The Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Who Predicted CUWiP APS Summer Back Page: Building a 02│ Neptune? 03│ Goes Virtual 03│ Webinar Success 08│ Quantum Internet September 2020 • Vol. 29, No. 8 aps.org/apsnews A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY GOVERNANCE DIVERSITY Jonathan Bagger Selected as Next APS CEO The APS-IDEA Network Gathers BY DAVID VOSS Nearly 100 Inaugural Members heoretical physicist Jonathan managed TRIUMF through years BY LEAH POFFENBERGER Bagger, Director of the of transition and growth, and has T TRIUMF laboratory in had great success in positioning embers of the physics Vancouver, British Columbia, has the laboratory for a bright and community have been been selected to succeed Kate Kirby vibrant future.” M mobilizing to promote as APS CEO in 2021. His appoint- “I am delighted and excited that equity, diversity, and inclusion ment was unanimously approved Jonathan Bagger has accepted our within their individual institutions. Bringing these groups into a larger by the APS Board of Directors in invitation to be the next CEO of the network to share their experiences June, following a recommendation APS,” added APS Past President and expertise can expedite systemic from the CEO Search Committee. David Gross, who chaired the CEO change for the physics community at Kirby will retire from the top staff Search Committee. “Jon’s extensive large. The APS Inclusion, Diversity, position at the end of this year. experience in scientific manage- and Equity Alliance (APS-IDEA) is “I am deeply honored to have ment and his deep commitment creating such a network made up of been selected as the next CEO of to the APS and to its mission will teams from a wide variety of insti- APS,” said Bagger. “This is a critical serve the society well in these Jonathan Bagger “The ultimate vision for tutions, all committed to creating a moment for physics. I look forward tumultuous times.” APS-IDEA that we’re heading for social movement to transform the The members of the CEO particle accelerator lab has a staff in say, 10 or 20 years, is to trans- to working with the Board and culture of physics. of more than 500 and, before the form the culture of physics to be Council to ensure that APS faith- Search Committee were: 2019 APS APS-IDEA is a new initiative, pandemic, served 1,200 users from more equitable and inclusive, and fully represents the interests of its President David Gross (chair), 2020 supported by the APS Innovation over 40 countries each year. In with a diversity that better reflects members while continuing to build Speaker of the Council Andrea Liu, Fund (IF), with a mission of addition to being an APS Fellow, the nation,” says Monica Plisch, a broad and inclusive community to 2011 APS President Barry Barish, empowering physics departments, Director of Programs at APS and a address the world’s most pressing 2015-2016 APS Committee on Bagger has had a long relationship laboratories, and other organiza- member of the APS-IDEA Steering challenges.” Minorities Chair Nadya Mason, with the Society, serving on the tions to achieve cultural change. Committee. “Essentially we’re APS President Philip Bucksbaum 2016-2018 APS Board Member Nick editorial board of Physical Review Two online workshops on June seeking to establish a community highlighted Bagger’s stewardship Bigelow, 2020 APS President Phil Letters and as an Associate Editor 12 and July 30 brought the newly of transformation.” of TRIUMF over the past six years. Bucksbaum, and 2018 Speaker of for Physical Review D, on the APS formed network together to begin APS-IDEA was launched in “Jon Bagger is a distinguished the Council Tim Gay. a collaborative effort to make the physicist and an exceptional Bagger has been Director of physics community welcoming leader,” said Bucksbaum. “He has TRIUMF since 2014. The Canadian NEW APS CEO CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 to all. APS-IDEA CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 BOARD STATEMENTS DIVERSITY APS Board Approves New Physics Departments Ditch the GRE in Bid for Equity Statements on Racism, New BY DANIEL GARISTO START Treaty, and Nuclear Testing hysics and astronomy departments at US and BY DAVID VOSS P Canadian universi- ties are dropping the general t its virtual meeting near the long decrease in the percentage of Graduate Record Examination end of July, the APS Board physics bachelor degrees awarded (GRE) and physics GRE (PGRE) of Directors approved three to Black students and refers to the A requirement in droves. Since new Board Statements. The state- recent TEAM-UP report from the March, over two dozen depart- ments call for an end to systemic American Institute of Physics on ments have abandoned the tests, racism in physics, support exten- steps needed to reverse the trend. according to James Guillochon, sion of the New Strategic Arms The Board Statement on New an astrophysicist formerly at the Reduction