October 2006 Volume 15, No. 9 www.aps.org/apsnews Highlights Physics and Technology Forefronts AAPUBLICATPION OF THS E AMERICANNPHYSICAL SEOCIETY • WWW.APS.ORGS /APSNEWS Page 6

Why Are These Men Smiling? Cherry A. Murray Elected New APS Vice President APS members have elected sor of physics at Princeton ber of management positions over Cherry A. Murray, deputy director University, and Elizabeth J. Beise, the years, including department for science and technology at a professor of physics at the head for low temperature physics, Lawrence Livermore National University of Maryland, were elect - department head for condensed mat - Laboratory, as the Society’s next ed as general councilors. ter physics, department head for vice president. Murray will assume Murray is an experimental con - semiconductor physics, and direc - the office of vice president in tor of Bell Lab’s Physical January 2007. Arthur Research Lab. Bienenstock of Stanford In 2000, Murray became University will become presi - vice president for physical dent-elect, and Leo Kadanoff, sciences and then senior vice professor emeritus at the president in 2001. Discover University of Chicago, will Magazine named her one of

Photo by Ken Cole serve as APS president for the “50 Most Important 2007, succeeding 2006 APS Women in Science” in 2002. Tom McIlrath, left, has just stepped down after 10 years as APS Treasurer. He has the satis - fied smile of one whose job has been well done and who leaves the APS in fine financial con - President John Hopfield of She has served on the APS dition. Joe Serene, right, is the new APS Treasurer. He's smiling because, in the Treasurer's Princeton University. Cherry A. Murray Philip W. Phillips Executive Board and role of publisher of APS journals, he is looking forward to the challenge of maintaining APS's In other election results, Philip Council, and has been an active leadership position. An interview with Serene appears in this issue on page 7. Phillips, a professor of physics at the densed matter physicist who has member of many APS task forces, University of Illinois at Urbana- worked in surface and low temper - divisions, and forums. In 1989, New Program Extends Open Access Champaign, was selected as the ature physics, light scattering and Murray won the APS Maria Offerings of APS Journals new vice-chair of the APS phase transitions in complex flu - Goeppert-Mayer Award, and in Nominating Committee, which has ids. She received her PhD in physics 2005, the APS George E. Pake The APS is expanding its Open nonetheless insists it still falls under the responsibility of selecting a slate in 1978 from MIT. She first joined Prize. Access (OA) offerings to articles the evolving definition for OA. of candidates each year to run for Bell Labs in 1978 as a member of In her candidate’s statement, published in Physical Review A-E, Thomas McIlrath, the retiring APS APS office. Robert Austin, a profes - the technical staff. She held a num - See ELECTION on page 7 Physical Review Letters, and treasurer, concurs. “The operative Reviews of Modern Physics . The word is ‘access’,” he says. “If there new initiative is called FREE TO are no barriers to the reader access - War Disrupts Mideast Physics Communities READ and can be applied to any ing the material, then the material With the cease-fire in place in some measurements to assess the mer session that must continue, and article or group of articles published is open access.” Lebanon and Israel, physicists in astronomical quality of some pos - an academic year we have to save,” in APS journals dating all the way The advent of electronic pub - those countries have begun return - sible observing sites. “A site which he said. back to 1893. lishing brought about significant ing to work and assessing the toll we used to regularly visit was a While there was no physical Anyone (authors, readers, insti - changes, and APS has adapted well. the war has taken on the physics 2000 m mountain pass. It was damage to the university, “The tutions, funding agencies, etc.) may, The same is true for OA. In fact, community in the affected region. bombed several times in the recent impact on the physics community by paying a one-time fee, make arti - Blume maintains that the APS has When the attacks on Lebanon weeks. Going to a high mountain at is huge in terms of lost work hours cles published in APS journals been a leader in OA for years, with began on July 12, Bassem Sabra, an night and deploying a tube on a tri - and various things, such as grants available on the Society’s various its early and continued support of APS member at Notre Dame pod would probably be a dangerous getting delayed,” said Sabra. sites to all readers at no cost and arXiv.org and with its copyright University –Louaize, had been in thing to do,” Sabra said. Now that the war is over, Sabra without a subscription. agreement form. The agreement the Bekaa valley for a long week - Laboratory equipment and text - worries that “probably money will OA journals have proliferated allows authors to make available end, planning to return to his home books were also delayed, he said. be taken from research to aid in the over the last decade in an attempt their APS publications on their own and work in Beirut. But the attacks Sabra had hoped to attend the meet - rebuilding effort.” to combat the sharp escalation in or their institution's website. intensified, and he was forced to ing of the International Roger Hajjar, a colleague of journal subscription prices. Among APS introduced its first OA jour - stay in the Bekaa for the duration Astronomical Union in Prague in Sabra’s at Notre Dame University the movement’s leaders is Harold nal, Physical Review Special Topics: of the war. late August, but wasn’t able to do –Louaize, shares that concern. Varmus, former NIH director and Accelerators and Beams , in 1998. His work was put on hold. Sabra so. Hajjar had been in France when the currently president and chief exec - Based on an institutional sponsor - and his astrophysicist colleagues In late August Sabra returned to war broke out, and because the utive of the Memorial-Sloan ship model, this journal has steadi - had been working on a proposal to Beirut, finding his house badly dam - Beirut airport was closed, Hajjar Kettering Cancer Center, who ly grown over the past 8 years and undertake site-testing at Lebanese aged. “My Beirut apartment is dam - had to delay his return to Lebanon. helped found a nonprofit OA organ - is now supported by an internation - mountains. “This key project that aged, basically uninhabitable. I will He fears that funding for scien - ization called the Public Library of al group of accelerator laborato - was to lay the foundations for obser - salvage what I can and find anoth - tific research in Lebanon will suf - Science (PLoS). ries. The Society introduced a sec - vational astronomy in Lebanon is er place to live in as soon as possi - fer as more government spending The emergence of OA journals ond OA journal in 2005 called stalled now,” he said. He and col - ble, to continue business as usual. will be devoted to reconstruction has sparked heated debate over their Physical Review Special Topics: leagues had been planning to do There are projects waiting, a sum - See WAR DISRUPTS on page 5 potentially adverse economic Physics Education Research . This impact on traditional scientific jour - journal is financed by publication nals, such as Science , Nature , and charges to the authors or the authors' the APS journals. Skeptics claim institutions. Sprouse to Succeed Blume As APS Editor-in-Chief OA journals are not economically The introduction of FREE TO viable and could put an end to exist - READ extends OA to the articles for Gene D. Sprouse, professor of as department chair from 1990 to cers, oversees the editorial staff and ing peer-reviewed journals, while all of the Society's journals. The physics at Stony Brook University, 1996. He served as director of the the journal production staff associ - proponents claim that OA improves FREE TO READ fees will initial - will become APS editor-in-chief Nuclear Structure Laboratory at ated with all ofAPS's research jour - the overall circulation and impact ly be $975 for articles in Physical early next year. He succeeds Martin Stony Brook from 1984 to 1987, nals: The Physical Review , Physical of scientific articles. Review A -E and $1300 for Physical Blume, who will be retiring. and again from 1996 to the present. Review Letters , and Reviews of Among the controversial ele - Review Letters . Articles in Reviews Blume has served as editor-in- His research interests include Modern Physics. APS journals are ments of the OA model is how one of Modern Physics , due to their large chief since the beginning of 1997. nuclear structure, neutral atom trap - all available online, and APS pro - should define open access. A pos - size and the limited number pub - Sprouse will take over the position ping, and laser spectroscopy of duces print versions of most of these sible definition is any online jour - lished annually, will be consid ered on on or about March 1, 2007. radioactive atoms. He is also inter - journals (two of the Physical Review nal that doesn’t charge subscrip - a case-by-case basis. The higher Sprouse received his PhD at ested in the development of radioac - journals are online only). In addi - tion fees. Because it charges a one- price associated with PRL is due to Stanford in 1968, and joined the tive beams. Sprouse was elected tion, the Physical Review Online time fee, the APS FREE TO READ its higher cost per published letter faculty at Stony Brook in 1970. He an APS Fellow in 1984. Archive contains every article pub - program is more of a hybrid OA (because of its stringent acceptance rose through the ranks to become The APS editor-in-chief, one of lished back to the inception of the model, according to APS Editor- rate). full professor in 1979, and served the Society's three operating offi - Physical Review in 1893. in-Chief Martin Blume, who See ACCESS on page 7 2 October • 2006 APS NEWS

Members in the Media This Month in Physics History : “Everyone knows about friction Defense Department for their research, October, 1847 Maria Mitchell Discovers a Comet but we do not have a fundamental even if their research had no conceiv - theorem of friction, and cannot pre - able military application.” aria Mitchell, the first female profession - woman elected to membership in the American dict friction between two surfaces.” Sean Carroll , University of al astronomer in the United States, became Academy of Arts and Sciences. She was also a fel - Robert Carpick , University of Chicago, on a Templeton Foundation instantly famous in October 1847, when low of the American Association for the Wisconsin-Madison, on friction at the grant devoted to funding science with Mshe was the first to discover and chart the orbit of Advancement of Science. nanoscale, Milwaukee Journal potential theological implications, a new comet, which became known as "Miss Mitchell was often bemused by all the attention Sentinel, July 23, 2006 Boston Globe, July 31, 2006 Mitchell's Comet." she received as a scientist. She wrote in her diary Maria Mitchell was born in 1818 in a large after one scientific meeting, “It is really amusing to “In the lab, blindfolded snakes can “The question for the United States Quaker family on Nantucket. Her father was a find one's self lionized in a city where one has vis - strike a running rat behind the ears to is this: Are we ready to relinquish schoolteacher, and later worked for a bank. The ited quietly for years; to see the doors of fashion - avoid its sharp teeth. It must be see - leadership in this area of science? We Mitchells encouraged education for all their children, able mansions open wide to receive you, which ing more than just a warm blob.” risk falling behind not just in pure even girls, which was unusual at the time. never opened before. One does enjoy acting the Leo van Hemmen , Technical science, but in industry, medicine and Astronomy was Mr. Mitchell’s favorite subject. part of greatness for a while! I was tired after three University of Munich in Germany, on communications, all of which have The family owned a small days of it, and glad to take his model showing how the snake benefited from this research.” telescope, and all the chil - the cars and run away.” brain processes information. New Nigel S. Lockyer , University of dren assisted their father Mitchell made many Scientist, July 28, 2006 Pennsylvania, on the need to maintain with his observations. other astronomical obser - US leadership in particle physics, Maria, a quiet child, vations during her