Physics executive named one of 2004's top Black scientists

College Park, MD (August 13, 2004)--James H. Stith, a Vice President of the American Institute of Physics, has been named one of the "50 Most Important Blacks in Research Science" for 2004 by the magazines Science Spectrum and US Black Engineer & Information Technology, both published by Career Communications Group, Inc. of Baltimore, MD. He and the other honorees will be featured in the September 2004 issue of the magazine.

In a written statement, publisher Tyrone Taborn said that Dr. Stith was chosen based on his "lifelong work in making science part of global society." His accomplishments, wrote Taborn, represent "examples of the important contributions made on a daily basis by the small but influential cadre of African Americans in the field."

Along with the other honorees, Dr. Stith is invited to attend a colloquium and awards luncheon at the Emerald Honors Conference for Research Science on September 17 in Nashville, TN. At the conference, attendees will discuss ways of increasing African American participation in science.

Dr. Stith is the Vice President of the Physics Resources Center for the American Institute of Physics. He directs a broad portfolio of programs and services that includes AIP’s Magazine Division, the Media and Government Relations Division, the Education Division, the Center for the History of Physics, the Statistical Research Division and the Careers Division.

His Doctorate in physics was earned from The Pennsylvania State University, and his Masters and Bachelors in physics were received from Virginia State University. A physics education researcher, his primary interests include teacher preparation and enhancement. Throughout his career, he has been an advocate for programs that ensure ethnic and gender diversity in the sciences.

Dr. Stith was formerly a Professor of Physics at The Ohio State University and also spent 21 years on the faculty of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He has also been a Visiting Associate Professor at the United Air Force Academy, a Visiting Scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a Visiting Scientist at the University of Washington, and an Associate Engineer at the Radio Cooperation of America.

He is a past president of the American Association of Physics Teachers, past president of the National Society of Black Physicists, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a Chartered Fellow of the National Society of Black Physicists, and a member of the Ohio Academy of Science. Additionally, he serves on a number of national and international Advisory Boards and has been awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters by his alma mater, Virginia State University.

Headquartered in College Park, MD, the American Institute of Physics (AIP) is a not-for-profit membership corporation chartered in New York State in 1931 for the purpose of promoting the advancement and diffusion of the knowledge of physics and its application to human welfare.

For more information, please contact:
Ben Stein
American Institute of Physics
301-209-3091
bstein@aip.org

James H. Stith
American Institute of Physics
301-209-3126

Web link:
Career Communications Group, Inc. (publishers of Science Spectrum and US Black Engineer & Information Technology)
http://www.ccgmag.com/v2/