APS Launches a New Chapters Pilot Program 2020 Nobel Prize In
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Profile: "Shape Up" Back Page: History of Physics 02│ Jami Valentine Miller 03│ Your Career 05│ Robophysics 08│ Essay Winner November 2020 • Vol. 29, No. 10 aps.org/apsnews A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY HONORS COVID-19 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics New Research Resource Group BY LEAH POFFENBERGER Brings Physics Expertise to the he Royal Swedish Academy Coronavirus Pandemic of Sciences has announced BY LEAH POFFENBERGER T the recipients of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics, which ince the onset of the that physicists are contributing has been awarded for discoveries COVID-19 pandemic, to COVID—a lot of people don’t about black holes, which are among researchers around the know that physics is playing an the most exotic phenomena in S world have been racing to better important role,” says Robert Jeraj, the universe. This year’s prize understand the novel virus. Among Past Chair of GMED and chair of is awarded to Roger Penrose them have been physicists, applying the CRRG organizing committee. (University of Oxford), Reinhard expertise in areas from modeling “CRRG [promotes] physics research Genzel (Max Planck Institute Roger Penrose Reinhard Genzel Andrea Ghez of spread of the virus, to the fluid towards a broader community…A for Extraterrestrial Physics, and IMAGE: OXFORD UNIV. IMAGE: MPG IMAGE: UCLA dynamics of transmission, applying lot of physicists work behind the University of California, Berkeley), AI to detect the disease in medical scenes, so we want to show the and Andrea Ghez (University of their discoveries were ground- Roger Penrose’s work that there images, to the development of importance of physics in addressing California, Los Angeles). Genzel and breaking, proving black holes can could be a black hole at the galactic ventilators and other technologies. medical problems.” Ghez are both APS Fellows. Ghez is exist within the framework of center. This work has made pio- In order to bring the physicists At the onset of the coronavirus also the fourth woman to receive Einstein’s theory of relativity and neering use of adaptive optics on researching COVID-19 together pandemic, the GMED executive the Nobel Prize in Physics, joining that one does exist at the center the Keck telescope, and it has led with medical professionals and committee recognized an oppor- Marie Curie, Maria Goeppert- of the Milky Way. to the understanding that super- epidemiologists, the APS Topical tunity to consolidate the efforts of Mayer, and Donna Strickland. “This is very exciting news,” massive black holes inhabit the Group on Medical Physics (GMED) members in different APS Units One half of the Nobel Prize in said APS President Phil Bucksbaum. centers of many galaxies. I’m also and several other APS units have conducting research to address Physics is awarded to Penrose “for “Andrea Ghez and Reinhard Genzel pleased to see the Swedish academy launched the COVID Research and COVID. The committee submitted a the discovery that black hole for- lead competing experimental recognize a fourth woman Nobel Resources Group (CRRG). The CRRG proposal to APS Leadership calling mation is a robust prediction of groups that have been tracking Laureate.” will facilitate communication, for the creation of CRRG. “This the general theory of relativity.” the motion of stars near the center sharing of resources, and other The Nobel Committee cited was a new problem for everyone, The other half is awarded jointly to of the Milky Way for more than activities to mobilize physicists to papers published in APS journals and there was no real home for it Genzel and Ghez “for the discovery twenty years, making precision help combat an ongoing medical of a supermassive compact object at tests of General Relativity and emergency. the center of our galaxy.” Together, particularly predictions based on PHYSICS NOBEL CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 “There is no shortage of science EXPERTISE CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 EARLY CAREER MEETINGS APS Launches a New Chapters APS to Consider Police Conduct in Choice of Meeting Pilot Program Locations BY LEAH POFFENBERGER BY DAVID VOSS o serve its diverse mem- PS has updated its criteria conduct every APS meeting in a safe bership, APS provides a for the selection of future environment for our attendees; this T variety of units, divisions, A venues for its scientific is a natural part of our site selection and forums that gather individuals meetings. Cities in which APS process. These new criteria are a into communities with common meetings might be held will be way of broadening the issues to goals or research interests. And asked to report demographic be considered.” now, APS is launching a new way statistics on police use of force, On behalf of the committee, for members to connect with each policies on strangleholds and other Gardner informed the APS Council other within their own institutions restraint