APS Established on May 20, 1899

More on APS origins A P S N E W S begin on MAY 1999 THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY VOLUME 8, NO. 5 page 2. [Try the enhanced APS News-online: http://www.aps.org/apsnews] APSCelebrate News APS a Century 100 of years Physics Richardson Vows to Keep DOE Labs Open in Keynote Address ill Richardson, US Secretary of Advisors. These include enhancing connec- BEnergy, delivered the keynote tions between fundamental research and address at the APS Centennial meeting national goals; stimulating partnerships that on Monday evening, March 22, to a promote investments in fundamental science packed room of physicists in town for and engineering, and raising the scientific and the biggest physics meeting in the world. technological literacy of all Americans. In Also presiding at the event — which addition, the Information Technology for the culminated with the unveiling of the APS 21st Century initiative, will, he said, “enable timeline wall chart — were APS President us to develop and deploy new, faster com- Jerome Friedman (Massachusetts Institute puters for advanced simulation,” providing of Technology), William Brinkman of “powerful tools to design a new generation Lucent Technologies, and Robert of cars, develop new pharmaceuticals, and Eisenstein of the National Science help us improve our weather and climate Foundation. research.” Richardson opened with a recognition of Another area of concern to Richardson — the vital role physics has played in the last one that has been echoed by many scien- century. “This century of physics has done tists and government representatives alike more than merely make significant discov- in recent years — is the need to improve eries... it has fundamentally altered how we communication between the American think of the universe and of the forces that people and the physics community. To most bind it together,” he said. “Whether it is basic Americans, physics is an inaccessible subject science, national defense, energy research that “many people gladly left behind in high or environmental quality, physics is the en- school,” he said. Translating physics research abler and provider of solutions, an inseparable into plain English — “decoding” it for the Photo by Ron Sherman part of our livelihoods.” public similar to the way in which medical The entrance to the APS Centennial gala celebration at the Fernbank Science Museum, Atlanta, But the majority of Richardson’s talk fo- breakthroughs are presented for general con- Georgia. For more photos from the gala and city-wide Physics Festival, see pages 5 - 8. cused on the future, beginning with a sumption — is critical for accomplishing this. summation of President Clinton’s efforts to Richardson also took the opportunity to China. Richardson vowed to “maintain and and our finest scientists — do not become promote world leadership in basic science, respond to recent Congressional calls for strengthen the tall fences that protect the isolated from the world.” mathematics and engineering for the US, heightened security at DOE laboratories. The nation’s secrets,” but added, “We can’t be Pledging to fight any proposal to close emphasizing the goals set out in the 1994 issue came to the fore in recent weeks after intimidated into closing ourselves off. It is off American science, Richardson empha- study Science in the National Interest, un- a Taiwan-born American Los Alamos scientist critical that our laboratories — which house sized the DOE’s dedication to technological dertaken by the presidential Council of was accused of passing nuclear secrets to so many of our important research facilities Continued on page 10 Inside… Hawking Draws Packed House to Atlanta Civic Center NEWS ver five thousand local and graphics on three large screens behind him 100 Years of the APS ...... 2 visiting spectators—scientists and added considerable visual impact to the First installment of the history of the APS from the O To Advance and Diffuse... Centennial Exhibit. the general public alike—crowded into concepts. Festival Profile ...... 3 the Atlanta Civic Center Wednesday At a press conference the day before, Felice Frankel: Envisioning Science Through the evening, March 24, to catch a glimpse of Hawking played recorded answers to Camera’s Eye FIP Objects to State Department best-selling author and theoretical questions submitted previously by report- Advisory ...... 4 physicist Stephen Hawking, in town to ers. Most notably, he endorsed the recent FIP complains about chilling effects of restrictions accept the 1999 APS Lilienfeld discovery that the universe may be ex- on scientific visit visas. Physicists Step Out in Style at Fernbank Lectureship Prize and give a free public panding at an ever-increasing rate — listed Gala ...... 5 lecture. Those unable to obtain tickets as the “Breakthrough of the Year” by Sci- Tuxedos and gowns, fine dining and dancing to the lecture watched it televised live ence magazine in 1998. Initially skeptical, were the order of the day for those attending the APS Centennial gala celebration at Atlanta’s on screens in the adjacent SciTrek Hawking told reporters that after examin- Fernbank Museum. Science Museum. Even those physicists ing the data collected from distant ESPN2 Series Investigates the Science in skeptical of Hawking’s highly supernova blasts, he has “reconsidered” Sports ...... 9 ESPN unveils a new season of SportsFigures, an mathematical, often speculative, and his “theoretical preferences” about the innovative, award-winning educational televi- heavily debated theories — and knack Stephen Hawking cosmological constant that would cause sion series. for generating publicity — were on hand space to inflate more quickly with time. “I SPS Symposia Showcase Undergrad Research ...... 10 to witness what was unquestionably an The Lilienfeld prize check and certifi- now think it is very reasonable that there Four undergraduate symposia were sponsored “Event.” [Said one, “This is something you cate were presented by APS President should be a cosmological constant,” he said. by the Society of Physics Students. see once in a lifetime.”] Elect James Langer (University of Califor- “I have had more time to consider the ob- Sessler Reviews the APS ...... 10 APS Past President Andrew Sessler invoked a glo- Hawking, 56, is the Lucasian professor nia, Santa Barbara) to thunderous applause servations, and they look quite good.” rious past as evidence of a hopeful future. of mathematics at Cambridge University from the packed auditorium. Hawking, Furthermore, he believes there is not OPINION in England — a chair once held by Isaac who suffers from amyotrophic lateral scle- enough known matter in the universe to Brief Review of 20th Century Physics ...... 4 Newton — and author of A Brief History rosis — an incurable degenerative halt its expansion, and thus “the universe Highlights from D. Allan Bromley’s opening ple- nary lecture at the APS Centennial meeting. of Time, which has been translated into neuromuscular disorder more commonly may keep flying apart forever.” Letters ...... 4 40 languages since its publication in 1988. known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — then Hawking also said that he believes DEPARTMENTS Microsoft technical guru Nathan Myhrvold, delivered his lecture on the computerized there is a 50-50 chance that scientists will Book Review ...... 3 a former postdoctoral student of synthetic speech machine he uses to com- achieve a Grand Unified Theory (GUT) Celebrating Scientific Silliness with the Best of AIR. Inside the Beltway ...... 9 Hawking’s, has said that the wheelchair- municate with the outside world. Entitled within the next 20 years. One of the best Cornpone and Southern Comfort bound theorist has “sold more books on “The Universe in a Nutshell,” the subject candidates, he said, is the so- called “M Zero Gravity ...... 9 physics than Madonna has on sex,” and matter was nothing new to those who have theory,” an extension of string theory that The Official 1998 Pigasus Awards Announcements ...... 11 Hawking himself estimates that Brief His- read his best-selling books — namely, that allows multiple universes to arise from an Meeting Briefs; Apker Awards; Call for Nomina- tory “has sold about one copy for every the universe is a self-contained system ever-changing quantum foam of space- tion; Physics in the 20th Century. 750 men, women and children in the without boundaries, and that time has no time. However, he refused to identify any The Back Page ...... 12 Freeman J. Dyson explores the science and poli- world.” His latest book is Black Holes and meaning outside the laws of physics — single example as the greatest development tics of climate. Baby Universes, published in 1997. but the addition of illustrative cartoon Continued on page 3 APS News May 1999 To Advance & Diffuse the Knowledge of Physics 100 Years of the American Physical Society

Curator Sara Schechner Genuth Researchers George Trigg Gnomon Research Ruth Kastner Exhibit Director Barrett Ripin Steven Norton Amy Halsted APS History Harry Lustig Exhibit Design Puches Design Inc. Journals History R. Mark Wilson Fabrication Malone Displays

Origins of APS he American Physical Moving Forces TSociety was In 1899, thirty-six scientists met in New York to form a physics society. established one hundred What was the context? What needs impelled them? years ago; the Physical Physics in America was a meager profession by European standards of the late 19th century. Its first professors were not appointed until the 1870s, Review six years before that. and they often paid for apparatus out of their own pockets. University administrators respected teaching more than research. The public Together they have shaped applauded technological achievements over abstract ones. and promoted physics In spite of these deterrents, the aspirations of American research in the 20th century. physicists were on the rise. So too were their numbers. During the 19th century, physical sciences became increasingly This exhibit, commissioned specialized. In one discipline after another, scientists formed their own professional societies. Section B of the AAAS had been the primary for the APS Centennial,

, 1897, oil on canvas by Thomas Eakins meeting ground for physicists, but it met only once a year. looks at the evolution of the Physicists were inspired by the formation of the American American Physical Society Chemical Society and the American Mathematical Society. In the 1890s, Americans were startled by news that European scientists and its research journals, had discovered x-rays, radioactivity, and the electron. New friendships their responsiveness to the were forged at international electrical meetings in Chicago. needs of science, and their Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA: Andover, Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Professor Henry A. Rowland U.S. physicists wanted to be part of the international community. To do this, they needed to meet more often and raise research dynamic relationship with Henry A. Rowland standards in America. First president of APS, and physics professor American culture. at Johns Hopkins. His presidential address Thus, self-definition, professionalization, and aspiration were the bedrock set the tone for the Society: on which the American Physical Society was built. APS News will serialize

“To encourage the growth of any science, the excerpts from this exhibit best thing we can do is to meet together in its COST OF DOING throughout the Centennial interest, to discuss its problems, to criticise each other’s work and, best of all, to provide BUSINESS year. Next month: Early Years means by which the better portion of it may be APS Budget (1899) $285 of the Physical Review. made known to the world.” APS Budget (1999) $37,253,325

Mission: “To promote the advancement and diffusion of the knowledge of physics.” Adopted Marcia 1899. Keith Albert A. Michelson Fayerweather Marcia Keith of First vice-president and second Photo courtesy: Nimitz Library, USNA/AIP Niels Bohr Library Nimitz Library, Photo courtesy: Hall Mount Holyoke, Photo courtesy: Mount Holyoke College Archives president. in her lab, and Columbia University Isabelle Stone of was the site of the Vassar were first meeting and among the 36 remained the home of founding APS for 60 years. members.

