The first annual meeting was held in Houston, Texas in October 1997. Later that month, the US-Mexico Workshop on Teaching Introductory Physics held in Monterrey, Mexico, the first major project undertaken by the Society, a joint venture between NSHP and ITESM exploring pedagogical developments in introductory physics courses.

NSHP has a long tradition of meeting and working hand-in-hand with other assocations and societies, with the goal of reaching as many physicists as possible, and enhancing the expereince of our members. NSHP began has held joint meetings with the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP), the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), and the  American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), while the NSHP and NSBP have joined forces with the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) to advocate for support of Minority-Serving Institutions. Other organizations that have generously hosted us at their meetings include the American Astronomical Society (AAS), the Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma Section of the American Physical Society (TSAPS), and the Southeastern Section of the American Physical Society (SESAPS). 

Our annual NSBP-NSHP conference is a wonderful extension of this trandition. As a member of NSHP, it is your responsibility, as it is ours, to continue this tradition of lifting each other up, and supporting other societies in reaching their goals.