Professional The Optics of Topical Group on Back Page: Physics Education 02│ Skills Seminar 03│ Augmented Reality 05│ Data Science 08│ in Texas November 2019 • Vol. 28, No. 10 aps.org/apsnews A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY HONORS OUTREACH 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics Evaluating a Decade of BY LEAH POFFENBERGER PhysicsQuest BY LEAH POFFENBERGER he Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has announced the or the past 10 years, middle winners of the 2019 Nobel T school classrooms all Prize in Physics, recognizing both theoretical and experimental F across the country have contributions to understanding had a chance to learn physics the universe. This year, the prize with hands-on demos thanks to is awarded to APS Fellow James the APS PhysicsQuest program. Peebles (Princeton University), PhysicsQuest distributes kits Michel Mayor (University of packed with experiment demos, Geneva), and Didier Queloz comic books, and a teacher’s guide (University of Geneva; University in hopes of inspiring students to of Cambridge). be more interested in physics. In New physics laureates (L-R): Didier Queloz, Michel Mayor, James Peebles Half of the prize is awarded the 2018-2019 school year alone, IMAGE: NOBEL FOUNDATION PhysicsQuest reached nearly to Peebles for his theoretical This year’s PhysicsQuest kits focus insights into physical cosmology Nobel Laureate David Gross. “Jim and measure the properties of the 184,000 students taught by more on the achievements of physicist that have impacted the trajec- is among the fathers of physical universe.” than 5,000 teachers. Chien-Shiung Wu. tory of cosmology research for cosmology that laid the foundation Peebles receives the Nobel Prize This year, APS commissioned good timing,” says James Roche, the past 50 years and form the for the now remarkably successful for his decoding of the cosmic an evaluation report of the Outreach Programs Manager basis of the current ideas about standard theory of the structure microwave background, left behind PhysicsQuest program to assess its at APS. “We were interested in the universe. The other half of the and history of the universe. His by the Big Bang, which provides impact and usefulness to teachers. figuring out exactly how teachers prize is awarded jointly to Mayor many contributions developed insight into the infancy of the And the results are clear: Teachers used the kits in their classrooms and Queloz for the first discovery the observational consequences universe. He laid the theoretical enjoy using PhysicsQuest kits and in order to tailor our work toward of an exoplanet orbiting a solar- of Big Bang theory, calculated the framework, beginning in the believe they positively impact their their goals.” type star in the Milky Way in 1995. distribution of elements in the mid-1960s, that led to our current students. A sampling of PhysicsQuest “APS and I are delighted that our universe, and developed the tools understanding of the shape of the “I think it’s a good idea to users (376 teachers and 351 colleague James Peebles has been that enabled the observation of the universe and its curious makeup evaluate successful programs awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in cosmic microwave background once in a while, and 10 years Physics,” said APS President and radiation to test Big Bang theory NOBEL PHYSICS CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 in to PhysicsQuest seemed like PHYSICSQUEST CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 EDUCATION HONORS Students and Mentors in the National Mentoring 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Community BY LEAH POFFENBERGER BY LEAH POFFENBERGER wo APS members are among during the 1970s oil crisis in a bid the recipients of 2019 Nobel to create energy technology free ursing a bachelor’s degree in Prize in Chemistry. The from fossil fuels. He discovered physics should be a possi- T Prize is awarded to APS Fellow John that titanium disulphide made P bility for all college students, B. Goodenough (The University of an ideal cathode for a lithium but some groups of students feel Texas, Austin), APS Life Member battery. Coupled with the metallic more welcome in other fields. M. Stanley Whittingham (The lithium anode, his work resulted According to research conducted State University of New York at in a powerful—although reactive by APS, underrepresented ethnic Binghamton), and Akira Yoshino and potentially explosive—battery. and racial minorities in physics— (Asahi Kasei Corporation; Meijo Goodenough, a solid-state which includes African Americans, University) for development of physicist, also wanted to contribute Hispanic Americans, American lithium-ion batteries. to the development of alterna- Indian/Alaska Natives, and Native Goodenough, Whittingham, and tive energy storage systems in the Hawaiians—are awarded less than Yoshino will share the prize equally 1970s. Building on Whittingham’s 14 percent of physics bachelor’s for their separate breakthroughs initial design, Goodenough rec- degrees despite making up nearly that contributed to the creation ognized that a metal oxide could