Arthur Gordon Webster “Father of the American Physical Society” Photo courtesy: Clark University Archives Professor of physics at Clark University, Webster Photo courtesy: AIP Niels Bohr Library organized the first APS meeting at Fayerweather Hall, Columbia University on 20 May 1899. Photo courtesy: Columbia University Archives

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2 May 1999 APS News FESTIVAL PROFILE Envisioning Science Through the BOOK REVIEW Camera’s Eye Celebrating Scientific Silliness evelers at the APS Centennial gala The Best of Annals of Improbable Research. Edited by Marc R hosted by the Fernbank Museum Abrahams. [W.H. Freeman & Company, 1998.] $14.95. in Atlanta (see page 2) had the opportunity to view a new exhibit of uried amid the commemorative thorough investigation of the behavior of dead work by renowned scientific Bvolumes, posters, T-shirts, Einstein students in a classroom, concluding that while photographer Felice Frankel. Frankel mousepads, and other trinkets on sale at the dead students exhibit exemplary behavior is currently artist in residence in APS Centennial meeting in Atlanta, I stumbled and perfect attendance, they perform very web.mit.edu/feliceF/www/aps1.html science and technology and a research across The Best of Annals of Improbable poorly on exams. scientist in electrical engineering and Research (AIR), edited by Marc Abrahams, One of my favorite entries was “Cindy computer science at the Massachusetts Image from emcee of the notorious Ig Nobel Prize Crawford Discovers” (or, “The Face Value of Institute of Technology (MIT). Her Ferrofluid on a glass surface, with 7 circular ceremony, held annually at Harvard Science”), in which AIR staff member Alice magnets. From On the Surface of Things, University every fall. Numb from an endless Shirrell Kaswell scans the latest women’s photographs, taken in collaboration Images of the Extraordinary in Science by with scientific researchers, have Felice Frankel and George M. Whitesides parade of sessions earnestly detailing the beauty magazines for emerging scientific appeared on the covers and inside unquestionable glories of science past and breakthroughs. Her findings include pages of such noteworthy publications based on an exhibit of the same title present, the volume provided me with an supermodel/actress Elizabeth Hurley’s foray as Nature, Science, the Journal of which is presently traveling around unabashedly gleeful celebration of scientific into engineering with a skimpy Versace dress Physical Chemistry, and Cellular the country. silliness. It’s impossible not to love a journal held together by safety pins. Kaswell also Biology, as well as a number of MIT A strong proponent of the impor- that reviews the cafeterias at the world’s great laments her ignorance of mysterious sub- publications. tance of the visual element in research institutions, rating not only food stances called “volumizers,” and ponders the Constructed around the theme of communicating science to a broader quality and trendiness of the setting, but also scientific significance of such pithy statements “Envisioning Physics,” Frankel’s public, Frankel is dedicated to provid- the number of photos of bearded men as “Women over 30 should avoid dark mas- Fernbank exhibit was commissioned ing researchers and students of science displayed on its hallowed walls. cara,” and “Night creams are more emollient by the APS specifically for the Cen- alike with “a visual vocabulary” of sci- The book opens with a brief history of than day lotions.” tennial meeting. Like most of ence. “Too often the visual beauty of AIR — including its early origin as the Jour- Also excerpted are the best of Abraham’s Frankel’s work, the photographs are scientific research seems to be kept nal of Irreproducible Results — and a reprint irreverent “Nobel Thoughts” column, in spare, composed of three-dimen- secret,” she says. “Scientists are trained of the first ground-breaking article by the late which Nobel Laureates expound on such sional forms and structures recorded to be suspicious of visually stunning Alexander Kohn in 1955, entitled “Kinetics pressing concerns as how to deal with junk on two dimensions, and carefully fo- displays, often dismissing them as un- of Inactivation of Glassware,” which explored mail, the relative merits of beer and potato cused upon the particular point of necessary or superficial, and thus the high degree of breakability of glass prod- chips, whether to use a pencil or pen, and scientific investigation. “For me, remain largely unaware of the value ucts. Likewise, the entire seven-year history how to distinguish between fatheads and form, shape and composition are in- of the visual poetry of their own work.” of the Ig Nobel Prize ceremonies are high- phonies. Harvard’s William Lipscomb, the tegral to a scientific image,” she says To this end, Frankel has received lighted, including entertaining photographs 1976 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and a de- of her work. “I compose data, mak- a grant from the National Science of the festivities, snippets of the more amus- voted admirer of Sherlock Holmes, responds ing it readable and comprehensible, Foundation to develop a guidebook ing “acceptance speeches,” and shortened to every question with an example of the and the scientists with whom I work for students and researchers on how versions of a few of the original papers hon- fictional detective’s famous scientific method, agree that visually clarified informa- to incorporate powerful visual im- ored in the ceremony. as illustrated in various case histories. And tion adds another dimension to the ages into the communication of their The bulk of the volume is devoted to a consider the classic response of Dudley exchange of ideas.” data. “It’s literally a how-to recipe generous sampling of humorous “papers” that Herschbach, a co-recipient of the 1986 Nobel Frankel earned her undergraduate book,” she says, crossing all spectra have appeared in the pages of AIR over the Prize in Chemistry, when asked to give ad- degree in biology and worked as a labo- of the various fields of research. years, subdivided according to specialty. For vice to young people entering the field: “One ratory assistant at Columbia University, Along with several colleagues, she is instance, under “Astronomy, Physics and thing that frightens students is the feeling conducting research on subcellular sys- also organizing a major conference Food,” we find an insightful analysis of the that you’ve got to get it right. But science tems before leaving to raise a family. on envisioning science and technol- chaotic “butterfly effect,” in which the au- lets you get it wrong a lot of the time. Being She subsequently established a solid ogy, to be held at MIT in June 2001. thors apologize to the country of France for a scientist is like being a musician. You do reputation as a photographer of land- The conference, entitled “Image and excessive rainfall, which they attribute to a need some talent, but you have a great ad- scapes and architecture, eventually Meaning” will gather together research- single butterfly living in Lausanne, Switzer- vantage over being a musician. You can get publishing a book entitled Modern ers in all disciplines, as well as journal land. Also included are seminal studies of the 99% of the notes wrong, then get one right Landscape Architecture. Her success editors, art directors, science and bio- aerodynamics of potato chips, the effects of and be wildly applauded.” resulted in her being awarded a Loeb medical imagers, photographers, peanut butter on the rotation of earth [con- But perhaps the greatest insight into the fellowship from Harvard University’s illustrators, animators, museum exhibi- clusion: “none”], and the correlation between scientific mind is offered by Karen Hopkin Graduate School of Design, giving her tors, writers, and TV and film producers tornadoes and the preponderance of trailer of National Public Radio, the originator of the the freedom to pursue any course of — anyone involved in the visual pre- homes in any given region. highly popular Studmuffins of Science cal- study she desired in 1991, at the age sentation of science to the general Under “Medicine and Biology,” we find endar project and an occasional contributor of 47. While her colleagues in the pro- public. the classic 1995 AIR article investigating the to AIR. What has she learned? “That most gram opted for the usual architecture The unique process by which taxonomy of Barney, which concludes that scientists, at heart, believe themselves to be and design courses, Frankel found her- Frankel creates her own images is de- the creature is not, in fact, an actual dinosaur, studmuffins,” she writes. “I had very little self rediscovering her passion for cidedly collaborative in nature. She as well as a paper exploring the medical ef- trouble convincing my PhDs to pose. It’s like science, taking classes with E.O. Wil- meets with willing researchers, learns fects of kissing boo-boos. In “Mathematics they were just sitting in the lab, waiting for son and Stephen J. Gould, among as much as she can about their work, and Models,” one paper estimates the value the phone to ring. ‘A pinup calendar? Why, others. and uses their input to create an im- of love based on Bob Dylan lyrics, most no- of course. I’ll have my assistant bring my The turning point came when she age that captures the essence of the tably 1965’s “(Love-0)/No Limit” from the Speedos at once.’” audited a course with George research. However, she balks at el- album Subterranean Homesick Blues. Those —Jennifer Ouellette Whitesides, a professor of chemistry evating her photographs to the level interested in educational issues can peruse a Associate Editor, APS News who presented lectures “in a very of art. “I do not view myself as an imaginative and visual way,” says artist because an artist has a personal

