MARCH 1996 the AMERICAN P Hysicalnews SOCIETY VOLUME 5, NO 3 APS Elementary Education Institute Was a Blizzard of Activity
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A P S N E W S APSMARCH 1996 THE AMERICAN P HYSICALNews SOCIETY VOLUME 5, NO 3 APS Elementary Education Institute was a Blizzard of Activity rom January 7 through January 11 difficulties, there were enough resources the role they might play to assist and real mission of effective science edu- Fin Washington, DC, 29 scientists at hand to reprogram the meeting and facilitate reform. It was a very busy week. cation. from selected sites around the country carry out a very successful institute. participated in the second Elementary These participants returned to their com- For information about becoming a par- Science Education Reform Institute. The Participants had the opportunity to munities better informed and ready to ticipant in the APS Teacher-Scientist meeting, a component of the APS identify goals for elementary science assist ongoing reform efforts. The ex- Alliance contact: Ramon Lopez, http:// Teacher-Scientist Alliance Institute, was education, and identify the kinds of ex- citement was palpable as many felt that aps.org/educ/tsai.html. designed to provide a thorough periences that children need in order to they really had overview of issues in school district realize those goals by participating in a handle on reform of elementary science education hands-on activities. They also examined how to make a nationally produced exemplary curricu- real difference Originally almost 40 participants were lum materials that should be at the heart for children. expected to attend, along with nation- of a reform effort. Yet having good ma- For improving ally recognized experts in education who terials is not enough. Participants learned the ability of would be the presenters. However, an about the other structural elements children to suc- uninvited guest, the Blizzard of ’96, re- school districts must create in order to ceed in a duced the final count of participants and support and sustain good hands-on sci- scientific and made it impossible for many of the pre- ence education. They also examined the technological senters to come. Despite these process of change in school systems and world is the Workshop participants Jennifer Ross and Robert Johanson calibrate a spring scale. INSIDE THE BELTWAY Political Chaos And Uncertainty Prod Scientists Into Action As they had throughout the year, the Their debt ceiling strategy thus stymied, by Michael S. Lubell, APS Director of Public Affairs House Republican freshmen became the the Republicans, who fundamentally did catalysts for action. And while Senate not trust the President to negotiate faith- Like an “Indy 500” race car that has moted by the new Congress. Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-KS) and fully, made good on their threat to shut blown a gasket, the 104th Congress, Emboldened, President Clinton un- House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) the government down. By the time which had peeled away from the start- capped his veto pen and exercised his reportedly expressed misgivings pri- Christmas week arrived, national parks ing line scarcely a year earlier, barely constitutional prerogative. vately, the Republican leadership and passport offices were closed, as were limped into its Christmas recess, many eventually bowed to the freshmen’s agencies such as NSF, NASA and NIH. laps away from the checkered flag. The Without the authority to spend money, high-risk response to President Clinton’s session that had begun amidst great the agencies covered by the vetoed bills intransigence. Although default on the Amidst the chaos, Congress left town. euphoria in the House of Representa- would have to cease operation. But federal debt was fraught with long-term But before they did, the Republican tives, where the new Republican this was not a unique moment in Ameri- perils, and temporarily shutting down House freshmen vowed that they would majority had rapidly passed all but one can history. The federal government government agencies would cause short- return to complete their unfinished busi- item in the Contract with America, had faced a similar situation many times term inconvenience, the President, to ness, so sure were they that their strategy ended officially on a distinctly sour note before, and in virtually every instance, keep operations normal, would have to would work. Many in the Republican this past January 3, with much of the Congress and the President had agreed sign the Reconciliation Bill that contained leadership, including House Speaker federal government still shut down for to a Continuing Resolution to maintain the seven-year Republican blueprint. Gingrich, were far less certain. lack of money and many science agen- activities temporarily, usually at the pre- The three-week hiatus proved sober- cies facing an uncertain future. Within vious year’s level. But the Republican But during the summer and early fall, ing, at least for the leadership: the weeks, rumblings of an impending re- budget for FY 1996 was different in one the Democrats had studiously laid the public had come down clearly on the search crisis began to emanate from critical respect: it eliminated or substan- ground work for a counterattack. They side of the President. The GOP strat- Washington, and scientists across the tially reduced many existing programs. had taken every opportunity to label egy had failed. Yet White House country began to mobilize. the Republican plans for Medicare and The government was also running up Medicaid as radical cuts in programs jubilation was muted. Strategists there Months earlier, the Senate and, subse- against the debt ceiling. Unless Con- that benefit the middle class and the believed that the President would also quently, an uncharacteristically stubborn gress approved an increase, the country poor. Regardless of its merit, the pub- begin to suffer serious rebuke, if the President Clinton had set up road blocks would be unable to meet its obligations. lic accepted the claim, and President impasse lasted much longer. that eventually proved insurmountable Again, this was not a unique occurrence. Clinton gained the upper hand. The stage was thus set for a compro- for the finely honed House machine. By But, in the past, during the four decades mise. But first, the Speaker had to the time the spending bills needed to that the Democrats had controlled the He vetoed the Reconciliation Bill, and convince the freshmen. Otherwise he keep the government running began to House, Republicans had grown accus- to deal with default, he had Treasury would have had to rely on a bipartisan appear on the President’s desk, well into tomed to voting against such measures Secretary Robert Rubin adopt creative coalition involving moderates from both the start of the new fiscal year, polls were almost reflexively. Their nay votes were financing measures that could keep the showing that a majority of Americans had popular back home, and they were country afloat for three or four months. (continued on page 3) become wary of the pace of change pro- loathe to abandon the tradition. APS Council Elects 180 New Fellows IN THIS ISSUE The APS Council elected 180 members as ship Committee. The APS Fellowship APS Elementary Education Institute was a Blizzard of Activity ...................... 1 Fellows of the Society at its November 1995 Committee was chaired in 1995 by APS New APS Fellows ........................................................................................... 1 meeting. For the names and citations of President-Elect D. Allan Bromley (Yale Inside the Beltway .......................................................................................... 1 new APS fellows, see pages 8-11. University) and is currently chaired by Physicists To Be Honored at 1996 March Meeting .......................................... 2 APS Vice President Andrew Sessler (LBL). Book Review .................................................................................................. 3 Nominations for fellowship are re- Announcements........................................................................................ 4 & 8 ceived by the APS headquarters Fellowship nomination forms may be Opinion ........................................................................................................... 6 throughout the year, and are forwarded obtained from the January 1996 issue The Back Page ............................................................................................... 8 for review to the appropriate division, of APS NEWS, the APS Home Page or APS Meeting News .................................................................................. Insert topical group and forum fellowship by writing to the APS Fellowship Of- committees. These in turn forward their fice, One Physics Ellipse, College Park, recommendations to the APS Fellow- MD 20740-3844. 1 APS News March 1996 Physicists To Be Honored at 1996 March Meeting en APS prizes and awards will be pling in molecules, and studies of NMR of Charles Vernon Shank scientific advisor to the Goodyear Tire and Tpresented during a special ceremo- metal surfaces. Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Rubber Company. From 1949 to 1961 he nial session at the 1996 APS March was a research physicist at the British (now Citation: “For his pioneering research ac- Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, to be held 1996 FRANK ISAKSON PRIZE Malaysian) Rubber Producers’ Research As- complishments in the area of laser later this month. Citations and biographi- sociation. He received a Ph.D. in 1955 from Established in 1980 and now sponsored by development and ultrafast phenomena