career, “What is close to our hearts is to Newsday, July 30, 2006 worked hard at her stud - including observations of understand the world, what it's made ies, especially astronomy, sunspots, comets, nebulae, of, and how it behaves. We had a the - “The university values Fermilab as and enjoyed helping her stars, solar eclipses, and the ory that this matter existed, and that's a part of our teaching and research, but father. She also enjoyed moons of Saturn and what we set out to prove.'' even more important, we value its reading, as there were Jupiter. George Fai , Kent State University, leadership for this nation’s global role always many books in the She always appreciated on the quark gluon matter, Akron in scientific inquiry.” house. the night sky not just for the Beacon Journal, July 27, 2006 Thomas Rosenbaum , University As a young woman, science but for its beauty, of Chicago, on the university ’s bid to Mitchell worked briefly as and she recorded this “As you expand the walls of the manage Fermilab, Chicago Tribune, a schoolteacher, then as a thought in her journal: “Feb. container, that gives the glass beads August 23, 2006 librarian at the Nantucket 12, 1855.... I swept around more space so they can settle a bit.” Atheneum, while still con - for comets about an hour, Peter Schiffer , Penn State “What is also interesting in this tinuing her astronomical and then I amused myself University, on his finding that when case is how often, from his first infat - observations. Her father with noticing the varieties NOAA Central Library you heat a container of glass beads, uation as a high school boy, it was he encouraged her, and of color. I wonder that I have Maria Mitchell the beads settle, just as they would if who called a halt to the affair, often through him, Mitchell was so long been insensible to the container were shaken, The New saying that it did no good to her or fortunate to be able to meet some of the country’s this charm in the skies, the tints of the different stars York Times, August 1, 2006 him.” most prominent scientists, though generally as a are so delicate in their variety. ... What a pity that some Gerald Holton , Harvard young woman she was shy and avoided company. of our manufacturers shouldn't be able to steal the secret “It is not that different from the University, on Einstein’s love affairs, At the time, some comets had been found, but of dyestuffs from the stars.” Vietnam War, when people wondered SEED magazine, August 2006 the discovery of a new one was still considered a In 1865 Mitchell became a faculty member at whether to take money from the significant achievement. King Frederick VI of Vassar College, making her the first female astron - Denmark had offered a prize for the discovery of omy professor in the United States. She was also each new comet. appointed director of Vassar College Observatory. Every chance she got, even if the family had With her students, Mitchell emphasized the All liquids banned from airlines! company, if the night was clear, Mitchell would go importance of observation, and was known for ask - For the first time, the Department of Homeland Security has to the roof of the house to “sweep the heavens,” using ing them, “did you learn that from a book or did you deemed an entire state of matter to be a national security risk. the family’s 2-inch reflecting telescope. observe it yourself?” Exemplifying this philoso - On the evening of October 1, 1847, Mitchell phy, she went to great lengths to observe things slipped out of a party and went to the roof to begin herself. In 1878, she and several students traveled her observations. She noticed a small blurry streak, two thousand miles to Colorado to witness a total invisible to the naked eye, but clear in the tele - solar eclipse. scope, and she guessed at once that it might be a In addition to her scientific work, Mitchell was comet. Excited, she ran to tell her father. He want - also active in opposing slavery and in advocating ed to announce the discovery right away, but she was for women’s rights. She believed that women’s more cautious. She recorded the object’s position, minds were too often wasted when they were forced and continued to observe it to be sure it was a comet. to spend their time sewing rather than pursuing On October 3, Mitchell’s father sent off a letter to intellectual activities. Cambridge announcing the discovery. Maria Mitchell died on June 28, 1889. Although It turned out others had seen the comet at about she is relatively unknown today, perhaps because the same time. Father de Vico at Rome observed the her scientific accomplishments may not seem as same comet on October 3, and several other peo - impressive to us as they did to her contemporaries, ple observed the same object shortly after that. she was well-known and respected in her day. As However, Mitchell’s priority was recognized, and the first American woman astronomer and an advo - she received the medal from the King of Denmark. cate for women, she paved the way for others. The This brought Mitchell immediate international Maria Mitchell Observatory on Nantucket is named By Sean Carroll / www.cosmicvariance.com fame, and further honors. In 1848, she was the first after her, as is the Mitchell crater on the moon.

Physics and Society ), J. H. Eberly ( Laser Science ), Series II, Vol. 15, No. 9 Department,American Physical Society, One Physics Ellipse, Treasurer Thomas McIlrath*, University of Maryland (emeritus) Leonard Feldman ( Materials ), Akif Balantekin ( Nuclear ), October 2006 College Park, MD 20740-3844, [email protected]. Editor-in-Chief John Jaros* ( Particles & Fields ), Ronald Ruth ( Physics APS NEWS © 2006 The American Physical Society For Nonmembers–Circulation and Fulfillment Division, Martin Blume*, Brookhaven National Laboratory of Beams ), James Drake* (Plasma), Scott Milner ( Polymer American Institute of Physics, Suite 1NO1, 2 Huntington (emeritus ) Physics ), Gianfranco Vidali, (New York Section) , Paul Wolf Coden: ANWSEN ISSN: 1058-8132 Quadrangle, Melville, NY 11747-4502. Allow at least 6 Past-President (Ohio Section) Editor ...... Alan Chodos weeks advance notice. For address changes, please send both Marvin L. Cohen*, University of California, Berkeley Associate Editor ...... Jennifer Ouellette the old and new addresses, and, if possible, include a mail - General Councillors ADVISORS Staff Writer ...... Ernie Tretkoff ing label from a recent issue. Requests from subscribers for Christina Back, Janet Conrad, Wendell Hill, Evelyn Hu*, Representatives from Other Societies Art Director and Special Publications Manager ...... Kerry G. Johnson missing issues will be honored without charge only if received Ann Orel, Arthur Ramirez, Richart Slusher, Laura Smoliar* Kenneth Heller, AAPT ; Marc Brodsky, AIP Design and Production ...... Nancy Bennett-Karasik within 6 months of the issue’s actual date of publication. International Councillor International Advisors Forefronts Editor ...... Craig Davis Periodical Postage Paid at College Park, MD and at addition - Albrecht Wagner María Esther Ortiz, Mexican Physical Society Proofreader ...... Edward Lee al mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to APS Chair, Nominating Committee Louis Marchildon, Canadian Association of Physicists APS News (ISSN: 1058-8132) is published 11X the right to select and to edit for length or clarity. All corre - News, Membership Department,American Physical Society, Thomas Rosenbaum yearly, monthly, except theAugust/September issue, by spondence regardingAPS News should be directed to: Editor, One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844. Chair, Panel on Public Affairs Staff Representatives the American Physical Society, One Physics Ellipse, APS News, One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740- Ernest Moniz Alan Chodos, Associate Executive Officer ; Ken Cole, College Park, MD 20740-3844, (301) 209-3200. It 3844, E-mail: [email protected]. APS COUNCIL 2006 Division, Forum and Section Councillors Special Assistant to the Executive Officer ; Amy Flatten contains news of the Society and of its Divisions, President Charles Dermer ( Astrophysics ), Kate Kirby* ( Atomic, Director of International Affairs ; Ted Hodapp, Director Topical Groups, Sections and Forums; advance Subscriptions: APS News is an on-membership publication John J. Hopfield*, Princeton University Molecular & Optical Physics ) Robert Eisenberg ( Biological ), of Education and Outreach ; Michael Lubell, Director, information on meetings of the Society; and reports to delivered by Periodical Mail. Members residing abroad may President-Elect Charles S. Parmenter ( Chemical ), Moses H. Chan Public Affairs ; Stanley Brown, Editorial Director; the Society by its committees and task forces, as well receive airfreight delivery for a fee of $15. Nonmembers: Leo P. Kadanoff*, University of Chicago (Condensed Matter Physics ), Richard M. Martin Christine Giaccone , Director, Journal Operations ; as opinions. Subscription rates are available at http://librarians.aps.org/ Vice-President (Computational), Harry Swinney* ( Fluid Dynamics ), Peter Michael Stephens, Controller and Assistant Treasurer institutional.html. Arthur Bienenstock*, Stanford University Zimmerman ( Forum on Education ), Roger Stuewer ( Forum Letters to the editor are welcomed from the member - Executive Officer on History of Physics ), Patricia Mooney* ( Forum on ship. Letters must be signed and should include an Subscription orders, renewals and address changes should Judy R. Franz*, University of Alabama, Huntsville Industrial and Applied Physics ), David Ernst ( Forum on * Members of the APS Executive Board address and daytime telephone number. TheAPS reserves be addressed as follows: For APS Members–Membership (on leave ) International Physics ), Philip “Bo” Hammer* ( Forum on APS NEWS October • 2006 3

APS Members Now Have Easy Access to Network of Experts APS has recently created a strate - each of their first two uses of BOOM! gic agreement with Fortnight Fortnight’s services of at least $5,000. goes the bridge Solutions, a company that matches “I’m very excited about this agree - engineering problems with leads for ment because I think it will be a great their solutions using its network of benefit to industrial members, espe - experts. The agreement allows the cially those in small companies,” Society’s members to use the says Judy Franz, APS Executive Fortnight’s services at a discount and Officer. Companies often don’t have join its network of experts free of the resources or time to develop a charge. solution in house, and the Fortnight Fortnight Solutions is a network network can help them quickly find of science and engineering experts a solution. that helps technology companies APS members can now join the locate solutions, products, and serv - Fortnight expert network for free ices. Technology companies that have (normally a $25 fee applies). Experts a manufacturing or development are paid about $250 for each lead problem can hire Fortnight, which they send in that Fortnight submits refers the problem to its network of to the client, and have the opportu - experts. Clients may be looking for Photo by Ken Cole nity to earn more if the client decides specific expertise, a product, process, to pursue the lead further. Submitting For almost 45 years, the old Woodrow Wilson Bridge carried the Capital Beltway across the Potomac River between Maryland or service. and Alexandria, Virginia. In under a second, using the tools of physics, chemistry and civil engineering, a significant portion Experts with a suggested solu - a lead often takes only a few minutes. of the bridge in Alexandria disappeared with a series of flashes, a bang and a cloud of dust. The demolition occurred in the Fortnight limits the number of wee hours of August 29, while traffic on the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge (visible at right) was shut down to avoid potential tion submit a brief description of mishap. Despite the late hour, a crowd of several thousand witnessed the blast; included among them was intrepid APS News their proposal. Fortnight then pres - emails sent to experts, so they will not photographer Ken Cole. ents the most promising of those be overwhelmed with requests. The leads to the client, who can then select company operates with strict confi - the most suitable ones to pursue. dentiality and internet security pro - Fortnight’s fee structure is incre - tocols. Experts and clients are kept mental and tailored to the scope of the anonymous; an expert’s contact infor - problem and individual client’s needs. mation would only be provided to the Due to the cooperative