About TEAM-UP Together

TEAM-UP Together Mission

Our mission is to create a culture of inclusion, support, and success for Black students in physics and astronomy.

Central to our mission is a bold goal: to double the number of African Americans earning bachelor’s degrees in physics and astronomy by 2030.

About Us

TEAM-UP Together is a collective action initiative established by the American Association of Physics Teachers, American Astronomical Society, American Institute of Physics, American Physical Society, and Society of Physics Students to drive systemic change in the physical sciences community and increase successful outcomes for Black and African American students pursuing physics and astronomy undergraduate degrees. 

AIP Foundation leads the fundraising effort for TEAM-UP Together.

TEAM-UP Together Programs

We take a multi-pronged, multi-layered approach to achieving our mission. Our programs empower stakeholders across the scientific ecosystem to catalyze systemic change and enhance the lived experiences of Black students in physics and astronomy.

Student Program

Direct funding, professional development, and other support for Black and African American physics and astronomy undergraduate students.
Learn More

Departmental Program

Funding for physics and astronomy departmental efforts and programs that drive systemic change and prioritize and support successful outcomes for Black and African American undergraduates.
Learn More

Partner Program Committee

Comprised of representatives from each partner organization, the Partner Program Committee carries out the mission and vision of TEAM-UP Together. The committee develops programming, steers operations and ensures alignment with partner organizations.

Bri Hart

Senior Program Manager, Diversity & Careers, APS

Robert Hillborn

Associate Executive Officer, AAPT

Tom Rice

Education and Mentoring Specialist, AAS

Alejandro de la Puente

Student Engagement Officer, AIP

Tynslei Spence

Executive Assistant, APS

Jovonni Spinner

Diversity, Equity and Belonging Officer, AIP

Arlene Modeste Knowles

Associate Director, TEAM-UP Together, AIP

Frank Graeff

Member Society Liaison, AIP

Morgan Harding

TEAM-UP Together Program Coordinator, AIP

Kamsi Nebo

TEAM-UP Together Program Coordinator, Community Engagement, AIP

Raven Proctor

DEIBA Specialist and TEAM-UP Together Scholarship Administrator, AIP

Partner Organization Leaders

The leaders of our partner organizations serve as executive sponsors of TEAM-UP Together. They champion the initiative within their organizations and member communities, support the alignment of the program activities to its goals, commit resources to the program and appoint staff to serve on the Partner Program Committee.

Kevin Marvel

Executive Officer, AAS

Michael Moloney

Chief Executive Officer, AIP

Jon Bagger

Chief Executive Officer, APS

Beth Cunningham

Chief Executive Officer, AAPT

Gigi Swartz

Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, AIP

Our History

September 2023

The TEAM-UP Together Departmental Program begins. TEAM-UP Together releases its first Request for Proposals for the TEAM-UP Together Expanding eXpertise, Championing Excellence and Leadership Grant Program (TUT EXCEL) Grant Program, which will award up to $200K to five physics and astronomy departments to accelerate their achievement of TEAM-UP Together goals.

August 2023

The TEAM-UP Together Scholarship Program awards scholarships to the second cohort of 60 Black and African American physics and astronomy students, including 11 returning scholarship recipients, for the Fall 2023 academic semester, bringing the total number of TEAM-UP Together Scholarship recipients to 80.

May 2023

TEAM-UP Together conducts virtual listening sessions for faculty, administrators, program partners, students, and others to provide insight and input into program development. 

June 2022

The TEAM-UP Together Student Program begins with the launch of the TEAM-UP Together Scholarship Program, which awards $10K scholarships to the first cohort of 31 Black and African American physics and astronomy students for the Fall 2022 academic semester. 

May 2022

AAPT, AAS, AIP, APS, and SPS form a partnership called TEAM-UP Together to implement the recommendations of the earlier workshops and report.

April 2022

Simons Foundation and Simons Foundation International made a major donation to AIP to support Black and African American students pursuing physics and astronomy undergraduate degrees.

January, July 2021

AIP holds two virtual workshops with 47 undergraduate departmental teams to educate faculty, academic leaders, and students and develop strategic frameworks for implementing changes.

January 2020

The TEAM-UP Report, “The Time Is Now,” is released. AIP conducts workshops, webinars, and other efforts to help physics and astronomy departments implement the report’s recommendations and develop action plans for systemic change. 

June 2017

The AIP Board of Directors establishes the National Task Force to Elevate African American Representation in Undergraduate Physics and Astronomy (TEAM-UP) to investigate the issue’s underlying causes. 

March 2017

Based on data from AIP’s Statistical Research Center and the National Center for Education Statistics, the AIP Liaison Committee on Underrepresented Minorities (LCURM) determines that one of the most critical issues facing the physics and astronomy communities is the persistent underrepresentation of African Americans in undergraduate programs. 

Our Latest News