Neutrino Oscillations Nab Nobel Prize

November 2015 • Vol. 24, No. 10

A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Keeping the Science in Science Fiction See page 3 WWW.APS.ORG/PUBLICATIONS/APSNEWS

By Emily Conover The 2015 Nobel Prize in Phys- Queen's Univ. ics was awarded on October 6 for of Toyko Univ. the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which revealed the unusual Launching Early 2016 behavior of these misfit particles, and indicated that they have mass. The prize honored two scientists who were instrumental in making the discovery: Takaaki Kajita of the University of Tokyo, for his work on the Super-Kamiokande experiment, and Arthur McDonald Takaaki Kajita Arthur McDonald of Queen’s University at Kingston, Canada for his work on the Sud- Neutrinos are produced in a oscillate from one flavor to another. bury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) variety of nuclear reactions and “That really turned neutrino experiment. were once thought to be massless. physics on its head,” says Ste- APS is launching a new online-only journal — Physical Review “Hooray for neutrinos — this is The particles come in three “fla- phen Parke of Fermilab, because Fluids. By expanding the scope of the APS journals to include the little particle that punches above vors” — electron, muon, and tau. in order for neutrinos to oscillate, additional areas of fluids research, Physical Review Fluids will weight,” says Michael Turner of the But we now know that these flavors they must have mass. A massless complement the existing Physical Review collection. University of Chicago. “It’s truly are not fixed. In a series of large- particle travels at the speed of light, remarkable how much they’ve scale particle physics experiments and therefore can’t change, since The journal will issue a call for papers in early 2016. taught us about the universe and performed deep underground, More information will be available soon at journals.aps.org/prfluids elementary particles.” scientists showed that neutrinos NOBEL continued on page 5

Nuclear Physicists Look to the Future House Science Committee Queries Astrobiology Researchers

By Emily Conover ios on these projects. These goals By Emily Conover including members of the Science “gives me goosebumps.” To prepare for the future, nuclear would be achievable with yearly In an unusually harmonious and Committee: Chairman Lamar Smith Astrobiology — the study of life scientists have united behind a plan budget increases of 1.6% above enthusiastic meeting of the House said he was “absolutely astounded.” in our solar system and beyond — outlining their priorities for research inflation, the report indicates. But Committee on Science, Space, and One representative resorted to unites a variety of fields, including in the next decade. At a meeting even if funding increases only at Technology on Tuesday, September poetry to express his appreciation astronomy, physics, biology, and of the Nuclear Science Advisory the rate of inflation, nuclear physi- 29, curious representatives peppered for the search for life on other plan- geology. At the hearing, the sci- Committee (NSAC) on October cists say they could still meet their four scientists with questions about ets — Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) recited entists discussed the possibilities 15, members approved the plan main objectives, although the sci- the search for life on other planets. a Tennyson quote written on the for microbial life on the four solar unanimously. ence reach would be more limited. Fortuitously, the event fell the day wall of the meeting room — “For I system bodies considered possible The 150-page plan makes four The plan also highlights two ini- after NASA unveiled strong evi- dipped into the future, far as human hosts — Mars, Europa, Titan, and major recommendations for nuclear tiatives that would undergird their dence for liquid water on Mars that eyes could see, saw the vision of Enceladus — as well as current and research: capitalize on recently recommendations: one to support grabbed headlines and captured the the world, and all the wonder that upcoming exoplanet research, and nuclear theory research, and one completed and ongoing construc- public imagination — apparently would be.” The research, he added, QUERIES continued on page 7 tion projects and upgrades to major to support detector and accelera- facilities; develop a next-genera- tor R&D. Finally, the committee empha- tion, U.S.-led neutrino-less double APS PUBLIC OUTREACH beta decay experiment that could sized the importance of training indicate whether neutrinos are their students in nuclear science, and own antiparticles; construct a high- recommended boosting programs The Physics Bus: Coming to a Town Near You luminosity electron ion collider; in that area, including the Research and increase funding for small- and Experiences for Undergraduates By Emily Conover mid-scale projects. program, the National Nuclear Physics Summer School, and fel- A bus full of physics experi- The committee hashed out the ments is cruising through the small Erik Herman impact of varying funding scenar- NUCLEAR continued on page 6 towns of Florida this fall, thanks to the hard work of a few dedicated volunteers and the support of an APS Outreach Mini-grant. The grants, awarded earlier this year, funded eleven projects, with up to $10,000 each, to help small groups bring the wonder of physics to the public. The first Physics Bus rolled out in 2004, in Tucson, Arizona, when Chris DiScenza and colleagues filled a bus with physics

Matthew Kapust/Sanford Underground Research Facility Demos are a big part of the Physics Bus program. demonstrations and created a science center on wheels, which itself a part of the science. coastal engineering at the Univer- they took to schools, libraries, and Over the years, the program sity of Florida. The Physics Bus museums across Arizona and as far spawned other physics buses, teams are all affiliated with The expanding to Ithaca and now Physics Factory, a nonprofit orga- Researchers will use a detector inside this copper-lead shielded room to away as Boston and Edmonton. look for neutrino-less double beta decay events. The NSAC plan gives The brightly colored vehicle runs Gainesville, where DiScenza had nization based in Tucson. this search high priority. on vegetable oil, making the bus moved for a graduate program in BUS continued on page 5 2 • November 2015