agreement client with explicit, specific permis - between APS and Fortnight, APS sion. members, and companies that have an More information about Fortnight Sorry State of Science Politics in NASA APS member as an employee, can Solutions can be found at its website, By Louis D. Friedman now receive a discount o f $750 on at www.fortnight-solutions.com he resignation inAugust of a sign of our alliance. But time, and on to say “The fundamental goal three noted leaders in space Washington, change things. In my of this vision is to advance US APS Selects Engel, Saltman as Tscience from the NASA view, the Vision is now clouded scientific, security, and economic 2006-2007 Congressional Fellows Advisory Council is a disaster. It and we are headed on a different interests through a robust space is the third blow to science struck path –a path without any science exploration program. It subordi - Don Engel and Alex Saltman Maryland , and then transferred to this year by NASA. First the US guidance and one that will lead to nates space exploration to the pri - have been selected as the two 2006- Brown University, where he Administration presented a budg - no human exploration of othe r mary goals of scientific, security 2007 APS Congressional Fellows. received a BSc in physics and math et to Congress severely cutting worlds. and economic interests. ” Whoa – They will both spend a year on and an MSc in computer science. He back space science research and The problem is not simply about what happened to exploration? Capitol Hill providing advice to recently completed his PhD in missions, including great explo - budget priorities – those arguments What are the American econom - Members of Congress and learn - physics at the University of ration missions to Mars, Europa, exist every year. It is not simply ic and security interests in human ing about the legislative process. Pennsylvania. and searching for terrestrial plan - about the size of the NASA budg - exploration of the Moon and These fellowships aim to pro - His research in computational ets around other stars. Then, for no et – space enthusiasts always want Mars? What happened to “we vide a public service by making protein design has drawn on tech - discernable reason, they announce it larger. It is much deeper; it is came in peace for all mankind? ” available individuals with scientif - niques from artificial intelligence. that understanding the Earth is not about the heart and soul of explo - Marburger has gone further. In ic knowledge and skills to Members He examined large databases of a goal of NASA's anymore – ration, which is the fundamental testimony to Congress he assert - of Congress, few of whom have a protein features, and used statisti - despite the fact that understanding goal of NASA. NASA has sepa - ed, “The greatest value of the technical background. In turn, the cal analysis to find potentially use - the Earth has been one of the prin - rated science from exploration, Moon lies neither in science nor program enables scientists to broad - ful patterns. Engel says that he has cipal products of space explo - bureaucratically and in their devel - in exploration, but in its material en their experience through direct been especially pleased to find that, ration. And now NASA opment of missions. They dismiss ... The production of oxygen in involvement with the legislative working with a research group from Administrator Michael Griffin the great robotic missions: particular, the major component and political processes. the UPenn medical school’s bio - says he does not want the consid - Voyager, Galileo, Cassini, Mars (by mass) of chemical rocket fuel, Congressional Fellow Don physics group, he was able to work ered advice of scientists about Exploration Rover, New Horizons is potentially an important Lunar Engel, a biophysicist from the closely with experimenters who space science and exploration – he (past) and Europa Orbiter, Mars industry. ” This is ludicrous –we University of Pennsylvania, has were able to produce in a lab some wants it only about the decisions Sample Return, Dawn, Terrestrial could probably not devise a more been interested in science policy of what he had found computation - already made for the new explo - Planet Finder (future) as only sci - expensive way to make rocket fuel for a long time. He initially heard ally. The research has applications ration program focused entirely ence. Whereas the Vision for than by producing it on the Moon about the Congressional Science to drug design and nanotechnology. on the Moon and NASA's already Space Exploration strongly sup - – especially with oxygen which we Fellowship nearly ten years ago as Engel’s political experience so decided architecture for it. ported these robotic missions and do not know how to extract, or at an undergraduate at the University far includes work on political cam - One forced resignation was of the search for extraterrestrial life, what cost. of Maryland. “I wanted to learn sci - paigns, including that of the current Wesley T. Huntress, Jr., Planetary the new NASA exploration pro - Paraphrasing John Kennedy, ence because I thought it was impor - mayor of Providence, Rhode Island. Society President. Another was gram cut out half the research con - Marburger asserts “We go to the tant to society, ” he says. “I’ve been Engel has also held publicly elect - Eugene Levy, the provost of Rice nected with the latter subject and Moon and do these other things, planning to apply for this for ten ed offices in Philadelphia , serving University. Charles F. Kennel, all those future missions I just for its oxygen. ” years. ” as representative of the 20th Director of the Scripps Institution mentioned. I am beginning to think that the Congressional Fellow Alexander Division on the 27th Ward of Oceanography, then resigned Why would they do this? If the new interpretation of the Vision, Saltman is a string theorist from Committee, and as the Secretary of from the Council for personal rea - Administration can't supply the and the new direction of NASA, Stanford University. Saltman grew the 27th Ward Committee. These sons. Huntress and Kennel are funds for the Vision for Space is more ideological than visionary, up in Austin, Texas, received his ward committee positions, which both former Associate Exploration goals, wouldn't just more about extending our eco - undergraduate degree from Harvard each serve only a small number of Administrators of NASA, two of delaying them make more sense nomic interests than anything to do University, and recently earned his people and require only a minor the very best who helped revital - than cannibalizing the part of with the public good and public PhD from Stanford. time commitment, tended to go ize theAgency and set it on a direc - NASA that is working and has interest in space exploration. This Though he has little previous pol - vacant, so Engel also led an effort tion of accomplishment in the provided such valuable and excit - is why I feel we are fighting for the icy experience, Saltman has been to increase awareness of these local 1990s. ing results to the world, and which heart and soul of NASA (and space interested in applying for this fel - offices and get people elected to Huntress and The Planetary was supposed to guide humans exploration around the world). lowship for some time, and is excit - them . He also built a voter educa - Society (as well as I) are not just into the solar system? Maybe I am an alarmist; Griffin ed about exploring this option. “It’s tion tool that used GoogleMaps to supporters of theAdministration's I think I am beginning to under - maintains that only the budget very invigorating doing something show voters where to vote, where Vision for Space Exploration, but stand why. In a little publicized constraints have forced science new,” he said. His particular poli - district boundaries lie, and who rep - we were also great and early sup - speech last March, the President's cuts, and that he has to make them cy interests lie in arms control and resents them. porters of Griffin personally. We science advisor, John Marburger, in order to get the new rockets energy policy, which has become Engel’s particular policy interests lobbied for his appointment, and declared, “we want to incorporate built that will replace the shuttle especially important in the past few include environment and ener gy, Griffin's leadership of a Planetary the Solar System in our [the US] (a goal we support). But then why years. health policy, and technology and Engel attended the University of APS SELECTS continued on page 6 Society study two years ago was economic sphere ” and then went VIEWPOINT continued on page 8 4 October • 2006 APS NEWS Letters American Nuclear Weapons, and Vigilance, Promote Peace and Security Unnatural Causes Don’t Exist Great Talk, Wrong Speaker This physicist, and volunteer in seizure of Berlin and all of Western Lawrence Krauss' excellent Back must a priori assume that there are Just a quick correction to "Meeting WWII, disagrees totally with the let - Europe. Thanks to President Reagan's Page article, "When Worldviews no unnatural causes at work in the Briefs" in the July APS News : Terry ter by J. Eckerman in the rearmament and vision, the Soviet Collide: Science and Religion Face natural world, for otherwise experi - Oswalt of the Florida Institute of August/September APS News , which Communist Empire no longer exists. Off Again" [ APS News , April 2006] ment could not be trusted to provide Technology gave the stellar archae - claims that our use of two atomic Partly due to President Bush, for five has elicited some interesting respons - any test of the validity of the theory. ology talk, not David Bixler. Oswalt's bombs on Japan to end the war quick - years after 9/11, terrorists have not es in the June issue. Walter This assumption, of course, is arbi - talk was, as you say, "among the ly, "brought about the feasibility of the yet scored a similar surprise attack Schimmerling was quite right in his trary, but without it we would have highlights" of the meeting. He cov - predicted Apocalypse." As Andrei on American soil. Our major world - complaint that Krauss implies that some other system of thought, not ered a great deal of science in a man - ner that was highly accessible to high Sakharov emphasized, the Soviet wide intelligence effort, along with the face-off involves religion in gen - science. The battle with ID must be school physics teachers, many of Union would have pursued nuclear allies, deserves credit for that. eral. Only a small subset of religious based on whose system of thought whom were there for the joint meet - and thermonuclear weapons regard - Iranians should contemplate that thought, the fundamentalist believ - works to provide the most successful ing with Texas AAPT. It was one of less of our actions or inaction. if their fanatic leaders obtain nuclear ers in a personal God, active in human predictive power, but ID must be President Roosevelt authorized the affairs, and their politically motivat - the best talks for such an audience weapons and use them for surprise taught as something other than sci - that I've ever heard. Manhattan Project and President attack as they proclaim and threaten, ed hangers-on, is represented in the ence. George Kuipers makes a relat - Truman, remembering the surprise many millions of peaceful Iranians challenge to the theory of evolution, ed statement that if the existence of David Hough attack on Pearl Harbor in peacetime, will lose their lives and their futures and we should be careful to main - God is not a scientifically testable San Antonio, TX wisely chose not to sacrifice many tain the distinction. from the inevitable retaliation. It is in proposition then evolution and ID are millions of Japanese lives, along with Kennell Touryan, on the other their own interest to overthrow their on an equal footing as far as science the total destruction of Japan, by mas - hand, finds there is a valid controver - religious tyrants, and construct an is concerned. I think this reflects Wrong Century sive conventional air bombardment, sy about the theory of evolution Iranian government worthy of their again an incomplete understanding of There is a typo in Jean Barrette’s and not to sacrifice a couple hundred because the nature of the origin of life great past which includes the reign the nature of science. letter [ APS News, July 2006 ], in the thousand American men and women is so much in doubt. The theory of of the emperor Cyrus, famous for his sentence, “...communicated by J.J. in theAllied invasion of Japan planned evolution is about the origin of The truly amazing success of sci - Thomson to the Philosophical to begin November 1, 1945. The per - friendship toward the Jewish people. ence in creating coherent pictures of species, given the existence of life, Magazine ...”