CONTRIBUTE to September 11 December 2001 Scholarship Volume 10, No. 11 Fund NEWS See Page 7 A Publication of The American Physical Society http://www.aps.org/apsnews

Brookhaven’s Marburger Confirmed; Three Scientists Share 2001 APS President Offers Assistance Nobel Prize in The Senate has approved Presi- Physics for BEC dent George W. Bush’s choice for presidential science advisor by vot- AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Discovery ing on October 23 to confirm Dr. One Physics Ellipse • College Park, MD 20740-3844 John H. Marburger III as Director The 2001 Nobel Prize in Phys- October 24, 2001 ics has been awarded to Eric of the Office of Science and Tech- Dr. John H. Marburger nology Policy. Marburger, a Director, Office of Science & Technology Policy Cornell of NIST/JILA, Wolfgang physicist who had served as Direc- Eisenhower Executive Office Bldg. Ketterle of MIT, and Carl Wieman tor of the Department of Energy’s 17th St. & Pennsylvania Ave., NW of Colorado and JILA, an institute Brookhaven National Laboratory Washington, DC 20502-0001 run jointly by NIST and the Uni- since 1998, said he felt “humility Dear Jack: versity of Colorado. Cornell and Wieman are recognized for be- and immense pride” to be selected First of all, let me congratulate you on your confirmation as ing the first to achieve a new state for the job and hailed the impor- Director of OSTP and Science Adviser to the President. The tance of science and technology to nation is fortunate in having so distinguished a scientist and of matter: the ultra-cold gas society. John H. Marburger III administrator in this very important role. This is especially true known as a Bose-Einstein conden- “I approach this opportunity and in the early 1970s was a pro- at the present time when we, and the rest of the world, are sate (BEC) in neutral atoms, which and profound responsibility with a fessor of physics and electrical focusing on fighting terrorism, in response to the tragic events could one day aid in the develop- mixture of humility and immense engineering at the University of of September 11. ment of ultra-small machines. pride — humility in the wake of the Southern California, serving as The successful pursuit of a war against terrorism will require Ketterle soon thereafter produced distinguished American scientists chair of the physics department as the talents and expertise of individuals in many different a larger BEC and has made exten- who have gone before me, pride in well as dean of the College of Let- areas, including science. Some of this expertise resides sive study of BEC properties. The this nation’s unmatched scientific ters, Arts and Sciences. While there, among the members of the American Physical Society. three men will share the $943,000 establishment,” Marburger said in he developed a theory for various The scientific community stands ready to join in the common prize. his statement to the US Senate. “Sci- laser phenomena and co-founded international effort needed to assess and eventually eliminate Their joint discovery of the ence and technology have long USC’s Center for Laser Studies. His the tremendous threat posed by terrorism throughout the Bose-Einstein condensate is “go- provided with us with increased teaching activities included “Fron- world. As APS President, I invite you and other members of ing to bring revolutionary the administration to call on the APS and its membership for security, better health, and greater tiers of Electronics,” a series of applications in such fields as pre- whatever assistance we can provide. We all recognize that cision measurement and economic opportunity, and will educational programs on CBS tele- this effort must have a very high priority. continue to do so for many gen- vision. nanotechnology,” according to erations to come.” In 1980 he became president of Sincerely, the citation by the Royal Swed- Marburger, an APS Fellow, re- the State University of New York at ish Academy of Sciences. The ceived his PhD in applied physics Stony Brook, and during his tenure See NOBEL PRIZE on page 4 from Stanford University in 1967 See MARBURGER on page 7 DNP, Japanese Nuclear Physicists Have Two Young Physicists Honored with 2002 Apker Award First Joint Meeting in Hawaii Nuclear physicists from the US Two promising undergraduate and Japan convened in Maui, Ha- physics majors have been awarded waii, for the annual fall meeting of the 2002 Apker Award. Robert E. the APS Division of Nuclear Phys- Wagner of Illinois State University ics (DNP), held October 17-20. was honored for his thesis en- The historic event marks the first titled, “Intense Laser Physics joint meeting between the DNP Theory.” And Kathryn Todd of the and the nuclear physicists of the California Institute of Technology Japanese Physical Society (JPS), or- was honored for her thesis en- ganized in the hopes that it would titled, “Studies of serve as a meeting ground to en- Kathryn Todd Clark of Tom Photo courtesy Two-Dimensional Electron Sys- gender cooperation and the tems.” or not. The winners, who will re- exchange of ideas among nuclear (from left to right) Shoji Nagamiya (KEK and JAERI) Organizing Committee and Plenary Speaker; Joel M. Moss (LANL) Organizing Committee and DNP Chair; The Apker Award is given an- ceive $5,000, were selected by a scientists from the US and Japan, nually by the APS for physics committee from among the seven James Symons (LBNL) NSAC Chair and Plenary Speaker; George H. Trilling (LBNL) as well as from other Pacific Rim APS President; Virginia R. Brown (MIT/Univ of MD) Organizing Committee Chair; finalists (see APS News, November research done by an undergradu- countries. Judy R. Franz, APS Executive Officer; Hiroshi Toki (Director RCNP/Osaka University) ate. The award was first given in 2001). “There are many common Organizing Committee. Not shown: Plenary Speakers Larry McLerran (BNL) and 1978, and in recent years has Wagner quickly distinguished See HAWAII on page 3 Kenichi Imai (Kyoto University). been divided into two categories, himself at Illinois State as a gifted depending on whether the insti- physics student, joining the labo- tution has a PhD granting program ratory of the Intense Laser Physics 2002 March Theory Unit immediately after graduating from high school, Meeting Returns HHighlights learning a new computer language in less than a week. He then devel- to Indianapolis oped from scratch a computer The 2002 APS March Meeting re- 3 8 simulation program to simulate the turns to Indianapolis, Indiana, which The Back relativistic dynamics of atoms in last hosted the APS in April 1996. Typi- Page: strong laser and magnetic fields, Support for cally the largest meeting of the Society, Research, resulting in his first peer-reviewed with annual attendance averaging Spotlight on the Profession Education publication. His codes are still about 5,000, the conference will fea- of Physics: Physics Education: Must Remain as Priorities Robert Wagner See APKER on page 5 ture cutting edge research in Education of a Physicist See MARCH MEETING on page 6 2 December 2001 NEWS

“I’ve become interested in the im- Dakota, AP, October 5, 2001 pact of climate change on the world, ✶✶✶ and the future of energy needs for the “Teleportation is a really unfortu- developing world, but right now I’m nate term. It implies moving people Symmetries have long played a could not be explained by existing focusing on how we can take effective from point A to point B.” crucial role in physics. Since 1925, theories, most notably the decays precautions against terrorism without —Christopher Monroe, University of physicists had assumed that our of K mesons emitted in the collision harming our civil liberties.” Michigan, on the meaning of quantum world is indistinguishable from its of a high-energy proton with an —Burton Richter, Stanford, San Francisco teleportation, Christian Science Monitor, mirror image — a notion known as atomic nucleus. The K meson appeared Chronicle, October 8, 2001 October 4, 2001 parity conservation — and prevail- in two distinct versions, decaying into ✶✶✶ ✶✶✶ ing scientific theory reflected that either two or three pi mesons, (which “California in particular is very good “This requires only a modest-size assumption. Until a series of pivotal necessarily had opposite parity), al- born in China in 1912, had received in leadership — exploring the un- blower at the normal air intake to the experiments at the National Bureau though in all other characteristics they her PhD from the University of Cali- known, going out into the jungle, building that makes sure that any leak- of Standards in 1956 (now the Na- seemed identical. In June of 1956, theo- fornia in 1940, and had worked on having the courage to know that you’ll age of air in the building is out rather tional Institute of Standards and retical physicists Chen Ning Yang and the Manhattan Project during fail most of the time. Compare that with than in. “ Technology), parity conservation Tsung Dao Lee submitted a short pa- World War II. In 1975 she would my native country. Sweden is good in —Richard Garwin, Council on Foreign enjoyed exalted status among the per to the Physical Review raising the serve as the first woman president management, but Swedish society does Relations, on ways to protect a building most fundamental laws of physics, question of whether parity is conserved of the APS. not accept failures the way we do.” from bioterrorism, NY Times, October 23, including conservation of energy, in weak interactions, and suggesting When the results were in, the —Sig Hagstrom, Stanford, on why Califor- 2001 momentum and electric charge. But several experiments to decide the is- NBS team arrived at a startling con- nia produces so many Nobel Prize winners, ✶✶✶ as with relativity, Nature once again sue. clusion: the emission of beta San Francisco Chronicle, October 8, 2001 “The main puzzle about solar neu- demonstrated that it is not always Lee and Yang’s paper did not imme- particles is greater in the direction ✶✶✶ trinos is that their measured number obliged to follow the rules of “com- diately spark more than passing opposite to that of the nuclear spin. “There are literally millions of ways has always been lower than expected. mon sense”. curiosity among physicists when it ap- Thus, since the beta emission dis- a terrorist could attack next.” Though the main explanation is now Parity conservation implies peared in October 1956. Freeman tribution is not identical to the —Rob Duncan, University of New Mexico, that neutrinos have mass — which was that Nature is symmetrical and Dyson later admitted that while he mirror image of the spinning co- on the difficulty of defending against terror- not originally predicted —details about makes no distinction between thought the paper was interesting, “I balt-60 nucleus, parity was ism, Albuquerque Journal, October 7, 2001 how they are produced in the sun still right- and left-handed rotations, had not the imagination to say, ‘By golly, unequivocally shown not to be ✶✶✶ need to be investigated.” or between opposite sides of a if this is true, it opens up a whole new conserved. Leon Lederman, who “We’re looking at things so small, it’s —Carl A. Gagliardi, Texas A&M Univer- subatomic particle. For example, branch of physics!’ And I think other at the time worked with Columbia like being able to see my office window sity, UPI, October 22, 2001 two similar radioactive particles physicists, with very few exceptions, University’s cyclotron, performed from 4 million miles away in space.’’ ✶✶✶ spinning in opposite directions at that time were as unimaginative an independent test of parity with —Wilson Ho, UC Irvine, on techniques “Being an ordinary scientist and an about a vertical axis should emit as I.” Richard Feynman pronounced that equipment, involving the de- for manipulating individual atoms, Orange ordinary Christian seems perfectly their decay products with the the notion of parity violation “un- cay of pi and mu mesons, and also County Register, October 7, 2001 natural to me. For others, however, it same intensity upwards and likely, but possible, and a very obtained distinct evidence for par- ✶✶✶ appears strange, even astonishing, that downwards. Yet although there exciting possibility,” but later made a ity violation. “The chips could one day be used someone could be serious about sci- were many experiments that es- $50 bet with a friend that parity In short, Nature is a semi-am- to pluck individual atoms from a BEC. ence and about faith.” tablished parity conservation in would not be violated. bidextrous southpaw. And You have a magnetic trap that’s much, —William Phillips, NIST, The Washington strong interactions, the assump- One of the simplest proposed ex- Feynman lost his bet. The result much simpler than any other experi- Times, October 22, 2001 tion had never been periments involved measuring the shattered a fundamental concept ment and that is much more versatile.” ✶✶✶ experimentally verified for weak directional intensity of beta radiation of nuclear physics that had been —Joerg Schmiedmayer, University of “One of the great achievements of interactions. Indeed, when the from cobalt-60 nuclei oriented with a universally accepted for 30 years, Heidelberg, on new techniques to trap at- science has been, if not to make it im- weak force was first postulated strong magnetic field so that their spins thus clearing the way for a recon- oms, New Scientist, October 6, 2001 possible for intelligent people to be to explain disintegration of el- aligned in the same direction. Parity con- sideration of physical theories and ✶✶✶ religious, then at least to make it pos- ementary particles, it seemed servation demands that the emitted leading to new, far-reaching discov- “We are now in the middle of a revo- sible for them not to be religious. We inconceivable that parity would beta rays be equally distributed be- eries — most notably a better lution in astrophysics. That revolution should not retreat from this accom- not hold there as well. tween the two poles. If more beta understanding of the characteris- actually started here.” plishment.” All that changed in the 1950s, particles emerged from one pole than tics of elementary particles, and a —Baha Balantekin, University of Wiscon- —Steven Weinberg, University of Texas, when high-energy physicists be- the other, it would be possible to dis- more unified theory of the fun- sin, on the Homestake Mine in South Dallas Morning News, October 23, 2001 gan observing phenomena that tinguish the mirror image nuclei from damental forces. their counterparts, which would be tantamount to Further Reading: Physicist Moves from FBI to CIA parity violation. S. Weinberg, Reviews of Modern In August, physicist (and lifetime APS member) Donald Kerr, an assistant FBI Between Christmas of Physics, 52, 515 (1980); A. Salam, p. director in charge of the bureau’s crime laboratory, was named as the CIA’ s next 1956 and New Year’s, NBS 525; S.L. Glashow, p. 539. deputy director for science and technology. Kerr directed Los Alamos National scientists set about perform- See also: Laboratory (LANL) and spent 12 years in private industry before assuming con- ing beta decay experiments. • http://physics.nist.gov/GenInt/ trol of the FBI lab in 1997. Kerr received his PhD in plasma physics from Cornell The team was led by Colum- Parity/cover.html and worked at LANL from 1966 to 1976. In 1976 he became deputy manager of bia Professor C. S. Wu. • http://ccreweb.org/documents/ the Department of Energy’s operations in Nevada, and three years later was Professor Wu had been parity/parity.html named head of LANL. In 1985 Kerr left LANL to become president of EG&G, Inc., a manufacturing and engineering firm in Wellesley, MA. He then joined The ellipsoid on the left represents a large number of cobalt nuclei, all with Science Corporation, a San Diego based consulting contractor, and in 1996 he their spins in the same direction, all emitting beta rays. On the right this spent a year as executive vice president of Information Systems Laboratories in process is seen in a mirror. The direction of spin is reversed, while the San Diego. Joining the FBI in October 1997 “was not something I’d ever expected direction in which most beta rays are emitted remains unchanged. The to do,” Kerr admits. “But it was such an interesting opportunity.” Of his varied mirror world is thus distinguishable from the real world. The parity- transformed world is not identical with the real world; parity is not conserved. career spanning research, industry, and corporate and government management http://physics.nist.gov/GenInt/Parity/cover.html Photos from he says, “I’ve been fortunate to have an unusual set of [career] opportunities.”

Series II, Vol. 10, No. 11 Physical Society, One Physics Ellipse, College Park, Treasurer Lubkin* (Forum on History of Physics), Stuart Wolf December 2001 MD 20740-3844, [email protected]. Thomas McIlrath*, University of Maryland (emeritus) (Forum on Industrial and Applied Physics), Ed Gerjuoy NEWS ©2001 The American Physical Society Editor-in-Chief (Forum on Physics and Society), Carl Lineberger (Laser For Nonmembers—Circulation and Fulfillment Martin Blume*, Brookhaven National Laboratory Science), G. Slade Cargill, III (Materials), John D. Coden: ANWSEN ISSN: 1058-8132 Division, American Institute of Physics, Suite 1NO1, 2 (emeritus) Walecka (Nuclear), Sally Dawson, Peter Meyers Huntington Quadrangle, Melville, NY 11747-4502. Past-President (Particles & Fields), Alexander Chao (Physics of Editor ...... Alan Chodos Allow at least 6 weeks advance notice. For address James Langer*, University of California, Santa Barbara Beams), Richard Hazeltine (Plasma), Timothy P. Associate Editor ...... Jennifer Ouellette changes, please send both the old and new addresses, Lodge (Polymer), Kannan Jagannathan, (New and, if possible, include a mailing label from a recent General Councillors England), Joe Hamilton (Southeastern) Special Publications Manager ...... Elizabeth Buchan-Higgins issue. Requests from subscribers for missing issues will be Jonathan A. Bagger, Beverly Berger, Philip Bucksbaum*, * Members of the APS Executive Board Design and Production ...... Alicia Chang honored without charge only if received within 6 months L. Craig Davis, Stuart Freedman, Leon Lederman*, Proofreaders ...... Ken Cole, Edward Lee and Sue Otwell of the issue’s actual date of publication. Periodical Cynthia McIntyre, Margaret Murnane, Cherry Ann ADVISORS APS News (ISSN: 1058-8132) is published 11X News should be directed to: Editor, APS News, One Postage Paid at College Park, MD and at additional mailing Murray, Roberto Peccei, Philip Phillips, Helen Quinn*, Representatives from Other Societies yearly, monthly, except the August/September Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20749-3844, E-mail: offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to APS News, Jin-Joo Song, James Trefil John Hubisz, AAPT; Marc Brodsky, AIP issue, by the American Physical Society, One [email protected]. Membership Department, American Physical Society, International Advisors Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844, One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844. Chair, Nominating Committee Michael Thewalt, Canadian Association of Physicists, (301) 209-3200. It contains news of the Society Subscriptions: APS News is an on-membership Curtis G. Callan, Jr. Dr. Gerardo C. Puente, Mexican Physical Society and of its Divisions, Topical Groups, Sections publication delivered by Periodical Mail. Members APS COUNCIL 2001 Chair, Panel on Public Affairs and Forums; advance information on meetings residing abroad may receive airfreight delivery for a President William R. Frazer Staff Representatives of the Society; and reports to the Society by its fee of $15. Nonmembers: Subscription rates are: George H. Trilling*, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Alan Chodos, Associate Executive Officer; Irving Lerch, committees and task forces, as well as opinions. domestic $105; Canada, Mexico, Central and South President-Elect Division, Forum and Section Councillors Director of International Affairs; Fredrick Stein, Director America, and Caribbean $105; Air Freight Europe, William F. Brinkman*, Bell Labs-Lucent Technologies Steven Holt* (Astrophysics), Harold Metcalf (Atomic, of Education and Outreach; Robert L. Park, Director, Letters to the editor are welcomed from the Asia, Africa and Oceania $120. (retired) Molecular & Optical), Robert Eisenberg (Biological Physics), Public Information; Michael Lubell, Director, Public membership. Letters must be signed and should Vice-President Sylvia Ceyer (Chemical), E. Dan Dahlberg* Arthur Affairs; Stanley Brown, Editorial Director; Charles include an address and daytime telephone number. Subscription orders, renewals and address Myriam P. Sarachik*, City College of New York - CUNY Hebard*, Allen Goldman (Condensed Matter Physics), Muller, Director, Journal Operations; Robert Kelly, The APS reserves the right to select and to edit for changes should be addressed as follows: For APS Executive Officer Steve White (Computational), Jerry Gollub* (Fluid Director of Journal Information Systems; Michael length or clarity. All correspondence regarding APS Members—Membership Department, American Judy R. Franz*, University of Alabama, Huntsville (on leave) Dynamics), Peter Zimmerman (Forum on Education), Gloria Stephens, Controller and Assistant Treasurer NEWS December 2001 3 APS Online Journal Access Helps Russian Scientists By Richard M. Todaro The American Physical Society’s Known informally as the Elec- “Mr. Soros wanted to change to zation that funds a wide variety of sci- ate a single-site license paid by the program to provide Russian aca- tronic Journal Program, it was set an online position. He felt that by entific research across Russia. RFBR that will provide all the jour- demic and research institutions up in early 2000 following the ter- the time the journals arrived, al- According to statistics