BPA NEWS Board on Physics and Astronomy • National Research Council • Washington, DC • 202-334-3520 • [email protected] • June 1999
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BPA NEWS Board on Physics and Astronomy • National Research Council • Washington, DC • 202-334-3520 • [email protected] • June 1999 scientists, and educators must address Materials in a New Era—1999 Solid State several issues: (1) Our science policy is Sciences Committee Forum Summary outdated. (2) The American public does not understand science and its practice. by Thomas P. Russell, Chair, Solid State Sciences Committee (3) Scientists are politically clueless. It is The 1999 Solid State Sciences Com- tists must operate, and the changing roles evident that our nation needs to improve mittee Forum, entitled “Materials in a of government laboratories, industry, and its science, mathematics, engineering, and New Era,” was held at the National academic institutions in promoting technology education; to develop a new Academy of Sciences in Washington, materials science. concise, coherent, and comprehensive D.C., on February 16-17, 1999. This science policy; and to make its scientists article is a summary of the discussions. A Unlocking Our Future socially responsible and politically aware. more detailed account of the forum Laura Rodriguez, a staff member in The report makes four major recommen- appears in Materials in a New Era: Pro- the office of Representative Vernon dations: ceedings of the 1999 Solid State Sciences Ehlers (R-MI), set the stage from a na- 1. Continue to push the boundaries of the Committee Forum, soon to be available tional perspective with the keynote pre- scientific frontier by supporting interdis- from the Board on Physics and As- sentation on the recently issued study ciplinary research, maintaining a bal- tronomy. The agenda for the forum Unlocking Our Future: Toward a New anced research portfolio, and funding appears on Page 5 of this newsletter. National Science Policy. This report, the more innovative “risk-taking” projects. The forum was designed to launch the result of a House of Representatives study 2. Support private research efforts, an decadal report Condensed-Matter and headed by Rep. Ehlers, was aimed at essential component of a healthy U.S. Materials Physics: Basic Research for developing a national science policy R&D portfolio, by encouraging young, Tomorrow’s Technology. This report, part appropriate for the 21st century. The start-up companies, making the R&D tax of the series Physics in a New Era, reviews study finds that the federal government, See “1999 SSSC Forum” on Page 2 some of the outstanding accomplish- ments in materials research over the last decade and indicates some of the emerg- BPA Meets in Washington ing areas where there is true excitement in The BPA held its Spring meeting in The open sessions began with discus- the field from the perspective of basic Washington, D.C., on April 26. Board sion of various subjects related to as- science potential and in terms of societal Chair Robert C. Dynes, chancellor of the tronomy. In the afternoon, several guests impact. University of California at San Diego, spoke on topics ranging from NASA’s The first day of the forum focused on opened the meeting with the announce- perspective on astronomy issues to the the national political environment sur- ment that the membership of the Board latest developments in algorithms for rounding materials science, the funding will rotate on July 1. New members of the image compression using wavelets. On constraints under which materials scien- Board include Anneila Sargent of Caltech, the next day, selected projects being Peter Wolynes of the University of Illi- carried out under the auspices of the BPA nois, William Bialek of NEC Princeton were reviewed. Laboratory, Cherry Murray of Lucent In this issue: Technologies, and Gordon Baym of the Astronomy Topics University of Illinois. Anthony Tyson of John Huchra, co-chair of the Commit- Lucent Technologies was reappointed. tee on Astronomy and Astrophysics, • Materials in a New Era—1999 The first BPA meeting that new members reported that the committee is planning Solid State Sciences Committee will attend will be the Fall meeting, which to send a letter report to the NSF As- will take place at the Academies’ Beckman tronomy Division following up the Forum Summary. Page 1 Center on November 6-7, 1999. McCray report on ground-based optical • BPA Meets in Washington. In closed session, Dynes discussed a and infrared astronomy. The letter Page 1. review of the Board’s program by its addresses the continuing need for an parent Commission on Physical Sciences, effective program to facilitate construc- • The Fractional Quantum Hall Mathematics, and Applications. CPSMA tion of instrumentation for the new Effect. Page 3 member Jerry Gollub outlined the results generation of optical