a quarter of all bachelor’s degrees of the rechargeable batteries that replace titanium disulphide for awarded. Mentor Rohana Wijewardhana (L) worked with Madelyn Leembruggen (R) at power much of today’s technology. more powerful, and more stable, In order to improve this situ- the University of Cincinnati as part of the APS National Mentoring Community. Lithium-ion batteries also play an batteries. He discovered that cobalt ation, APS created the National important role in the viability of dioxide was the ideal cathode Mentoring Community (NMC) to or pursue something entirely dif- know,” said Leembruggen. “At this renewable energy use, providing resulting in lighter-weight, high- match students with local physics ferent. She had begun training in point I had also convinced myself storage for solar and wind power, capacity batteries. mentors. One of these mentor- astrophysics, but quickly came to I did not have the drive or skills to and powering long-range electric Yoshino made the final break- mentee pairs from the University of the realization that it wasn’t her make it through graduate school cars. As such, the technology is through that resulted in the first Cincinnati, Rohana Wijewardhana passion and began to consider and began to plan for a career path poised to play an increasing role commercially viable lithium-ion and then-undergraduate student another path. which seemed, to me, easier.” in mitigating the effects of energy battery in 1985. He replaced the Madelyn Leembruggen, shared “I thought maybe I would enjoy Fortunately, Richard Grass, use on climate change. reactive lithium anode with a their experiences in a testimonial theoretical physics, but I could not the undergraduate director of the Whittingham began developing following an NMC conference. name a single theoretical physi- University of Cincinnati Physics the modern lithium-ion battery CHEMISTRY CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 Before joining the NMC, cist who was a woman or from an Department, pointed Leembruggen Leembruggen had found herself underrepresented background, and in the direction of the NMC, where at a crossroads: follow a life-long I couldn’t see myself fitting in with Wijewardhana was in search of a goal of doing scientific research the theorists whose names I did mentee. Wijewardhana had newly joined the NMC after attending the 2015 APS Bridge and NMC Conference and, up until then, had never supervised undergraduate physics students. “If it were not for my member- ship in the APS NMC, I would not have started supervising under- graduate research. I had attended Chemistry laureates (L-R): John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham, NMC CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 Akira Yoshino Revised 10/29/19 2 • November 2019 EDUCATION Communication and Negotiation THIS MONTH IN Skills Seminar for Women Physics History ith support from APS members can become the National Science pioneers in breaking barriers. Make W Foundation, APS has sure that underrepresented groups trained women in physics to in science are no longer living in the host professional skills seminars shadows while fulfilling the broader November 11, 1572: Tycho Brahe Spots a for students and postdocs at impact requirements of funding APS-sponsored meetings and agencies by participating in the Wiki Supernova at universities and institutions. Scientist courses. Wikipedia experts Professional Skills Development will provide structured training istorical records of supernovae stretch as Seminars are highly interactive and guidance as participants add far back as 185 CE, but one of the most workshops where participants will marginalized populations in physics H significant cosmic explosions in terms of learn and practice communication to Wikipedia. Wiki Education will advancing astronomical knowledge occurred in and negotiation skills. For more facilitate collaborative work among November 1572. Among those who observed the information, please visit go.aps. participants, immersing them in event was Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe—the org/2oF3InD. the world behind Wikipedia. last famed astronomer to make observations Wiki Scientist Course Will Be Apply for a scholarship to take of the night sky without the aid of a telescope. Available Soon the course at no cost and become Brahe was born into the nobility at his family’s Give a voice to the voiceless and a leader in engaging members of ancestral seat of Knutstrop Castle in December impact your field by becoming a the physics community to edit 1546. When he was only two, Brahe went to Wiki Scientist. Wikipedia gets 500 Wikipedia. Or, if your institution live with his childless uncle, Jorgen Thygesen million views a month, but less or grant can support you to enhance Brahe—the only one of 12 siblings sent away than 18% of the biographies on your skills for public outreach, a for his upbringing, although Brahe later noted the site belong to women. This payment of $750 can be made to that his aunt and uncle treated him as a son, and statistic came to light when Donna guarantee a spot on a first-come, Jorgen ultimately made him his heir.