Frankel. Intrigued enough to want to agenda and a very particular point Hawking (continued from page 1) demonstrated some basic card tricks, caus- work in his laboratory, she intro- of view, that of communicating the in 20th century physics, stating flatly, “It is ing one card to “visibly” melt through another, duced herself, and he offered her the part of herself she wants the world a ridiculous question. Physics is a unified and a card packet to vanish, reappearing in opportunity to come up with a pho- to perceive,” she says, adding that corpus. You cannot isolate a single aspect.” his mouth. The performance elicited a smile tograph to accompany an article he’d the primary purpose of her images And asked whether time travel will be of delight from one of the world’s most fa- submitted to Science magazine. The is to communicate scientific informa- possible in the next millennium, he replied mous physicists, along with the comment, image she created wound up grac- tion. “To suggest that art and science with a succinct, “No.” “That’s why I’m not an experimental physi- ing the cover, and with Whiteside’s are related may dangerously redefine At a special, invitation-only reception just cist. You can never believe the evidence.” continued support and encourage- each. Scientific images may be beau- after the evening lecture, guests had the On Friday, Hawking and his entourage ment, she found herself embarked on tiful and even artistic, but they are opportunity to meet Hawking in person, as toured the Centers for Disease Control, a an entirely new career: science pho- not art, and art is not science.” well as sample hors d’oeuvres and mingle national program based in Atlanta of par- tography. with many of the featured lecturers and per- ticular interest to him. Hawking’s father “It was one of the those unbeliev- An online version of Felice formers associated with the city-wide Physics was a prominent microbiologist specializ- ably serendipitous situations,” she Frankel’s exhibit, “Envisioning Phys- Festival. Many crowded about Hawking’s ing in tropical diseases, who had hoped now says. “If I had started with an- ics,” is at http://web.mit.edu/feliceF/ wheelchair, curious to witness the workings his son would follow in his footsteps. Asked other research group, this probably www/aps1.html. In addition, the en- of his computerized speech synthesizer first- by Altanta festival coordinator Karla might not have happened.” In 1997 tire exhibit is available for touring at hand. [He manipulates a toggle switch with Jennings whether he’d ever considered a she coauthored a book with select venues around the country. In- his left forefinger to select words and phrases career other than physics, he quipped, “I Whitesides, entitled On The Surface terested parties should contact Frankel from the computer screen displayed in front considered becoming Prime Minister of En- of Things: Images of the Extraordi- directly at [email protected], or (617) of him, which then converts the text into gland, but now I’m glad that Tony Blair nary in Science (Chronicle Books), 253-5604. speech.] Science magician Bob Friedhoffer has the job.” 3 APS News May 1999 OPINION

A Brief Review of Physics in the 20th Century by D. Allan Bromley LETTERS cience and its applications — which with nanoscale rotary Stoday we call technology — has from its and linear motors Another Alert Reader Weighs In... very beginning been an important part of powering the neces- This note relates to the Back Page article, “Discovering our Roots: The PhD Lineage the American society. As we approach the sary motions. The Contest winners.” In that piece the author used the word “geneology” or “geneologist” close of the 20th century, it is entirely development of several times. I would like to point out that “genealogy” is properly spelled with an “a” appropriate that we celebrate the role of our new materials has instead of an “o”, as opposed to most other “—ology” terms. This results from the particular sector of this science and had a major impact “genealogy” of the word itself—it comes from a combination of two French terms, technology: physics and its applications. on our ability to de- genea, meaning descent, plus logos, meaning discourse. [See Webster’s New Colle- What, then, is physics? The best defini- velop human Photo by Ron Sherman giate Dictionary, G & C Merriam Co (1951)]. Note also that my spell checker (WordPerfect D. Allan Bromley tion I have encountered is that of my old prosthetic devices to 4.2) catches the erroneous spelling. How come yours didn’t? friend, the late Edward Purcell. In 1970 he replace both bones and soft tissue. Our un- Robert A. Levy wrote, “Science is knowing. What man knows derstanding of chaotic phenomena and their El Paso, Texas about inanimate nature is physics — or rather, dependence on nonlinearities and initial con- Editor’s Note: Is it too early to blame the error on the Y2K bug? the most lasting and universal things that he ditions marks one of the major achievements knows make up physics.” We physicists have of the 20th century in physics. Scientific Travel and Nuclear Proliferation the arrogance to believe that the laws we Elementary particle physics and cosmol- In a situation where two neighboring countries with nuclear weapons capabilities deduce from our measurements here on earth ogy are slowly coming together to address maintain a hostile posture, bringing together scientists from the two sides to discuss the apply throughout the universe, and that what some of the most fundamental questions in situation and alleviate tensions was, in our opinion, an eminently sane and rational is true today was true throughout the entire physics, because with ever more powerful course of action. Therefore, as citizens and scientists belonging to Argentina, Brazil, life of the universe. Our measurements sup- accelerators, it becomes possible to recre- India, Israel, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the US, we had enthusiastically welcomed the port that arrogance. Purcell goes on to say, ate, if only for tiny fractions of a second, the efforts of the American Physical Society to host a round-table discussion at the Atlanta “As he gains more knowledge, what would conditions that were present within the first Centennial Meeting to identify the role of physicists to build bridges between nations have appeared complicated or capricious can moments of the existence of our universe. which otherwise may be having conflicting interests on nuclear issues or issues related be seen as essentially simple and in a deep Atomic and nuclear technology has found to physics. Some of us had even arranged discussions on the same issues in our institu- sense, orderly.” Turning to applications, he wide application in biology and medicine, tions to take advantage of these visitors. To our disappointment, we subsequently said, “To understand how things work is to and the interconnections are growing on al- learned that the invited speaker from India, Dr. T. Jayaraman, was denied leave to see how, within environmental constraints most a daily basis. In communications, single participate in the APS discussion by the Director and the authorities of the Institute of and the limitations of wisdom, better to ac- optical fiber bandwidths have been doubling Mathematical Sciences, Chennai, where he works as a theoretical physicist. commodate nature to man and man to every nine months and the actual in-the-field The reason given by the Institute’s Director for his action was that Dr. Jayaraman’s partici- nature.” Many have noted that the 20th cen- telephone company products now lag the pation was not in the interests of, “...the Institute and the nation.” Several appeals did not tury of science truly began in 1897 with J.J. research frontiers by only four years. The change the Director’s decision. Subsequently the Director stated that as the Institute is under Thompson’s discovery of the electron. This resulting communication and computation travel restrictions by the U.S. government, and the APS has been unable to remove these reflects the enormous impact that our ability explosion has truly reduced our planet to a restrictions, it would not be appropriate for Jayaraman to participate in the APS panel. On the to manipulate the atom and its component global village and changed the entire nature contrary, the American Physical Society has succeeded in removing such restrictions in spe- electrons has had on such diverse areas of of our society. There are far too many other cific cases and has continued to work for the removal of all impediments to the free circulation modern civilization as communications, com- exciting developments at the frontiers of of scientists through both public appeals and by close interaction with U.S. governmental putation, energy, and medicine. In 1905, physics to attempt a complete list here. agencies. Albert Einstein published his classic papers With regard to the future, there are ten We feel that the present age compels us to think in global terms and thus the denial of on Brownian motion, the photoelectric ef- open questions in physics that strike me as leave to Dr. Jayaraman to participate in the panel discussion is a violation of his academic fect and special relativity, the latter providing being of particular interest. How does mass freedom and has done disservice to the cause of promoting international peace. We urge the us with one of the classic equations of all originate? Does nonbaryonic dark matter Director of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, and the Government of India, to desist time: E=mc2. And in 1911 Ernest Rutherford exist, and if so, in what form? Why are we in from applying such restrictions in the future. discovered the atomic nucleus. The next two a matter universe? What is the ultimate fate Physicists have an important role to play as promoters of peace. Preventing open scien- decades saw the emergence of quantum of our universe? What is the structure of quan- tific exchange injures science as an instrument to advance the international scientific enterprise, mechanics, culminating in 1932, truly an tum gravity? Are quarks and leptons truly to develop comity among scientists, to advance our common culture and to contribute to annus mirablis in the physics of the time, elementary, or composite? Do the physical the welfare of nations. with the discovery of positrons in cosmic rays; constants change with time? What are the Luis Masperi, Argentina; Luis Pinguelli Rosa, Brazil; T.R. Govindarajan, India; M.V. experimental confirmation of the relativity consequences of a nonzero neutrino mass? Ramana, India; Zia Mian, Pakistan; A.P. Balachandran, India; Jeeva Anandan, US/Sri of time; the first electrostatic accelerator; and How does one build a quantum computer? Lanka; Saeed Durrani, UK/Pakistan; Avner Cohen, US/Israel; W.K.H. Panofsky, US; the first cyclotron. And finally, is room temperature supercon- M.H. Engineer, India; Pervez Hoodbhoy, Pakistan; Irving Lerch, US The 1930s closed with the discovery of ductivity possible? convincing evidence for nuclear fission, and Lord Raleigh, then president of the British recognition of the potential military conse- Association for the Advancement of Science, FIP Resolution Objects to New quences came rapidly, with the was asked 115 years ago to give a review of establishment of the Manhattan Project, as physics in the 19th century as his presiden- State Department Advisory well as MIT’s Radiation Laboratory, devoted tial address. He began by noting that this to the development of radar. These activi- was impossible, and I know only too well he APS Forum on International Physics (FIP) has issued a resolution objecting to a new ties ushered in a total seachange in the how he felt. But I would like to quote one of T “advisory from the U.S. State Department with likely negative effects on the issuance of scientific and technical communities. Prior to his closing comments: “Increasing knowledge visas to scientists from the People’s Republic of China coming to the US as scientific visitors World War II, basic research was directed to- brings with it increasing power, and great as or students.” According to an urgent communication sent out to FIP members by 1999 FIP ward the understanding of nature, while are the triumphs of the present century, we Chair Joseph L. Birman (City College, City University of New York), the wording of the State invention and technology were directed to- may well believe that they are but a fore- Department advisory is vague, applying to, “Applicants who are nationals of the Peoples ward the mastery of nature, and the two taste of what discovery and invention have Republic of China and who will be involved in an activity related to materials technology.” proceeded on rather parallel and yet in store for mankind.” Says Birman, “We are concerned that it will be interpreted to encompass many fields in noncommunicating courses. What the war- We remain a vital, active and produc- physics, materials science, chemistry, and related areas.” The “advisory” requires that the time projects made very evident was that tive science. We physicists are among the application must get an additional “advisory opinion” from Washington before being issued, basic understanding could greatly facilitate most fortunate of humans; we have been an extra step that could take at least one additional month, or longer. the development of technology, and basic privileged to engage in that greatest ad- RESOLUTION technology could facilitate whole new areas venture of discovery at a time when of basic research. The prewar activities that technology has allowed us to push out- The Forum is deeply concerned by the recent US State Department advisory [refer- had frequently been called natural philoso- ward the frontiers of knowledge at ence to Section 221 (g) of the Immigration and Naturalization Act] which restricts visa phy and invention, respectively, were unprecedented rates. And in so doing, we applications from The Peoples Republic of China. While we are mindful and support irretrievably joined, and nowhere more so have also bettered the lives of humans appropriate security measures in important Laboratories we believe the advisory is ill- than in physics. everywhere. Physics, as the most funda- placed. The effect of the advisory is to deviate from the principle of The Free Circulation This 20th century in physics began with mental of the sciences, will always remain of Scientists to which the United States has committed itself,along with the international a rush of new insights and, happily, it is end- a vital part of this great adventure. scientific community. The principle of Free Circulation is also one we have used against ing in much the same way. For example, restrictions imposed by other countries. The Forum is disturbed by the generalization of our ability to understand, to probe, and to Former APS President D. Allan Bromley the possible adverse activities of one individual to a larger group, and the singling out of structure surfaces has opened up entirely is Sterling Professor of the Sciences and Dean one group based on nationality. Our National Security depends in no small part on the new areas of catalysis and corrosion resis- of Engineering at Yale University and former vitality of the scientific enterprise — and this enterprise is put at risk by the State Depart- tance, and an entirely new understanding of advisor to the Bush Administration. The ment advisory. Thus, the Forum urges the leadership of the American Physical Society to phenomena such as friction and adhesion. above text was heavily condensed from his protest the State Department Advisory at the highest levels, and to publicly state its Entire optical benches and chemical labora- address at the opening plenary session; APS opposition to the advisory. The Forum also urges the American Physical Society to reach tories are now being fabricated on single chips Centennial Meeting; Atlanta, Georgia. out to the entire membership to inform them of the seriousness of this measure.

