You can support Science

Contributing to the activities of the Physics and ISS Alumni association, the Science Foundation for Physics or the School of Physics can take many forms - your time, your expertise or perhaps your money. If you have an interest in the future of science and science education in Australia, please consider how you can help.

Become engaged in Alumni activities

Physics and ISS Alumni are always welcome to attend our forums, talks and events. We enjoy catching up with you and hope that you will contribute your good ideas and suggestions to the School of Physics Email Alumni Relations Physics

One of our Physics alumni, Dr Diana Londish, is the Physics Alumni Representative on the University's Alumni Council, the University's peak alumni body.

Learn more about Sydney's alumni activities Alumni and Friends.

Annual Appeal

The Science Foundation for Physics is a not-for-profit organisation that supports science education, research, training and communication not only within the School of Physics but also throughout the broader community.

We depend on the generosity of our alumni and friends to support this important work. To help us meet our objectives once a year the Foundation’s appeal letter asks our alumni to help support our initiatives, programs and activities - some of you may also receive this letter in the mail. All donations of over $2.00 are tax-deductible and we sincerely appreciate each and every donation.

From past appeals we have raised funds to support the Professor Harry Messel International Science School, the Messel Endowment and have established a new scholarship – the School of Physics Postgraduate Alumni Prize. Scholarships, prizes and awards encourage students to strive for excellence but especially in times of economic crisis it can be hard to stay at university.

We hope, as our alumni, that you will be able to help support our current students by donating the School of Physics Spring 2011 Annual Appeal. This year's Appeal supports the School of Physics initiative of establishing an Undergraduate Alumni Scholarship. You can read more about this important program (and support it too!) by downloading a copy of the letter, completing the payment section and send a fax marked Physics Spring Appeal 2011 to +61 2 8627 8819.

All donations to the Science Foundation for Physics are tax deductible. US residents have tax-deductible status under the University of Sydney’s 501 (c) (3). If you have any further queries please don’t hesitate to contact the Development Office via email

Messel Endowment

The Messel Endowment was established in 1999 and aims to fund the Professor Harry Messel International Science School (ISS) in perpetuity. The ISS offers approx. 140 scholarships to Year 11 and 12 students from all over Australia, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, the UK and the USA. Students are selected by committees in their countries, through interviews and/or competitions (in the US the winners of the National Science Bowl win places at the ISS as part of their prize).

In 2005 the Science Foundation for Physics established the Indigenous Science Scholars Program as part of the ISS. The ISS remains at no cost to any scholar ensuring that this unique educational opportunity is available to all students based on their intellectual ability and not their ability to pay. Eight Indigenous Science Scholars attended the ISS2011 - Light & Matter.

For more information on the Professor Harry Messel International Science School including downloading a PDF of the ISS2011 Book of Lectures visit Professor Harry Messel International Science School