Inside the Beltway This Month in Physics History Does Science Bear Any Responsibility November 1696: for Today’s Political Discontent? William Whiston’s Explanation for Noah’s Flood By Michael S. Lubell, APS Director of Public Affairs istory is filled with doomsday prophets pre- on being president of the Royal Society, Whiston Hdicting the end of the world. One of the more succeeded him in taking the university’s Lucasian Not long ago, a friend and for- history of productivity and com- colorful was an 18th-century natural philosopher Chair of Mathematics, although he was never elected mer classmate of mine from Yale pensation from 1948 to the present. named William Whiston, who tried to blend sci- to the Society. It is possible that Newton blocked sent me an email asking whether I During the first 25 years, hourly ence with his decidedly unorthodox and apocalyptic his election. Whiston himself blamed his growing had “a sense of how [the 2016 presi- compensation fairly tracked gains in religious views. reputation as a “heretick.” dential election] will shake out.” I productivity, rising 91.3 percent dur- Whitson was born in 1667 — one year after Isaac Indeed, his unorthodox religious views soon led told him I would provide an answer ing that period while productivity, Newton published his landmark treatise, Principia. to his academic downfall. All faculty were required in my next APS News column. So driven in large part by technological He was the son of a Presbyterian minister named to follow Anglican doctrine. Whiston rejected I’m on the hook. advances, rose 96.7 percent. But Josiah Whiston, who lived in the town of Norton, the Trinity, among other other orthodox beliefs. But before I get to the narrative, from 1973 through 2014, while pro- England. Educated at home for much of his youth, Although Newton held a few speculative opinions here’s a bit of a teaser. Our nation’s ductivity continued to soar, rising the boy also helped out by copying manuscripts for of his own, he kept them private. Whiston was less obviously sour mood has a lot to another 72.2 percent, compensation his blind father. When Josiah died, young William discreet about broadcasting his opinions and even do with the impacts of science and grew by a paltry 9.2 percent. inherited his library and entered Clare College at published a collection of sermons and essays outlin- technology. In short, during those four Cambridge University with the goal of becoming ing his position in detail. Now back to my friend, Eric’s, decades, the average worker a minister like his father. He also studied math- His Cambridge colleagues were not pleased. email. He preceded his question stopped benefitting from science ematics, as well as the Principia. After earning When he refused to recant, he was charged with with several of his own obser- and technology’s largess. But cor- his degrees and being ordained, he heresy before the heads of all the vations: Hillary Clinton is still porations did not: their profits rose initially stayed at Clare College as Cambridge colleges. He lost the fighting to put the Benghazi issue dramatically, and their stock prices a math tutor, but ill health forced Lucasian chair in October 1710 and behind her; the more Donald Trump soared. Between the beginning him to resign that position. In 1694 in addition was dismissed from the says, the less presidential he seems of 1973 and the end of 2014, for he moved to Norwich to serve as university. He even briefly faced to be; and Bernie Sanders, in Eric’s example, the Dow Jones Industrial chaplain to the bishop of that town. the prospect of a trial in London for view, has fallen short in demon- Average, adjusted for inflation, rose It was during his tenure at heresy, but gained a reprieve with strating that he has the experience 216 percent. Norwich that Whiston penned the the timely demise of Queen Anne. needed for the presidency, at least Although the average worker did treatise A New Theory of Earth, Left with just the small income in foreign affairs. not benefit from increased produc- applying Newtonian physics to a from his farm to support his family, He might have noted that neither tivity, the average CEO did. With literal interpretation of scripture. Whiston turned to science outreach, Trump, who is still leading the pack executive compensation ever more He believed science could be cited lecturing in various coffee houses of GOP establishment canditates, tightly tied to stock price perfor- in support of certain stories in the around London and conducting nor Ben Carson, who is jockeying mance, CEOs, who in 1960 earned Bible. For instance, he concluded demonstrations for the public. He for the number one outside slot, roughly 30 times what their workers that it was Adam and Eve’s exile William Whiston also joined forces with a young has had a drop of electoral experi- did, now take home about 300 times from the Garden of Eden (original man named Francis Hauksbee to ence. And Sanders, a 73-year-old what their employees do. sin) that set Earth in rotation, and he linked natural teach a course on mechanics, optics, hydrostat- policy wonk from Vermont who As Thomas Picketty documents disasters on Earth — most notably, the account of ics, and pneumatics. Eventually their work led to hasn’t shed a shred of his Brooklyn in his 2013 bestselling tome, “Capi- Noah’s flood — with astronomical events. In the a manual used by lecturers at Oxford University. accent and calls himself a demo- tal in the Twenty-First Century,” case of the flood, Whiston fingered a comet as the He may have lost his Cambridge chair, but in cratic socialist or just a plain old the rich have been getting richer, cause, claiming that comets were also responsible 1714, when Parliament was considering how to socialist depending how the mood while everyone else has seen take- for the formation of the solar system. encourage its intellectual leaders to tackle the navi- strikes him, is running even with home pay and wealth stagnate or Comets were of great scientific interest at the gational problem of determining longitude at sea, Clinton in New Hampshire and nip- decline. To be sure, scientists are not time. The astronomer Edmund Halley had already Whiston still had some scientific credibility left. ping at her heels in Iowa, according responsible for that outcome. But the noted the periodic appearances of comets in the He suggested a financial reward as motivation, and to a spate of recent polls. technological advances and innova- sky, successfully predicting the return in 1759 of Parliament passed the Longitude Act later that year. It’s also Trump, Carson and tions their research has generated the one that now bears his name, although he did Whiston’s motives weren’t entirely altruistic: He Sanders, all anti-establishment have been a large part of the pro- not live to see it. Whiston devised an elaborate threw himself into devising his own methods for outsiders, who are drawing the ductivity-enabling mechanism, as mathematical proof — accompanied by biblical determining marine longitude, most of which earned biggest crowds wherever they go. economists Robert Solow, Michael quotations — to show that a comet passing Earth the ridicule of his peers. Among his more creative, Yes, it’s still four months before the Boskin, Edwin Mansfield and Paul on November 28, 2349 BC caused rain for 40 days if impractical, suggestions: firing a shell at a fixed first primaries, and voters probably Roemer have each concluded. and 40 nights, flooding the planet “to show God’s time each day from stations at fixed points all along haven’t truly focused on the 2016 Innovation and the productivity displeasure with the wicked world.” These ideas the Atlantic Ocean. After the flash of the shot, ship election. But, in more than 45 years gains it spawns need not result in were controversial, but he had allies, among them captains could then time how long the sound took in politics, I have never seen such growing income and wealth dis- the philosopher John Locke. to reach them, and then calculate their distance. an astonishing set of public prefer- parity, as the period 1948 to 1973 Two years after the publication of A New Theory Over time, Whiston’s religious views became ences. What is going on? amply demonstrates. But avoiding of Earth, Whiston became vicar of a small parish even more unorthodox, and his scientific reputa- A new Economic Policy Institute the disparity requires public poli- in Suffolk, marrying the daughter of his former tion suffered irrevocable damage. He longed for an report provides a possible clue. Josh cies that enable a larger fraction of childhood headmaster the following year. His father- earlier, presumably purer form of Christianity. In Bivens and Lawrence Mishel, the the population to participate in the in-law gave them a farm as a source of income, and 1715 he founded his own Society for the Promot- report’s authors, took a hard look at benefits that accrue. Clearly, those in 1701 Whiston briefly became Newton’s assistant ing of Primitive Christianity, hosting meetings in the impact of productivity, defined policies are absent today. at Cambridge, but theological differences soon came his home — essentially becoming an 18th century as economic output per unit input In the last 45 years, many politi- between them, and they had a bitter falling out. Yet evangelical fundamentalist. He would eventually (e.g., labor and capital); on a typical cians in both parties have accepted when Newton retired the following year to focus leave the Anglican Church and become a Baptist. He worker’s compensation. What they the propositions that markets are detail is profoundly disturbing. WHISTON continued on page 3 Bivens and Mishel trace the DISCONTENT continued on page 6