Treaty (New START), and START calls on the United States Harvard-Smithsonian Center for reaffirm a 2018 APS statement that and the Russian Federation to sign Astrophysics (CfA) who maintains nuclear testing is not required to a five-year extension, explaining a public list of GRE requirements. ensure reliability of the US nuclear that “Without this extension, the A 2019 survey by Science Magazine weapons stockpile.All APS Board treaty will expire on February 5, found that physics programs were Statements can be viewed at aps. 2021, leaving the United States and among the slowest to drop the org/policy/statements/executive. Russia without any nuclear arms GRE. Now, more than half of the cfm. limitations treaty or agreement in programs on Guillochon’s list The APS Board Statement on place for the first time in nearly have permanently done away with Racism begins: “The current fifty years.” the GRE requirement, and a full outrage over the killing of George According to the Statement, two-thirds no longer require it for away from the GREs is primarily bearing on graduate school success Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others “The US military and intelligence the 2020–2021 admissions cycle. driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, and when universities require it, has awakened the conviction that communities have publicly stated Physics departments have issued it coincides with Black Lives they end up with a less diverse without sustained effective action, these weapons limits and verifica- statements that “acknowledge Matter protests and threats to applicant pool. Evidence for both systemic racism in America will tion provisions are of great value the significant disruption” from legal immigration from the Trump claims has been bolstered by continue to impede full Black because they provide predictability the COVID-19 pandemic and the administration. Physics remains studies in recent years. participation in many walks of and transparency with regard to difficulties associated with taking one of the least diverse STEM “One of the most commonly American life, including the field the GRE at this time. fields—with only 20 percent of reported things is, ‘Hey, I took the of physics.” “I think that this pandemic has PhDs awarded to women and 5 GRE and I bombed it’,” says Ted The text notes the decades- STATEMENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 exposed for people in a new way percent awarded to underrepre- Hodapp, APS Director of Project the levels of inequity throughout sented minorities in 2019—and Development and a former director our society,” says Alexander there has been growing pushback of the APS Bridge program, which Rudolph, a physicist at California against the GREs for years. aims to increase the number of State Polytechnic Institute who “We’ll see what happens once PhDs awarded to underrepresented directs the CalBridge program. COVID is over, whether or not minorities in physics. In 2019, “It seems to have incited a real [departments] decide to continue Hodapp was coauthor on a study examination of the way culture to do admissions more inclusively,” which found the physics GRE did and systems and societal inequities says LaNell Williams, a PhD can- not predict PhD completion. play themselves out ... in particular didate at Harvard. “[We found] that the PGRE tends in graduate admissions.” Advocates for dropping these Although the recent move tests claim that the GRE has no GRE CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 2 • September 2020 Education and Diversity News 2020-2021 STEP UP Ambassadors The STEP UP project, which mobilizes teachers to inspire young women to pursue physics in college, held its 2020 Summit— virtually! And now our 80 STEP UP Ambassadors are trained and ready September 23, 1846: Neptune’s Existence to run workshops on the STEP UP Lessons for teachers in your area— STEP Observationally Confirmed check out the map on the homepage P HYSICS T O G E T HER (stepupphysics.org) and get in touch UP with us at [email protected] hen Isaac Newton formulated his teachers in Latin America are to learn more about working with laws of motion and universal law of lacking interesting classroom one of these amazing educators. gravitation in the 17th century, he material that can be taught online. W could not have foreseen that his work would one Physics and Astronomy “New” The Perimeter Institute (Waterloo, day lead to the discovery of a new planet in the Faculty Workshop, Oct. 15–17, Canada) has developed 15 volumes solar system: Neptune. Credit for predicting its 2020 of material on modern physics for position in the night sky is historically given Register now for the virtual 2020 high-school students, which is to the French astronomer and mathematician Physics and Astronomy “New” available online in English, French, Urbain Le Verrier, but Le Verrier had a British Faculty Workshop, October 15-17 and Portuguese.