Discover
/
Article

The national register looks at manpower

OCT 01, 1969
The 1968 statistics revealed that physicists and astronomers as a group earned more than other physical scientists, had relatively more PhD’s and worked principally in research and development.

DOI: 10.1063/1.3035192

Physics Today

DATA FROM THE 1968 National Register of Scientific and Technical Personnel showed that the physics and astronomy group

• earned a median salary of $14 000, the highest in the physical sciences and $800 higher than the median for all scientists.

• had the largest proportion of PhD’s (447%) in the physical sciences and had 33% at a master’s-degree level.

• was chiefly employed by educational institutions (48%) but only 21% were primarily teachers. 50% worked in research and development.

• had 56% receiving support for federal programs. This group did not include government employees.

This Content Appeared In
pt-cover_1969_10.jpeg

Volume 22, Number 10

Related content
/
Article
Technical knowledge and skills are only some of the considerations that managers have when hiring physical scientists. Soft skills, in particular communication, are also high on the list.
/
Article
Professional societies can foster a sense of belonging and offer early-career scientists opportunities to give back to their community.
/
Article
Research exchanges between US and Soviet scientists during the second half of the 20th century may be instructive for navigating today’s debates on scientific collaboration.
/
Article
The Eisenhower administration dismissed the director of the National Bureau of Standards in 1953. Suspecting political interference with the agency’s research, scientists fought back—and won.
/
Article
Alternative undergraduate physics courses expand access to students and address socioeconomic barriers that prevent many of them from entering physics and engineering fields. The courses also help all students develop quantitative skills.
/
Article
Defying the often-perceived incompatibility between the two subjects, some physicists are using poetry to communicate science and to explore the human side of their work.

Get PT in your inbox

Physics Today - The Week in Physics

The Week in Physics" is likely a reference to the regular updates or summaries of new physics research, such as those found in publications like Physics Today from AIP Publishing or on news aggregators like Phys.org.

Physics Today - Table of Contents
Physics Today - Whitepapers & Webinars
By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.