Series II, Vol. 24, No. 10 APS COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES 2015 International Councilors Director of International Affairs; Terri Gaier, Director Marcia Barbosa, Eliezer Rabinovici, Annick Suzor- of Meetings; Christine Giaccone, Director, Journal November 2015 President © 2015 The American Physical Society Weiner*, Kiyoshi Ueda Operations; Barbara Hicks, Associate Publisher/ Samuel H. Aronson*, Brookhaven National Laboratory Director of Business Initiatives; Ted Hodapp, Director (retired) Chair, Nominating Committee of Education and Diversity; Dan Kulp, Editorial Patricia McBride Director; Trish Lettieri, Director of Membership; Editor...... David Voss President-Elect Darlene Logan, Director of Development; Michael Staff Science Writer...... Emily Conover Homer A. Neal*, University of Michigan Chair, Panel on Public Affairs William Barletta Lubell; Director, Public Affairs; Michael Stephens, Contributing Correspondent ...... Alaina G. 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It contains (Forum on History of Physics), Gregory Meisner* news of the Society and of its Divisions, Topical Groups, For address changes, please send both the old and new Speaker of the Council (Forum on Industrial and Applied Physics), Young-Kee Sections, and Forums; advance information on meetings addresses, and, if possible, include a mailing label from Nan Phinney*, Stanford University Kim* (Forum on International Physics), Lowell Brown of the Society; and reports to the Society by its commit- a recent issue. Changes can be emailed to membership@ (Forum on Physics and Society), Nicholas Bigelow tees and task forces, as well as opinions. aps.org. Postmaster: Send address changes to APS Treasurer (Laser Science), James Chelikowsky (Materials), Wick News, Membership Department, American Physical Malcolm R. 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November 2015 • 3 Q&A with TV Science Advisor and Washington Dispatch Planetary Physicist Kevin Grazier POLICY UPDATE Planetary physicist Kevin Grazier September 30: Government Shutdown Avoided hopes to motivate the next genera- Just hours before the government was set to shut down at midnight tion to go into science — and he’s Dave Fayram on September 30, Congress passed a short-term Continuing Resolu- doing it through science fiction. Gra- tion (CR) to keep the government funded through December 11, 2015. zier has worked as a science advisor The House passed the CR by a vote of 277-151 and the Senate by for sci-fi movies such asGravity and TV series such as Eureka, Defiance, 78-20. Opponents of federal funding of Planned Parenthood cast most and Battlestar Galactica, the recent of the votes against the bill. re-imagining of the 1970s series. In this role, Grazier works with writers While most CRs maintain flat funding, the current short-term measure to bring authenticity to the science includes a 0.02% cut. But unlike the sequester, which mandated on the screen. across-the-board cuts, under this bill the agencies themselves will be And Grazier certainly has the able to determine where best to make cuts. science chops for the job: He has a Ph.D. in geophysics and space In December, it is unlikely that Congress will enact appropriations for physics from UCLA, and he worked the balance of the fiscal year. Instead, Congress will probably pass yet at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labo- Physicist Kevin Grazier discusses science in cinema and television another CR, either for another short period or for the entire fiscal year. ratory (JPL) for 15 years before leaving to focus on his work in the advisory things for several years When Galactica came up I emailed entertainment industry. Much of before I left JPL. While I was in Bryan. I said ‘Bryan, I grew up Elementary and Secondary Education Act his research at JPL focused on the graduate school, I was watching on Galactica, so please, please, Both the Senate and House have passed versions of the Elementary Cassini probe, which is currently Star Trek Voyager with a friend of please, please, please, get me an and Secondary Education Act, and as this issue of APS News went in orbit around Saturn. APS News mine. Back then the Star Trek series interview!” And so, he pitched me to press, negotiators from both chambers were still working out their caught up with Grazier at Comic- would take unsolicited manuscripts. to [Galactica producer] Ron Moore, differences in conference with the goal of producing a final version Con International in San Diego, My friend and I wrote a script for and because Bryan is well respected that is mutually acceptable. Staff members have indicated that the California, where he moderated a Voyager, and pretty much forgot it was a five-minute interview, and process is going well. panel discussion about the science about it, because we were busy. I was hired. And then it was kind of sci-fi. What follows is an edited So, seven months later, I get a call of word of mouth after that. MEDIA UPDATE version of the interview. from the executive producer’s assis- What are you working on now? When I left JPL, a little over American Research Investment Fund How did you transition from tant saying they’d like to have us four and a half years ago, I had Former U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-10th-Va.) and Norman Augustine, science to the entertainment field? pitch stories. In doing that, I met retired chairman of Lockheed Martin Corporation, coauthored an op-ed It wasn’t really a transition two people whom I pitched to: because I’d been doing science Michael Taylor and Bryan Fuller. GRAZIER continued on page 6 in The Hill newspaper, writing that the best way for the U.S. to compete with China is to start an American Research Investment Fund. (For more on this proposed fund, see “Thinking Big and Outside the Box,” APS News, July 2015.) Read the op-ed at: http://bit.ly/1K7O9n2 Zero Gravity: The Lighter Side of Science PANEL ON PUBLIC AFFAIRS After considering membership comments on the revised APS State- ment on Civic Engagement and the proposed Statement on Women Ig Nobels Celebrate Urination and Unboiling an Egg in Physics, the APS Panel on Public Affairs (POPA) approved sending By Emily Conover for the ceremony, wondered how the “24-7 lectures” tasked scientists both to the APS Board of Directors for review. The Board approved “Listen to me, because this is animals with much larger blad- with explaining a subject twice, first each statement, and the APS Council of Representatives will consider about physics.” ders can empty them in the same giving a complete technical defini- both at its upcoming November meeting. So began the Ig Nobel award amount of time as smaller ones, tion in 24 seconds, followed by a ceremonies, the quirky celebra- a phenomenon they call “the law clear summary in 7 words. Nobel The Council is also scheduled to vote in November on the proposed tion of strange and unusual of urination.” Their light-hearted laureate in physics, Frank Wilczek, Statement on Earth’s Changing Climate, and also on several current scientific research, kicked off answer: “All animals have a pee- of the Massachusetts Institute of statements up for review by POPA in 2015. by physicist Melissa Franklin, pee pipe. Because of gravity, the Technology, gave his lecture on of Harvard University. taller the pipe, the faster the pee.” “Beauty.” His seven-word sum- The next time you’re waiting mary: “We like it when we see it.” The Physics & the Public Subcommittee continues its work with the “Well,” Franklin continued, for the bathroom, the researchers Other awards included: American Institute of Physics on a survey focused on overcoming the “this is actually about airplanes — suggest, give a friendly knock and The biology prize for “observ- obstacles of recruiting teachers in the physical sciences. The Ameri- paper airplanes — but they do obey remind the occupant, “according to ing that when you attach a weighted can Chemical Society and the Computing Research Association are the laws of physics, or so I say.” That was Franklin’s way of intro- the law of urination, you should be stick to the rear end of a chicken, collaborating in the effort. This subcommittee is also developing a ducing the grand paper airplane done in just 21 seconds.” the chicken then walks in a manner proposal for a study on the status of women in physics. deluge, an Ig Nobel tradition. As similar to that in which dinosaurs Franklin counted down, a rain of PNAS are thought to have walked.” The Energy & Environment Subcommittee is overseeing a November paper aircraft filled Harvard’s staid The management prize, for workshop addressing the long-term challenges of helium supply and Sanders Theatre — the celebration “discovering that many business pricing. The American Chemical Society and the Materials Research was officially on. leaders developed in childhood a Society have agreed to collaborate in the study. This subcommittee The Ig Nobel Prizes, which cel- fondness for risk-taking, when they is also overseeing the expansion of two pilot programs initiated in ebrate science that “first makes you experienced natural disasters (such 2015: the Liquid Helium Purchasing Program and a science policy laugh, and then makes you think,” as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, internship centered on advancing APS policy goals derived from honored ten groups of scientists, tsunamis, and wildfires) that — for them — had no dire personal con- the 2011 Energy Critical Elements report. for research that included the biological benefits of intense kissing, sequences.” the most painful body parts to be The economics prize, awarded A template for study proposals can be found online, along with a sug- stung by a bee (reportedly, the nos- to the Bangkok Metropolitan gestion box for future POPA studies, at: aps.org/policy/reports/ tril, the upper lip, and the penis "Assume a spherical bladder..." Police, for “offering to pay police- popa-reports/suggestions/ shaft), and the universality of the men extra cash if the policemen word ‘huh’ across languages. The The winners of the chemistry refuse to take bribes” annual awards are organized by the prize came on stage with two eggs: The mathematics prize, for scientific humor magazine,Annals one hard-boiled, and one raw. After “trying to use mathematical tech- WHISTON continued from page 2 of Improbable Research. smashing both eggs with a mal- niques to determine whether and still believed in the periodicity of the world was not destroyed by fire. The prize for physics was given let, the researchers explained that how Moulay Ismael the Blood- comets, and that a comet had caused Whiston was now a laughingstock, for “testing the biological principle the raw egg has folded proteins, thirsty, the Sharifian Emperor of Noah’s flood. In 1736 he publicly and he died a social pariah in 1752 that nearly all mammals empty and the boiled one has unfolded Morocco, managed, during the proclaimed that the world would end after a short illness. Many comets their bladders in about 21 sec- proteins. “We invented a way of years from 1697 through 1727, on October 16 of that year, when have passed by Earth since then to onds, plus or minus 13 seconds,” converting the unfolded protein ... to father 888 children.” The diagnostic medicine prize, another comet would pass by Earth no ill effect. as reported in a recent paper in to folded.” The prize recognized Proceedings of the National Acad- Callum Ormonde of the University for “determining that acute appendi- and trigger a massive fire. This sent Further Reading emy of Sciences, by Patricia Yang of Western Australia and colleagues citis can be accurately diagnosed by London citizens into a panic. The Farrell, Maureen. William Whiston. Archbishop of Canterbury had to New York: Arno Press, 1981. and colleagues from the Georgia for “inventing a chemical recipe to the amount of pain evident when the Institute of Technology. partially un-boil an egg,” as reported patient is driven over speed bumps.” publicly denounce Whiston’s proph- Force, James E. William Whiston: ecy to dispel the hysteria. Honest Newtonian. Cambridge: Cam- The researchers, one of whom in a paper in ChemBioChem. For more information about the Ig The comet came and went, and bridge University Press, 2002. wore a toilet seat around his neck As part of the award ceremony, Nobel Prizes, see: improbable.com/ig/ 4 • November 2015 Undergrads Share their Research at Optics Meeting

