Neuharth of the Gannett corporation started the paper in 1966, and some of the things he did with this newspaper presaged what he would later do at ''USA Toda ...

'', "Cassini: Debating the Risks" *1997: Hazel Muir for '' New Scientist Magazine'' "Watch Out, Here Comes the Sun" and "A Fast Rain's Going to Fall" *1996: K.C. Cole for ''

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

'',(3 newspaper articles) *1995:

Gary Taubes Gary Taubes (born April 30, 1956) is an American journalist, writer, and low-carbohydrate / high-fat (LCHF) diet advocate. His central claim is that carbohydrates, especially sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, overstimulate the secretion of insu ...

for ''

'', "Welcome to Femtoland" *1994: Dick Teresi for ''

Omni Magazine ''Omni'' was a science and science fiction magazine published for domestic American and UK markets. It contained articles on science, parapsychology, and short works of science fiction and fantasy. It was published as a print version between Oct ...

'', "The Last Great Experiment of the 20th Century" *1993:

Billy Goodman William Dale Goodman (March 22, 1926 – October 1, 1984) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) infielder who played 16 seasons for the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, and Houston Colt .45s, from 1947 through 1962. Go ...

for ''

Air & Space Magazine ''Air & Space/Smithsonian'' was a quarterly magazine published by the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city an ...

'', "The Planet Hunters" *1992:

Dennis Overbye Dennis Overbye (born June 2, 1944, in Seattle, Washington) is a science writer specializing in physics and cosmology and was the cosmic affairs correspondent for ''The New York Times''. Biography He has written two books: ''Lonely Hearts of ...

for Harper Collins Publishers, ''Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos'' *1991: Charles Petit for ''Mosaic Magazine'', "Vanishingly Close to Absolute Zero" *1990: Jerry E. Bishop for ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'', "Cold Fusion" *1989:

Timothy Ferris Timothy Ferris (born August 29, 1944) is an American science writer and the best-selling author of twelve books, including ''The Science of Liberty'' (2010) and ''Coming of Age in the Milky Way'' (1988), for which he was awarded the American I ...

for William & Morrow Inc, ''Coming of Age in the Milky Way'' *1988:

Richard Preston Richard Preston (born August 5, 1954) is a writer for ''The New Yorker'' and bestselling author who has written books about infectious disease, bioterrorism, redwoods and other subjects, as well as fiction. Biography Preston was born in Cambr ...

for The Atlantic Monthly Press, ''First Light'' *1987: Shannon Brownlee and Allan Chen for Discover Magazine, "Waiting for the Big One" *1986: Arthur Fisher for Mosaic, "Chaos: The Ultimate Asymmetry" *1985: Ben Patrusky for '' World Book Yearbook'', "The Wandering Continents" *1984: John Tierney for Discover Magazine,"Perpetual Commotion" *1983:

for Discover Magazine, "Quantum Weirdness" *1982: Marcia Bartusiak for Discover Magazine, "The Ultimate Timepiece" *1981: Leo Janus for '' Science 80 Magazine'',"Timekeepers of the Solar System" *1980:

for ''Omni Magazine'', "The Wizard of Time and Space" *1979: Robert C. Cowen for ''

The Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles both in Electronic publishing, electronic format and a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 ...

'', "The New Astronomy" *1978:

for ''The Red Limit: The Search for the Edge of the Universe'' *1977: William D. Metz for Science Magazine, "Fusion Research" *1976: Frederic Golden for

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...

, "Forecast: Earthquake" *1975: Tom Alexander for ''

Fortune Magazine ''Fortune'' (stylized in all caps) is an American global business magazine headquartered in New York City. It is published by Fortune Media Group Holdings, a global business media company. The publication was founded by Henry Luce in 1929. T ...

'', "Ominous Changes in the World's Weather" *1974: Patrick Young for The National Observer, "A Quake Is Due at..." *1973: Edward Edelson for '' The New York News'', "The Mystery of Space" *1972: Jerry E. Bishop for The Wall Street Journal, "Celestial Clue" *1971: Kenneth Weaver for National Geographic, "Voyage to the Planets" *1970: C.P. Gilmore for ''

'', "Can We Stop Earthquakes from Happening" *1969: Walter S. Sullivan for The New York Times, "Flight of Apollo 8" *1968: William J. Perkinson for ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...

'', "ABM Primer: Physics for Defense"

Past Winners: Scientist

2011: Dan Falk Scientific magazine ''Could Time End?'' 2009 - Dan Falk COSMOS magazine ''End of Days: A Universe in Ruins'' 2008 - Gino Segre Viking/Penguin ''Faust in Copenhagen'' 2007 - James Trefil Astronomy magazine ''Where is the Universe Heading?'' 2006:

Harper Collins ''

Big Bang The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models based on the Big Bang concept explain a broad range of phenomena, including th ...

'' 2005:

'' Natural History Magazine'' ''In the Beginning'' 2004: Len Fisher Arcade Publishing, Inc. ''How to Dunk a Doughnut: The Science of Everyday Life'' www.lenfisher.co.uk 2003:

Ray Jayawardhana Ray Jayawardhana is provost and professor of physics and astronomy at Johns Hopkins University. Prior to this, from 2018 to 2023, he was the Harold Tanner Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and a Professor of Astronomy at Cornell Universi ...