provided by nals to all the institutions back to the free and reduced-cost access to its mination in 1999 of the Science though it was better than nothing, it program manager Claire O’Neill Sinks, beginning of each journal.” online journals has resulted in Journals Donation Program by the was very far behind when the scien- as of July 1, 2001 there had been 72,858 The Electronic Journal Program nearly 73,000 current articles be- Russian office of billionaire philan- tists actually needed them,” said current articles downloaded by 133 of provides access to the past three ing downloaded since its inception thropist George Soros’s Open Melissa Hagemann, former program the 158 registered academic and re- years of the Physical Review, Physical in March 2000, prompting APS Society Institute Network. officer for the Science Journals Do- search institutions in Russia. Archived Review Letters, and Reviews of Modern Treasurer Thomas McIlrath to de- The Soros program was estab- nation Program, and now with the articles accounted for another 1599 Physics. It also provides access to the clare it a success. lished in the early 1990s in the Information Program at the Open downloads from April through June. newly completed, comprehensive “The goal of the program is to chaos following the break-up to the Society Institute’s New York office. Although the program provided Physical Review Online Archive keep the literature available to stu- Soviet Union in order to provide With the end of Open Society In- free access to any participating Rus- (PROLA), an electronic database dents and research scientists various institutions across the stitute support, in February of 2000 sian institution in its first year, containing all of these journals from throughout the world, in particu- former USSR access to hard science the APS Executive Board established McIlrath said the plan was to insti- three years ago (currently 1998) lar in this case, in Russia,” said journals, including APS ones. the Electronic Journal Program, pro- tute a 10-year phase-in of the regular back to their beginnings – which for McIlrath, who also is publisher of According to the former head of viding electronic access to APS cost for access to APS journals start- Physical Review was in 1893. the APS research journals. “I think the program, Soros himself decided journals – current and archived back ing in 2001. Martin Blume, Editor-in-Chief of we are moving well in Russia. Ev- in 2000 to stop supporting mailing to the beginning – to 158 participat- McIlrath said negotiations with the APS, has estimated that PROLA erybody seems to have common journals in hard copy form in favor ing Russian institutions through the the RFBR for a multi-year contract replaces 220 feet of library shelf goals and reasonable expecta- of establishing a much more quickly Russian Foundation for Basic Research with the cost phase-in are “going well space – almost four-fifths the length tions.” available electronic system. (RFBR), a government-funded organi- but slowly. We are trying to negoti- of a football field.

Hawaii, from page 1 new subject, remains active and product thanks to several new col- threads in the research interests laborative facilities, according to pursued by the nuclear physics R.S. Hayano (University of Tokyo), communities of Japan and the US,” who kicked off the session. For ex- said Virginia Brown of MIT and the ample, a new low energy University of Maryland, who antiproton facility at CERN called Physics Education: Education of a Physicist chaired the organizing committee. “AD” [“antiproton decelerator”] is “These exist at the level of big already beginning to produce new By Arthur F. Hebard projects as well as the individual results since it started delivering 5 All of us who refer to ourselves as Workforce needs in the US will be se- investigator. Our goal was to bring MeV pulsed antiprotons last year. physicists have at one time or another verely compromised if the economy the two societies together at both The ATHENE and TRAP collabora- been influenced by the physics educa- stagnates and many of these foreign levels in a truly joint meeting em- tions are making steady progress tion system. If asked why physics PhD recipients find it more attractive phasizing topics of common towards cold antiproton synthesis, education is an important subject, most to return to their countries of origin to interest.” and the ASACUSA collaboration of us would agree unhesitatingly with pursue their careers. Attendance was strong despite recently succeeded in decelerating the answer that it provides us with ac- NAS studies and AIP reports co- some cancellations caused by an antiprotons down to about 10 KeV cess to a vast body of knowledge which gently state the problems confronting FBI generic warning of the poten- by using a radio frequency quadru- has been collected and tested over the physics education, but to most indi- tial for increased terrorist activity, pole decelerator. ages and which has enabled the triumph viduals, myself included, these according to DNP Chair Joel Moss Neutrinos are of great interest of science over superstition and igno- problems are not real until experienced Alicia Chang/APS (Los Alamos National Laboratory). in both nuclear physic and astro- rance. Physics education is also firsthand. Active personal involvement Arthur F. Hebard Highlights included a special ses- physics, according to Gail important because it teaches methods is required, and to be effective, such should be guided by the principle that sion on the status of women and McLaughlin (North Carolina State of inquiry and analysis that expand involvement must be on a broad front, physics education is not just for the minorities in physics, featuring University), who described how upon this body of knowledge to drive taking up the energies of more than purpose of producing professional talks by APS Executive Officer Judy both ordinary stars and superno- the development of advanced technol- just a few of us. If, for example, a large physicists. Graduates with PhDs are Franz and Professor Masako vae release neutrinos which ogy in our modern society. number of APS members commit to often too specialized and have trouble Bando of Aichi University. And in a undergo flavor transformation. Although these answers might volunteerism and individual action, sig- adapting to nonacademic careers. At- whimsical nod to the unique cul- Her Thursday morning talk fo- make us feel good, they do not address nificant progress can be made. Whether titude changes are needed. No longer ture of the region, the traditional cused on the role of neutrino the most compelling requirements for you are an academic teaching Mechan- should the conferral of a master’s de- Friday evening banquet was re- scattering and flavor transforma- a good physics education system; ics 101 or an industrial physicist gree be viewed as a consolation prize placed with a special Hawaiian tion in supernova nucleosynthesis, namely enhancing the scientific literacy modifying the composition of a widget but rather as a valued and marketable luau. as well as possible observable con- of the general public and providing a to reduce manufacturing costs, you degree that qualifies the recipient for a The scientific program was sequences of such transformations well-trained technical workforce. understand and appreciate physics and wide variety of lucrative and satisfying spearheaded by a plenary session on the neutrino signature of the These requirements have been em- can therefore be effective in address- jobs. A number of schools are already which focused on present and fu- next galactic supernova. The same braced in a recent National Academy ing critical problems confronting providing alternative offerings includ- ture relativistic ion beam facilities. session also featured the latest re- of Sciences (NAS) study[1] which con- physics education. ing professional masters degree Larry McLerran of Brookhaven sults gleaned from the Sudbury cludes that physics education must There are three ways to become programs, career-skills courses, dual National Laboratory gave a sum- Neutrino Observatory, an imaging change to adapt to a new landscape in involved: (1) by acting in one’s profes- track undergraduate majors, and com- mary of what scientists have Cerenkov detector that observes which physics itself is becoming more sional capacity to improve bined physics-business or learned and expect to discover neutrinos from the sun in hopes of interdisciplinary and society is becom- opportunities for learning in the work- physics-engineering majors. about matter at high energy den- providing evidence for flavor ing increasingly dependent on place, (2) by volunteering in educational Small-scale changes can be easily sity from the heavy ion program at transformation of electron neutri- technology. and related activities through existing accomplished. For example three of RHIC, including insights into quark nos without reference to solar The problems are acute in many organizations such as the APS, and (3) us on the faculty at UF spontaneously gluon-plasmas and color-glass con- model flux calculations. areas. For example, in K-12 only about by spontaneous individual acts. decided last year that a course on “Com- densates. And Shoji Nagamiya While not a nuclear physicist 1/3 of the physics teachers have phys- Workplace advocacy and imple- munication in the Scientific Arena” was described the status of the joint himself, APS President George Trill- ics degrees and less than 30% of high mentation of changes in physics needed for our graduate students. The JAERI/KEK high intensity proton ing (Lawrence Berkeley National school seniors are enrolled in physics education can have equal impact in intention of the course was to hone accelerator project, a 189 billion Laboratory) was on hand to rep- courses. These students score lower academic, industrial, or government lab oral presentation skills without com- yen project that recently began its resent the Society and declared the on physics tests than comparable stu- settings. I have mentored summer stu- promising technical content. Our hope six year construction phase. meeting “a great success.” His en- dents from other countries. The dents with equal effectiveness at Bell is that no student from the University There were also an unusually thusiasm was echoed by Moss, who decreasing numbers of undergradu- Laboratories and at the University of of Florida will give a contributed talk at large number of mini symposia, fea- reported that one Japanese mem- ates majoring in sciences is also Florida. In these programs, hypotheses an APS meeting or be interviewed for a turing one invited talk followed by ber of the organizing committee worrying. Dropout rates by declared are tested, problems are solved, re- job without having taken this course. numerous contributed papers on suggested that “we do this every physics majors are high, and student search is completed, papers are Volunteering is also an effective