Letters By Emily Conover Members may submit letters to [email protected]. APS reserves the The poster session at the Fron- tiers in Optics / Laser Science (FiO/ right to select letters and edit for length and clarity. Emily Conover LS) meeting buzzed with chatter, animated gestures, and explana- tions of original optics research. Attendees peppered the presenters with questions, but one came up with particular frequency: “Are you APS Bridge Program a master’s student?” The answer was always negative — they were Kudos to Theodore Hodapp and Fisk-Vanderbilt Bridge Program all undergraduates. The presenters APS staff for the initial success of has produced 16 Ph.D. graduates in were participants in the meeting’s the APS Bridge Program, which is Physics, Astronomy, and Materials symposium on undergraduate significantly increasing the num- Science, with many more underrep- research, yet their work belied their ber of underrepresented minority resented minority graduate students level of education, rivaling that of students engaged in Ph.D.-level in the pipeline. The Fisk-Vanderbilt more advanced students. physics research (APS News, July Bridge Program provided proof of FiO/LS, a joint meeting of The Undergraduate Cedric Wilson chats with conference attendees in front of 2015). Readers of APS News may concept that led to the APS Bridge Optical Society and the APS Divi- his poster. be interested to know that the first Program. sion of Laser Science (DLS), took and other people are really excited optimized one of the amplifiers for physics bridge program began back place in San Jose this October. about it too,” says Julie Gillis, a the laser system. “ I had a fantastic in 2002 at Fisk and Vanderbilt uni- Richard Wiener The Symposium on Undergradu- senior at Duquesne University. She team that I worked with,” Gillis versities. As of spring 2015, the Tucson, AZ ate Research, a tradition at FiO/LS spent her summer at Fermilab, as says “They wanted me to experi- meetings, is hosted by DLS, which part of the Summer Internships in ence as much as I could.” provides some funding for students Science and Technology program. The driving force behind the to attend, with additional fund- She worked on the superconduct- session is Harold Metcalf of Stony ing coming from sources like the ing electron linear accelerator at Brook University, who shepherded National Science Foundation (NSF) the Fermilab Accelerator Science the students throughout the day, Kepler’s Mother and Science Fiction and the students’ home institutions. and Technology (FAST) facility, pushed them to ask questions, and Since the symposium began in 2001, a proving ground for accelerator encouraged them to get to know The article about Kepler’s is widely considered the earliest hundreds of students have taken the technology. The FAST accelera- each other and other scientists at mother in the August/September science fiction writer. His Ἀληθῆ opportunity to present their work. tor relies on a drive laser system the event. issue is interesting. But when the διηγήματα (Verae historiae, or “True “I love getting to be somewhere that produces electrons when the “They learn they’re not the writer suggests that Kepler’s Som- Histories”) also describes a trip to where I can just talk about physics laser strikes a photocathode. Gillis OPTICS continued on page 6 nium is “arguably the earliest work the moon, among other interesting of science fiction, given its descrip- (and equally implausible) adven- tion of a trip to the moon,” I must tures. take the other side of the argument. APS OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS Lucian of Samosata, who wrote in Mary K. LeBlanc Greek in the second century AD, Livermore, CA U.S.-Brazil Young Physicists Forum Opportunity for Early-Career Physicists at the 2016 March Meeting By Amy K. Flatten, APS Director of International Affairs Shipping Container Security I want to inform APS members sity-industry cooperation. be expected to contribute scientifi- of an exciting new initiative, led • Scientific parallel sessions and cally, either through presenting their The method for examining cargo unloading rate of container cranes, by the APS Office of International poster sessions with interna- research during a parallel session, containers for nuclear devices which is about one container per 70 Affairs — the U.S.-Brazil Young tional peers. or presenting a poster during the proposed at the April Meeting by seconds. The resulting port bottle- Physicists Forum (YPF), which will • Opportunities for building poster-session/networking-event. Danagoulian and reported in APS necks would be unacceptable. take place the weekend before the international and interdisci- APS President-Elect Laura News (May 2015) is not competitive Second, the 15.1 MeV gamma- 2016 March Meeting, and at the plinary collaborations. Greene will present “Publishing with the elegant method of muon rays used have a large cross-section same location (see announcement Space is limited, so I urge early- in Peer-Reviewed Journals,” a talk tomography (C. L. Morris, et al. for photoneutron emission on most on p. 7 of this issue). career physicists to apply soon. The which she has given to international Science & Global Security 16, 37 nuclei. Irradiating a container with APS, the São Paulo Research application deadline is November 20; audiences of scientists around the [2008]) or with the similar method these gamma rays would produce Foundation (FAPESP), and the to apply, go to: go.aps.org/ypf-2016. globe. In addition to the scientific of X-radiography (J. I. Katz, et al. a neutron flux that would activate Brazilian Physical Society (SBF) Each country will send approx- presentations and poster session, Science & Global Security 15, 49 cargo and environmental materials have been working to bring together imately 20 participants, and the two panel discussions focused [2007]). Danagoulian’s method suf- by neutron capture, rendering them young physicists from our two selections will be announced in upon professional development fers from two critical drawbacks: radioactive. countries. Many U.S. and Brazilian mid-December 2015. Physicists and career-building will be tai- First, the quoted scanning rate physicists from the United States from the U.S. without any expe- lored to both U.S. and Brazilian of two minutes per container is not Jonathan Katz and Brazil may wish to attend the rience in Brazil are especially physicists’ interests: “University- compatible with the loading and St. Louis, MO 2016 APS March Meeting in Bal- encouraged to apply. Industry Collaboration in Research timore, MD. APS, FAPESP, and If you plan to attend the APS in the U.S. and Brazil” and “Life SBF will hold a YPF at the site of March Meeting 2016, there should as a Young Physicist in Brazil and the March Meeting, on the weekend be no additional travel expenses the United States.” before the March Meeting begins — beyond two extra nights at your The plenary and parallel scien- March 12-13, 2016. The YPF will hotel, and financial support for tific sessions will provide the YPF More on Double-blind Review combine scientific sessions with those expenses is available. See participants with an expanded view career development and network- the YPF website and application of physics beyond their own class- I enjoyed reading Shannon Besides, I believe that double- ing opportunities for early-career for full details. rooms, laboratories, and nation. Palus’ article on double-blind blind reviews, if successful, may physicists who are employed in a During the meeting, eminent The panel discussions and net- reviews in the July issue of APS not do a lot to remove gender bias. permanent professional position senior physicists will present working opportunities will broaden News. I totally agree with the (In fact, I would not be surprised to and who completed their Ph.D. plenary talks to the early-career their perspectives on career oppor- statement that application across find out that paper refereeing is the within the last 10 years. physicists, followed by parallel tunities outside of academia, and the board is essential for the meth- area where gender bias manifests The YPF is specifically dedi- sessions with the participants them- will allow deeper insights into od’s success. However, I believe itself the least). But it may play cated to early-career physicists who selves presenting to each other. each country’s scientific culture that the reason for this is simpler a much more positive role in the are working in the U.S. and Brazil Perhaps most exciting, a poster- and approaches toward scientific than explained in the article. If area of institutional or country bias. in any of the scientific disciplines session/networking-reception will research or partnerships. double-bind review is optional, an There is plenty of at least anecdotal of the March Meeting, with special allow early-career physicists to dis- Likewise, the relationships author may reason that by request- evidence that big-name institutions focus on networking. The YPF will cuss their research with not only formed at this conference have the ing this type of review, he/she predispose referees favorably, and provide participants with: their international peers, but also potential to last throughout the par- will be admitting (or be seen as if you do a survey of practicing • Networking opportunities, sci- with industry leaders and distin- ticipants’ professional lives. As the admitting) that they are less sure physicists in developing countries, entific presentations, and social guished VIPs from the FAPESP, YPF participants will have already about the validity of their work you will be able to collect many events with leading Brazilian APS, and SBF. Throughout the begun attending the annual APS than authors who don’t mind being refereeing horror stories that those and U.S. physicists working in YPF, physicists can discuss their March Meeting, they are likely to identified. Therefore, I believe that practicing physics in the U.S. or academia and industry. work and connect with potential maintain connections over the years, studies of the double-blind effec- Europe have never heard of. • Career development sessions partners and international col- as they continue to attend these tiveness are useless unless they are on publishing in peer-reviewed leagues in a smaller, more intimate APS meetings and international restricted to journals that apply it José Menéndez journals. setting than the larger March Meet- conferences in related subfields. across the board. Tempe, AZ • Panel discussions on univer- ing will allow. All participants will U.S.-BRAZIL continued on page 6 November 2015 • 5