. You have the date 1998. haps up to 150,000 Japanese lives lost The arguments by Jorge Hirsch, how the world works, and the way we and says nothing at all about the ori - I’m sure it was meant to be 1898. in Hiroshima and Nagasaki are far while much less strident, are also not gin of life. Controversy about the can confidently use these pictures to less than what would have occurred correct. The fallacy is the persistent origin of life does not equate with guide great and complex enterprises, illusion that sweet reason with no has convinced me that naturalism Frank R. Tangherlini without our use of nuclear weapons. controversy about the theory of evo - San Diego, CA Even when the two atomic blasts con - nuclear weapons will persuade ruth - lution. goes beyond the methodological to vinced the Emperor to order surren - less fanatics (like Hitler, Tojo, Stalin, I quite disagree with John Fletcher, the philosophical. It seems to me to der, Japanese Army officers tried to and Bin Laden types who seek to who objects to Krauss equating be true, to a high degree of confi - prevent his surrender message from destroy "the infidels") to cease efforts methodological naturalism with the dence, that there are no unnatural being broadcast. Fortunately some at the destruction of peaceful, demo - scientific method, stating that the causes in the natural world, saving Crossword Puzzle loyal aides managed to have his mes - cratic nations. latter does not limit the kinds of caus - perhaps only what got the whole thing Contest Results sage broadcast. es that can be invoked when arriving started in the first place. The presence of our formidable Howard D. Greyber at a theory. The very essence of the Next Month nuclear weapons prevented the Soviet San Jose, CA scientific method is the checking of Alan D. Franklin theory against experiment. Science Newville, PA In the March issue we Why Quibble About Multiple Universes? announced a contest for the In response to Ronald Hodges's physics we call this the anthropic Drell Hews to Mies’s Line best physics crossword puz - letter [ APS News , July 2006] about principle, where the natural process zle. The deadline for submis - insight into the religious community, involves multiple universes with ran - I was disappointed to learn ( APS would gain moral authority, other sion was September 1. Our perhaps we could use some insight dom laws of physics and physical News, Back Page, August 2006) that nuclear countries would follow suit, panel of experts is now eval - uating the submissions, and into science as well. constants and the only ones which the same dangerous nuclear stance the non-proliferation framework For the religious Christian commu - seem to count for anything are the propounded by Admiral Mies (Back the results will appear in the would be enormously strengthened, November APS News . nity, it is written “Thou shalt not ones evolving intelligent life (note Page, June 2006) is being advocated and we would create a real incentive tempt the Lord thy God” (Matthew 4: that we are solely responsible for the (albeit less bluntly) by such an emi - for nuclear states with small arsenals 5 - 7). I believe this means that this term intelligent). Maybe it's the hard nent physicist as Sidney Drell. to disarm. religion is not really testable. Isn't it way, but this is certainly one approach Making an ironclad commitment It is high time that American physi - strange that a unified Theory of to getting the job done. Why quib - to unconditionally renounce the use cists, who carry a heavy responsibil - Everything may be based on some ble about the details, if you can't come of nuclear weapons against non- string theory, which is not directly up with any evidence of other univers - nuclear countries would have bene - ity for the existence and only use so testable either? Where is your dis - es? This is where the Intelligent fits to the US that far outweigh the far of nuclear weapons, address this tinction between philosophical and Design question belongs, not in biol - losses. It would remove the possibil - issue, and I would hope forcefully methodological naturalism now? ogy classes which are only attempt - ity that a reckless President could advocate such a stance for our coun - As far as Intelligent Design is con - ing to teach a natural process based single-handedly make a legal decision try. cerned, evolution is a natural process, on carbon chemistry and the laws of that would change the future of Jorge Hirsch meaning it follows from the laws of physics as we know them. humanity in a disastrous way. We San Diego, CA physics as they actually operate, not Len Loker necessarily as we conceive them. In Indianapolis, IN Trouble with Eratosthenes I always wondered how none of his writing has survived poses Science, Religion, and Pershing Square Eratosthenes knew the distance from no problem to those who propagate Alexandria to Syene, because I doubt - this falsehood. It never does for those – Adlai Stevenson , accepting the primitive nature of their observa - is heating up, Bush couldn’t care ed accurate maps were available in whose agenda is to promote the fal - Democratic presidential nomination tional tools and theoretical back - less, and GM killed the electric car. those days. So I was delighted when lacious doctrine. In fact it was the in 1952, characterized the 20th cen - ground, they didn’t do such a bad It’s the worst of times. your "This Month in History" piece Greek philosopher and geometrician tury as "that portal to the golden job. The problems arose because I’m beginning to think that those on Eratosthenes [APS News , June Sphericles (an enemy of the age." their descendants refused to allow wackos who used to march around 2006] explained how he learned the Pythagoreans) who first determined – Ray Kurzweil in his 2005 book, for the results of advancing knowl - Pershing Square carrying signs pro - distance. Sort of. the circumference of the Earth, his The Singularity is Near , says that edge, like the Hubble telescope, the claiming that “The End is Coming” Please finish the story. How did the method stolen by Eratosthenes, aided within twenty years, technology will standard model, and Saran wrap. were right all along. Only it's not accurate pacers know the direction to by the Proto-Pythagoreans. have developed to the point that, The tension between science and going to be the result of divine inter - pace? If Syene were due south of Sphericles resided in Alexandria, among other things, people can live religion arises out of the fundamen - vention –we are going to do it to Alexandria, they could pace at night a recent addition to the Egyptian land - directly from or to the North Star, scape. He knew that a well near pres - as long as they want to. tal inability of people to come to ourselves, and maybe it’s an – Charles Dickens in the introduc - grips with the finiteness and vicis - depending on their direction. But ent-day Aswan was directly illuminat - inevitable consequence of the sec - Syene, or at least Aswan, is about ed by the overhead sun on but one day tion to A Tale of Two Cities , set dur - situdes of existence and the infini - ond law, because sooner or later ing the French revolution, said, "It ties of time and space. Because of three degrees off due south. And of the year. Best of all the well was some nut is going to be in a position was the best of times; it was the this insoluble problem, they are driv - surely they couldn't have known that. approximately at the latitude of to press the button. Evolution may worst of times." en to faith. Or, as Hippocrates and The road between the cities, even Alexandria (actually off by about 3°) contain a built-in self-destruct mech - – Enrico Fermi is said to have succeeding philosophers put it, more over that unobstructed desert, surely on the Tropic of Cancer. He sent his anism. In plain language, when they remarked, in response to a question or less, “Art is long; life is short, so was not straight. But somehow they brother Hemisphicles, a profession - about extraterrestrial life: "Where is come to the tavern and have a snort.” get too smart, they blow themselves managed. al walker (actually his half brother) to Aswan to measure the distance everybody?" But times they are a-changin! up. This could be why no extrater - So, please. How? from the well (then called the Sacred – Fictional Charles Addams -type Nanotechnology promises immortal - restrial civilizations have been dis - Paul Dickson Well of Dreams) to Alexandria. The cartoon factory gate-keeper walking ity. The Golden Age is coming, and covered. Aiken, SC rest is history, unfortunately distort - onto the laboratory floor swinging it won’t require the Second Coming. And the really weird part about ed history. his bunch of keys: “Closing time, What could faith healers during the it is that those who precipitate the Ed. Note: Perhaps the following I do hope that you will set the gentlemen.” age of miracles do that a bottle of destruction will probably say that it letter will answer your question. Then again, perhaps not. record straight, thought I do not real - Science deals with reason; reli - Viagra can’t accomplish this after - was divine intervention that did it. * * * ly think it will in any way change the gion deals with faith. The people noon? It’s the best of times. Closing time, gentlemen? I am most perplexed as to why attitude of the propagators of this who wrote the Bible were the orig - Not so fast. Nuclear proliferation you continue to advance the falla - falsehood. Robert A. Levy inal high energy physicists (the book is rampant. Religious extremism is cious doctrine that it was Eratosthenes El Paso, TX of Genesis was the first theory of on the march. Seventy-two virgins who had first determined the circum - Moishe Garfinkle everything). And considering the are waiting for the faithful. The earth ference of the Earth. The fact that Philadelphia, PA APS NEWS October • 2006 5

Washington Dispatch INTERNATIONAL News A bimonthly update from the APS Office of Public Affairs ...from the APS Office of International Affairs ISSUE: Science Research Budgets Since floor approval of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science appro - priations bill in June, the full House has acted on funding bills for NSF ($6.02B; +7.8% over FY06), NIST core programs ($0.47B; +18%); DOD basic research ($1.56B; +6.1%), DOD applied research ($5.25B; +1.5%), and NASA Science Physics in Lebanon: An Overview, and Ways to Help ($5.41B; +3%). The Senate Appropriations Committee has also passed the bills funding DOE Office of Science ($4.24B), NSF ($5.99B), NIST core programs ($.47B), DOD basic research ($1.48B), DOD applied research ($4.81B), and NASA By Bassem Sabra teaching careers in Lebanese tions. The Lebanese Council for Science ($5.40B), but the full Senate has yet to vote. It is widely anticipated that schools, as well as schools in the Scientific Research (LCNRS), the When representatives from the many of these funding bills will not see final action until after the November elec - Arab Gulf states, where the salaries main government-run funding tions. APS emailed me in the first days are more lucrative. Students who opt agency for basic sciences, governs of the war on Lebanon, they The proposed funding levels for DOE Office of Science, NSF, and NIST core pro - for a PhD go mostly to France and joint grant programs with its French grams are generally consistent with the President’s American Competitiveness inquired about my safety, the effect the US. Their research covers the counterpart. Research output is gen - Initiative (ACI) request. of the war on the Lebanese physics full spectrum in physics. A remark - erally low. A high teaching load, For details of the FY07 budget process, go to community, and how the APS could able absence is that of physicists lack of incentives, and lack of ade - http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/fy07.htm be of help. I replied with a short let - % % % in Lebanese industry, probably due quate support all conspire negative - ter, which appeared in the to the lack of R&D. ly. Fortunately, some physicists, ISSUE: Interim Nuclear Waste Storage Study August/September issue, written Four universities grant under - both old and young, are determined The APS Panel on Public Affairs Nuclear Energy Study Group met on August hastily while fighter jets screamed 8th and 9th to examine technical and programmatic issues associated with the graduate