telescopes now in of the review; CPSMA member Daniel operation. The CAA is also completing a Kleppner participated in the discussion. See “BPA Meeting” on Page 10 2 BPA News • June 1999 1999 SSSC Forum (cont.) reconstruct the image from the raw data. CAT scans would not exist today if any of Board on credit permanent, streamlining regula- these were missing. Physics and Astronomy tions, and pursuing and developing National Institutes of Health effective partnerships. Robert C. Dynes, Chair 3. Increase efforts in education at all Marvin Cassman, director, National University of California, San Diego levels—including preschool to graduate Institute of General Medical Sciences, further developed the theme of interde- Robert C. Richardson, Vice Chair school, research on curricula and educa- Cornell University tion, addressing issues of teacher training, pendence by discussing the multidisci- recruitment, and retention, providing for plinary nature of research at major facili- Steven Chu ties such as synchrotrons and neutron Stanford University a more diversified graduate experience, and increasing public outreach. sources. In the United States, most such Val Fitch facilities are funded by agencies with Princeton University 4. Strengthen the relationship between science and the society that supports it major responsibilities for condensed- Ivar Giaever through improved communication matter and materials research. Biological Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute among scientists, journalists, and the research, however, is finding an increas- ing need for these facilities and now Richard D. Hazeltine public and by engaging the scientific University of Texas at Austin community in helping society make good accounts for a significant fraction of all decisions. work being carried out at these national John Huchra sources. Appropriate cooperation among Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Session I: Materials and the these communities and the agencies that John C. Mather Federal Role fund them will be essential to the contin- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center ued viability of these important and The interdependence of different extremely costly facilities. An inter- R. G. Hamish Robertson fields of research was emphasized by a University of Washington agency working group has been formed number of representatives of federal under the auspices of OSTP to facilitate Joseph H. Taylor, Jr. agencies. Princeton University such cooperation. Office of Science and Technology Department of Energy Kathleen C. Taylor Policy General Motors R&D Center Martha Krebs, director of the De- Arthur Bienenstock, associate direc- J. Anthony Tyson partment of Energy Office of Science, Lucent Technologies tor for science in the Office of Science and presented the DOE perspective. The Technology Policy, emphasized the FY00 budget request for the Office of George M. Whitesides Clinton administration’s unequivocal Harvard University Science is $189M greater than the FY99 commitment to maintaining leadership budget. This increase is largely for con- NRC Staff across the frontiers of scientific knowl- struction of the Spallation Neutron edge. Technology and the underlying Source and for the Scientific Simulation Dr. Donald C. Shapero, Director science in many fields are responsible for Dr. Robert L. Riemer, Associate Director Initiative (SSI), an interagency initiative Dr. Kevin Aylesworth, Program Officer more than 50% of the increases in pro- that will bring teraflop-scale computing Dr. Joel Parriott, Program Officer ductivity that we have enjoyed over the to bear on a number of problems, includ- Ms. Grace Wang, Project Associate last 50 years. The various branches of ing global systems, combustion, and basic Mr. Michael Lu, Project Assistant science are truly interdependent — science (which may include materials). progress in one field depends on advances Ms. Susan Maurizi, Editor Krebs identified a number of future in many other areas. As an example, directions and opportunities in materials Bienenstock pointed to CAT scans, one of research, including neutron scattering, the mainstays of medical diagnostics, complex materials at high magnetic fields, The Board on Physics and Astronomy is a asking why it took so long after the dis- sp2 bonded materials, granular materials, continuing interdisciplinary body with expertise covery of x-rays for the technology to complex materials, and high-temperature spanning the various subfields of physics, develop. Progress in many fields was astronomy, and astrophysics. It serves as a focal superconductors and other vortex matter. point in the National Research Council for issues needed to make the technology a reality connected with these fields. The activities of the — solid state physics and engineering to Department of Defense Board are supported by funds from the National