Education News from APS New Editor-in-Chief at Physics Today Effective Practices Book Released Physics Today, published by the American Institute The Physics Teacher Education Coalition has released a new peer-reviewed of Physics (of which APS is a member society), Jan Day book — Recruiting and Educating Future Physics Teachers: Case Stud- has a new editor-in-chief (EIC). Charles Day, ies and Effective Practices, edited by Cody Sandifer and Eric Brewe (see formerly the magazine's online editor, assumed APS News, October 2015). The book provides a practical guide to innova- the top editorial job on November 2, following a tive, state-of-the-art physics teacher education programs, with a special 22-year run by previous EIC Stephen Benka. Day focus on implementation advice, ongoing challenges, and lessons learned. will become the seventh EIC at Physics Today. It is freely available for download at: phystec.org/webdocs/EffectivePrac- He received his Ph.D. in astronomy from the ticesBook.cfm University of Cambridge in 1988 and joined the Registration Open for 2016 PhysTEC Conference magazine as an editor in 1997. Since joining, he The Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) Conference is the has edited many of the magazine's sections as nation’s largest meeting dedicated to physics teacher education. The 2016 well as regularly writing for his blog, The Dayside. PhysTEC Conference will be held March 11-13 at the Royal Sonesta "Physics Today has the best team of professional Harbor Court in Baltimore, immediately preceding the 2016 APS March editors and staff in the business," said Day in a Meeting. Come hear exciting talks by national and international leaders statement released by AIP. "I'm honored to have in physics teacher education, and participate in interactive workshops. been chosen to lead them into the magazine's Register now at: phystec.org/conferences/2016 great future." Physics Learning Through Best Practices Periscope is a set of video lessons showing how best practices in teaching can facilitate physics learning in college and university classrooms. NOBEL continued from page 1 The goals of Periscope are to support physics learning assistants, teaching assistants, and faculty. These goals include: according to special relativity, its change was responsible for the elec- Nobel Prize to individuals in these • Learning to notice and interpret classroom events. clock doesn’t tick. tron neutrino shortage. experiments. And that is something • Relating pedagogical knowledge to content knowledge. In 1998, the Super-Kamiokande Previous experiments had shown that hasn’t happened that often • Understanding course transformation. experiment saw a telltale signature hints of oscillations, but none that before, “says Parke. “I see these two Periscope is free to qualified educators at physport.org/periscope of oscillation in muon neutrinos were convincing. “We just didn’t prizes as not only recognizing these that are produced when cosmic rays have the smoking-gun evidence,” two individuals ... but I also see it Award for Improving Undergraduate Physics Education interact with Earth’s atmosphere. says Paul Langacker of the Institute as a recognition of the two teams.” The APS Committee on Education (COE) annually presents the COE Physicists measured the number for Advanced Study. But SNO and McDonald, an APS Fellow, Award for Improving Undergraduate Physics Education to recognize of muon neutrinos coming from Super-Kamiokande “cleaned every- previously won the APS Tom W. excellence in undergraduate physics education and to support related directly overhead, which passed thing up and made it compelling so Bonner Prize in Nuclear Physics best practices This year’s selection process was highly competitive, with . through the Earth’s atmosphere and that every physicist understood that, in 2003. Kajita received the APS the 2016 award going to Western Washington University and California flew one kilometer underground to yes, that’s what’s going on.” W.K.H. Panofsky Prize in Experi- State University, Long Beach. More information on this award and a list mental Particle Physics in 2002. of past recipients can be found at: aps.org/programs/education/undergrad/ reach the detector. They also mea- The precursor experiments The discovery that neutrinos faculty/award.cfm sured the number that came from included Ray Davis’ Homestake below; to reach the detector, those experiment, which began in the oscillate, and hence the implication Join the APS National Mentoring Community neutrinos traversed a vastly greater 1960s. Davis’ measurements of that they have mass, has led physi- The APS National Mentoring Community (NMC) is an effort to increase distance through Earth. The experi- solar electron neutrinos resulted in cists to some intriguing puzzles. the number of underrepresented minority students who earn bachelor ment revealed a deficit of muon the vexing “solar neutrino prob- In the Standard Model of particle physics, neutrinos are massless. degrees in physics. The NMC identifies mentors throughout the country neutrinos from below, indicating lem,” which took decades to sort who can establish a personal relationship with students and provides “That tells us that this amazing conclusively that neutrinos changed out. Davis consistently measured these mentors with guidance and support. Please visit aps.org/nmc to model we have of how the world flavor during their long journey. only about a third of the number join the NMC, and then invite your mentees to join as well. works is incomplete and there’s When Kajita first presented of neutrinos predicted by theorists, more to be discovered,” says Turner. Super-Kamiokande’s results during most notably John Bahcall. The APS President Sam Aronson said, a talk in 1998, “The entire audi- SNO result definitively clarified this in a statment, “The discovery has Einstein’s House in Bern: ence realized that the game had confusing picture — the predicted major bearing on the structure of Joint EPS-APS Historic Site just changed,” says Boris Kayser of numbers of neutrinos were indeed the universe as well as the physics Fermilab. “Until that point the pos- born in the sun, but they oscillated of the nucleus.” On September 14, 2015, the European Physical Society and the sibility that neutrinos had nonzero into other flavors, making them Precise values of the neutrino American Physical Society together recognized Albert Einstein's masses was speculation. After that unobservable in the detector. masses are still unknown, but physi- house in Bern, Switzerland, as the first official Joint EPS-APS HIstoric point it was fact.” He adds, “I have “It was a heroic experimental cists do know that neutrino masses Site. Among those in attendance were Christophe Roussel, president never heard more enthusiastic, more task to sort everything out,” says are oddly tiny — a million times of EPS and Sam Aronson, president of APS. prolonged applause for a physics Langacker. smaller than the electron mass. talk than for that one.” The prize honors the leaders of Some physicists believe there may D. Lee In 2001, SNO clinched the case Super-Kamiokande and SNO, who be different physics underlying for oscillation in electron neutrinos worked with their many colleagues the masses of the neutrinos than of The house at the Kram- produced by the sun. SNO used sev- to secure the results. On the phone gasse 49 in Bern is where other particles. Massive neutrinos Einstein lived during his eral detection methods, including during a press conference announc- could also be a key to understanding annus mirabilis. The flat one that measured the total number ing the prize, McDonald repeatedly the source of the matter-antimatter on the second floor, which of neutrinos, and one that measured emphasized the contributions of imbalance in our universe. And he had rented from 1903 to only electron neutrinos. The scien- his collaborators, saying, “There’s there may be other types of lurk- 1905, has been restored in tists saw fewer electron neutrinos great camaraderie associated with ing, undetected neutrinos, known the style of that period. His biography and life’s work than expected, but the total num- this work.” as “sterile” neutrinos. are presented in a small ber of neutrinos matched theorists’ “These are enormous experi- “This is not the end; this is really exhibit on the third floor. predictions, indicating that a flavor ments, and they have now given a the beginning,” says Turner. D. Lee

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The bus, says DiScenza, serves from the classic demonstration of This is the sixth year that APS an important need in north cen- a ping-pong ball suspended in the has offered Outreach Mini-grants. tral Florida, the region around stream of air from a hair dryer, to This year, a National Science Gainesville. “There’s a lot of a tabletop fog tornado, to an elec- Foundation grant has supported an really small towns throughout the tric pencil sharpener that causes a expansion of the program, allowing area and there’s not really enough magnet to dance around due to the twice the usual number of mini- resources for all the kids in these magnetic fields generated by the grants to be funded. small towns.” This spring, the bus motor. “You never would think a “The mini-grants are important debuted at a local festival, and kid would get excited about a pencil because they fill a funding gap,” DiScenza has also visited nearby sharpener,” DiScenza says. “The says Rebecca Thompson, Head schools and museums, with plans exhibits on the bus demonstrate that of Public Outreach for APS. They for more extensive tours in the com- there’s physics in these everyday ing months. A team of volunteers, items that they never even realized.” provide funding for pilot projects including physics and engineer- The group even has a bicycle that need more than a few hundred From left to right: H.R. Ott, President of the Albert Einstein Society, C. dollars to get started, but aren’t Rossel, President of EPS, Q.M. Tran, President of the Swiss Physical ing students at the University of that kids can pedal to run a blender. Society (SPS), A. Tschäppät, the Mayor of Bern and S. Aronson, Presi- Florida, has helped get the bus on “It’s been a huge hit, especially ready for a larger grant. “We can dent of APS on the occasion of the inauguration of the Einstein House the road. since it’s really hot here — kids love fund kind of crazy stuff and see if as first joint EPS-APS Historic Site. Attractions on the bus range making smoothies,” DiScenza says. it works,” she says. 6 • November 2015