physics degrees: Lebanese to carry out research and have been overhead. In that letter I addressed centralized interim storage of spent nuclear fuel. The study group received University (LU), American succeeding in publishing in interna - the first couple of issues and inten - briefings by representatives of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), University of Beirut (AUB), tional refereed journals. Many of the DOE, and the nuclear industry, as well as Congressional staff and independ - tionally left out the last. Universite Saint-Joseph (USJ), and faculty, especially those who were ent experts. The study group report is expected to be available by mid- Circumstances at that time did not November. The members of the study group are Roger Hagengruber (Co- Notre Dame University-Louaize educated in the US maintain strong grant me the luxury of thinking Chair), John Ahearne (Co-Chair), Robert J. Budnitz, Margaret Chu, Kevin (NDU). Only the LU and the AUB research ties with their US col - clearly about how the APS can help Crowley, Richard Meserve, Ernest J. Moniz, Burton Richter, Frank Von Hippel, grant master's degrees. The AUB leagues. and Francis Slakey. Lebanese physicists. Having now % % % and NDU follow the American edu - Support for research is meager. pondered the issue further, I would cation system. Their students use the The LCNRS has an annual budget ISSUE: POPA Electricity Storage Study like to use my contacts with APS same physics textbooks used in US of only $3.5 million US, roughly $1 The APS Panel on Public Affairs Electricity Storage Study Group held a work - News and the APS International shop on August 14th and 15th to examine the technical issues associated with universities. The LU, which is the US per Lebanese citizen. This is Office to help build a long-term electricity storage. Technology experts provided briefings on the current status only public university in Lebanon, extremely low, even by develop - relation between the Lebanese of the technologies used for electricity storage. In addition, representatives from hosts most of the faculty and stu - ing world (to use the politically cor - industry, DOE, and the utilities sector briefed the study group on the implemen - physics community and the APS. dents, and it maintains strong ties rect term) standards. Recently the tation and current status of electricity storage programs. A report from the study I should stress that I am not a group is anticipated by February of next year. with French universities in terms of LCNRS has taken some initiatives spokesperson for Lebanese physi - % % % education and research. to encourage research, giving pref - cists. There are no physics organ - The fields of expertise of the erence to fields that have direct ISSUE: Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) izations in Lebanon. I am simply a faculty are atomic physics, con - applications. Certain areas in The Nuclear Weapons Complex Assessment Committee (NWCAC), in which the Lebanese astrophysicist living and APS is informally participating, had its second meeting at Lawrence Livermore densed matter physics, string the - physics benefit from this, namely working in his country. I can, how - National Laboratory. The NWCAC received both classified and unclassified ory, optics, astrophysics, elementary condensed matter physics and mate - briefings on the technical issues associated with the proposed Reliable Replacement ever, host you on a “tour” of particles, etc. Theoretical/computa - rials science. Despite the modest Warhead (RRW). A report is anticipated to be completed by early next year. Lebanon’s physics arena. tional studies are more common support for basic research, the out - % % % The physics community in since experimental projects require look in the last couple of years has Lebanon is about 500 strong. There For more information, log on to the APS Office of Public Affairs web site: more funding. However, the govern - been improving. For example, the are about 100 professors and 400 http://www.aps.org/public_affairs ment has been encouraging research LCNRS was willing this year to students. Most students go on to projects that have direct applica - LEBANON continued on page 7

WAR DISRUPTS continued from page 1 efforts. Scientific research had not electricity in the days to come if the Oweis’s own work has also been ibility as a peaceful country. It has while others had left Haifa with their been a high priority in government war went on,” he said. disrupted. “Like many others, I’ve returned to a state of instability with families. budgets in recent years, said Hajjar, He decided to evacuate to Jordan, lost the precious summertime which not yet known future. A settled situ - Those who stayed tried to contin - and the current situation may only and contacted the Jordanian embassy, I’ve been sparing to get my research ation is crucial for developing scien - ue their normal summer activity as make that worse. Hajjar now fears which had chartered buses. “The going,” said Oweis. tific activities.” much as possible. “Like everyone that science in Lebanon is in “deep buses were 4 hours late, and these As of late August, Oweis was still In Haifa, the Technion closed for who has lived in Israel for a while, I deep trouble.” were the most tense 4 hours of the in Amman, but planned to return to a week during the rocket attacks, but tried to continue as much as possible In the past, Hajjar’s lab had whole experience because of the sonic Beirut for the start of the fall semester. soon returned to normal operations. with my daily activities and commit - received a lot of support from his booms, and the sounds of exploding Mounib El Eid, also of the During the war, residents of north - ments, while trying to do my best to university. “We had the plan to equip bombs presumably in the southern American University, spent the war ern Israel, including Haifa, were minimize unnecessary risks,” said our lab with an optics table and a district of Beirut. The thing that in Beirut. “Although the situation in advised to avoid being in the open or David Gershoni, a physicist at the plan to slowly start a lab for the devel - touched me most during the wait was Beirut where I remained was really on roads during rocket attacks, and Technion. opment of small astronomical instru - the sight of the frightened children hard during that time, I have devel - were advised to stay as much as pos - Dar said, “Even the customary ments,” he said. “It is not clear today who would cry with each loud bang,” oped a deeper sense for life and its sible in bomb shelters or in “protect - daily tea and lunch breaks at the h- how easy it will be to proceed with he said. beautiful peaceful side,” he said. “It ed areas” –inside rooms with no exter - bar club of our physics department the plan,” since the university now The 200 mile trip to Amman took was great to see how peaceful and nal walls and not directly under a were continued, though many were needs funds for other priorities. more than 10 hours, said Oweis. They human most of the Lebanese are. roof. Many buildings at the Technion interrupted by air raid sirens.” He also worries about enrollment had to drive on side roads through They were overwhelmed with help - have such “protected areas,” said The air raid sirens went off about at his university, as students who farm and residential areas because ful ideas.” Arnon Dar, a physicist at the a dozen times per day during the war, used to commute to campus on a the main highway had been cut off At AUB, Eid and his colleagues Technion, but some students had been said Dar. “As soon as they were heard, daily basis from remote areas may by the bombing. had recently worked hard to re-install taking exams in unprotected class - we stopped everything and walked to now be unable to reach the universi - At the American University of a PhD program in theoretical physics, rooms. the nearest ‘protected area’ where in ty due to damaged roads and trans - Beirut, the summer session was sus - in high energy physics, astrophysics “So, when rockets hit a railroad a couple of seconds we could hear portation infrastructure. pended during the war, Oweis reports, and soft matter physics. “There is a depot in Haifa at 9:10 a.m. on July clear and loud the sound of the explo - Ghanem Oweis, an APS member and research has been delayed. In real need to develop and enforce the 16, killing eight Israeli workers in sions from anywhere in town and in in the mechanical engineering depart - addition, “the lives of students, fac - program of graduate study,” he said. explosions which were heard well the Haifa bay area,” said Dar. ment of the American University of ulty, and their families had been dis - But he now worries that the new pro - all over town and on campus, and Some of the rockets fell near the Beirut, was able to flee to Jordan, of rupted. Some have left the country gram will have difficulty attracting another rocket exploded soon after on Technion, but not in it. Some labo - which he is a citizen, at the start of and left family, friends, and belong - students and faculty because of fears a main road within sight of the north - ratory work was affected, Dar reports, the war. ings behind without a hint on when that Lebanon is unsafe and unstable. ern side of the campus, the Technion because supplies and equipment Oweis, who had been in Lebanon they might be back. Some have prob - “We need to hire new faculty mem - authorities decided to evacuate the deliveries were disrupted by the hos - for the first time, said, “I was busy ably left for good.” bers and attract graduate students to students living in the unsheltered stu - tilities. Lab work that requires con - building up my lab for experimental The mechanical engineering be able to conduct serious research,” dent dormitories of the Technion and stant attention could not be attended fluid dynamics. Momentum was department in which Oweis works he said. to send home those who have not to, as people frequently had to rush building up and my research was tak - had been working on getting the Like the other Lebanese physi - been called for active military duty,” to bomb shelters at a moment’s notice. ing off. But suddenly everything ABET accreditation for the under - cists, El Eid is concerned that funds said Dar. Many Haifa residents also Some experiments switched to a night changed on July 12th when the hos - graduate program and opening a PhD for scientific research will have to be chose to leave town. shift for this reason, said Dar. tilities started.” program, he said. “I think the recent used for rebuilding infrastructure Spring semester exams at the By late August, most of the pop - At first Oweis thought he would events will have an adverse impact instead. “Huge effort is needed to Technion had been underway at the ulation of northern Israel had returned stay in Lebanon. But “the situation on these efforts for quite some time rebuild the damaged infrastructure start of the war. The university home. Technion students, some was getting worse by the hour, and to come, and we may have to take with a cost estimated more than $3 delayed those exams until fall. The returning from active military duty, it became clearer that it would be extra measures to counter the nega - billion,” he said. “The problem is not summer session at the Technion was began to arrive on campus, and the safer for me to leave the country. I was tive effects, such as multiply our only rebuilding the infrastructure, cancelled. Many technical and aca - Technion community has begun also worrying about food, water, and recruiting efforts to stay near target.” but Lebanon has lost a lot of its cred - demic staff did show up every day, preparing for the fall semester. 6 October • 2006 APS NEWS