methods, and the status about the new criteria in a letter, with the advent of the APS Chapters of independent investigations distilled from the Phillips and program. into instances of deaths while in Weissman proposal: APS Chapters will be small custody, among other issues. The Committee on Scientific groups, localized within inter- According to Susan Gardner Meetings has added the following ested universities and national Farah Dawood (University of Kentucky), chair of items to consider as part of the future labs, targeted specifically towards the APS Committee on Scientific site selection criteria for APS Scientific graduate students, post-docs, and Meetings, the change was primarily Meetings. Each city under future con- early-career scientists with the their needs, and the goal of in response to a proposal to the sideration should: Chapters is helping those indi- Committee by Philip Phillips and goal of supporting them in their • Have openly available statistics on viduals find some kind of home at Michael Weissman (both at the current roles and as future leaders. police-initiated contacts and use their institution that has support University of Illinois at Urbana- Denver is one of the cities that has A pilot program launched in October of force that include demographic is paving the way for future APS from the APS.” Champaign)—a proposal based on responded well to the additional information. criteria APS will use in choosing Chapters to start up next year. Each Chapter will have a letters they had published in Science • Have an independent investigative meeting venues. “One of the things the APS is chance to build its own unique (June 19, 2020) and Physics Today body to respond to serious inci- interested in is serving early career communities, with the ability to (July 2020). The committee also dents, including deaths in custody folks and connecting with them communicate directly with APS considered other factors, including vene and/or to render medical aid and officer-involved shootings. to find out how APS can support about their needs and interests. discussions at a recent APS webinar if other officers are using excessive them,” says Farah Dawood, APS If a particular Chapter expresses “From Passion to Action” hosted • Have a policy in place that forbids force. Chapters Program Manager. “We by APS President-Elect S. James the use of carotid holds, strangle- • Have performance evaluations/ have many programs to address CHAPTERS CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 Gates, Jr. holds, or generally, maneuvers by measures that include more "We deliberated at length over police officers that cut off blood criteria than just enforcement the proposal and other input during or oxygen. statistics (arrests, summonses, our recent committee meeting,” • Have all police officers trained stops). The criteria should include said Gardner. “I would summarize in de-escalation methods, such officer-involved fatalities or by saying that we became aware as PERF’s ICAT (Integrating shootings of unarmed persons. that members of our community Communications, Assessment, are vulnerable in ways we had never • Have a well-defined plan and and Tactics) training. imagined, and we resolved to act. timetable for improving local We voted unanimously to recom- • Have a policy in place where each policing practices. mend these changes. We want to police officer has the duty to inter- LOCATIONS CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 2 • November 2020 PROFILE Jami Valentine Miller Inspires the Next Generation BY JUSTUS HAWKINS r. Jami Valentine Miller’s journey to becoming the November 28, 1680: Death of Athanasius Kircher D first Black woman to graduate with a PhD in physics from Johns Hopkins University is he 17th century Jesuit priest and polymath a story that will surely inspire the Athanasius Kircher was a contemporary next generation of Black physicists. T of such scientific luminaries as Isaac She was born in Philadelphia Newton, Robert Boyle, Gottfried von Leibniz, and to a family that valued hard work Rene Descartes, and enjoyed considerable public and education, and her family was recognition for his scientific investigations—at always near. As early as elementary least until his later years. His prolific writings school, Valentine Miller was iden- cover topics ranging from geology, magnetism, tified as gifted and talented. She and mathematics to astronomy, optics, acoustics, went on to attend a middle school and Egyptian hieroglyphics. Although he has for gifted and talented students been called the “last Renaissance man,” and the that would give her access to a Jami Valentine Miller “master of a hundred arts,” he never achieved new world. “While I was there I the same long-lasting scientific legacy as his got into a program called PRIME,” contemporaries. she recalled. Off to university The youngest of nine children, Kircher was PRIME is an acronym for When it came time to choose born in 1601 or 1602 (even he was unsure) near Philadelphia Regional Introduction a college to attend, Florida what is now Hesse, Germany.