GRAZIER continued from page 3 NUCLEAR continued from page 1 a whole stack of writing projects. complex it is. even these fundamental conceits. I lowships for postdocs. collider would allow researchers Those range from journal articles What do your scientist col- go back to how many people were NSAC advises both the Depart- to uncover the source of neutron to screenplays. I’ve still got new leagues think about what you’re motivated to go into the space ment of Energy (DOE) and National spin and reach the next frontier of computational research going on. doing? Do you get positive feed- program because of Star Trek. It’s Science Foundation (NSF) on basic quantum chromodynamics by sys- I’ve got a sci-fi pilot that I’m shop- back? Do some people say ‘why riddled with things that are never research in the nuclear sciences. It tematically studying the properties ping, I’ve got a sitcom I’ve been do you bother with that?’ ever going to happen. has produced six long-term plans of gluons. shopping, I have a book about how Yes, all of the above. Scientists How do you achieve the bal- since 1979, with the previous plan The fourth recommendation, science and scientists are portrayed are going to come at it from dif- ance between accurate science in 2007. In April 2014, the agen- to increase funding for small- in the entertainment industry. My ferent directions. Some people are and a good story? cies charged NSAC with creating and mid-scale projects, follows a coauthor and I are finishing Hol- very supportive of it. But there’s the It’s important to get the science a new report. period with decreased investment lyweird Science 2, and we’re just traditional “If you’re doing this you as right as possible, but science is The current plan builds on the in such efforts, as a result of intense about to sign a contract for the third can’t be serious about your science” in service to the story. Now if you successes of the 2007 guidelines. focus on large undertakings like book in the series. and that’s not true either. We used to make an error you don’t have to An upgrade to the Continuous FRIB, said NSAC chair Donald What was your goal in writing acknowledge that there’s something make, I have a serious problem with Electron Beam Accelerator Facil- Geesaman, a physicist at Argonne Hollyweird Science? called a Renaissance person, right? that. But if it serves the story, if it’s ity at Thomas Jefferson National National Laboratory. Now, “we A lot of scientists who write I mean, that’s a goal to shoot for. part of your fundamental conceit, Accelerator Facility is nearly com- have to have projects at a number about the entertainment industry The opportunity to work on these well, yeah, fine. If we’re requiring plete, and the Relativistic Heavy Ion of scales,” he said in a presentation typically take it from a standpoint shows and work with these incred- our stories to perfectly adhere to Collider at Brookhaven National at the meeting. of “This is wrong, this is wrong, ibly talented people is of course Laboratory received an upgrade as The plan passed easily, without science, we lose the superheroes, this is wrong,” and rarely is it “This insanely fun, and it comes with a well. The Facility for Rare Isotope any significant critique or questions we lose Star Wars, and we lose is right, this is right.” My coauthor paycheck. But at the same time Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State from the committee or the audi- Godzilla. So there is a balance to Stephen Cass and I said, “no one you’re trying to raise the level of University, is now under construc- ence, and the vote was unanimous, be struck, and different films have wants to read 300 pages of snark.” science dialogue. When I worked tion. The first recommendation of an indication of what Geesaman different bars for that accuracy. I One of the things we want to do at JPL, there were so many people the report was to take full advantage described as broad engagement think we used to suspend our belief is help scientists understand that who were motivated to go into sci- of these upgraded and upcoming from the nuclear physics commu- a little more and I think there’s a screenwriters are every bit as pro- ence because of Star Trek. facilities. nity. Difficult decisions had already pendulum that’s swung a little too fessional as you are, they’re just Were you one of them? Neutrino-less double beta decay been worked out in the commit- differently professional — they Yeah. So I would love it if some far to the other way. Today, the aver- experiments, the second recommen- tee, said Geesaman, leading to have different goals — and when time, years in the future, I was at age person knows what the surface dation in the report, search for a “a lot of consensus” on the most you peek into their world, maybe a convention where someone says, of Mars looks like better than the hypothetical type of radioactive important priorities. To produce the you’ll get a little glimpse as to why “I was motivated to go into science top scientists in 1963. Let’s keep decay in which two electrons are report, NSAC created a dedicated the science isn’t always perfect, and by Eureka.” things like that in mind. emitted without any accompany- working group that held a series why sometimes you don’t even Have people’s attitudes to sci-fi What’s your favorite thing ing anti-neutrinos. Discovery of of town meetings and produced want it to be perfect, necessarily. changed? Are we more interested about your line of work? What such a process would indicate that white papers. “The key thing, in Why would you ever want to in having accurate science than drives you to do this? the neutrino is its own antiparticle. my mind, is actually going through get the science wrong? we used to be? It’s fun when your show gets Several current-generation experi- real budget scenarios,” he added. On Breaking Bad, they pur- I think people are far too inter- accolades; it’s fun seeing your name ments are preparing for the search, DOE and NSF officials also posely degraded the accuracy of ested in having accurate science. It scroll across the credits; but really and hope to demonstrate technology approved of the NSAC report. “I the science because you really don’t used to be that there was an implied it’s just the work — it’s fun cre- that could be scaled up to a larger, think it’s an outstanding plan. I want to teach people how to make bargain between screenwriter and ating; it’s fun when you’re posed next-generation experiment of the think it builds on the past and looks methamphetamine in your dramatic the audience: “Go with me on these with a challenge. It’s more like the type endorsed by the report. toward a very vigorous future,” said TV series. So it’s a very complex, one or two really fantastic ideas, work is rewarding than it is the final The plan’s third recommenda- Patricia Dehmer, acting director of nuanced issue as far as that goes, and we will be more grounded in product. Though it is kind of cool tion — an electron ion collider DOE’s Office of Science, in a pre- and we want to capture that, we the other areas.” But people have seeing the show that you worked on — would be a high-energy, high- sentation at the meeting. Fleming want to make people aware of how gotten to where they’re nitpicking and it being really good. luminosity machine that collides Crim, assistant director of NSF’s polarized electrons with polarized Directorate of Mathematical and protons and ions. Construction of Physical Sciences, commended U.S.-BRAZIL continued from page 4 the collider would begin follow- nuclear scientists for coming Consequently, the YPF has the of the U.S.-Brazil Young Physicists org with any additional questions. ing the completion of construction together to set goals. “Plans like potential to lead to many fruitful Forum with their colleagues, and More information regarding on FRIB, and could be operational this are successful when they really interdisciplinary and/or interna- to please encourage early-career application submission, registra- around the end of the 2020s. The engage the community,” he said. tional networks and collaborations. physicists to participate. Please feel tion, and the program is available I ask APS members to share news free to contact me at flatten@aps. at go.aps.org/ypf-2016 DISCONTENT continued from page 2 self-correcting, and that techno- And in today’s context, that voter OPTICS continued from page 4 logical change is a universal good. will say, “Donald Trump, Ben Car- only ones” interested in this type says. “It’s important that our technol- ester, where he worked on modeling But with the average family less son or Bernie Sanders, any one of of research, Metcalf said. “All ogy can keep up with that.” Sampson and improving an atomic trap for well off than it was a decade or two them will be better than the estab- of a sudden they’re in a commu- enjoys the chance to interact with sci- making a Bose–Einstein condensate. ago, those propositions may now be lishment figures who have dealt me nity.” The symposium fulfills an entists attending the FiO/LS meeting, “The research was right up my alley,” striking a discordant note with the the losing hand.” important need for opportunities she says, especially the possibility he says. It was harder for him to find average voter. The danger for the science com- for the young scientists to present that other scientists may offer her opportunities that fit his interests at Most Americans today have munity is that disillusioned voters their work, Metcalf says. “They’re ideas to improve her work, or that she his home institution, he says. either lost a job or know someone could begin to direct their ire at undergrads — they have no other could contribute to theirs. “There’s Ahmad Azim, a senior at the who has lost a job due to technolog- the progenitors of the technologi- way to get their stuff out there.” definitely a good sense of collabora- University of Central Florida, is ical change. Assembly-line workers cal changes they see as harming Metcalf also founded the Laser tion at this meeting,” she says. working on construction of an have lost out to robots; green-shaded them. If they do, the road ahead Teaching Center at Stony Brook, Faculty mentor Hong Lin, of ultrafast laser system. He says the number crunchers have lost out to for American physics could be a which provides opportunities for Bates College, has sent her students meeting is a great experience for computers; and tens of thousands rocky one. undergraduates to get their first taste to the symposium for ten years. aspiring researchers like him. “I of service-sector workers have seen On a populist landscape, it is of laser research. John Noé, who “It provides a very good opportu- want to go to grad school, get my their functions offshored thanks to imperative that the science com- organized the undergraduate sym- nity for undergrads to share their Ph.D., become a research scientist, the telecommunications revolution. munity make the case that research posium along with Metcalf, serves research experience,” she says. “Not and do that for the rest of my life,” Voters want their elected officials is not simply a benefactor of the as the center’s executive director. only can students talk to their peer he says. “There’s a lot of great sci- to fix what they see as a rigged and rich and entitled. As part of its civic Of his work with students, Metcalf students, but also they can talk to entists here who inspire me to do broken system, and so far, they’re responsibility, the science commu- says, “I don’t get anything tangible professional scientists.” Interest in that.” not happy with the performance. nity must work to promote public out of it, but there are a lot of intan- the symposium has grown since Lin At a lunch during the sympo- The 2016 election may well be policies that bring the benefits of gibles ... I feel that as an educator I began sending her students here, sium, faculty mentors spoke about a tipping point where the average research to everyone. If the com- should give back” she says. The first symposium had their experiences in optics research, voter shouts, as Howard Beal did munity fails in that mission, public Rachel Sampson, a senior at ten presenters, but has grown to advising students on how to get in Paddy Chayefsky’s screenplay support for research will inevitably Stony Brook, got her start at the host 40 or 50 students. “It grew and a job in industry, and describing “Network,” “I’m mad as hell, and ebb, to the detriment of American Laser Teaching Center, and went on grew,” says Metcalf, and now it’s their career arcs. The lunch was fol- I’m not going to take this anymore.” science and to America in general. to participate in the NSF’s Research “an institution.” lowed by two sessions, in which Experiences for Undergraduates Many of the students plan to students gave short talks on their (REU) program. She spent this sum- attend graduate school after col- research. When one mentor asked mer doing an REU at the University lege. Cedric Wilson, a student at the the students how many of them had of Arizona. University of Utah, is applying to never attended a scientific confer- She worked on creating a dif- graduate programs in atomic, molec- ence before, hands shot up in the fraction-based optical switch for ular, and optical physics and cold air. “This is their launching into Online at:www.aps.org/apsnews communications. Data traffic and atoms. This summer, he participated what its like to go to a big meeting,” flow is rapidly changing, Sampson in an REU at the University of Roch- Metcalf says. November 2015 • 7