way the same topic. “These symposia year.” “The area of nuclear physics interest in physics careers is waning. written, and the successful students go to make an impact on physics educa- lend themselves to alternating JPS is particularly suitable for a joint At the PhD level, a recent American home feeling good about science. In- tion. For some this might mean tutoring and APS invited and contributed meeting because of the many sub- Institute of Physics (AIP) report[2] re- ternships for students and sabbatical the underprivileged or spending a few speakers. A lot of work went into topics in that field where there are veals that PhD production has been leave for faculty help lubricate the con- hours a week helping to teach science picking topics of mutual interest US/Japan collaborative efforts us- declining since 1994. The number of nection between industry and in a local high school. For others like and intertwining speakers,” said ing facilities in both countries,” says Americans entering physics graduate academia. Invitations to alumni to come myself, it is volunteering through one’s Brown. Trilling. “I hope that in the future it programs is the lowest in more than onto campus and speak to students professional society. The APS has a very One such symposium focused may be possible to organize addi- 30 years, although much of the slack about their careers can also be very effective education and outreach pro- on atoms containing such exotic tional efforts in both Japan and the has been taken up by an influx of stu- effective. gram that is supportive of the mission particles as muons, pions, kaons US, including [research] collabo- dents from foreign countries. Meaningful curriculum reform See SPOTLIGHT on page 6 or antiprotons which, while not a rations.” 4 December 2001 NEWS

World’s Oldest Airport May Be Terrorists’ Victim LETTERS By Richard M. Todaro The headquarters of the Ameri- A Bad Presentation is a Bad Presentation can Physical Society in College Park, Although I’m far too young to be a curmudgeon, I found myself in full Maryland is also home to the Col- agreement with Al Bartlett’s comments on the use of “presentation tech- lege Park Airport, a small facility with nology” (October 2001, APS News). I would only add that a bad the unique distinction of being “the presentation is a bad presentation, whether done with an overhead pro- oldest, continuously operating air- jector or a glitzy PowerPoint presentation. A watch-word for all presenters: port in the world.” view your own slides—whether on transparencies or 35mm or computer But the terrorist attacks of Septem- projector—from the back row of the room you’ll actually be using. If you ber 11, 2001 prompted severe Alicia Chang/APS restrictions on private general aviation College Park Airport, known as “the oldest, continuously operating airport in the world” can’t read it effectively, neither can your audience. is grounded until further notice. George Spagna in at least 30 cities around the country, Ashland, Virginia including a ban on all such aviation “Founded” as an airstrip in 1909 will allow us to buffer the problem we within a 25 nautical mile radius of Wash- by none other than Wilbur Wright him- are having right now,” Schiek said. “Our Accuracy is Important ington, DC and New York City. self – who was here to demonstrate private sector maintenance has moved While the restrictions are being the usefulness of his flying machine to off-site.” In the October 2001 issue of APS News, I noticed that the graphs on gradually relaxed, and even though the US Government – the College Park But will the airport now lose its sta- page 1 showing the rises in salaries for physicists did not begin at $0. In the radius of the ban about Airport turned 92 years old on Octo- tus as the “oldest, continuously my opinion, our visual aids should illustrate the same data with the same Washington’s Reagan National Air- ber 26. operating airport in the world” now level of accuracy as our numbers would do. However, while I am happy port and New York’s JFK Airport has Unlike private, for-profit airports that it isn’t operating? that my salary has continued to climb over the years, by beginning at been shrunk to 18 nautical miles, the inside the restricted areas, the College Schiek said that with the help of the $20,000 instead of $0, the graphs make the increase “appear” to be larger College Park Airport falls well inside Park Airport is run by the Maryland county police department, this won’t (percentage-wise) than the numbers indicate. In this case it may not be a this range. Park and Planning Commission, a quasi- happen. large “error” in perception, but as scientists we should aim to be accurate When the “temporary flight re- governmental state agency that “A helicopter belonging to the in all of our communication. stricted area” about Washington and oversees parks, recreation and related Prince George’s County Police touches Richard L. Bowman New York will be lifted is not clear. Col- zoning issues in Prince George’s and down on the tarmac every day in or- Bridgewater, Virginia lege Park Airport manager Lee Schiek Montgomery Counties. As such, the der for us to maintain our status as the said that high-ranking FAA officials told airport’s survival through this difficult ‘world’s oldest, continuously operating Mein Units him reopening is likely to be a “multi- time is a good bet. airport,’ ” he said. Guinness Book of As I started reading Charles McCutchen’s Viewpoint article in the Oc- month” process. “We have resources available that World Records, take note. tober 2001 issue of APS News, I fell into my usual 2pm power nap, a habit since post-lunch lectures in grad school. When I woke up and continued his article, I was thrilled and delighted by a level of vitriol and teeth gnash- ing that I’d not seen in print in many years. I was therefore a bit disappointed to find some technical errors in an article whose fury and opprobrium were otherwise perfect. The ultracentrifugers’ Svedberg is 10-13 seconds, not 10-13 cm. The subsequent parenthetic remark, “(one Fermi/sec per g)”, presumably in- tended to shed further light on the Svedberg, works out to ~(10-15 m/sec)/ 2001 Ig Nobel Prizes (10m/sec2)=10-16 sec, off by a factor of about 1000 from the Svedberg. I very much enjoyed reading an article that could have been entitled The 2001 Ig Nobel Prizes, pre- report “Injuries Due to Falling Coco- Groups of Pre- Mein Units. However, it’s a bit ironic that significant errors in both dimen- sented for achievements that “cannot nuts.” school Children.” sions and numbers crept into a piece that unabashedly extolled units that or should not be reproduced,” were PHYSICS: David Schmidt of the ASTROPHYS- had not, in the author’s opinion, passed muster with the “units dictators”. awarded at Harvard’s historic Sanders University of Massachusetts for his ICS: Dr. Jack and Jeffrey Marque Theatre on October 4 before 1,200 partial solution to the question of why Rexella Van Impe San Mateo, California spectators, in a ceremony filled with shower curtains billow inwards. of Jack Van Impe Ministries, Roch- labcoats, opera singers, paper airplanes, BIOLOGY: Buck Weimer of ester Hills, Michigan, for their nuptial paraphernalia, and Joseph Pueblo, Colorado for inventing Under- discovery that black holes fulfill all Stalin masks. Ease, airtight underwear with a the technical requirements to be the MEETING BRIEFS The evening concluded with the replaceable charcoal filter that removes location of Hell. wedding on stage of two scientists, Lisa bad-smelling gases before they escape. PEACE: Viliumas Malinauskus of Danielson and Will Stefanov, who are ECONOMICS: Joel Slemrod, of Grutas, Lithuania, for creating the New England Section Fall Meeting both geologists based at Arizona State the University of Michigan Business amusement park known as “Stalin The APS New England Section held its annual fall meeting No- University. The wedding ceremony was School, and Wojciech Kopczuk, of World.” vember 2-3 at Keene State College in Keene, NH, jointly with its performed in sixty seconds and was University of British Columbia, for their TECHNOLOGY: Awarded corresponding geographical section of the American Association of preceded by the premiere of a new conclusion that people would find a jointly to John Keogh of Hawthorn, Physics Teachers (AAPT). The conference’s theme was the confluence mini-opera (“The Wedding Complex”) way to postpone their deaths if that Victoria, Australia, for patenting the of chemistry and physics, featuring talks on such diverse topics as performed by professional opera sing- would qualify them for a lower rate on wheel in the year 2001, and to the Aus- condensed matter, surface science, thin films, and nanotechnology. ers and five Nobel Laureates. The event the inheritance tax. tralian Patent Office for granting him Invited speakers gave lectures on trapping and storing light in at- was produced by the science humor LITERATURE: John Richards of Innovation Patent #2001100012. oms, novel applications of X-ray crystallographic techniques, magazine Annals of Improbable Research Boston, England, founder of The PUBLIC HEALTH: Chittaranjan electrical transport in carbon nanotubes, imaging phase transitions, (AIR), and co-sponsored by the Apostrophe Protection Society, for Andrade and B. S. Srihari of the Na- and fullerenes in the polymeric state. The evening’s banquet speaker Harvard Computer Society, the his efforts to protect, promote, and tional Institute of Mental Health and was Indiana University’s George Ewing, who spoke on the physics Harvard- Radcliffe Science Fiction As- defend the differences between plu- Neurosciences, Bangalore, India, for and chemistry of ice. There were also lectures on cross-disciplinary sociation and the Harvard-Radcliffe ral and possessive. their probing medical discovery that education, including a presentation by APS Director of Education Society of Physics Students. PSYCHOLOGY: Lawrence W. nose picking is a common activity and Outreach Fredrick Stein on the fledgling PhysTEC program (see Here are the new winners: Sherman of Miami University, Ohio, among adolescents. APS News, November 2001). MEDICINE: Peter Barss of McGill for his influential research report For more information, see http:// University, for his impactful medical “An Ecological Study of Glee in Small www.improbable.com. Four Corners Section Fall Meeting The APS Four Corners Section also held its annual fall meeting the first weekend in November at New Mexico State University in Nobel Prize, from page 1 like the photons in a laser, enter into high-resolution lithography for mi- Las Cruces, NM. While technically a general meeting, four focused a common quantum state with a crochips, interferometry (navigation, sessions were organized for papers in condensed matter physics, research will help scientists use motion- common energy. In other words, the gravity wave detectors, etc.), high- physics education, earth and space science, and nuclear and particle less atoms