Berlin Physical Society
© Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft
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| Abbreviation | DPG |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1845 |
| Type | Scientific |
| Purpose | Research |
| Location | |
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Membership
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62,000 (January 2015) |
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Key people
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Rolf-Dieter Heuer (President) |
| Website | http://www.dpg-physik.de/index.html |
The Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft (DPG, "German Physical Society") is the world's largest organization of physicists. The DPG's worldwide membership is cited as 62,656, as of 2016. It holds an annual conference (Jahrestagung) and multiple spring conferences (Frühjahrstagungen), which are held at various locations and along topical subjects of given sections of the DPG. The DPG serves the fields of pure and applied physics. Main aims are to bring its members and all physicists living in Germany closer together, represent their entirety outwards as well as foster the exchange of ideas between its members and foreign colleagues. The DPG binds itself and its members to advocate for freedom, tolerance, veracity and dignity in science and to be aware about the fact, that the people working in science are responsible to a particularly high extent for the configuration of the overall human activity.
The DPG itself does not carry out any research, but its conferences promote the sharing of information about the latest findings in the field of physics. The traditional "Spring Meetings" held by the DPG year for year at various venues across the country are attended by around 10,000 experts from Germany and abroad. The largest physics conference in Europe is regularly among these conferences. Fostering young talent is another central concern of the DPG so that its conferences provide a platform particularly for the young generation. They offer students an opportunity to meet renowned scientists in person. Furthermore, the DPG runs a nationwide network for physics students in the working group "Young DPG". Female physicists also have a forum of their own with the "German Conference of Women in Physics" which is held every year.
The DPG honours outstanding achievements in physics with awards of international repute. The highest awards which are presented by the DPG are the Max Planck Medal for work in theoretical physics, first awarded in 1929, and the Stern–Gerlach Medal for work in experimental physics, first awarded in 1933. Some awards such as the "Gustav Hertz Prize for Young Physicists" intend to foster young talent, while others are awarded by the DPG in cooperation with other organisations in Germany and abroad, such as the Max Born Prize or the Otto Hahn Prize. The "Medal for Natural Science Journalism” is awarded by the DPG to personalities who have made a special contribution to bringing scientific facts to the attention of the general public. In addition, the DPG awards prizes to school graduates throughout the country for outstanding achievements in physics. It supports competitions for school students such as "Jugend forscht" (national research contest for young scientists), promotes innovative school projects and organises advanced training courses for teaching staff.
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