ANNOUNCEMENTS PhysTEC

2016 Conference Quantum Monte Carlo methods for nuclear physics J. Carlson, S. Gandolfi, F. Pederiva, Steven C. Pieper, R. Schiavilla, March 11-13, 2016 K. E. Schmidt, and R. B. Wiringa Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore, Maryland Quantum Monte Carlo techniques aim at providing a description of complex quantum systems such as nuclei and nucleonic matter from first principles, i.e., realistic nuclear interactions Register by Feb. 26, 2016 and currents. The methods are similar to those used for many-electron systems in quantum chemistry and condensed matter physics, but are extended to include spin-isospin, tensor, spin-orbit, and three-body interactions. This review shows how to build the atomic nucleus from the ground up. Examples include the structure of light nuclei, electroweak response of nuclei Join us for the nation’s largest meeting dedicated to relevant in electron and neutrino scattering, and the properties of dense nucleonic matter. physics teacher education. This conference will be held in conjunction with the APS March Meeting. Topics include: journals.aps.org/rmp • Recruiting high school physics teachers • Physics teaching methods • Advocacy and working effectively with administrators • Assessments for physics teacher education THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY is currently accepting applications for the Congressional • Educating elementary and middle school teachers Science Fellowship Program. Fellows serve one year on the staff of a senator, representative or con- • Building effective pathways to degree and certification gressional Committee. They are afforded an opportunity to learn the legislative process and explore Travel support is available for faculty from minority-serving institutions. science policy issues from the lawmakers’ perspective. In turn, APS Fellows have the opportunity to lend scientific and technical expertise to public policy issues. www.phystec.org/conferences/2016/ QUALIFICATIONS include a Ph.D. or equivalent in physics or a closely related field, a strong interest in science and technology policy and, ideally, some TM experience in applying scientific knowledge toward the solution of societal problems. Fellows are re- Congressional quired to be members of the APS. Science TERM OF APPOINTMENT is one year, beginning in September 2016 with participation in a two week Fellowship orientation sponsored by AAAS. Fellows have con- siderable choice in congressional assignments. A STIPEND is offered in addition to allowances for relocation, in-service travel, and health insurance premiums. APPLICATION should consist of a letter of intent TM of no more than two pages, a 2-page resume: with one additional page for publications, and three letters of reference.

All application materials must be submitted online by 5 p.m. January 15, 2016 (5:00 p.m. EST). aps.org/policy/fellowships/congressional.cfm

QUERIES continued from page 1

efforts in the search for extrater- ing the skies for Earth-sized planets Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Prize restrial intelligence (SETI). in the habitable zones of their Foundation — as an exciting pros- In her testimony, NASA Chief stars, and by using spectroscopy pect in the next decade. Scientist Ellen Stofan focused on the to identify components of exoplanet The search for life on other plan- search for life — either current or fos- atmospheres, scientists may eventu- ets, lawmakers noted, can inspire silized — on Mars. She highlighted ally be able to detect “biosignature young people to pursue science, and the astrobiology capabilities of the gases,” like molecular oxygen, they stressed the importance of out- planned Mars 2020 rover, but argued that could point to a foreign planet reach. “While it’s exciting to search that NASA’s plan for a crewed mis- crawling with creatures. Bean high- for intelligent life elsewhere in the sion to Mars is also essential to lighted the importance of the Kepler universe, I hope we don’t neglect finding life, if it’s there. “I believe it telescope and the upcoming James nurturing the intelligent life we have will take human explorers — geolo- Webb Space Telescope and Transit- right here in our country,” said Rep. gists and astrobiologists — who can ing Exoplanet Survey Satellite for Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). move quickly and make intuitive these efforts. But in order to study Stofan was optimistic about the decisions on their feet,” she said. the atmospheres of the most probability of discovering life on But how might one detect the enticing prospects — Earth-like another planet; instruments under fingerprints life may have left on the planets around Sun-like stars — development could allow scientists to solar system’s four likely suspects? an expanded program in exoplanet discover some form of life within as Jonathan Lunine of Cornell Uni- exploration, including a flagship little as 10 to 20 years, she said. But versity explained, “The evidence telescope with next-generation Bean was less sanguine, calling the will not be entire living organisms. optics, will be needed, he said. possibility of finding biosignatures Much more likely is that we will If other intelligent life exists, from exoplanets in the next decade detect signatures that indicate that scientists could detect its tech- “unlikely,” an answer that seemed to life is at work or was at work in nology using radio telescopes disappoint Chairman Smith. these environments,” Lunine said. like the Arecibo Observatory and The experts agreed that astrobi- “Biology is built from a very lim- the Green Bank Telescope. “These ology research should be prioritized, ited, selected set of molecules. And facilities are among the world’s best and emphasized the importance of so if we can recognize patterns in at searching for the faint whispers uninterrupted funding if progress the makeup of organic molecules of distant technologies,” said is to be made. “I think that life is and their isotopes, we then have Andrew Siemion, director of the the most interesting property of the strong evidence of biology at work.” SETI Research Center at the Uni- universe,” said Siemion. “If we Jacob Bean of the University of versity of California, Berkeley. He don’t understand that, then I think Chicago made the case for zeroing cited the Breakthrough Listen ini- we don’t understand perhaps one of in on exoplanets in the search for tiative — a $100 Million, 10-year the most fundamental properties of life. Telescopes are currently scour- effort funded by Russian billionaire the universe that we live in.” 8 • November 2015