to measure the fundamental atoms are all coordinated (coherent) precision clocks, and “atomtronics” physics. There was an afternoon special demonstration session. And properties of matter. “Revolutionary with each other and constitute a single (atoms sent around a microchip or the evening featured a lecture by 1997 Nobel prizewinner Steven applications of [Bose-Einstein conden- “super atom.” BEC was possible experi- down hollow fibers). Chu on his development of methods to cool and trap atoms with sates] in lithography, nanotechnology mentally when, in a magnetoptic trap, The Nobel prizes are presented laser light, as well as a presentation on the physics of dance by Ken- and holography appear to be just a combination of laser cooling (a web on December 10 each year, the an- neth Laws of Dickinson College (see APS News, November 1999), around the corner,” the citation said. of laser beams hitting the atoms from niversary of Alfred Nobel’s death in illustrated with the help of a professional ballet dancer. The BEC phenomenon, foreseen many directions) and evaporative 1896. To mark this year’s centennial, by Satyendra Bose and Albert cooling (a web of magnetic fields en- all living Nobel laureates have been Southeastern Section Fall Meeting Einstein in the 1920s, can come courage the warmer atoms to depart, invited to the ceremonies and related The APS Southeastern Section held its annual fall meeting No- about when atoms are chilled to very leaving the cooler atoms to coalesce seminars, with about 150 expected vember 4-6 at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. The low temperatures. Quantum theory in the trap) brought about by in Stockholm and 30 in Oslo, includ- program featured a broad range of topics, including recent advances holds that the wavelike nature of at- unprecedentedly low temperatures. ing former South African President in particle physics, quantum optics, condensed matter, chaos, quan- oms allows them to spread out and BEC is still largely restricted to Nelson Mandela, and former Soviet tum information and physics education. In keeping with the section’s even overlap. Indeed at a high fundamental research in physics leader Mikhail Gorbachev. longstanding tradition, Sunday evening also featured a program of enough density and a low enough labs, but numerous potential appli- —Philip F. Schewe and Benjamin P. physics demonstrations. temperature (billionths of degrees cations beckon, such as the use of Stein of AIP’s Public Information Di- above absolute zero) the atoms can, BEC beams (“atom lasers”) for doing vision contributed to this article. NEWS December 2001 5

Nanotechnology Featured at Senior Physicists Group Meeting

Two Complementary Committees Tackle Public Affairs By Richard M. Todaro

“The Panel on Public Affairs stud- advise the APS leadership on ies what physics can do for the official Statements of the country while the Physics Policy American Physical Society. Committee advocates what the coun- Frazer said such statements try should be doing to support are formulated by POPA be- physics.” fore consideration by the full This oft-repeated sentence is used APS Council. to describe the different but comple- APS Statements have mentary goals of two key APS ranged on topics from teach- committees that address issues re- ing Creationism in public William Frazer Robert Richardson lating to public affairs. schools to the rise of anti-

The Panel on Public Affairs, cre- Semitism in the former Soviet Union little bit of lobbying. We have con- Alicia Chang/APS ated in 1974 and known by its in the early 1990s to a statement on versations with the staff support of At the October event for the APS Mid-Atlantic Senior Physicists Group, speaker acronym POPA, advises the Presi- the technical feasibility and deploy- the principal science committees in Jonathon Selinger (far right) of the Naval Research Laboratory, presented a talk dent and the Council on various ment of the National Missile Defense the Senate and House, and we talk on nanotechnology while group members (from left to right) Dick Strombotne, public policy issues that have a par- System. These statements are also to the heads of agencies.” Walt Faust and Jim Cline look on. This is one of a series of monthly events being ticular interest to physicists. available on the APS website Richardson described APS lobby- held at APS headquarters in College Park, Maryland. Consisting of 19 members elected (http://www.aps.org/statements/). ing as a “gentle kind” designed to by Council and other ex officio mem- The Physics Policy Committee provide “appropriate guidance.” Of- bers, POPA engages in a series of (PPC) was initially called the Physics ten this means following budgets activities that William Frazer of the Planning Committee when it was es- through the approval process. Apker, from page 1 University of California, the current tablished informally within POPA in “We try to think of how to en- chair, said “can be put together un- early 1989 following the recommen- courage the supporters of the used by the group to explore theo- dimensional systems in semiconduc- der the idea of the APS trying to be dation of a POPA task force on science budget who are in Congress,” retically novel mechanisms to tor heterostructures. In the first, she of service to the broader society on long-range planning. After being el- he said. generate new light sources exploit- studied the mobility of a 2D elec- matters within its technical compe- evated to the status of a formal Richardson noted that PPC got ing resonance last-atom tron gas confined to an interface tence.” committee operating under APS by- involved with the role of science in interactions. between gallium arsenide and an al- “For example, we recently as- laws in 1991, the name was changed the leadership of the Department of Using his computer skills, loy. In such systems, the electrons sisted APS President George Trilling in 1997 to the current Physics Policy Energy. Wagner has undertaken numerous are typically donated by silicon at- in preparing a response to requests Committee. There are 15 regular “We sponsored a group of people research projects, including the ex- oms deposited in a thin sheet some from a representative of the US Sec- members, including the chair of – it wasn’t an official APS committee ploration of a hydrogen atom in a distance away from the interface on retary of Energy for advice on the POPA. – to analyze the way the Department laser field. He later added a strong, the alloy side. Todd added a narrow proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear From the beginning, PPC served of Energy is authorized and gave static magnetic field to the system, quantum well between the dopant waste disposal site in Nevada,” to advise the APS on governmental congressional testimony on the role and found that the probability den- sheet and the material interface in Frazer said. matters that might affect the physics science plays in the leadership of the sity function for the electron — order to add a second layer of 2D A second type of POPA activity is or even larger scientific community. Department of Energy,” he said. which is initially the ground state of electrons which could screen poten- initiating both large-scale studies and PPC statements are sent to the APS But Richardson said that PPC tries hydrogen — evolves over time to tial fluctuations of the donors. She smaller scale reports. Large-scale Council via POPA. to avoid simply making the “weak” ar- form a ring-shaped structure later then employed theoretical modeling studies can take several months to “Our principal function is to gument that physicists just want more dubbed a cycloatom. His most re- to produce predictions of the elec- several years and go through a for- serve as an advisory committee for money from the government. Rather, cent project concerns classical and tron densities in the quantum well mal procedure involving the APS the APS leadership on issues related he said the committee attempts to link quantum modeling of an electron- and heterointerfaces as a function Council. Frazer said a prime current to the interaction between physicists what the physics community is able to electron collision, with the objective of various physical parameters. example are the technical issues and the national government,” said do for the country with proper fund- of gaining a better understanding of In her second project, Todd ex- raised by the proposed National Robert C. Richardson of Cornell, ing priorities to achieve such goals. the classical approximation in a two- amined the tunneling current that Missile Defense System. current chair of the PPC. “The PPC “If you say, ‘hey, we need more electron system, which he hopes to flows perpendicularly between two “There is currently a study on as- consists of a group of experienced money,’ that is a very weak argument. apply to the study of a two-electron parallel 2D electron systems in a sym- pects of missile defense which will people the APS can call upon for ad- What we need to say is, ‘look, the cycloatom. metrically doped double quantum be completed early next year,” he vice.” government is relying on the contri- Although just beginning his se- well system. When a large magnetic said. This study has been the subject “We spend a lot of time monitor- butions the physics community can nior year, Wagner has presented field is perpendicularly applied to the of a number of reports in APS News ing funding support from the federal make in these areas’ and if there is more talks, published more papers 2D planes, tunneling at low interlayer (January, March, October 2001 is- agencies in support of science. We an important opportunity the gov- and won more awards than any pre- voltages is heavily suppressed. Todd sues). try to help the APS form strategic ernment is going to miss, we will vious physics major, according to sought to examine this suppression Other APS studies, going back to alliances with other professional so- make every effort to draw attention departmental chair Richard Martin. and determine the exact shape of the the mid-seventies, have included cieties,” Richardson said. “We do a to that,” Richardson said. He has given 11 conference presen- nonlinear current voltage (I-V) char- light-water reactor safety, nuclear tations and contributed to nine acteristic at very low voltage. She fuel cycles and waste management, peer-reviewed publications, includ- succeeded in manufacturing tunnel and solar photovoltaic energy con- Editorial Cartoon ing a Physical Review Letters article junctions and measured the tunnel version, among others. These studies on his development of a new current down to values 100 times are available under Public Affairs on “Physicists Strive to Build a Black Hole” Internet-based visualization soft- smaller than the research group had the main APS web site. ...NY Times News Item ware package that can generate 3D done in the past, concluding that the Like the major studies, the more computer animated movies, which