Catching an Electron Wave with Emerging Plasmon Applications By Jennifer Ouellette mirrors, waveguides, or lenses–and objects invisible by creating a kind When light strikes a metallic sur - then later converted back into light, of "shell" around the object. Plasmon face, it generates electron waves, or into electrical signals. waves limit light scattering off an called plasmons. This remarkable Nader Engheta of the University object because they resonate at the effect was discovered in 1897 by of Pennsylvania believes that same frequency as the light striking Robert W. Wood, a physics profes - nanoparticles–including those capa - them, so they cancel each other out. sor at Johns Hopkins University. ble of supporting plasmon excita - This makes the object in question Wood was also the first person to tions–could be configured to act as very difficult to detect. unwittingly record the energy lost “Nanorice” shown in the images above, can be used to map the sur - nanometer-scale capacitors, resistors The roots of their research date faces of biological cells. as heat by plasmons skimming and inductors: the basis elements back to 1998, when researchers led along the surface of metals in 1902. of an electrical circuit. But in this by Thomas Ebbesen of the Louis glass using lithography – an impor - called nanoshells. Both are made It took 40 years for Italian physi - case, the circuit would operate not Pasteur University in Strasbourg, tant step towards building a practi - of a non-conducting core covered by cist Ugo Fano to provide an expla - at radio or microwave frequencies, France shone light on a sheet of cal device. This would enable sci - a metallic shell. Changing the shape nation: metals are not perfect con - but at optical frequencies. This gold foil that contained millions of entists to buy these special glass of a metal at the nanoscale enables ductors. A conducting surface can would enable the further miniatur - tiny holes. The holes were smaller slides to use with any microscope: researchers to modify the properties guide light as a 2D surface wave ization (down to about 30-50 nm) than the wavelength of the light, any lab could achieve electron of the plasmon waves produced. plasmons are also known as two- of optical components and the direct and Ebbesen expected no light to get microscopy resolution for the cost Spheres and rods are the most opti - dimensional light –and those waves processing of optical signals with through. Instead, more light came of a regular microscope. Nor would cally useful shapes, and nanorice absorb energy. Hence, Wood's nano-antennas, nano-circuit filters, out the other side than what hit the there be a need for special sample combines the best properties of both. anomalous observations of energy nano-waveguides, and nano-res - holes. Follow-up research found preparation. Movies might even be Nanoshells and nanorice can also loss in the light reflected from metal - onators. It could even lead to pos - that plasmons were snagging light possible, since the image is taken all serve as “super-lenses,” amplify - lic surfaces. Their unusual proper - sible applications in nano-comput - and stuffing it through the holes. at once, rather than one pixel at a ing light waves and focusing them ties make surface plasmons ing, nano-data storage, molecular When the energy and momentum of time. State-of-the-art lithography to spots far smaller than a wave - extremely promising for a wide signaling and molecular-optical the photons match the energy and cannot yet produce sufficiently length light. In fact, Halas reports range of applications, including interfacing. momentum of the plasmons, the smooth mirrors to match that of the that nanoshells are about 10,000 plasmon microscopes and “super- Physicists in Denmark and photons are absorbed and radiated glycerin drop’s surface, but the times more effective at surface- lenses,” plasmon-based nanoparti - France led by Sergey Bozhevolnyi again on the other side. UMD researchers are hopeful that enhanced Raman spectroscopy cle biosensors, and electronic cir - of the University of Aalborg have Practically speaking, the tech - the technology will continue to (SERS) than traditional methods. cuits capable of operating at optical developed a waveguide that could nology, if developed, might be used improve rapidly to make it possible Raman scattering is routinely used frequencies. allow light at fiber-optic wave - in antiglare materials or to improve in the near future. by medical researchers, drug design - Cutting-Edge Microscopes . lengths to be "squeezed" to below microscopic imaging. A more futur - Super-Lensing. Other ers, and chemists to determine the Plasmons can enable scientists to the diffraction limit, allowing it to istic goal is that an entire aircraft researchers are exploiting plasmons precise chemical makeup of mate - see fine details that were previous - pass though small regions such as might be made transparent to radio to create “super lenses,” relying on rials. So single grains of nanorice ly undetectable. For instance, a team channels on a chip without being waves or some other long-wave - tiny nanoparticles to amplify and could provide the needed field inten - of scientists at the University of focus the light shining on a given sities to characterize biomolecules Maryland led by Igor Smolyaninov, sample. Scientists at the University like proteins and DNA that adsorb along with colleagues at Queen’s of Texas, for example, have built a on a particle. They could also be University in Belfast, Ireland, are "super lens" and used it in a device used not just to identify, but eradi - developing a two-dimensional plas - to take pictures just below the sur - cate cancer cells in rats. mon microscope, ideal for imaging face of thin material substrates. Integrated “Plasmonics.” To living cells, that could operate much According to Gennady Shvets, by date, it’s proven difficult to combine A “plasmon microscope” formed with a glycerin drop (left) like a point-and-shoot camera and combining his “super lens” with photonic components –such as fiber creates an image of a 30 µm x 30 µm array of “nanoholes” reveal much more detail that cur - near-field scanning optical optic cables – with electronic com - (blue square), in which the triplets of the 100 nm diameter rently available with existing imag - microscopy, he was able to achieve ponents like wires and transistors holes can be resolved (right). ing techniques. They were able to microscope resolutions as good as because of their mismatched capa - image tiny objects with spatial res - significantly lost. length detector. 1/20th of a wavelength in the mid- bilities and size scales. Photonic olutions of 60 nm, further reduced to Bozhevolnyi’s team used a new But cloaking ability would depend infrared range of light. components can carry a lot of data 30 nm with a bit of mathematical class of surface plasmons called on an object's size, so that only with This in turn enabled him to –witness the explosion in broad - tweaking. The UMD team believes channel plasmon-polaritons – elec - very small things –items that are observe “giant transmission,” in band data transmission rates –but they can improve the resolution even tromagnetic waves that originate at already microscopic or nearly so – which light falls on a surface cov - are bulkier than electronic compo - further, down to around 10 nm. the interface of a metal and an insu - could the visible light be rendered ered with holes much smaller than nents, which in turn can carry less A sample is placed on a metal- lating dielectric such as air. These null. A human could be made impos - the wavelength of the light. Even data. Ideally scientists would like to coated glass surface and covered plasmons can guide and manipu - sible to detect in longer-wavelength though the total area of the holes be able to combine the best features with a drop of glycerin. Laser light late light along the bottom of V- radiation such as microwaves, comprised a mere 6% of the total of both onto a single chip in an shines through the glass and pro - shaped grooves in a gold film with - but not in visible light . surface area, 30% of the light emerging new discipline known as duces surface plasmons in the metal. out significant propagation losses. Anything not perfectly ball-shaped nonetheless came through, thanks to plasmonics. The glycerin acts like a parabolic This is because the surface plas - presents additional problems. The the presence of plasmons. It is very Plasmons might be the key to dish that can collect plasmons mons remain tightly bound to the researchers' calculations suggest difficult to image objects smaller achieving true integration on a sin - sprayed out from the sample at its interface and thus concentrate the "homogeneous spherical objects" than half the wavelength of the light gle chip, since they operate at opti - focal point. It then forms them into light into a volume that is less than in the nanoscale range could be ren - being used for the imaging, but cal frequencies – typically 100,000 something like a "plasmon beam" one wavelength across. dered optically invisible. Svets and his colleagues were able times greater than the frequency of that goes back down towards the Channel plasmon-polaritons can More than 100 years after their to achieve much higher resolution even the most cutting-edge micro - metal surface. Part of that beam be used to transmit light signals for serendipitous discovery, an increas - because there was less diffraction. processors – and the higher the fre - bounces back up and can be seen wavelengths of around 1.5 microns ing number of researchers are catch - Meanwhile, at Rice University, quency of the wave, the more infor - with a regular light microscope. The – just right for telecommunications ing an electron wave. As a result sur - researchers have created rice-shaped mation you can transport over it. performance is close to what an applications. Furthermore, the prop - face plasmons are emerging as a particles of gold and iron oxide, Yet they take up much less space electron microscope might achieve, agation length of a plasmon at a critical element in many next-gen - called “nanorice”–so named because their wavelengths are much but involves no vacuum, high volt - planar gold-air interface is around eration technological applications because when magnified the struc - smaller than the light used to cre - age or elaborate specimen prepara - 1 mm, which is long enough to opti - because of the remarkable proper - tures resemble tiny grains of rice that ate them. In such devices, light tion. cally connect two devices on a chip. ties. Further research and develop - they hope to attach to the probe tips would be converted into plasmons, Other planned improvements Cloak and Dagger . In 2005, sci - ment is needed before such appli - of scanning microscopes to map out which propagate along a metallic include replacing the micromanip - entists at the University of cations become truly enabled, but the surfaces of biological cells. surface with a wavelength smaller ulators currently used to adjust the Pennsylvania announced that they the future of plasmons appears as According to group leader Naomi than the original light. The plas - glycerin droplet’s shape by hand could potentially use plasmon coat - bright as a shiny metallic mirror. Halas, nanorice is similar to an ear - mons could then be processed with with solid mirrors etched on the ings as a cloaking device to render lier structure she invented in 1998 their own 2D optical components – APS SELECTS continued from page 3 internet policy, including issues such unusual in physics, where one is about it, he will be able to encour - find a placement for the year in Visit as network neutrality, and electronic expected to stay on the straight aca - age others to begin to see policy either the office of a Congressman APS voting. These issues all involve a lot demic path . “It seems, in string the - work as an important and valuable or on the staff of a committee. of technical detail, and Engel believes ory especially, that doing this kind thing for physicists to do . For more information about the News his broad science background will of fellowship is not particularly After an orientation session in APS Congressional Fellowship pro - Online be especially useful this year. encouraged,” Saltman said. He September sponsored by the AAAS gram, see http://www.aps.org/pub - Saltman points out that taking a hopes that by doing this fellowship, and an interviewing process, the lic_affair/fellow/index.cfm . www.aps. org/apsnews year to do this sort of fellowship is and by letting other people know Congressional Fellows will each APS NEWS October • 2006 7

