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APS News June 2020 Vol. 29, No, 6

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APS News June 2020 Vol. 29, No, 6 The Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics History of the APS and Brazilian APS Office of Government Affairs How Undergrads 02│ Cavendish Laboratory 03│ Physical Society Connect 04│ Uses New Advocacy Software 08│ Can Stay Motivated June 2020 • Vol. 29, No. 6 aps.org/apsnews A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS MEMBERSHIP UNITS APS President Sends Letter to House Science The APS Forum on Education Committee Regarding COVID-19 Policy Initiatives BY ABIGAIL DOVE BY TAWANDA W. JOHNSON he Forum on Education (FEd) is a home for APS s part of the American Bucksbaum said that APS talked T members interested in all Physical Society’s ongoing with researchers from a range of dimensions of physics education— A response to the COVID-19 institutions to assess their needs. from physics pedagogy at the K-12, pandemic, APS President Phil And based on that feedback and undergraduate, and graduate levels Bucksbaum recently sent a letter conversations among Society to the mentoring of early career to the House Science Committee leadership, in his letter he asked scientists to expanding appreci- outlining policy initiatives that Congress to take the following ation of physics in other scientific would help the physics community steps to help restore research after disciplines. overcome challenges posed by the labs reopen: Formed in 1992, FEd helps health crisis. • Provide partial- and full-grant members gain awareness of the The COVID-19 pandemic has cost extensions; many ways APS is involved in edu- Catherine Crouch impacted APS members in myriad • Provide ramp-up funding to cation. Additionally, three of FEd’s ways, including a severe reduction restart labs; four chair-line members (chair, “Our immediate concern was to offers mentorship and transition of research activity at many of the • Increase REU funding for chair-elect, and past chair) sit on ensure that our graduate students, programs to increase the number of nation’s laboratories and univer- summer 2021; the APS Committee on Education. post docs, and visiting researchers students from under-represented sities. And at the same time, APS • Prioritize students in visa Some of the many educational continue to be financially sup- minorities who pursue physics members are also juggling addi- processing; and initiatives within APS include ported from their grants during PhDs. More information about the tional responsibilities, including • Enhance domestic STEM PhysTEC (phystec.org), a project the crisis. Working with the APS full range of APS programs can taking care of their children who scholarships. to improve and promote the edu- Forum on Graduate Student Affairs be found here: aps.org/programs/ are out of school or relatives who Prior to sending the letter to cation of physics teachers, STEP (FGSA), we issued an advocacy education. may need extra help. the House Committee, Bucksbaum UP (engage.aps.org/stepup/), a alert, and hundreds of letters were Of particular note is the “I want APS members to know said that APS addressed concerns high-school level program that sent urging science agencies to Effective Practices for Physics that the Society is working hard from graduate students, post docs, encourages high school girls to respond. We quickly received con- Programs (EP3) Project (aps.org/ to help get our physics commu- and visiting scientists who are also pursue physics in their undergrad- nity through and beyond this grappling with negative impacts uate years, and the Bridge Program pandemic,” said Bucksbaum. from the pandemic. LETTER CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 (apsbridgeprogram.org), which FED CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 VIRTUAL APRIL MEETING VIRTUAL APRIL MEETING Physicists Mobilize to Combat Exploring the Cosmos with Nobel Laureates Coronavirus BY LEAH POFFENBERGER BY LEAH POFFENBERGER espite a sudden shift from in-person to online, this s scientists around the world D year’s April Meeting, which are using their expertise to took place from April 18 to 21, A combat COVID-19, physi- attracted thousands of attendees cists are no exception. A special and featured an exciting slate session at the 2020 April Meeting of speakers. In years past, the highlighted some of the ways the Kavli Foundation Keynote Plenary physics community is responding Session has kicked off the first to needs generated by the global day of the meeting with talks coronavirus pandemic. from high-profile physicists, and Eric Cornell Michel Mayor Sponsored by the APS Forum on this year was no exception: the Physics and Society, the session keynote session featured three included speakers discussing Nobel Laureates who have made three areas where physicists extraordinary contributions to are already making a difference. our understanding of the cosmos. Reiner Kruecken, deputy director at 2019 Nobel Laureates James TRIUMF (Canada’s national particle The Mechanical Ventilator Milano project seeks to make low-cost Peebles and Michel Mayor were accelerator laboratory), spoke on reliable