suppression effect deep in the gap modest POPA reports can also deal was featured in Physical Review Focus was less rapid than it appears at with a range of issues from energy as well as Science News. higher energy. She is still pursuing and the environment to national se- He has twice been selected to the project, hoping to obtain a quan- curity and help APS members give invited talks at the APS Divi- titative result for I-V deep in the gap. become familiar with such issues. sion of Atomic Molecular and James Eisenstein, her thesis advi- “There are less formal reports Optical Physics’ undergraduate re- sor at CalTech, says he has watched called POPA reports where some of search symposium, and presented Todd “mature from an inquisitive our members get together and do a paper on high harmonic genera- young undergraduate into an ac- less extensive study,” Frazer said. tion in ionization of magnetically complished laboratory scientist,” “We usually prepare these for edu- dressed atoms at the APS Centen- noting that in order to arrive at these cation of and discussion by APS nial Meeting in 1999. Wagner scientific conclusions, she per- members.” describes the past three years of re- formed all aspects of the experiments Current POPA reports (as listed search as “a very exciting and and analyses herself, “at the level on the APS web site) include Patriot rewarding part of my undergraduate expected of an experienced gradu- missile performance during the Gulf education” adding that he plans to pur- ate student.” These included optical War, possible dangers posed by sue a career in physics. “I am looking lithography, wet etching, thin film power lines and ordinary electrical forward to the new challenges offered depositions, and low temperature, appliances, and the relation of sci- by a physics graduate school.” low noise electrical measurements. ence and technology to economic ©2001 Paul Dlugokencky (aDailyCartoon.com) for APS News Todd’s thesis consisted of two Todd is currently attending gradu- growth. main experimental research projects, ate school at Stanford University to A third type of POPA activity is to both involving the physics of two- pursue a PhD in physics. 6 December 2001 NEWS

INSIDE THE BELTWAY: SPIN-UP Seeks Undergraduate Programs to Host Site Visits A Washington Analysis The National Task Force on Under- organizations and the physics com- graduate Physics has been awarded a munity at large about undergraduate $133,000 grant by the Exxon-Mobil physics. Getting it Right Foundation to support its Strategic The national task force was formed By Michael S. Lubell, APS Director of Public Affairs Programs for Innovations in Under- a year and a half ago by the APS, the graduate Physics (SPIN-UP) initiative. American Institute of Physics, and the Finding a way to inject science into Gingrich, former Motorola Board eral research and development bud- Thanks to this grant, SPIN-UP’s fo- American Association of Physics Teach- the psyche of policy makers and elected Chairman John Galvin, former get by 2010 and instituting a more cus in the coming year will be on ers, drawing its 10 members from officials is always a daunting task. You Lockheed-Martin CEO Norm August- competitive climate for the allotment completion of site visits to about 20 physics departments around the coun- might think that the September 11 at- ine and James Schlesinger, whose priors of those funds,” elevating “the role of departments with thriving undergradu- try. While the number of undergraduate tack and the anthrax assaults would comprised stints as Secretaries of En- the President’s Science Advisor to over- ate physics programs, and of the survey physics majors as a whole is declining make it easier. But you’d be wrong. No ergy and Defense. see these and other critical tasks,” and of all physics departments. A case study steadily each year, the task force no- question, fighting terrorism requires Last March, the Hart-Rudman Com- passing “a new National Security Sci- report compiling the findings of the site ticed that certain departments were crack intelligence operatives. And it de- mission, formally known as the US ence and Technology Education Act.” visits will be distributed to all physics actually thriving and growing. They pends on international cooperation to Commission on National Security/21st Judging by White House actions and departments in the country. Depart- came up with several hypotheses as to control the flow of laundered cash. But Century released its Phase III Report, rhetoric, these recommendations are ments interested in being part of the why this might be so, but found no to succeed it must draw on the best calling for the creation of an Agency receiving scant attention. The Office site visit program should contact the data to support their conclusions. So that science and technology have to for National Homeland Security with of Science and Technology Policy has task force at [email protected], or they approached Exxon-Mobil for offer. Cabinet status. been down-sized from four to two as- [email protected] funds to conduct a series of site visits Intercepting clandestine communi- In what must be one of the most sociate directors. The Office of The task force is charged with and a survey of all undergraduate phys- cations, recognizing suspect behavior prescient analyses of recent times, it Management and Budget has signaled planning, developing, and coordi- ics departments to gather the missing patterns, detecting biological and said, “The combination of unconven- that science budgets for Fiscal Year nating activities aimed at hard data. chemical agents, decontaminating in- tional weapons proliferation with the 2003 will be slashed unless programs “revitalizing” undergraduate physics Further information about the task fected sites – all of these are high-tech persistence of international terrorism focus strictly on fighting terrorism. And programs across the country, and force is available online at http:// activities. Yet if you look at the new will end the relative invulnerability of the President insisted that DOE’s bot- providing advice to the professional www.aapt.org/programs/nftup. Office of Homeland Security, you don’t the US homeland to catastrophic at- tom line be held even if Congress find a whiff of science at the loftiest tack. A direct attack against American restored funding for energy technol- levels. citizens on American soil is likely over ogy programs. The result was no Models for Reform True, Jack Marburger, who was re- the next quarter century.” They cer- increase in the Department’s FY 2002 cently installed as the President’s tainly got that right. budget. When it comes to revitalizing physics departments, one size Science Advisor, has attended cabinet In response, last spring, President Largely through the work of sci- doesn’t necessarily fit all, according to Robert C. Hilborn, a profes- meetings on terrorism and can be ex- Bush expressed his appreciation for the ence advocacy groups and the good sor of physics at Amherst College and chair of the task force. “There pected to play a role. True, one of the work that the former administration judgment of science champions James are many ways to apply the principles of successful programs to dozen or so panels on counter-terror- had inspired and promptly asked Vice Walsh (R-NY) and Alan Mollohan (D- the local situation,” he says. ism policy and planning will focus on President Cheney to reexamine the is- WV) in the House and Barbara When the physics department at the University of Illinois, Ur- science and technology. sue, this time with a plan to have the Mikulski (D-MD) and Kit Bond (R-MO) bana-Champaign, began revamping its curriculum in 1996, it faced For now, however, the six key play- Federal Emergency Management in the Senate, NSF and NASA fared rela- a challenge common to many large state universities: huge classes ers on the homeland security team, Agency take the lead. tively well in the November budget for introductory physics (about 2500 students each semester) placed according to CQ Weekly, count one re- September 11 changed all that, and conferences, with NSF rising 7.6 per- a heavy burden on the faculty member assigned to teach them, and tired Navy admiral, two lobbyists, one now former Pennsylvania Governor cent and NASA space science jumping burnout was a common problem. So the department chose to imple- legal counsel to the Bush campaign, one Tom Ridge is installed as the Terrorism 8.5 percent. In the coming months the ment what it describes as a “team teaching” environment, accord- marketing specialist and one commu- Czar, with full Cabinet privileges. But White House and the science commu- ing to faculty member Gary Gladding, in which the burden is evenly nications executive. the White House has failed to act on nity need to get it right. Scientists must distributed among several faculty members. The result: “No heroes, But fighting terrorism requires three other key Commission recom- accept their responsibility and help the no burnout, because both the pain and gain are shared.” more than PR and political hype. More mendations, the ones dealing with nation in a time of need. That was one The Colorado School of Mines is a much smaller school, with a than three years ago, then-Secretary science and technology. of Vannevar Bush’s main arguments to technology-focused mission, and hence most of its students are of Defense William Cohen appointed The Phase III Report noted, “In this President Roosevelt when he advo- already predisposed to science and engineering pursuits. Despite a 14 member bipartisan commission, Commission’s view, the inadequacies of cated strong federal support for its small size, CSM is among the top 20 colleges and universities headed by two former senators, Gary our systems of research and education research. And the White House must nationwide in terms of producing physics majors. James McNeil, a Hart, a Colorado Democrat, and War- pose a greater threat to US national foster the future strength and vitality professor in the physics department, attributes this to the fact that ren Rudman, a New Hampshire security over the next quarter century of A merican science by providing the every student is required to take Physics I and II, which are taught Republican. Their task was to examine than any potential conventional war necessary resources for long-term re- by the best teachers, because this is viewed as a prime recruiting and redefine America’s national secu- we can imagine.” search. opportunity to draw students into the physics department. The col- rity policies in the post Cold War era. To address the threat, the Com- No other prescription can defeat lege administration values teaching, tends to hire student-centered It was a posse of heavyweights that mission made three policy the disease of terrorism and safeguard faculty, and encourages and rewards teaching innovations. included ex-House Speaker Newt recommendations: “doubling the fed- our homeland in the 21st century.