here are the women? Despite decades the freedom to express their interests and Wof slowly increasing participation, discover emotional ties to physics. women still receive only about 20% of the Discussion. Through conversations with physics bachelor’s degrees in the U.S. (see students, make issues related to women’s Fig. 1). Even more alarming is that in the Women in Physics: Why so few? underrepresentation explicit — issues hidden past decade, this percentage has gone down By Theodore Hodapp and Zahra Hazari for many students. This could include class — all this at a time when physics itself is discussions that reveal equity issues such as seeing record numbers of undergraduate and implicit bias, social pressures to conform graduate degrees. Just to be clear, although the to certain gender roles, values that appear number of women getting bachelor’s degrees missing from the physics discipline such as is actually going up, it just isn’t going up at helping others, or applying stereotyped labels the same rate as it is for men. to professions. Students often mistakenly believe that equity As part of our work, we hear anecdotally that the nation has been achieved and are not conscious of these issues. needs to increase the number of women getting Ph.D.s, and Revealing a need can mobilize students. we encounter stories of women unable to get academic jobs or So, how do we implement these techniques where they increasingly leaving these jobs. Aligned with these concerns is are needed and change the landscape of physics? There are the ADVANCE program of the National Science Foundation about 27,000 high school teachers of physics in the U.S. (NSF) — an effort to improve gender imbalances in academia. Getting each of them to encourage only one more female Programs like this are important in the continuing effort to student each year would profoundly impact physics and attract and retain women in academia, but we think they are engineering. The challenge is how to get that message out, not getting at a critical issue that keeps physics and engineer- and get it implemented. ing from breaking the 20% barrier. We ask: Are we focusing This is where the NSF comes back into the picture. Current efforts where we can dramatically impact participation? funding by the Foundation does not emphasize high school Where does the problem lie? to address gender imbalances. Their signature program in Let’s see what the data tell us. Figure 2 shows the percent- gender diversity is ADVANCE, and while these efforts are age of women participating in physics at various stages, from important, this is not where funding can significantly impact high school to tenured associate professors in U.S. universi- representation for physics and engineering. We recommend an Figure 1. Percentage of bachelor’s degrees in physics earned effort within the agency of at least this scope and magnitude ties. In high school physics, unlike other levels, there is little by women. Source: US Department of Education. gender disparity in science class enrollment. At the associate aimed at (a) funding research to engage high school phys- professor level, the data are consistent with the immediately ics teachers in this issue, and (b) pilot implementation and preceding levels. Although this is not conclusive evidence, assessment of interventions in high school physics classrooms. it suggests that women are advancing at similar rates to men Moreover, these efforts must reach all schools, including in college and beyond (although absolute numbers decline rural and inner-city schools, where our most economically substantially with each step). disadvantaged students struggle. While there are fewer women at the full professor level, What can we do as physics professionals? We must con- proportionately speaking, the numbers are still consistent with tinue discussions and conversations of underrepresentation. previous levels since there were far fewer women getting Help colleagues (and yourself) become familiar with issues Ph.D.s 20, 30, or 40 years ago — the time period over which like stereotype threat, implicit bias, and imposter syndrome one must integrate to evaluate full professor employment now. [5]. Where appropriate, practice the strategies mentioned It is hard to say much about gender balance in private sector above with women you interact with to encourage them to employment — there is little data covering this in physics. consider seeing themselves as physics professionals. If you Although there are studies showing gender differences are a faculty member, find out what your department and occurring as early as elementary school, the last place where institution is doing to recruit, educate, and support high school women participate in physics at equal numbers and, more physics teachers — these individuals interact with hundreds importantly, the first time when they are seriously deciding of potential physics majors. We recommend checking out about their future plans is high school. This is where we have www.phystec.org for information on promoting physics the greatest ability to make a change in the demographic. If teacher education. Figure 2. Percentage of women participating in physics at vari- And don’t stop doing what you are doing now to promote you want more evidence for this, see references [1] and [2]. ous academic stages. College entrance refers to first-year stu- High school is where we might have a chance to make a dent’s intent to major in the field. The red bar indicates the ex- an inclusive environment for everyone to study and practice significant impact — while female students are still a captive pected percentage based on assistant professor levels 6 years physics. These include transparent rules, gender representation audience in physics classrooms. prior, and is not a statistically significant difference. Sources: in the organization’s leadership, attention to family-friendly It has been argued that high school is too late — that female American Institute of Physics (high school and professoriate policies, and paying attention to individual’s needs at all data), Higher Education Resource Institute (college entrance), levels, be they student or scientist. These practices are critical students are rounding out their academic credentials for col- and U.S. Department of Education (degree data). lege rather than taking physics because they are interested in for retaining the small numbers of women we have in our the subject. While this may be true for some students, most either impractical (e.g., too late to switch for the 60% female community and propagating a cultural message of inclusivity female physicists report becoming interested in physics careers bioscience majors who often reserve physics for their junior to the public. Physics may be about conservation laws and in high school and not earlier [2]. Furthermore, surveys of year) or detrimental (e.g., would leave other fields like engi- equations of motion, but it goes nowhere without physicists. more than 900 female undergraduates [3] given to participants neering with a greater representation problem). Finally, fewer To excel as a discipline, we must excel as a community. at the APS Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics opportunities to interact with faculty in intro courses and Solving this long-standing representation gap is critical to showed that female students are attracted to physics careers social pressures make it difficult for undergraduate women doing better physics. during high school, at rates more than double those attracted to change their minds about physics. Theodore Hodapp is Director of Education and Diversity during middle school or college. So, what can be done at the high school level to effect at APS. Zahra Hazari is an Associate Professor in the Depart- In addition, there are other reasons why high school might change and attract women to physics? Evidence-based materi- ment of Teaching and Learning and the STEM Transformation be an optimal time period for attracting female students to als are currently being developed for attracting female students Institute as well as an affiliate faculty member in the Depart- physics careers. First, high school is the first time when phys- to physics in high school, and existing work [4] already shows ment of Physics at Florida International University. ics is clearly delineated as a subject with a dedicated course promise with three basic strategies: Recognition, Relevance, References and teachers who (usually) have a science background. Most and Discussion. 1. Williams, W. and Ceci, S., “National hiring experiments reveal elementary and middle school teachers have very little back- Recognition. Publicly (in the classroom), and privately 2:1 faculty preference for women on STEM tenure track,” P. (to the individual) recognize ability in female students to Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 112(17) 5360-5365 (2015). pnas.org/ ground in physics. High school may offer the first opportunity content/112/17/5360.full.pdf help them develop a physics “identity” and to encourage for students to explore physics at a deeper level with a teacher 2. Ivie, R., and Guo, S., “Women physicists speak again,” American who can provide support. persistence. This could include explicitly remarking on good Institute of Physics Report (April 2006). aip.org/statistics/reports/ Second, there is a large time lag between elementary/ questions or comments from female students, directing other women-physicists-speak-again middle school and deciding on a college major or a career. students to them for help, holding high expectations of their 3. Hazari, Z., Goertzen, R.M., Brewe, E. and Hodapp, T., “The abilities, and encouraging them through challenges by express- Importance of High School Physics Teachers for Female Student If students are excited about physics at a younger age, there Persistence,” The Physics Teacher (in press). are still many years in which they can become discouraged ing belief in their capabilities. A student who is called on or 4. Hazari, Z., Cass, A.P., and Beattie, C., “Obscuring Power Struc- about physics or attracted away by another discipline. Thus, receives a compliment gains recognition that enables her to tures in the Physics Class: Linking Teacher Positioning, Student the excitement must persist in high school. see herself as a member of the discipline. Engagement, and Physics Identity Development,” J. Res. Sci. Finally, what about attracting female students at the under- Relevance. Engage female students’ interests by embed- Teach., 52, 735—762 (2015); and Hazari, Z., Sonnert, G., Sadler, P., and Shanahan, M.C., “Connecting High School Phys- graduate level when students are even closer to a career ding socially and personally relevant content and contexts. ics Experiences, Outcome Expectations, Physics Identity, and decision and instructors have even more content expertise? This might include describing how physicists work on solving Physics Career Choice: A Gender Study,” J. Res. Sci. Teach., Not only do the data show that women have already made social problems (e.g., working on cancer research, developing 47(8), 978-1003 (2010). choices, but reality is setting in for them regarding required highly efficient photovoltaic cells, studying fluid dynamics 5. See, for example: Dovidio, J. F., “The SAGE handbook of preju- dice, stereotyping and discrimination” Sage Publications (2010); courses, sequenced majors, and degree completion. Fur- that improve drug delivery in microfluidic membranes, or or Steele, C., “Whistling Vivaldi: How stereotypes affect us and thermore, attracting women from other STEM disciplines is working on climate change issues), and allowing students what we can do,” W.W. Norton (2011).

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