4 May 1999 APS News Physicists Step Out in Style at Fernbank Gala

uxedos and gowns, fine dining and T dancing were the order of the day for those attending the APS Centennial gala celebration, hosted by Atlanta’s Fernbank Museum. While not everyone opted for the formality of black tie fashion, most seemed to relish the opportunity leave their meeting badges and hefty volumes of abstracts be- hind and don the requisite finery, mixing and mingling with both old and new acquaintan- ces in the distinctly elegant surroundings. The catered buffet dinner featured three menus from different geographical regions, while a jazz combo provided accompani- ment in a side room for anyone desiring to dance. Guests milling about the upper bal- cony could stay close to the open bar while viewing a special exhibition by award-win- ning science photographer Felice Frankel [see page 3], constructed around the theme of “Envisioning Physics.” Commissioned by the APS specifically for the Centennial meet- ing, the exhibit is available for touring at venues around the country. An online ver- sion can be found at http://web.mit.edu/ feliceF/www/aps1.html. Those desiring ad- ditional entertainment had the option of viewing the popular IMAX film, “Cosmic Voyage,” at various screening times. Mean- while, in the auditorium, science magician Bob Friedhoffer delighted audiences with clever asides and magical sleights-of-hand, alternating 20-minute shows with Lynda Wil- liams, “the Physics Chanteuse,” who wowed them with her cosmic cabaret, featuring such crowd-pleasing tunes as “Solid State of Mind” and “Carbon is a Girl’s Best Friend.” Finally, alert attendees circling the room might have noticed the appearance of a few especially stellar celebrities: Albert Einstein (two versions, in fact, for those who thought they were seeing double), Marie Curie, and a dapper J. Robert Oppenheimer were on hand to greet the guests and pose for pho-

tographs, all in the name of celebrating a Photo by Ron Sherman century of physics. The lavish interior of Atlanta’s Fernbank Museum, site of the APS Centennial Gala Celebration. Photo by Scott Martin

“Albert Einstein” takes a turn with “Marie Curie” during the APS gala celebration at the Fernbank Museum. Photo by Guerry Redmond

Above: Blowing giant soap bubbles at the Fernbank Museum’s interactive science exhibit, open to all those attending the APS gala celebration.

At left: Listening to the tones produced by a giant wind harp at the Fernbank interactive exhibit. Photo by Guerry Redmond

APS President Elect James Langer soaks up the elegant atmosphere with wife, Lily. Photo by Ron Sherman

5 APS News May 1999

At right: Will the real “Albert Einstein” please stand up? Gala guest gets double the fun with a different kind of special relativity.

Below: B.S. Chandrasekhar of CSI, APS Executive Officer Judy Franz, Charles Duke of Xerox R&D Center, and gala organizer Brian Schwartz observe the festivities from a quiet corner. Photo by Ron Sherman Photo by Guerry Redmond Photo by Guerry Redmond Above: An Illustrious “Nobel” Trio: Valentine Telegedi, Leon Lederman and APS President Jerome Friedman pause in their revels for the camera.

At left: Ken McNaughton, editor of The Industrial Physicist magazine, gets a brush with greatness as he hobnobs with “Marie Curie” and a dapper “J. Robert Oppenheimer.” Photo by Guerry Redmond Photo by Ron Sherman Photo by Guerry Redmond

Emory University’s Sid Perkowitz admires the Newly elected New Jersey Congressman fashionably “retro” bowtie of APS Associate Rush Holt compares notes on “What’s New” Executive Officer (and APS News editor) Barrett in Washington with Robert Park, APS Ripin, while Marilyn Ripin looks on. Sara Schechner, Director of Public Affairs. curator of the Physics Works! and APS History exhibits, enjoys conversation at the table. Photo by Ron Sherman

Above: Science magician Bob Friedhoffer enchants young partygoer with a Photo by Ron Sherman demonstration of the principles of air pressure. Lynda Williams, a.k.a. “The Physics Chanteuse,” gave three standing-room-only At right: Isaac Chuang of IBM/Almaden investigates acoustic resonance. performances in the Fernbank auditorium. Photo by Ron Sherman

6 May 1999 APS News

Physics Festival

At left: Science magician Bob Friedhoffer elicits a smile from 1999 Lilienfeld Prizewinner Stephen Hawking.

Below: Centennial meeting attendees peruse the APS History Exhibit featured in the GWCC lobby. Photo by Sara Schechner

Sid Perkowitz answers students questions following a Friday public lecture on the physics of beer.

Noontime passerby takes in Eric Heller’s exhibit on Fractals and Chaos, on display outside the Georgia Pacific Building auditorium.

Above: Atlanta’s Rialto Theatre marquee announcing “The Physics of Star Trek” public lecture.

At left: “Star Trek” guru Lawrence Krauss explains the finer points of the Enterprise’s many (as yet uninvented) technological marvels.

Atlanta art students take in the Microscapes exhibit sponsored by Lucent Technology.

7 APS News May 1999

At right: Even baseball, the All-American pasttime, has benefited from understanding physics principles, as deomnstrated by NYU’s Richard Brandt.

