The focus of the AIP appears to be organized around a set of core activities. The first delineated activity is to support member societies regarding essential society functions. This is accomplished by annually convening the various society officers to discuss common areas of concern. A range of topics is discussed which includes scientific publishing, public policy issues, membership-base issues, philanthropic giving, science education, science careers for a diverse population, and a forum for sharing ideas. Another core activity is publishing the science of physics in research journals, magazines, and conference proceedings. Member societies continue nevertheless to publish their own journals. Other core activities are tracking employment and education trends with six decades of coverage, being a liaison between research science and industry, historical collections and physics outreach programs, and supporting science education initiatives and supporting undergraduate physics. One other core activity is as an advocate for science policy to the U.S. Congress and the general public.
Historical overview
The AIP was founded in 1931 as a response to lack of funding for the sciences during the Great Depression. It formally incorporated in 1932 consisting of five original "member societies", and a total of four thousand members. A new set of member societies was added beginning in the mid-1960s. As soon as the AIP was established it began publishing scientific journals.
The AIP has a subsidiary called AIP Publishing dedicated to scholarly publishing by the AIP and its member societies, as well on behalf of other partners.
Awards and prizes
;Andrew Gemant Award The Andrew Gemant Award is awarded to a person who has made substantial cultural, artistic, or humanistic contributions to physics. The award is named after the physicist Andrew Gemant. ;Tate Medal for International Leadership in Physics Presented for distinguished service to the profession of physics by a non-U.S. national ;Compton Medal for Leadership in Physics Presented for distinguished statesmanship in science ;Prize for Industrial Applications of Physics Sponsored by General Motors, the award is presented biennially to publicize the value of physics research in industry ;Dannie Heineman Astrophysics Prize The Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics, sponsored jointly with the American Astronomical Society, recognizes accomplishments in theoretical astrophysics. Named in honour of the Belgian-American engineer Dannie Heineman. ;Dannie Heineman Mathematical Physics Prize The Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics, sponsored jointly with the American Physical Society, recognizes accomplishments in mathematical physics ;Abraham Pais Award for History of Physics The Abraham Pais Prize for History of Physics recognizes outstanding scholarly achievements in the history of physics. Named in honour of the science historian and particle physicist Abraham Pais. ;Meggers Project Award Awarded biennially for projects designed to improve high school physics ;Fluid Dynamics Prize Recognizes outstanding achievement in research with demonstrated major impact on the discipline, jointly sponsored with the American Physical Society's Division of Fluid Dynamics
AIP Style
Just as ACS has its own style called ACS Style, AIP has its own citation style called AIP Style which is commonly used in physics.
