History-making gift to AIP

A Colorado-based private foundation is giving the American Institute of Physics $3 million to endow the directorship of AIP’s Center for History of Physics. It is the largest gift ever given to AIP (which publishes Physics Today).

The gift comes from the Avenir Foundation, which supports education and the arts, and honors Spencer Weart, for whom the directorship will be named. During his 35 years at the helm of the history center, Weart oversaw the transition from card files to computer databases, the creation of a popular online exhibit hall, and the growth of the center’s endowment to $13 million. He also wrote five books. Weart was further recognized on 9 May with a symposium, sponsored by AIP and the University of Maryland’s department of history, at which many luminaries were present (see photos at http://www.aip.org/history/symposium.html ). Weart announced last year that he will retire once a successor is found.

Says AIP executive director and CEO H. Frederick Dylla, “The Center for History of Physics is a unique resource for scholars and institutions worldwide…. This endowment will ensure the center’s stature and growth into the foreseeable future.”