Astronomy Magazine ''Beyond Black'' 2002:

Little, Brown & Co '' Atom: An Odyssey from the Big Bang to Life on Earth...and Beyond'' Honorable Mention: Ken Croswell The Free Press ''The Universe at Midnight'' 2001: Neil de Grasse Tyson, Charles Liu, and Robert Irion Joseph Henry Press ''One Universe'' 2000: Charles H. Townes Oxford University Press ''How the Laser Happened'' 1999: John Wheeler and Kenneth Ford, W.W. Norton, ''Geons, Black Holes & Quantum Foam'' 1998:

, ''

'', ''Black Holes and the Information Paradox'' 1997: Award postponed until 1998 1996: Mitchell Begelman &

Martin Rees Martin John Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow,">AGU Honors
/ref> 2003: Ron Miller Twenty-First Century Books, a Division of The Millbrook Press Worlds Beyond Series: Extrasolar Planets, The Sun, Jupiter, and Venus 2002: Fred Bortz The Millbrook Press Techno-Matter: The Materials Behind the Marvels 2001: Cynthia Pratt Nicolson Kids Can Press Exploring Space 2000: Jill Frankel Hauser Williamson Publishing Science Play! Gizmos & Gadgets 1999: Elaine Scott Hyperion Books for Children Close Encounters 1998: Barbara Taylor Henry Holt and Company Earth Explained 1997: Donald Silver Silver Burdett Press Extinction is Forever 1996: Steve Tomecek W.H. Freeman and Company Bouncing & Bending Light 1995:

Sally Ride Sally Kristen Ride (May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012) was an American astronaut and physicist. Born in Los Angeles, she joined NASA in 1978, and in 1983 became the first American woman and the third woman to fly in space, after cosmonauts V ...

and Tam O'Shaughnessy Crown Publishers, Inc. The Third Planet: Exploring the Earth from Space 1994:

Wendy Baker Wendy Baker (born March 10, 1964, in Montreal, Quebec) is a former field hockey goalkeeper from Canada. She was a member of the Women's Senior National Team, which finished sixth at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. International sen ...

Andrew Haslam Andrew Haslam (June 23, 1846 – April 10, 1923) was an Irish-Canadian sawmill-owner and Conservative politician. Born at Woodhill, Donegal, Ireland. He served as the MLA for Nanaimo from an 1889 by-election until his retirement at the 1890 pro ...

, and Alexandra Parsons Macmillan Make it Work! 1993: Gail Gibbons Holiday House Stargazers 1992: Gloria Skurzynski Bradbury Press Almost The Real Thing 1991: Richard Maurer Simon & Schuster Inc. Airborne 1990: David Macaulay Houghton Mifflin Company The Way Things Work 1989: Gail Kay Haines Putnam & Grosset Micromysteries 1988: Susan Kovacs Buxbaum, Rita Golden Graham, and Maryann Cocca-Leffler Basic Books Splash! All About Baths

Past Winner: Broadcast Media

2009:

Tom Shachtman Tom Shachtman (born February 15, 1942) is an American author, journalist, filmmaker, and educator. He has published more than 30 books across a variety of topics, including histories, biographies and books for children. He lives in Connecticut. A ...

and David Dugan Windfall Films in collaboration with Meridian Productions and broadcast on WGBH/NOVA in association with TPT/

Twin Cities Public Television Twin Cities Public Television, Inc. (abbreviated TPT, trade name, doing business as Twin Cities PBS) is a nonprofit organization based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that operates the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities' two PBS membe ...

"Absolute Zero" 2008: Julia Cort WGBH/ NOVA scienceNOW "Asteroid" 2007: Jim Handman, Pat Senson, and Bob McDonald

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

"Multiple Worlds, Parallel Universes" 2006: David Kestenbaum

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

"Einstein's Miraculous Year: How Smart was Einstein?" 2005:

Jon Palfreman Jon Palfreman is a reporter, writer, producer, director and educator best known for his documentary work on ''Frontline'' and ''Nova''. He has won awards for his journalism, including the Peabody Award, Emmy Award, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia ...

WNET New York "Innovation: Light Speed" 2004: William S. Hammack "Public Radio Pieces" WILL-AM Radio 2003: Jim Handman, Pat Senson, and Bob McDonald CBC Radio "It's About Time" 2002: David Kestenbaum National Public Radio "Measuring Muons" (RealMedia file) 2001:

WGBH- '' Frontline''/NOVA "What's Up with the Weather?" 2000: Craig Heaps KTVU- TV Time & Space Space Weather 1999: Dan Falk CBC Radio From Empedocles to Einstein 1998: Sandy Rathbun and Dave Greenleaf

KVOA-TV KVOA (channel 4) is a television station in Tucson, Arizona, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Allen Media Group. The station's studios are located on West Elm Street north of downtown Tucson, and its primary transmitter is located ...

Asteroid: The Real Story

References

{{Reflist

External links

Science Communication Awards
at AIP Science communication awards Science writing awards Awards of the American Institute of Physics