Below: AIP Executive Officer Marc Brodsky crouches in the quantum corral, part of the Physics Works! exhibit at the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC). Photo by Sara Schechner

At right: Robert Greenler demonstrates the geometric structure of ice crystals responsible for “halo effects” at the South Pole during a lunchtime public lecture.

Brian Holmes employs various brass instruments to demonstrate the basic physics principles behind them.

Ken Laws and his best ballerina demonstrate the physics of dance.

Above: Noontime demonstration of air pressure by Hampton University demo team.

At right: “Fractals and Art” lecturer Richard Voss following his presentation at the Woodruff Arts Center.

8 May 1999 APS News ESPN2 Series Investigates the Science in Sports INSIDE THE BELTWAY cience educators looking for new Pamela McGee. Why does a basket- A Washington Analysis Sways to pique their students’ ball bounce? How does a league get interest should be pleased to hear all the balls to bounce the same? about SportsFigures, an innovative, Cornpone and Southern Comfort award-winning educational television Episode 3 — Airs May 10, 1999 series that employs sports celebrities, The Sounds of Summer. Features by Michael S. Lubell, APS Director of Public Affairs irreverent humor, edgy music, exciting New York Yankees All-Star shortstop Derek Jeter. Explores the travel of light etting out of Washington is one House of Representatives endorsed last fall. locations, lively hosts, cool graphics Gthing; getting away from But Mark was making a frontal assault on and a fast pace to engage kids and get and sound and how a game is broad- cast. Washington, something else. Atlanta that document. Here’s what Ehlers and the them interested in learning. Produced injected hospitality into the political House Science Committee had said: in association with ESPN, the series Golf is a Drag. Features PGA golfer Harrison Frazer. Hooks and slices rhetoric during the APS Centennial, but “The end of the Cold War had a profound premiered in 1995 as part of the it couldn’t mask the fault lines entirely. impact on the Nation’s research and devel- industry-wide program, Cable in the plague golfers. The physics of aero- dynamics can help solve the problem. No surprise there, you say. Put a Demo- opment enterprise, and brought with it the Classroom. It’s designed to teach crat and a Republican on the same platform, end of the second mega-era of science policy. young people, aged 12 to 16, the Episode 4 — Airs May 17, 1999 and there’s bound to be some quaking. But, Without the backdrop of the Soviet military principles of physics and math using In Golf Gravitas. Features PGA in the case of Atlanta, you’d be wrong. threat or the race to conquer space, convinc- sports to grab their attention and putter Brad Faxon. Explores how un- At the Centennial Symposium, Science ing and often-used justifications for federal provide a practical real-life example. derstanding topography can help you Policy for the New Millennium, sponsored research funding became less compelling.” Each weekly, commercial-free, half- master your putting. by the Forum on Physics and Society, it It might have been Southern air or just his hour show features two segments in Tracking Speed. World champion wasn’t Representatives Vern Ehlers (R-MI) naturally non-confrontational manner, but which a celebrity athlete helps take and Olympic gold medalist decathlete or Rush Holt (D-NJ) who rattled any cages. Ehlers opted not to fight. He, Holt or Na- the math or physics problem out of Dan O’Brien sprints through the phys- It was Defense Research and Engineering tional Science Foundation Director Rita the classroom and into the field, ex- ics of motion to explore speed versus Director Hans Mark, the chief technology Colwell, the fourth panelist, could have ploring such questions as why a curve acceleration. advisor to the Secretary of Defense. pointed out that today, defense accounts for ball curves, and why a gymnast spins A former Secretary of the Air Force from only a quarter of Federally funded research faster in a tuck position. The 1998- Episode 5 — Airs May 24, 1999 1979 to 1981 and later Chancellor of the — development dominates defense R&D 1999 season features segments on The Trig to Soccer. Olympic team University of Texas System, Mark holds a — while in 1949, it accounted for almost all baseball, soccer, track, sailing, race cars, gold medalist Julie Foudy talks about Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts In- of it. But none of them did. Nor did any of scuba diving, basketball, snowboarding soccer, life and trigonometry in a prac- stitute of Technology. He is a member of them point out that Federal R&D outlays now and golf. tical introduction to tangents. the National Academy of Engineering and a account for only 0.8 percent of the Gross The recent recipient of a Parent’s Sailing Through Bernoulli. Pro- fellow of the American Physical Society, the Domestic Product, compared to 2.2 percent Choice Award for educational television, fessional sailboat racer Scott Dickson American Association for the Advancement near the peak of the defense build-up in SportsFigures’ only problem seems to be and yacht designer Alan Andrews help of Science and the American Institute of Aero- Fiscal Year 1964 and 1.1 percent just a de- that no one knows of its existence, no explain the physics of a sailboat in nautics and Astronautics. He holds four cade ago. doubt due to the air time: Monday morn- terms of the Bernoulli principle and honorary degrees and a host of medals for Mark also staked out his own patch of ings at 5:30 AM on ESPN2. But hopefully force vectors. public service and scientific achievement. He controversial territory on missile defense. that will soon change. ESPN recently an- is, in short, well credentialed, a person who Responding to a query from the audience, nounced that, through sponsorship with Episode 6 — Airs May 31, 1999 Shooting Stats. Features the NBA’s commands your attention. he said, “[There is] no question that we Infoseek’s GO Network, it will distribute He didn’t disappoint. For openers, he can build a national missile defense sys- the series to all 18,000 public and pri- second highest scorer, Ruthie Bolton- Holifield of the Sacramento Monarchs challenged the very premise of the sympo- tem designed to protect the continental vate U.S. high schools. ESPN already sium. Is he right? You be the judge. United States against attack.... By defini- and Olympic Dream team, and ex- provides free curriculum guides to ac- When the Berlin Wall came crashing down tion, this is feasible, and it can be built.” plores what statistics mean to a player. company the television episodes, a decade ago, Beltway science advocates Right or wrong, you could almost hear Math Under Pressure. Richard including lesson plans and student activ- began to search for rationales to replace na- dropping jaws hit the floor. Murphy, director of the Jean-Michel ity sheets. Copies are available on the tional defense as the umbrella for Federal Only a few days earlier, Ehlers and Holt, Cousteau Institute, helps demonstrate Web at http://www.ESPN.com. investments in research. Biology found dis- the only two physicists in Congress, had the principles of atmospheres and pres- ease and everyone else found the economy. voted against the House National Missile sure along with some algebra. FUTURE SHOWTIMES Mark, though, says that defense is still the Defense bill on the grounds that techno- Editor’s Note: Episode 1, featur- Episode 7 — Airs June 7, 1999 800 pound gorilla, accounting for just over logical and scientific feasibility of the ing segments on “Running with Big Air Rules. Features world- 53 percent of Federal R&D outlays in Fiscal system remains largely unproven. Holt Momentum” and “Relaxing with Im- class brother/sister snowboarders Year 1999, almost exactly what it was thirty had put it succinctly in the floor debate: pulse” as illustrated in the NFL, last Mike and Tina Basich. Explores the years ago. Moreover, he notes, in 1949, out- “Wishing won’t overrule physics.” aired on April 26, 1999. physics of projectile trajectory and lays for defense R&D amounted to 0.3 But if Mark, whose assertion represents Episode 2 — Airs May 3, 1999 parabolas through the jumps of percent of the Gross Domestic Product. To- the strongest position yet articulated by a That Mu You Do. Features snowboarders. day, it is 0.4 percent. To discern policy, he senior member of the Clinton Administra- NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon. How How Sweet It Is. Features At- says, follow the money trail. It goes to the tion, was looking for a fight, Holt and Ehlers does friction keep a NASCAR car on lanta Braves All-Star Third Baseman same place it did a quarter or a half century refused to rise to the occasion. Would they the track? Explores what friction is and Chipper Jones. Explores the physics ago. have, had the Washington media been how to quantify it. of standing waves and vibrational Perhaps he was too kind to say so, or prowling around, as they do inside the Bouncing Basketballs. Features nodes, such as why hitting a ball with perhaps he simply had not read Vern Ehlers’s Beltway? Perhaps it was just Atlanta eti- WNBA Sacramento Monarchs star a bat sometimes hurts your hands. report, Unlocking Our Future, which the quette: cornpone and Southern comfort.

zero up his $2.1 billion company to pursue tact the potential subjects gravity humanity’s potential rendezvous with space in advance, and her perfor- aliens, despite a perceived government con- mance was singularly The Official 1998 Pigasus Awards spiracy to conceal the abundant evidence unimpressive.) he says exists. He points to “retro-research,” Psychic: James Van Awarded by the James Randi Educational Foundation which he says explains the existence of the

