The APS hosts nearly 350 of its Members, their families, and distinguished guests each April and November at its biannual Meetings of the Members. These Meetings appeal to the diverse interests and expertise of attendees and provide a unique opportunity to indulge the audience’s breadth of intellectual curiosity. Past Meetings have included a state-of-the-art drone demonstration, an intimate conversation with a sitting Supreme Court Justice, and a coherent, four-minute explanation of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.
Meeting talks are typically 20 minutes in length and delivered by a leading expert in that particular field. All talks aim to engage the “intelligent layperson.” In addition to the presentations, fellowship and casual interaction and conversation further enrich these Meeting occasions.
Questions regarding APS Meetings should be directed to Elizabeth DeVore at [email protected] or (215) 440-3441.
2026
Wednesday, April 22 - Friday, April 24, 2026
Philadelphia, PA
Thursday, November 19 - Saturday, November 21, 2026
Philadelphia, PA
2027
Wednesday, April 28 - Friday, April 30, 2027
Philadelphia, PA
Thursday, November 11 - Saturday, November 13, 2027
Philadelphia, PA
2028
Wednesday, April 19 - Friday, April 21, 2028
Philadelphia, PA
Thursday, November 9 - Saturday, November 11, 2028
Philadelphia, PA
The year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of major events in the history of science and ideas. In March 1776, Adam Smith published The Wealth of Nations, a book that continues to shape economic thinking. The next month, Edward Gibbon published The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, a study of how a once-dominant empire crumbled. And in July, American colonists launched an experiment in self-government and democracy with the publication of the Declaration of Independence, a document that embodies Enlightenment-era thought on individual liberty and human happiness. Its signatories included the polymath Benjamin Franklin, founder of the American Philosophical Society, and one of the few 18th-century Americans elected a fellow of the Royal Society.
To mark this anniversary, the Royal Society, one of the first learned societies, and the American Philosophical Society, the first learned society in North America, are holding an international symposium that uses these historic touchstones to explore the future of governing and human happiness, global geopolitics, the world economic order, and science and its prospects.
This symposium—The Next 250: The Future of Democracy, Science, and Markets—will be held for APS Members, Fellows of the Royal Society, and invited guests at the Royal Society in London on July 13-14, 2026.
APS Members and invited guests are also invited to join an additional three days of site visits in and around London for the remainder of that week from July 15-17, 2026.
Check back here for additional program details as they become available. Questions? Contact us at [email protected].