ventilators for COVID-19 joined by 2001 Laureate Eric Cornell behalf of the Mechanical Ventilator patients. IMAGE: MVM for the Saturday morning session Milano (MVM) project, a large col- themed “Exploring the Cosmos.” Thais, a post-doc at Princeton laboration focusing on producing Didier Queloz, who shared the James Peebles Didier Queloz University, explored big data and low-cost and reliable ventilators Nobel Prize in Physics in 2019 with machine learning projects aimed at to meet a global shortage. Stephen Peebles and Mayor but was unable (CMB) in 1964, and the proposal ences between the distribution of mitigating effects of the pandemic Streiffer, Deputy Laboratory to attend the Saturday session, also of a theory of cold dark matter, a radiation and matter clumping in that physicists can get involved in, Director for Science (Interim) at spoke at the April Meeting during main focus of his talk. the early universe: cold dark matter. even from home. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) Tuesday’s plenary. Peebles recalled being urged by Two years later, he would add the discussed the ways in which DOE International Collaboration As a pioneer of theoretical his advisor Robert Dicke, another cosmological constant lambda (Λ) labs are lending their expertise Fights a Ventilator Shortage cosmology, Peebles, the Albert accomplished cosmologist, to to the theory to describe universe and infrastructure to projects such The MVM project (arxiv.org/ Einstein Professor Emeritus of pursue the question of a theory expansion due to dark energy, as modeling COVID-19 spread, abs/2003.10405) was born out of Science at Princeton University, of microwave radiation in the uni- creating the ΛCDM model. The imaging the virus in search of drug made early contributions that verse—a project he expected to simplicity of Peebles’ model led to discovery, and more. Savannah MOBILIZE CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 have influenced many aspects last a short time before moving on its popularity: “The CDM concept of cosmology research. In his to a new project. This led to their was much more popular than I ever talk “Exploring the Universe,” 1964 prediction of CMB radiation, thought sensible—after all, it had Peebles recounted the development a remnant from the early stages not taken me much time to put of theories and advances within of the universe, which was soon together the pieces,” he recalled. the field of physical cosmology, detected by Arno Penzias and The simplicity of the ΛCDM which seeks to explain the large- Richard Wilson, proving Peebles’ model in accounting for a number scale dynamics and origin of the and Dicke’s predictions. of properties in cosmology, like universe. Among his contributions In 1982, Peebles proposed the the structure of the CMB and the to the field are the prediction of existence of a new component of the cosmic microwave background matter that would explain differ- COSMOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 2 • June 2020 EDUCATION AND DIVERSITY NEWS Physics Department Chairs THIS MONTH IN Conference Goes Online Save the Date Physics History The free virtual APS/AAPT Physics Department Chairs Conference will take place June 18-19, 2020. Registration and June 16, 1874: Opening of the Cavendish further information are avail- rently under development, able at aapt.org/Conferences and set for initial release in Laboratory /depchairsprogram.cfm. December 2020. Possible topics The conference agenda will include: Recruitment/reten- he world-famous Cavendish Laboratory include: tion of students, guide for at the University of Cambridge has been • A town hall with NSF Directors new chairs, program review, T home to scores of renowned scientists and from the Division of Physics advising and mentoring of profound breakthroughs, garnering 30 Nobel Prizes and the Division of Materials students, and career preparation over the course of its history. Officially opened on Research • Session for new chairs (expe- June 16, 1874, the lab’s moniker honors the 18th century physicist and chemist Henry Cavendish. • “Restarting the research rienced chairs are encouraged Born in October 1731 to great wealth and status, enterprise” with APS Chief to attend and share strategies) Henry Cavendish had a noble lineage that traced Government Affairs Officer STEP UP Online Community back to the Norman era. His father was Lord Charles Francis Slakey STEP UP has launched an Cavendish, and his mother, Lady Anne de Grey, • Discussions about expe- online community (hosted on APS died when he was just two years old. Young Henry riences of these past few Engage)—sign up at my.aps.org/ attended a private school just outside of London, months on topics including: STEPUP. You can join using existing and studied at St. Peter’s College, University of labs, assessing student work, APS credentials, or sign up for a free Cambridge, although he left the school after assessing faculty in an online account. We have subcommunities three years, having never earned a formal degree. environment, synchronous for High School Teachers, Faculty/ Instead, he joined his father in London, and set vs.
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