Praagh Image from www.randi.org Every April 1st, the James Randi Educational be transmitted via the Internet in digital form, transistor, which ordinary mortals were un- Category #4, to the “psy- Foundation (JREF) announces the coveted transferring curative qualities from a bottle of able to develop without first finding the chic” performer who fooled the greatest Pigasus awards in four categories, for accom- homeopathic water located in Paris, France, technology on one of those numerous number of people with the least effort, is plishments in the period from January 1 to to a bottle of quite ordinary water located in crashed UFOs. Mr. Firmage has published a given this year to the very popular best-sell- December 31. The awards are announced Albuquerque, New Mexico. For this amazing 600-page manifesto titled, “The Truth,” which ing author and psychic performer, James Van via telepathy, the winners are allowed to discovery, Dr. Benveniste also became the he describes as a “synthesis of science and Praagh, who is a “cold reader” featured on predict their winning, and the Flying Pig tro- only individual to have received the Ig Nobel faith.” almost every major TV program, some of phies are sent via psychokinesis. “We send; Prize awarded by the Annals of Improbable Media: Montel Williams them more than once. Though he is a me- if they don’t receive, that’s probably due to Research, twice! Surely French pseudoscience Category #3, to the media outlet that reported diocre performer, he has gained a huge their lack of ability,” the foundation insists. can take pride in this distinction. (The JREF as fact the most outrageous supernatural, following of bereaved persons who embrace This year, the foundation awarded the prizes has offered a one-million-dollar prize to any paranormal or occult claim, the prize goes to his banal and obvious statements as evidence to the following individuals: homeopath who can distinguish between ho- TV talk show host, Montel Williams, who has of the return of the deceased. In our experi- Science: Dr. Jacques Benveniste meopathic and non-homeopathic water.) essentially made one Sylvia Browne into a ence, there are much better performers of Category #1, to the scientist who said or did Funding: Mr. Joe Firmage psychic superstar by featuring her on show this art working the circuits today. the silliest thing related to the supernatural, Category #2, to the funding organization that after show doing her second-guessing act to More information on past and present paranormal or occult, goes to Dr. Jacques supported the most useless study of a su- titillate the public. (On a 1989 TV special, Pigasus Awards, and the James Randi Edu- Benveniste, for his insistence that the magi- pernatural, paranormal or occult, goes to Mr. Sylvia gave a demonstration of her powers. cational Foundation in general, can be cal qualities of homeopathic medicines can Joe Firmage, the computer genius who gave On this occasion, she was not allowed to con- found online at http://www.randi.org. 9 APS News May 1999 SPS Symposia Showcase Undergrad Research uried among the plethora of leverage the success of the Centennial tally calculated the spring constant for tor- B technical sessions at the APS Centennial undergrad symposia into a greater presence sional modes (i.e., the twisting of a bat along meeting were four unique symposia at the meetings of other AIP member societ- its axis), and estimated typical baseball colli- sponsored by the Society of Physics Students ies. A prime example of the positive impact sion forces to find the resulting angle of (SPS), intended to showcase undergraduate of such experiences can be seen in the strong twisting with respect to torsional modes. Al- physics research. Approximately 30 papers presence of undergraduate researchers from though many papers have discussed the were presented on such topics as the use of the physics department at Northwestern State baseball bat problem, says LeGrand, there LEDs to measure Planck’s constant, University (NSU) in Louisiana, headed by has been little or no mention of torsional photoassociative spectroscopy of laser- Professor Gary White. His student, Kristen modes and how they might affect the loca- Photo courtesy of Bernie Khoury cooled atoms, northern lights and magnetic Russell, gave one of the more intriguing talks tion of the sweet spot of a baseball bat (see Happiness is: Students & Free Food Nearly storms, monitoring metallic compounds in during Wednesday’s focus session. She pre- Zero Gravity, page 5, for more on the phys- two thousand attended an APS sponsored rocket plumes, stability analysis of coupled sented a mathematical connection between ics of baseball). Magnus Akerstrom, explored student luncheon Wednesday at the Centennial. chaotic oscillators, and aperture effects in Fermat’s principle — in which light chooses the simple harmonic motion of a golf shaft. limited mathematical background. optical resonators. a path that minimizes the time of travel as it Watching a golf swing in slow motion, he Other student researchers sought to ad- According to Bo Hammer, Education Man- passes through different substances — and became intrigued by the fact that the golf dress practical applications. Gregory Kubicek ager at the American Institute of Physics (AIP), the often vexing “rental car problems,” in shaft bends forward at the moment of im- of Creighton University reported on his ef- the idea behind holding undergraduate re- which one tries to minimize the cost of fuel pact when hitting a drive. To explain why forts to determine a new standard for the search sessions at the national meetings of in a round trip between cities with varying this happens, Akerstrom pictured the golf radio-pharmaceutical known as AIP member societies is that these sessions fuel prices along the way — all while return- shaft’s flex as a simple harmonic oscillator, fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), used as a tracer significantly add to the professional devel- ing with a full tank of gas. then determined the shaft’s spring constant element in PET scans. However, some dose opment and sophistication of participating Russell also collaborated with fellow stu- and used those measurements to calculate a calibrator readings used to measure the students. “The physics curriculum is pretty dents Benjamin Williams and Holly Arabie frequency, confirming his findings. His talk amount of radiation being injected into pa- standard, regardless of where you go to on a new method for producing curved light employed these parameters to understand tients are incorrect. “With the growth in the school,” he says. “The thing that distinguishes paths in the laboratory using a thermal gradi- why good golfers have this flex of the shaft. number of PET procedures using FDG, it is many physics programs is whether ent instead of the usual sugar solution. The Two papers specifically dealt with edu- vital to have accurate information concern- undergrads have the opportunity to do re- behavior of light in a mirage was then math- cational issues. Charles Miller and Courtney ing the exact amount of radiation used in search and then participate as physicists in ematically modeled using the differential form Willis of the University of Northern Colorado such techniques,” said Kubicek of his inter- disseminating their results among their peers.” of Snell’s law. Sports provided a rich arena developed applications and activities related est in this research. “Creating and correcting SPS and its cadre of faculty mentors provides for other NSU undergraduate researchers. Seth to Kepler’s three laws of planetary motion standards for radioactive diagnostics is an students with this opportunity in a nationally LeGrand focused on baseball bats and the suitable for use in elementary classrooms, important step in maintaining the efficiency, organized way, supplementing the traditional significance of torsional modes in relation to helping young students to build a firm con- integrity, and safety within the nuclear medi- undergraduate experience. The AIP plans to the “sweet spot” of a bat. He experimen- ceptual understanding of them despite their cine community.” Sessler Reviews “Glorious” Past, Sees Hopeful Future in Retiring Presidential Address PS Past President Andrew Sessler much easier to keep current with the work was “based on policy disagreement,” in 1954. A (University of California, Berkeley) of researchers throughout the world. Fund- That was the year when the McCarran Im- and staff, the many volunteers that keep the invoked a glorious past as evidence of a ing practices have also changed since the migration Act was invoked to deny a visa to various units, committees and programs in hopeful future in his traditional retiring beginning of the 20th century, when research Paul Dirac, who had been invited to spent a operation, and an excellent journal referee presidential address, presented during a was supported modestly by private founda- year at the Institute of Advanced Study in system to maintain the high quality of pa- session at the APS Centennial that also tions, universities, industry, and even by Princeton. pers published in the Physical Review. honored the recipients of thirty-one of the physicists themselves. Today most financial According to Sessler, the precedents for In terms of the future, Sessler cited the prizes and awards given by the Society in support of physics has come from the U.S. social awareness and action set during the impact of electronic publishing, continued 1999. [see special honors insert, APS News, government, in recognition of the importance 1950s continued into the turbulent 1960s and fractionalization of the physics enterprise (and March 1999] of physics research to the continued eco- beyond, with the formation of the Forum on hence within the APS itself), science educa- Sessler first reviewed a few highlights of nomic growth and well-being of the country. Physics and Society, and of committees de- tion, and public information and outreach as the last century of physics, beginning with And the APS has evolved right along with voted to women and minorities in physics, among the critical issues the APS must face the discoveries of the electron (1897), radio- these social and institutional changes. In par- national science policy, and federal funding in the coming years. Yet he remains reso- activity (1896) and X-rays (1895), moving ticular, Sessler emphasized the transition from of scientific research. By the 1980s, interna- lutely optimistic about the Society’s ability to through to the explosion of revolutionary a primarily research-oriented organization to tional activities also moved to the forefront, meet those challenges. “Because we are able breakthroughs and technological develop- one concerned about broader social concerns with the Society’s highly successful scholarly to stand on the shoulders of giants — namely, ments that now form the backbone of and impacts related to the physics enterprise. exchange program with China, and a pro- the shoulders of all those who preceded us modern society. He also commented on the Sessler cited 1953 as a pivotal year in the gram to aid colleagues in the former Soviet and built the Society into its present state — ways in which the sociology of physics has changing nature of the APS. That was the Union in 1992. And in the last decade, grow- we are ready to move on to the next 100 changed in the last 100 years. “No longer year when Allen V. Astin, director of the Na- ing concern over the careers and professional years,” he concluded. “Our future looks good. does a single professor, with one student, tional Bureau of Standards, was fired over a development of physicists, and the relation I think it will be even more glorious than our work in a physics building basement or attic battery acid that the NBS found to be “worth- of the Society to applied physics, resulted in glorious past.” with antiquated, dusty and inadequate equip- less,” prompting the APS Council to integrity the establishment of respective committees The full text of Andrew Sessler’s retiring ment,” he said. “Most physicists work in large of scientists in government service. It was and subunits devoted to addressing those is- presidential address is available on the APS groups, with large machines, which require also the year that J. Robert Oppenheimer sues. Web site: http://www.aps.org/ under the APS travel, with consequent impact upon teach- found himself the subject of a federal inves- Sessler described the APS today as being News button. Dr. Sessler’s APS historical re- ing and presence at the home facility.” tigation on alleged breaches of security, with “in excellent shape; it is far and away the marks were based on materials in the exhibit In addition, rapid improvements in com- subsequent revoking of his security clearance. strongest physical society in the world and To Advance and Diffuse the Knowledge of munication and transportation — jet airplanes, The incident caused the APS through then one of the strongest professional societies in Physics—100 Years of the APS (see page 2), FAXes, emails and the like — have helped President Hans Bethe to protest the unfair- America.” But he views the Society’s key and a forth coming brief history of the APS globalize the physics enterprise, making it ness of the reprimand, which he believed source of strength as the excellent officers by Harry Lustig.