March Meeting, from page 1 Spotlight, from page 3 employment trends, (2) organizing ing physics education. Physics educa- workshops at regional and national tion is a multifaceted issue that occurs condensed matter, materials physics, “to expand and diffuse the knowledge APS meetings to exchange information on many scales. The active involvement high polymer and chemical physics, of physics”. These marching orders are on model programs, and (3) main- of physicists who understand and ap- biological physics, and laser science, highly suited to the physics education taining and updating a dedicated preciate physics is however definitely to name just a few of the many APS cause and progress is greatly facilitated CPDL website[3] to encourage dia- required. There are many professional units who participate each year. The by the enabling structure and re- logue between physics departments and personal rewards for becoming outstanding scientific program will sources provided by the APS. regarding career development pro- involved. Clearly, the health of physics consist of more than 90 invited ses- APS outreach extends across the grams for students. is at stake, and that should be motiva- sions and 550 contributed sessions, topics: superconducting materials, broad areas of education, public af- At the individual level physics edu- tion enough. For me, the opportunity at which approximately 5,000 pa- spintronics, high resolution optical mi- fairs, governmental relations, public cation can be addressed in a multitude to interact daily with young people en- pers will be presented. croscopy in materials systems, information, international affairs, of ways. Exude enthusiasm for phys- ergizes and is fulfilling. I know I have In addition, the meeting tradition- nonlinear dynamics in cellular biophys- women and minorities in physics, and ics, excite the students, engage less gray hair because of it. ally features a two day short course ics, single electron tunneling, how careers and professional development. everybody who will listen, and inform Arthur Hebard is a professor of physics on the Saturday and Sunday preced- Beowulf clusters can enhance comput- Visit the APS web site and familiarize the citizenry! For example, on the high- at the University of Florida and previously ing the start of the conference, ing needs, applied magnetism and yourself with the opportunities. Call a ways and at the gas pumps, I have found was a research scientist at Bell Laborato- organized by the APS Division of information storage technology, and present or past committee member and myself explaining the Doppler effect ries in Murray Hill, N.J. for 23 years. He is Polymer Physics, and focused this business fundamentals for physicists ask questions. You will discover that it and red shifts because of an orange- currently chair of the APS Committee on year on the topic of glasses and the interested in entrepreneurship. is easy to find like-minded spirits, and colored sticker on my rear bumper that Careers and Professional Development. glass transition. Also on Sunday, the Rounding out the activities is a by acting together your individual ef- reads, “If this sign is blue, you are going Committee on the Status of Women series of special events, such as the forts will be magnified and made more too fast”. Explain your research using References: in Physics will offer a half-day work- annual awards program, alumni re- effective. My own commitment has bulletin boards, seminars, and web [1]Physics in a New Era: An Overview, shop on “Survival Skills for Successful unions, and a special “students lunch been to the Committee on Careers and pages and by all means avoid giving the The National Academy of Sciences, Women Physicists” in which a panel with the experts” on Wednesday af- Professional Development (CCPD), a impression that your work is so impor- 2001 (http://books.nap.edu/books/ of highly successful women physi- ternoon, March 20. Attendees will committee that through its Careers and tant that you shouldn’t have to explain 0309073421/html/index.html) cists will share their perspectives on also be able to visit the larger and Professional Development Liaisons it. Finally, be active on the small-action [2]2000 Physics Academic Workforce scientific careers, raising research enhanced exhibit show, with displays (CPDLs), identifies and aids faculty ca- front: participate in science fairs, visit a Report, American Institute of Physics funds, balancing career and family, by vendors showcasing their latest reer counselors at more than 200 classroom, do a demo, write your con- (AIP) Pub. Number R-392.4, March and more. products, instruments and equip- physics departments. This is done for gressman, or send a thoughtful letter 2001 (http://www.aip.org/statistics/) Sunday will also feature eight half ment, as well as computer software the most part by (1) disseminating cur- to your local newspaper. [3]CPDL web page at http:// day tutorials on a variety of specialized and scientific publications. rent information on career and There is no one solution to improv- www.aps.org/jobs/cpdl/ NEWS December 2001 7 ANNOUNCEMENTS FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS APS/AIP CONGRESSIONAL SCIENCE FELLOWSHIP SEPTEMBER 11TH The American Physical Society and the American Institute of Physics are accepting applications for their 2002-2003 Congressional Science Fellowship programs. Fellows serve one year on the The Science and Engineering Community staff of a Member of Congress or congressional committee, learning the legislative process while lending scientific Can Make a Difference. expertise to public policy issues. Application deadline is January 15, 2002. For more information, visit: http://www.aip.org/pubinfo or http://www.aps.org/ DONATE TODAY TO THE public_affairs/fellow/index.shtml SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIP FUND Nominations Requested for Nicholas Metropolis Award for Outstanding Doctoral In response to the tragedy of September 11, dozens of organizations representing more than a Thesis Work in Computational Physics million scientists and engineers have established a Science and Engineering Scholarship The purpose of the award is to recognize doctoral thesis re- Fund.* Donations to the Fund will support the science and engineering search of outstanding quality and achievement in computational education of dependents of those who were killed or injured on physics and to encourage effective written and oral presentation of research results. September 11. The Science and Engineering Scholarship will be The award consists of $1,500 and a certificate to be presented at administered by the Citizens’ Scholarship Foundation of the Division of Computational Physics annual meeting and an al- lowance of up to $500 for travel to the meeting. The award is America®. It is part of an overall Families of Freedom supported by the Journal of Computational Physics. Scholarship Fund™ chaired jointly by former Nominations will be accepted for any student in any country for work performed as part of the requirements for the PhD Nominees President Bill Clinton and former Senate must pass their thesis defense not more than 18 months before the Majority Leader Bob Dole. nomination deadline. Individuals can be nominated only once; un- successful candidates will be carried over for one year. The procedure for nominations can be found at http://www.aps.org/praw/metropol. TO MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE Deadline for submission of nominations for the DONATION VISIT US ON THE 2002 Prize is January 14, 2002 WEB AT WWW.APS.ORG/SCIENCEFUND.HTML OR CALL 1-800-335-1102 AND DESIGNATE

APS Council and Committee Position Nominations PS FFSF - SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING Alicia Chang/A VICE-PRESIDENT; GENERAL COUNCILLOR (2); NOMINATING SCHOLARSHIP FUND. COMMITTEE; Vice-Chairperson-Elect • Members; PANEL ON PUBLIC AFFAIRS; Vice-Chairperson-Elect • Members Sponsors include: Acoustical Society of America, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association Please send your nominations to: American Physical Society; One of Engineering Societies, American Astronomical Society, American Chemical Society, American Crystallographic Association, Physics Ellipse; College Park, MD 20740-3844; Attn: Ken Cole; (301) American Geological Institute, American Institute of Biological Sciences, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American 209-3288; fax: (301) 209-0865; email: [email protected]. A nomination Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers, American Institute of Physics, American Mathematical Society, form is available at http://www.aps.org/exec/nomform.html. American Meteorological Society, American Physical Society, American Psychological Society, American Society for Cell DEADLINE: JANUARY 31, 2002 Biology, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society for Information Science and Technology, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Society of Parasitologists, American Society of Plant Biologists, Association for Women in Science, Computing Research Association, Council of Scientific Society Presidents, Ecological Society of America, Estuarine APS Mass Media Fellowship Program Research Federation, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, The Institute of Navigation, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. - USA, The International Society for Optical Engineers, Materials Research Applications are now being accepted for the 2002 summer APS Society, Optical Society of America, Research!America, The Science Coalition, Society for Integrative and Comparative Mass Media Fellowships. In affiliation with the popular AAAS pro- Biology, Society of Toxicology gram, the APS is sponsoring two ten-week fellowships for physics *The sponsoring organizations are not affiliated with Citizens’ Scholarship Foundation® of America or the Families of Freedom Scholarship fund™. students to work full-time over the summer as reporters, research- Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund™, Citizens’ Scholarship Foundation of America (CSFA)® and any associated logos or designs are trademarks of CSFA. ers, and production assistants in mass media organizations nationwide. Information on application requirements can be found at http://www.aps.org/public_affairs/Media.html. Fusion Energy Science Fellowship Program DEADLINE: JANUARY 18, 2002 Sponsored by Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, US Department of Energy ½ OFF! BENEFITS INCLUDE: Full Payment of tuition and fees; Monthly stipend of Prize & Award Nominations http://www.aps.org/praw/ $1,500; Summer research assignments at an approved FES Fellowship fusion APS Membership facility; Appointment tenure up to three years; Limited travel funding to present Tell a friend, tell a colleague. New Otto LaPorte Award DEADLINE: 01/18/02 papers at national or international conferences APS members can join for Endowed by the friends of Otto Laporte and the Division of Fluid Dynamics. Purpose: To ½ off the Regular dues amount APPLICANTS MUST: Be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident Alien; Be a BS recipient, recognize outstanding research accomplishments pertaining to the physics of fluids. now through February 28, 2002. undergraduate senior, or have not completed more than one full-time semester/quarter Fluid Dynamics Prize DEADLINE: 01/18/02 (Certain restrictions apply; see of graduate studies at the application deadline; Be planning full-time, uninterrupted http://www.aps.org/memb/ Supported by friends of the Division of Fluid Dynamics and the AIP journal Physics study toward a PhD degree at an FES Fellowship Participating University joinaps.html for details.) of Fluids. Purpose: To recognize and encourage outstanding achievement in fluid dynamics research. APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 28, 2002 Nicholas Metropolis Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Work in CONTACT: Tom Richmond or Debbie Alcorn, MS 36; Oak Ridge Institute for Visit Computational Physics DEADLINE: 01/31/02 Science and Education; PO Box 117; Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-0117; (865) APS News 576-2194 or ; (865) 576-3428 or [email protected] Establishment and Support: The award is supported by the Journal of Computational Online Physics, a publication of Academic Press. Purpose: To recognize doctoral thesis Application information can be accessed at research of outstanding quality and achievement in computational physics. http://www.orau.gov/orise/edu/uggrad/fesfelhome.htm http://www.aps.org/apsnews/