ACCESS continued from page 1 Treasurer Looks to Keep Journals ANNOUNCEMENT The reality with any publishing be adjusted as necessary to main - Healthy in Challenging Environment Now Appearing in RMP: model, of course, is that there are tain APS's ability to sustain this ini - Recently Posted Reviews always costs incurred, and there - tiative. Additional revenues will On September 30, Joseph Serene are falling, and Serene believes that and Colloquia fore, “Someone will inevitably have primarily be used to lower the cur - officially took over the position of at some point in the future, though You will find the following to pay for creating the final prod - rent subscription rates of the small - APS Treasurer, succeeding Thomas not right away, it may be possible to in the online edition of uct,” says McIlrath, whether it is a est institutions. McIlrath, (see photo on page 1) who entirely eliminate the paper jour nals. Reviews of Modern Physics at federal grant, advertising revenues, “We are not naïve and do not http://rmp.aps.org has retired. Serene comes to APS A more immediate change is the the authors themselves (via the ignore the need to be financially from Georgetown University, where new open access policy, which will time-honored tradition of page strong in order to do our job,” says charges), or a laboratory or univer - he was a professor of physics. He has allow anyone to pay a fee to make Experimental astrophysics McIlrath. “However, we are confi - with high power lasers and Z sity sponsoring a journal. PLoS also served as chair of the physics any article free to read (see related dent that we can bring new ideas to pinches requires authors to pay fees rang - department and as dean of the article on page 1). It’s not clear yet the process, and that through these Bruce A. Remington, R. Paul ing from $500 to $1500. Graduate School of Arts and how many papers will be made open- innovations we will continue to be Drake, and Dmitri D. Ryutov The Royal Society in the United Sciences at Georgetown. access under the new policy, or what in a position where institutions will Kingdom –one of the most outspo - Although astrophysical environments financially support our efforts.” Serene says that one way or the effect on subscriptions will be, ken critics of OA –recently imple - often involve extreme physical con - The FREE TO READ initiative another, throughout his career, his and Serene is closely watching how mented its own hybrid OA model ditions far removed from anything represents a path by which APS research has been related to strong - this new policy works out. “We don’t readily found on Earth, some of their on a trial basis. Under the new ly correlated fermions. He was a know yet what the response will be properties can now be mimicked in scheme, authors can choose to pay could gradually transition to full graduate student at Cornell when to this new open access policy,” he the laboratory using high-intensity 300 pounds per page to make their Open Access. If the community superfluid helium 3 was discovered. said. “We have to do this in a way lasers or Z-pinch plasma machines. paper freely available immediately, (especially institutions and fund - Using these devices, experimenters Later he became interested in super - that doesn’t put us out of business.” or stick with the Royal Society’s ing agencies) shows continued sup - have begun to explore samples of fluid neutron star matter, and then Serene points out that a lot of the current model, in which they pay port for this initiative, a sustainable matter in states relevant to the physics level may be reached in which the worked on other strongly correlated content of APS journals is already of supernovae, supernova remnants, nothing and wait 12 months for the electronic systems, including heavy freely accessible, as many physi - interstellar shock waves, photoevap - paper to become freely available. APS can recover its costs, offset its risks, and eliminate subscriptions electron metals and high T c super - cists post their work on the eprint orated molecular clouds, photoion - The FREE TO READ fees will conductors. He has also worked on ArXiv before publication in an APS ized plasmas, and planetary interiors. not be replacing subscriptions, but for some or all of its journals. computational approaches to strong - journal, and they are also free to post This review article summarizes the have been set well below the cur - For additional information, current state of high energy density ly correlated electron systems. the journal articles on their own web - rent amount per article needed to please go to the FAQ at http://pub - laboratory astrophysics. In addition to physics, Serene has sites. There is still value in the jour - recover costs in the absence of sub - lish.aps.org/FREETOREAD_FAQ. an avocational interest in music: he nal, however, and we have to make scriptions. The fees will therefore html. sings, plays the cello (though not sure we keep that, he says. nearly as well as his two sons, he Making some articles available ELECTION continued from page 1 says) and plays the French horn, more widely might benefit groups Murray said “I prefer to think of the University of Illinois in 1993. that are exploding in their growth, though not as much as he used to, that don’t normally read APS journals. physics as an inclusive rather than An important and perhaps over - for their successes surely have had because it is a very difficult instru - In fact, the Society might want to an exclusive field. I believe that it looked role of APS committees is their foundations laid by physicists ment to play, especially if one is out consider more outreach in general, is important for APS to promote a to provide a training ground for the and they will need the continued of practice. The French horn, unlike says Serene. As one of three oper - broad definition of physics.” Society’s future leaders,” Phillips close connection with physicists most brass instruments, is played ating officers, Serene is partly She credits her work experience said in his candidate’s statement. and our approaches to problem solv - high on its overtone series, so the responsible for directing the Society at Bell Labs with fostering an appre - “I believe that it is important to ing to thrive,” he said. notes are very close together, and as a whole. “There has to be a con - ciation for “the importance of link - involve not only established stars in Beise received her PhD in it’s easy to miss a note. cern that we in the physics commu - ing interdisciplinary science and committee work, but to provide physics from the MIT in 1988. She For the past year Serene has also nity have been too focused solely on engineering to create impact for opportunities for professional worked as a Research Fellow in the served as the Interim Director of the interests of professional physi - society.” She pledged to promote growth and development for the Kellogg Laboratory at Caltech prior Music and Dance at Georgetown. cists. We should be looking a little increased federal funding for all next generation of our nation’s sci - to coming to the University of Though it’s an unusual post for a more outward,” he says. science, mathematics and engineer - ence leaders.” Maryland as an assistant professor physicist, with his administrative For instance, he noted that many ing teaching and research. “In order Austin received his PhD in in 1992. Since then, her research has and musical experience, Serene says Americans don‘t know much about for the US to compete effectively, physics from the University of focused on the use of electron scat - we must work hard to stay in the Illinois Champaign-Urbana in 1976. he was in a good position to direct science. Average Americans don’t tering to study aspects of nucleon technology lead in a few key areas,” He did a postdoc at the Max Planck the program for a year, especially realize how science affects their structure and light nuclear systems. she said. Institute for Biophysical Chemistry because he felt strongly that it was lives; they are unaware of the basic In 1998 she received the APS Maria Murray also called for the APS from 1976-1979 and has been at important for the university to have physics underlying most modern Goeppert-Mayer award. Beise has to promote the US as a site for a Princeton University since 1979. a good program in music and dance. technology. It’s clear there is a fun - served on the APS Division of future major physics facility, such He has chaired the APS Division of As Treasurer, Serene is responsi - damental misunderstanding of sci - Nuclear Physics executive, pro - as the proposed International Linear Biological Physics. He received the ble for the Society’s budget and for ence in this country, says Serene. gram, and nominating committees, Collider. “US science and technol - 2005 APS Edgar Lilienfeld Prize. oversight of the Society’s invest - “It seems to me those of us in the and on the APS Committee on the ments. That can sound like a rather research and academic communi - ogy is greatly enhanced by being He has a wide-ranging set of inter - part of the global science and engi - ests in the field of biological Status of Women in Physics. dry job, but in fact, he says, budget ties haven’t done a good enough job neering enterprise,” she said. physics. Recently he worked on In her candidate’s statement, hearings can be quite interesting of connecting science to people’s A theoretical condensed matter high resolution multimode imag - Beise identified several areas of because he gets to find out about lives.” physicist, Phillips studies quantum ing of biological objects using new longstanding concern for the APS, what people are doing and why. “It’s In addition to changes in open phase transitions and strongly corre - nanocrystal materials. including improving visa access for really what the money’s doing that’s access policy, another issue Serene lated electrons. Phillips is a past recip - In his candidate’s statement, international scientists, communi - important,” he says. is watching is the rapid growth of ient of the APS Edward A. Bouchet Austin emphasized the importance cating with Congress and with the In addition to his role as Treasurer, physics in China and India, which, Award. He was an APS general coun - of reaching out to other scientific public about the science opportuni - Serene is also the Publisher of APS among other effects, has resulted in cilor and a member of the Executive fields. “I also believe that it is ties ahead, and working towards journals, responsible for setting sub - a sharp increase in submissions to Board. He also served on the APS absolutely critical in the 21st cen - balancing the demographics of the scription prices, trying to predict APS journals from those countries. Committee on Committees. Phillips tury that physics not look back com - physics community. “The physics subscriptions and control costs, and “Things are changing quickly and we received his PhD from the University placently at its enormous success - community has an important and overseeing marketing activities. The have to have our heads up and be pre - of Washington in 1982. He joined es but instead reach out to other necessary role in providing scientif - Publisher role is very important, he pared,” says Serene. the faculty at MIT before coming to disciplines, in particular biology, ic leadership for the nation.” she said. says, because as a fraction of the Overall Serene thinks the Society Society’s budget and staff time, pub - is in excellent shape right now. “I LEBANON continued from page 5 lishing the journals is the Society’s don’t come in with an agenda of support two astronomy projects, a conditions will be very frustrating. their research. Hosting a Lebanese principal activity. things I want to change. The agen - first in its history. American physicists can help in researcher at a US university lab to It is also a challenging job, says da I have is to maintain what’s been The war and its aftermath have many ways: 1) Just visiting Lebanon carry out her/his experiment would Serene, because journal publishing is so expertly constructed.” profound effects on physics, and to give colloquium/public lectures be an idea. 4) US physics labs may in a state of flux right now. Costs of There is concern about the future, science in general. Much of the would be a vote of confidence and donate oldish or no longer used publishing the journals have fallen but the important thing is to keep the infrastructure in the country lies in show of solidarity with the devas - equipment to physics labs in over the past ten years, especially as community of physicists talking. ruins. Many schools have been tated nation. 2) Another way would Lebanon. 