Keynote address (continued from page 1) Technologies as well as the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation and scientific innovation, which is crucial and United Parcel Service, to mark the if the country is to remain a global leader APS Centennial. Excerpted monthly in in the next millennium. With this goal in APS News for the past year, the chart mind, he reported that the DOE is dedi- chronicles the discoveries of physics and cated to improving the opportunities of their impacts on each decade of the 20th well-trained scientists to pursue innova- century. The full-sized panels were dis- tive research, to educate the next played April 14 in the foyer of the generation of scientists, and to apply sci- Rayburn Congressional office building in ence in all areas of importance in the U.S. Washington, DC, and will be distributed “I don’t know what the next century will free of charge to 20,000 colleges, uni- bring, but I am doing what I can to ensure versities, high schools, libraries and the right conditions that science will con- science centers throughout the country. US Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson delivered the keynote tinue to flourish in the 21st century.” A complementary website has been address and unveiling the APS timeline wall chart at the APS Richardson concluded his speech with developed with support from IBM Cor- Centennial meeting. a dramatic unveiling — complete with poration which allows more in depth drum rolls — of “A Century of Physics,” exploration of the timeline. The website a timeline wall chart funded by Lucent address is www.timeline.aps.org.

10 May 1999 APS News Announcements

APS UNDERGRADUATE PHYSICS STUDENT COMPETITION Call for Nominations for Y2K ▼ 1999 APKER AWARDS APS Prizes and Awards For Outstanding Undergraduate Student Research in Physics Members are invited to nominate candidates to the respective committees charged with the privilege of recommending the recipients. A brief description of each prize Endowed by Jean Dickey Apker, in memory of LeRoy Apker and award is given in the March 1999 APS News Honors and Awards insert, available DESCRIPTION online at www.aps.org under the APS News button, along with the addresses of the Two awards are normally made each year: One to a student attending an institution selection committee chairs to whom nominations should be sent. Please refer to the offering a Physics Ph.D. and one to a student attending an institution not offering APS Membership Directory, pages A21-A40, for complete information regarding rules a Physics Ph.D. and eligibility requirements for individual prizes and awards or visit the Prize and Awards • Recipients receive a $5,000 award; finalists receive $1,000. They also receive page on the APS web site at www.aps.org under the Prize and Awards button. an allowance for travel to the Award presentation. PRIZES • Recipients’ and finalists’ home institutions receive $5,000 and $500, respectively, WILL ALLIS PRIZE FOR THE STUDY OF IONIZED GASES to support undergraduate research. HANS A. BETHE PRIZE • Recipients, finalists and their home physics departments will be presented with BIOLOGICAL PHYSICS PRIZE plaques or certificates of achievement. The student’s home institution is TOM W. BONNER PRIZE IN NUCLEAR PHYSICS prominently featured on all awards and news stories of the competition. OLIVER E. BUCKLEY CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS PRIZE • Each nominee will be granted a free APS Student Membership for one year DAVISSON-GERMER PRIZE IN ATOMIC OR SURFACE PHYSICS DANNIE HEINEMAN PRIZE FOR MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS upon receipt of their completed application. HIGH POLYMER PHYSICS PRIZE FRANK ISAKSON PRIZE FOR OPTICAL EFFECTS IN SOLIDS QUALIFICATIONS JULIUS EDGAR LILIENFELD PRIZE • Students who have been enrolled as undergraduates at colleges and universities JAMES C. MCGRODDY PRIZE FOR NEW MATERIALS in the United States at least one quarter/semester during the year preceding the LARS ONSAGER PRIZE 15 June 1999 deadline. GEORGE E. PAKE PRIZE • Students who have an excellent academic record and have demonstrated exceptional W.K.H. PANOFSKY PRIZE IN EXPERIMENTAL PARTICLE PHYSICS potential for scientific research through an original contribution to physics. EARLE K. PLYLER PRIZE FOR MOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY I. I. RABI PRIZE IN ATOMIC, MOLECULAR AND OPTICAL PHYSICS • Only one candidate may be nominated per department. ANEESUR RAHMAN PRIZE FOR COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS J. J. SAKURAI PRIZE FOR THEORETICAL PARTICLE PHYSICS APPLICATION PROCEDURE ARTHUR L. SCHAWLOW PRIZE IN LASER SCIENCE The complete nomination package is due on or before 15 June 1999 and should PRIZE TO A FACULTY MEMBER FOR RESEARCH IN AN UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTION include: ROBERT R. WILSON PRIZE 1. A letter of nomination from the head of the student’s academic department AWARDS 2. An official copy of the student’s academic transcript LEROY APKER AWARD (15 June 1999 Deadline) 3. A description of the original contribution, written by the student such as a JOSEPH A. BURTON FORUM AWARD manuscript or reprint of a research publication or senior thesis (unbound) MARIA GOEPPERT-MAYER AWARD 4. A 1000-word summary, written by the student, describing his or her research JOSEPH F. KEITHLEY AWARD FOR ADVANCES IN MEASUREMENT SCIENCE 5. Two letters of recommendation from physicists who know the candidate’s MEDALS AND LECTURESHIPS individual contribution to the work submitted DAVID ADLER LECTURESHIP AWARD 6. The nominee’s address and telephone number during the summer. EDWARD A. BOUCHET AWARD JOHN H. DILLON MEDAL LEO SZILARD LECTURESHIP AWARD FURTHER INFORMATION (See http://www.aps.org/praw/apker/descrip.html) DISSERTATION AWARDS OUTSTANDING DOCTORAL THESIS RESEARCH IN BEAM PHYSICS AWARD DEADLINE NICHOLAS METROPOLIS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING DOCTORAL THESIS WORK IN COMPUTA- Send name of proposed candidate and supporting information by 15 June 1999 to: TIONAL PHYSICS Dr. Barrie Ripin, Administrator, Apker Award Selection Committee DISSERTATION AWARD IN NUCLEAR PHYSICS The American Physical Society, One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844; Telephone: (301) 209-3268, Fax: (301) 209-0865, NOMINATION DEADLINE IS JULY 1, 1999, email: [email protected] UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED.

MEETING BRIEFS Physics in the 20th Century By Curt Suplee; Edited by Judy R. Franz and John S. Rigden The discoveries and inventions of physicists in this century have revolutionized • The APS New England Section held its annual spring meeting April modern life. One hundred years ago, scientists questioned the very existence of 9-10 at Yale University’s Sloane Physics Laboratory in New Haven, Con- atoms and knew almost nothing about the cosmos. Today, physicists can arrange necticut. Friday afternoon’s sessions focused on the history of physics, individual atoms on a surface and make an image of the result, and have begun with talks on Lars Onsager’s tenure at Yale, J.W. Gibbs at the beginning to unravel the history of time and the universe. of the 20th century, and the physics of water. The session was fol- In this book, Curt Suplee, science writer and editor at The Washington Post, lowed by a banquet at the New Haven Lawn Club, featuring a keynote documents one of the most remarkable flowerings of knowledge in human history. address by Yale’s Bradley Schaefer on superflares on normal, Sun-like The extraordinary illustrations focus mainly on the remarkable images—from the stars. On Saturday morning, Gregor Novak of Purdue University dis- atomic to the cosmic scale, made possible by the instruments of advanced physics. cussed how to use the World Wide Web to teach physics, while Robin Also included are photographs of experimental equipment—massive particle Ollerhead of the University of Guelph gave an update on recent re- colliders are beautiful in their own right—and pioneering inventions. sults from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory. This stunning volume is sponsored by the APS and the AIP on the occasion of the centennial of the American Physical Society. You will want a copy on your own • The APS New York State Section held its annual spring meeting coffee table and another for your parents and children who have always wondered April 23-24 at Lucent Technologies in Murray Hill, New Jersey, orga- why you find physics so fascinating. Now they will know! nized around the theme of “The Physics of Communication.” Topics Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. included lightwave systems, wireless systems, silicon VLSI and new materials, and presentations were given by a wide spectrum of research- 225 illustrations, 125 in full color, 224 pages, 9 1/4 x 11” ers from industry, university and government laboratories. The Lucent- $49.50 (Can $75.00) affiliated speakers addressed such subjects as optical nonlinearities in glasses; fiber grating devices; the physics of microwave materials; neu- ral circuits; the physics of novel materials for communications; MEMs; US and Canadian and ultrasmall transistors. members may order a copy for $29.95 • The APS Ohio Section held its annual spring meeting April 30-May 1, at plus shipping costs Kettering University in Flint, Michigan, on the theme of industrial and and applicable applied physics. Speakers at the Friday afternoon and Saturday morn- taxes for a limited ing sessions addressed such topics as MEMs; thermoacoustics; optics time through for processes, products and metrology; and materials simulation and website: the workplace. Friday evening’s banquet featured a keynote address www.aps.org/ physicsbook.html. by Leonard Brillson of Ohio State University on the changing roles of Photo courtesy of Sandia National Laboratory researchers in industry. Time-exposure photograph of a nuclear fusion experiment.