Marburger, from page 1 Three years later, he became which produced its first experimen- in advancing environmental res- “With his experiences with president of Brookhaven Science tal results earlier this year when toration at the lab. Brookhaven National Laborato- federally sponsored scientific re- Associates, a partnership founded Brookhaven scientists detected Reaction to President Bush’s ries and SUNY Stony Brook, he is search at the institution grew to by Stony Brook and Battelle, a non- what may be the first truly signifi- choice of a science advisor has going to make an invaluable ad- exceed that of any other public uni- profit applied science and cant deviation from the Standard been positive from both Congress dition to the team and help us versity in the northeastern US. The technology organization. BSA was Model of particle physics. and the scientific community. make the case for federal R & D University Hospital was opened and awarded the contract to manage In addition, under Marburger’s During the confirmation hearings science programs in the future,” biological sciences became one of and operate Brookhaven National leadership the laboratory has ex- before the Senate Committee on Boehlert said. the university’s major strengths. Laboratory for the Department of panded its Center for Imaging and Commerce, Science, and Trans- Rep. Felix Grucci (R-NY), who Marburger also oversaw the estab- Energy, and Marburger was ap- Neuroscience, advancing its portation, Rep. Sherwood represents the Brookhaven dis- lishment of the Long Island pointed Director. During his tenure, groundbreaking studies of how Boehlert (R-NY), who chairs the trict, said that Marburger had Technology Incubator, and the ac- Marburger has overseen an era of various diseases, aging and addic- House Science Committee, pro- “restored the [local] community’s quisition of the Long Island house exciting scientific advances at BNL, tive drugs affect the brain. He has fessed himself “pleased” at the trust” in BNL and “reaffirmed of artists Jackson Pollock and Lee including the launching of the Rela- also expanded BNL’s emphasis on choice of Marburger for presi- their faith” in the nation’s science Krasner. He returned to the faculty tivistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), technology transfer and collabo- dential science advisor, praising program, adding that Marburger in 1994 to teach and conduct re- the world’s largest particle accel- ration with industrial partners, the physicist’s managerial skills “will be a tremendous asset to search in optical science. erator for nuclear physics research, and has played a significant role and natural leadership ability. President Bush and our nation.” 8 December 2001 NEWS THE BACK PAGE Support for Research, Education Must Remain as Priorities By Rep. Sherwood Boehlert I’m sure that everyone, like 11. As a member of the House The federal government me, is still reeling, emotionally Intelligence Committee, I know must also put additional re- and intellectually, from the at- that changes are needed, but sources into improving the tacks on the World Trade those changes need to be tar- technical capabilities of our Center and the Pentagon. In geted and limited. law enforcement agencies. We some ways, the passage of time What about changes in the need research that will enable has only made what happened R&D agenda? Do we need to re- us to gather better intelligence seem more unreal and bewil- direct government or academic to foil terrorist plots and other dering. But I think it’s safe to R&D in the wake of the at- crimes before they are imple- say that in the coming months, tacks? Along with the scientific mented. Some of this work is our nation will turn to its col- community, the House Science already going on at the Na- leges and universities for Committee has just begun to tional Institute of Justice (NIJ) leadership, for ideas, for infor- analyze that question. I know lab, which was doing a great mation, for education and that the National Academy of deal of work with the Secret training, and, if worst comes to Sciences and numerous other Service and FBI offices that worst, for soldiers. entities in Washington and were located in the World Trade Universities and colleges are around the country are also Center complex. They head a inherently implicated in our re- looking at how the scientific federal, state, local government sponse to September 11th. For community should respond to partnership called the New while we say that the world the attacks, and we should be York Electronic Crimes Task changed on September 11th, it’s careful about rushing to con- Force. Their building was really our knowledge of the clusions. There are a few areas among those that collapsed, world, our sense of the world, that need additional focus, al- but thankfully, everyone in the not the world itself, that though the general thrust of Task Force got out safely. changed on that fateful day. R&D need not change. Within days of the tragedy, our After all, terrorists were at NIJ center in Rome and other work before the 11th, the New York assets were forth- Taliban was in power before the “I don’t believe that coming to get the Task Force 11th, our security vulnerabili- these attacks signal a up and running. ties existed before the 11th; it’s need for any There are probably some our awareness of these that is fundamental change narrower areas of research that different now. It is the ways in need more attention, as well. Rep. Sherwood Boehlert which we put that new aware- in the structure or For example, the Science Com- ness and knowledge to use that nature of our mittee is working on a bill to or academic R&D agenda. The Elementary and Secondary Edu- will change the actual world in academic institutions.” authorize the Environmental bulk of our R&D and education cation Act. the aftermath of the attacks. Protection Agency (EPA) to programs have not been directly Progress is also being made on I don’t believe that these at- fund research to assess and im- affected by recent events. The H.R. 1858, a bill targeted specifi- tacks signal a need for any First among these appears to prove the security of drinking good news is that federal R&D cally at improving pre-college fundamental change in the be computer security. While the water systems. This is an idea spending was doing pretty well in science and math education. That structure or nature of our aca- terrorists involved in the Sep- that came to us from the water the Congressional appropriations bill would create new NSF pro- demic institutions. I’m thinking tember 11th events did not utilities, and the sewage au- process before September 11th, grams to encourage institutions here, particularly, of the open- engage in cyber attacks — in- thorities are interested in and that is unlikely to change. of higher education and busi- ness of our colleges and deed they made full use of the similar research on their facili- Here’s the picture for the Na- nesses to devote more of their universities — openness to intact Internet in carrying out ties. Other research projects tional Science Foundation (NSF), energy and resources to improv- both ideas and people. I’ve al- everyday activities, like airline may emerge as we scrutinize for example. The fiscal 2001 ing pre-college science and math ready seen some articles in The ticket purchases, on which their what happened in New York spending level was about $4.4 bil- education. The bill would also New York Times and The plot depended — our general and Washington. We plan to lion, and the President create new federal scholarships Chronicle of Higher Education vulnerability to terrorism hold a hearing to examine what recommended essentially level to encourage top science, math raising the specter of new re- should make us look again at research is needed to better funding for 2002. But the House and engineering majors to be- strictions on student visas, our ability to protect the com- protect our physical infrastruc- came in and provided more than come science and math teachers. although I haven’t heard much puter systems on which we all ture — buildings, power plants, $4.8 billion, and the Senate al- It passed the House without op- talk of this yet in the Congress. increasingly rely. We have a the electric grid, etc. most $4.7 billion. Now that the position, and is garnering Obviously, the US has to long way to go to make our sys- In addition, the focus of some White House and Congressional bipartisan support in the Senate. screen all visa applicants more tems secure. One reason for of our nation’s research may shift. leaders have tentatively agreed to The events of September 11th thoroughly and needs to keep that is that computer security Existing research on identifica- raise overall federal spending for have forced us to alter our better track of those who en- research, particularly on secu- tion techniques — especially 2002, I expect NSF to end up with agenda in ways large and small. ter our country, and, in rity for civilian systems, is an biometrics: the use of iris pat- a sizable spending increase for But fundamentally, our nation’s particular, to crack down on inadequately funded backwater terns or heartbeat patterns or the new fiscal year. R&D and education needs re- those with expired visas. But we in academia, government and other aspects of the human body Of course, none of the R&D main pretty much what they were must not imperil the openness industry. The computer science to ensure that people are not us- we conduct on security or any- before the attacks, and, for now, of our universities. Foreign stu- resources that attract the best ing false identities — must get a thing else will matter, in the at least, the resources available dents who remain here are computer scientists and engi- higher priority. Research in the long-run, unless it helps train stu- to meet those needs remain about absolutely critical elements of neers are simply elsewhere. social sciences and the humani- dents in new fields. None of our the same, as well. What we need our science and technology That situation has been exac- ties, including research on the R&D goals will be met unless we to do now is to draw on, and to workforce, and those who re- erbated by battles between causes of terrorism and the reac- do a better job of preparing shore up, the strengths of our turn home often increase the security agencies, on the one tion to it, will certainly be more teachers and producing more ca- major institutions, not just to pre- goodwill toward the US in their hand — particularly the secretive relevant than ever. Research that pable students in science and vent future attacks, but to ensure home countries. Some people National Security Agency — and would help us prevent or respond math. Recent events have done that our nation remains a beacon may view limiting visas as “err- civilian R&D agencies, over who to chemical, biological or nuclear nothing to deter the President of freedom and openness and op- ing on the side of caution,” but should be funding what kinds of attacks by terrorists will have re- and the Congress from carrying portunity and innovation and it’s just as easy to argue that research. The Science Committee newed significance. out their commitment to im- prosperity. Those traits may make “caution” argues for openness, will hold a hearing to explore The September 11th attacks prove American education, our nation a more appealing tar- given how much we rely on stu- these issues more fully. Our con- were not exactly high tech. The particularly pre-college educa- get for terrorists, but they’re also dents who come here from clusions will be reflected in the terrorists turned the instruments tion in all fields. President Bush what makes it worth defending. overseas. Information Technology bill we of everyday American life against has made education one of his Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) Indeed, I believe we need to were already drafting, which will us. We need careful analysis to signature issues. Ongoing nego- is chair of the House Science Com- look critically at every proposal authorize and improve coordina- piece together how the terrorists tiations are continuing to settle mittee. The above article was to curtail the general openness tion of computer science accomplished that, and to pre- on increased funding levels for adapted from a speech presented to and freedom of American soci- programs across the federal R&D vent its recurrence. But that is not education programs and to en- SUNY’s Council of Presidents, Oc- ety in the wake of September agencies. the stuff of a wholly new federal act a major rewrite of the tober 1, 2001.

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