Student Organizations
Opportunities for learning, community, and service.
Society of Physics Students
Valpo hosts a chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS), a national organization open to any student interested in physics.
The purpose of the Valparaiso University Chapter of SPS is to promote knowledge of the science of physics and to encourage student interest in physics throughout the academic and local communities.
As the national SPS website says, “The SPS exists to help students transform themselves into contributing members of the professional community. Course work develops only one range of skills. Other skills needed to flourish professionally include effective communication and personal interactions, leadership experience, establishing a personal network of contacts, presenting scholarly work in professional meetings and journals, and outreach services to the campus and local communities.”
Among other activities, SPS members offer one-on-one tutoring to fellow students for an hourly fee.
Sigma Pi Sigma
Valparaiso University hosts a chapter of this national physics honor society — a privilege restricted to colleges and universities with strong physics programs. Valpo’s chapter of Sigma Pi Sigma elects students for membership based on the students’ excellence in their overall studies and outstanding achievement in physics.
Sigma Pi Sigma‘s mission is “to honor outstanding scholarship in physics; to encourage interest in physics among students at all levels; to promote an attitude of service of its members towards their fellow students, colleagues, and the public; to provide a fellowship of persons who have excelled in physics.” As such, inducting students into membership is just the start of the society’s work.