5) Researchers in the US the journals continue to move We have to keep having a discussion destroyed. The research budget for be to open the opportunity for may "out-source" some aspects of towards more electronic and less about how to meet these challenges, the LCNRS will probably be cut. undergraduates to visit US univer - their projects to Lebanese paper publishing. Among the costs says Serene. “One of the attractive Universities will not fare better. sities in the summer to do research. researchers. These are just a few associated with publishing the jour - things about this job is that there are Enrollment will probably be low I am thinking here of some kind of ideas of how to increase collabora - nals are the editorial costs, the com - a lot of challenges facing the Society, because of economic hardships in a joint REU program between tions between the physics commu - position costs, and the cost of print - but there’s also this extensive com - the aftermath of the war. Lab equip - Lebanon and the US. 3) Many nities in the US and Lebanon. ing and mailing the paper journal, munity engaged in a wonderful dis - ment, textbooks for the upcoming experimental physicists in Lebanon Bassem Sabra is at the Notre explained Serene. APS costs associ - cussion about what we should be academic year, and supplies will be may have interesting ideas about Dame University-Louaize, Lebanon. ated with production of the journals doing.” late in arriving given the current air projects, but they do not have the He can be reached at and sea siege. Operating under these necessary equipment to carry out [email protected] . 8 October • 2006 APS NEWS The Back Page he funds we spend on The President’s Advanced Energy research and development Initiative builds on the Energy Policy (R&D) for new energy Act by identifying key technologies technologies are some of where we will focus our efforts. the most important dol - The purpose of the AEI is to lars in the federal budget. Meeting Our Long-Term Energy reduce our national dependence on But we have a problem–federal foreign sources of energy, including fTunding for energy R&D has been the natural gas we use to heat our declining for years, and it is not homes and the crude oil we rely being made up by increased pri - Needs Through Federal R&D upon to fuel our cars. To support vate sector R&D expenditures. this initiative, the President has by Senator Pete V. Domenici There is a vital need for a biparti - requested an overall 22 percent san effort to increase federal R&D increase in fiscal year 2007 funding funding for energy technology, to for the development of key tech - leverage those funds with increased nologies. private sector investment and to work with the Executive Under the President’s Initiative, we will invest in technolo - Branch to bring new energy technologies quickly to the mar - gies for zero-emission coal-fired power plants. These plants ket place. In the last year, we have taken important steps to will capture and store pollutants and carbon dioxide rather implement this vision. than releasing them into the atmosphere. We will continue Over the 25-year period from 1978 to 2004, federal appro - our support for revolutionary new solar and wind technolo - priations for energy R&D fell from $6.4 billion to $2.75 bil - gies, to make them more cost-competitive. Through the Global lion in constant year- Nuclear Energy Partnership, we will develop a nuclear fuel 2000 dollars, a reduction cycle that enhances energy security, while addressing pro - of nearly 60 percent. liferation concerns. “There is a Even worse, federal and The AEI emphasizes the importance of advanced transporta - vital need for a private sector expendi - tion technologies. To accelerate consumer adoption of hybrid- bipartisan effort tures combined are less electric vehicles, the admin - to increase federal than one percent of total istration has committed to energy sales. Private sec - increase the energy storage R&D funding for tor investment in ener - nologies . And these technologies must move from laborato - and the lifetimes of batter - “Greater public energy technology...” gy R&D fell from about ry to market, or we will be no closer to realizing a stronger ies for these vehicles. To and private $4 billion in 1990 to energy economy. Crossing this “Valley of Death” is not easy. achieve greater use of home - about $2 billion today. Even technologies with obvious commercial potential often grown renewable fuels, the investment in Of our nation’s high-technology industries, energy is the confound attempts to find successful markets. initiative will develop energy R&D will least intensive in terms of R&D. Consider, for comparison, Federal funding for energy R&D is critical, but we also advanced technologies to make our energy that private sector R&D investments equal about 12 percent need policies that encourage greater private sector investment. make competitively priced sector cleaner, in the pharmaceuticals industry, and about 15 percent of The Energy Policy Act strengthens Department of Energy ethanol from cellulosic bio - more secure, sales in the airline industry. It is past time to reverse that trend. efforts to partner with private companies interested in lab- mass, such as agricultural Last August, Congress enacted the first comprehensive ener - developed technologies. The Act establishes a technology and forestry residues, trees, and more resilient.” gy legislation in 12 years – the Energy Policy Act of 2005. transfer coordinator to advise the Secretary on technology and grasses. Moreover, Already we are seeing results. But the challenges we face are transfer and commercialization. It also creates a technology President Bush three years long-term –they will require continued hard work for years commercialization fund with a budget of about $25 million ago gave Americans the vision of a hydrogen future free to come. To this end, the Act strengthens our commitment to annually. That federal funding will be seed money to lever - from a reliance on foreign oil. The Energy Policy Act moves investing in energy-related R&D. In all, it calls for $24.2 bil - age private sector investments through partnerships with us toward that future with an authorization of over $3 billion lion in funding over the next three years for research programs local businesses. Helping laboratories “spin-off” technolo - in research on hydrogen and hydrogen fuel cells. in energy technology and energy-related science. gies to the private sector will lead to new businesses, job cre - Our nation has a bright energy future. Greater public and The Energy Policy Act also provides a framework for a ation, and a more innovative economy. private investment in energy R&D will produce a suite of new balanced set of programs in energy research, development, The Energy Policy Act also gives the Department of Energy technologies that will make our energy sector cleaner, more demonstration, and commercial application. Previously, the new authority to hold prize competitions in “grand chal - secure, and more resilient. We laid the groundwork in the Secretary of Energy had no guidance in choosing research lenge” areas of energy technology. The Department can use Energy Policy Act, and by following through on the President’s topics and program components for energy R&D. The Act this authority to accelerate progress in challenging areas — vision of the Advanced Energy Initiative we will meet the addresses this problem, establishing clear guidelines for such as hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles and carbon capture energy challenges that lie ahead. and storage. This prize authority is modeled after that used research programs in energy efficiency, renewable energy, fos - Senator Pete V. Domenici (R, NM) chairs the Senate Energy successfully by the Defense Advanced Research Programs sil energy, and nuclear energy technologies. & Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Agency (DARPA). DARPA spurred private sector investment With the Energy Policy Act, the Department will be bet - Appropriations Energy & Water subcommittee. ter able to manage our R&D investments. The Act creates a in robotics technologies, for example, through a well-publi - cized race through the Mohave Desert. The X-Prize stands new Under Secretary for Science to serve as the primary sci - About the Senator ence and technology advisor to the Secretary of Energy. The as another example of successful use of prize authority. This Republican, Senior Senator from New Mexico; serving in his new Under Secretary is responsible for monitoring civilian $10 million privately-funded award produced the first suc - • 6th term. research and development programs, and advising the cessful space flight ever achieved without public support. Secretary in managing national laboratories supporting basic These prizes encourage multiple teams to undertake novel • Chair of the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee, approaches, and they generate significant private sector which has jurisdiction over the Department of Energy (DOE) research. and all the national labs. As well, he is chair of the Senate The Under Secretary for Science will also ensure that the investment due to their inherent prestige. Appropriations Energy & Water subcommittee, which has Department remains focused on our long-term energy goals. We need to encourage high-technology industries, includ - jurisdiction over the budget of DOE. ing energy sector industries, to increase their R&D invest - In particular, we need to build bridges between basic science • A strong proponent of greater energy independence, he is and applied energy functions. This is vital for crossover ments. Legislation that I introduced with my Senate col - actively engaged in setting a 21st Century American energy applications –so that areas in applied energy where we need leagues Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) policy that encourages maximizing all domestic energy scientific breakthroughs are addressed. An example is the will do just that. The Protecting America’s Competitive Edge resources. workshop held in 2003 that produced the report on Basic through Finance (PACE-Finance) Act will modernize and • As a Science and Technology Caucus member, the Senator Research Needs for the Hydrogen Economy. The new Under make permanent the R&D tax credit. After two decades of is a strong proponent of science and scientific research, con- Secretary for Science should help ensure that more of this extending the tax credit for just a year or two in advance, it sistently assisting in attainment of funding for efforts that will kind of bridging work is undertaken by the Department and is time to give industry the certainty it needs. This certainty provide significant benefits to the lives of Americans. that the Department gives it high priority. will lead to greater spending on R&D, leading to more inno - • Recipient of the 2003 AAS-AMS-APS Public Service Award, While our nation must increase domestic energy produc - vation, and to a stronger, more competitive economy. the 2000 Henry DeWolf Smyth Statesman Award from the tion, we must also increase our production of new energy tech - In his State of the Union address earlier this year, the American Nuclear Society, and the 1999 Science- President announced his Advanced Energy Initiative (AEI). Engineering -Technology Leadership Award.

Professional Skills Development for Women Physicists VIEWPOINT continued from page 3 Do you want to improve your negotiation skills? Do you have great ideas that you want to communicate to your colleagues ? If so, the Committee on the Status of Women in Physics invites you to attend one of the workshops entitled “Professional all the anti-science rhetoric? Why ing a "Save Our Science" campaign Skills Development for Women in Physics.” These workshops will: • Coach women in key skills that are needed to enhance their careers. these new policy pronouncements? to restore budget cuts made to the • Provide training in persuasive communication, negotiation, and leadership presented by experienced professionals, with an And why, as asked above, canni - NASA space science program. For aim towards increasing the influence of female scientists within their own institutions. balize the science research and more information visit: • Provide a special opportunity for networking among participants. exploration missions that brought http://www.planetary.org/programs/ Workshops at the 2007 March and April APS Meetings will be aimed at women in industry and government labs, and will take place on Sunday, March 4, 2007 (Denver). We hope to receive funding for a second workshop on April 13 (Jacksonville, FL) in NASA such past glory? projects/sos/ association with the April APS Meeting. Deadline to apply for the March workshop is December 4. Louis D. Friedman is co-founder This article is reprinted from The Workshops will be limited in size for optimal benefits. Participants are eligible to receive a stipend to help cover the cost of and Executive Director of The Planetary Society Weblog travel and up to two nights lodging. These workshops are funded by the National Science Foundation. Planetary Society, which is conduct - Details at http://www.aps.org/educ/cswp/index.cfm

APS News welcomes and encourages letters and submissions from its members responding to these and other issues. Responses may be sent to: [email protected]