11 APS News May 1999 THE BACK PAGE The Science and Politics of Climate by Freeman J. Dyson n the nineteen-sixties the fluid reality there are multiple causes and ent heights. Each airplane measures I dynamicist Syukuro Manabe was multiple consequences. The atmo- the fluxes of radiation coming up running global climate models on spheric carbon dioxide that drives from below and down from above. the supercomputer at the global warming is only the tail of the The difference measures the local Geophysical Fluid Dynamics dog. The dog that wags the tail is absorption of radiation by the atmo- Laboratory in Princeton. Manabe the global ecology: forests, farms and sphere. The measured absorption of began very early (before it became swamps, as well as power-stations, sunlight turns out to be substantially fashionable) to run models of climate factories and automobiles. And the larger than expected. The expected with variable amounts of carbon increase of carbon dioxide in the at- absorption was derived partly from dioxide in the atmosphere. He ran mosphere has other consequences theory and partly from space-based models with carbon dioxide at two that may be at least as important as measurements. The discrepancy is and four times the present global warming — increasing crop still unexplained. If it turns out that abundance, and saw in the computer yields and growth of forests, for ex- the anamolous absorption measured output the rise in average ground ample. To handle the problem by ARM is real, this will mean that temperature that is now called Global intelligently, we need to understand all the global climate models are us- Warming. He told everybody not to all the causes and all the conse- ing wrong numbers for absorption. believe the numbers. But the quences. A third highly successful program politicians in Washington believed. Several successful, important pro- of local measurements is called They wanted numbers, he gave them grams of local observation have been Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Cli- numbers, so they naturally believed started in recent years. One program mate (ATOC). It is the brainchild of the numbers. is measuring directly the fluxes of Walter Munk at the Scripps Institu- It was not unreasonable for politi- carbon dioxide moving between the tion of Oceanography. ATOC uses cians to believe Manabe’s numbers. atmosphere and the biosphere. This low-frequency underwater sound to Freeman J. Dyson Politics and science are two very dif- is done by putting instruments on measure ocean temperatures. A sig- ferent games. In science, you are not towers above the local trees or other nal is transmitted from a source on warming. We may hope that the ac- supposed to believe the numbers un- vegetation. In daytime in the sum- top of a seamount at a depth of three tivists will one day admit that an til you have examined the evidence mer, the vegetation is vigorously thousand feet near San Francisco, and understanding of climate change is carefully. If the evidence is dubious, absorbing carbon dioxide. At night or received at six receivers in deep as essential to the preservation of a good scientist will suspend judg- in winter, the flux is going the other water around the north Pacific. The wildlife as it is to the progress of sci- ment. In politics, you are supposed way, with plants giving off carbon times of arrival of signals at the re- ence. to make decisions. Politicians are ac- dioxide by respiration. The soil also ceivers are accurately measured. To summarize what we have customed to making decisions based gives off substantial fluxes of carbon Since the speed of propagation de- learned, there is good news and bad on shaky evidence. They have to dioxide, mostly from respiration of pends on temperature, average news. The good news is that we are vote yes or no, and they generally microbes and fungi. The instruments temperatures of the water along the at last putting serious effort and do not have the luxury of suspend- do not distinguish between vegeta- propagation paths can be deduced. money into local observations. Local ing judgment. Manabe’s numbers tion and soil. They measure the total The main obstacle that Walter observations are laborious and slow, were clear and simple. They said if flux leaving or entering the atmo- Munk had to overcome to get the but they are essential if we are ever the carbon dioxide goes up, the sphere. AOTC project started was the oppo- to have an accurate picture of cli- planet will get warmer. So it was rea- During the last few years, instru- sition of environmental activists. This mate. The bad news is that the sonable for politicians to believe mented sites have been built in is a long and sad story which I don’t climate models on which so much them. Belief for a politician is not the many countries around the world. have time to tell. The activists de- effort is expended are unreliable be- same thing as belief for a scientist. Within a few years, we will know for cided that Munk was an evil cause they still use fudge-factors Manabe’s numbers were unreliable sure how much of the carbon re- character and that his acoustic trans- rather than physics to represent im- because his computer models did leased by fossil fuel burning is missions would endanger the whales portant things like evaporation and not really simulate the physical pro- absorbed by forests and how much in the ocean by interfering with their convection, clouds and rainfall. cesses going on in the atmosphere. by the ocean. And the same tech- social communications. They ha- Besides the general prevalence of Over and over again he said that his nique can be used to monitor the rassed him with lawsuits, delaying fudge-factors, the latest and biggest purpose when he ran computer mod- carbon fluxes over agricultural crop- the project for several years. Munk climate models have other defects els was not to predict climate but to lands, wetlands and grasslands. It will tried in vain to convince them that that make them unreliable. With one understand it. But nobody listened. give us the knowledge required, so he also cared about the whales and exception, they do not predict the Everyone thought he was predicting that we can use the tools of land man- was determined not to do them any existence of El Niño. Since El Niño climate, everyone believed his num- agement intelligently to regulate the unintentional harm. In the end, the is a major feature of the observed bers. carbon in the atmosphere. Whether project was allowed to go forward climate, any model that fails to pre- The biosphere of the earth con- we manage the land wisely or mis- with less than half of the small bud- dict it is clearly deficient. The bad tains four reservoirs of carbon: the manage it foolishly, we shall at least get spent on monitoring the ocean news does not mean that climate atmosphere, the ocean, the vegeta- know what good or harm we are and more than half spent on moni- models are worthless. They are, as tion and the soil. All four reservoirs doing to the atmosphere. toring the whales. No evidence was Manabe said thirty years ago, essen- are of comparable size, so that the The amount of money spent on found that any whale ever paid any tial tools for understanding climate. problem of climate is inescapably local observations is small, but the attention to the transmissions. But They are not yet adequate tools for mixed up with the problems of veg- money has been well spent. The the activities are continuing their predicting climate. If we persevere etation and soil. The intertwining Department of Energy is funding opposition to the project and its fu- patiently with observing the real between the four reservoirs is so another successful program called ture is still in doubt. world and improving the models, the strong that it makes no sense to con- Atmospheric Radiation Measure- During the two years that the time will come when we are able sider the atmosphere and ocean ments (ARM). ARM’s activities are ATOC system has been operating, both to understand and to predict. alone. Computer models of atmo- mainly concentrated at a single per- seasonal variations of temperature Until then, we must continue to warn sphere and ocean, even if they can manent site in Oklahoma, where have been observed, giving impor- the politicians and the public: don’t be made reliable, give at best a par- systematic observations of radiation tant new information about energy believe the numbers just because tial view of the problem. The large fluxes in the atmosphere are made transport in the ocean. If measure- they come out of a supercomputer. effects of vegetation and soil cannot with instruments on the ground and ments are continued for ten years be computed but must be observed on airplanes flying at various and extended to other oceans, it Freeman J. Dyson, professor and measured. heights. Measurements are made all should be possible to separate a emeritus of physics at the Institute The way the problem is custom- the year round in a variety of steady increase of temperature due for Advanced Study in Princeton, arily presented to the public is weather conditions. As a result, we to global warming from fluctuations New Jersey, is the recipient of the seriously misleading. The public is have a database of radiation fluxes, due to processes like El Niño that 1999 APS Joseph Burton Forum led to believe that the carbon diox- in a clear sky and in cloud and be- vary from year to year. Since the Award, and author of a number of ide problem has a single cause and tween clouds. ocean is the major reservoir of heat books about science for the general a single consequence. The single One of the most important mea- for the entire climate system, a mea- public. His most recent is The Sun, cause is fossil fuel burning, the single surements is made by two airplanes surement of ocean temperature is the Genome, and the Internet, which consequence is global warming. In flying one above the other at differ- the most reliable indicator of global will be published this year.

The Back Page is intended as a forum to foster discussion on topics of interest to the scientific community. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the APS, its elected officers, or staff. APS News welcomes and encourages letters and submissions from its members responding to these and other issues. Responses may be sent to: [email protected].

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