A P S N E W S JULY 1997 THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY VOLUME 6, NO 7 APS NewsTry the enhanced APS News-online: [http://www.aps.org/apsnews]

Highlights from Washington, DC Atom Laser, CEBAF Results Mark 1997 Spring Meeting pproximately 1,500 physicists out as tiny quantum disruptions or fluc- the recipients appeared in the April machine is on. Although these atoms Aassembled in Washington, DC, for tuations) that would later grow into the 1997 issue of APS News. (like those produced at the CERN lab the 1997 Joint Spring Meeting of the galaxy clusters observed in the present in Geneva) have not been captured, a APS and the American Association of universe. Finally, Mark Spano of the Technical Sessions plan has been formulated at Fermilab Physics Teachers (AAPT), 18-21 April. Naval Surface Warfare Center discussed for both increasing the production rate Search for Neutrino Oscillations The most varied of APS meetings progress in understanding, and even and for passing newly-made anti-H’s Two years ago at this meeting a because of the number of APS divisions controlling, chaos. These studies have through a strong magnet which will group of physicists from Los Alamos represented in the program, the Spring already been usefully applied to actual help to differentiate different excited- presented evidence for neutrino oscil- Meeting explored current topics in physical systems such as lasers, chemi- state species. At a later session, Walter lation, the transformation of neutrinos particle physics, astrophysics, fluids, cal reactions, combustion engines, Oelert of the Julich Institute of Nuclear from one type to another, in an experi- particle beams, physics of beams, hearts, and brain tissue. Physics, a participant in the CERN ex- ment in which a beam of neutrinos nuclear physics, applications, and On the Wednesday evening prior to periment, reported on further analysis strikes a target. The Los Alamos team, atomic, molecular and optical physics. the start of the meeting, the APS orga- of his data and discussed the future of represented by William Louis, and the Topics of technical sessions included nized an exhibit and reception featuring anti-hydrogen research at CERN, which collaboration at the Super-Kamiokande the first experimental results from the recent applications of fundamental phys- recently announced that it will build a neutrino detector, represented by Ken- Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator ics. Scientists from laboratories around new facility, the Antiproton Decelera- neth K. Young of the University of Facility, formerly CEBAF (see page 2); the nation presented information on glo- tor, partly for this purpose. Washington, recently concluded major the first detailed energy spectrum of bal positioning, medical instrumentation new data analyses. Kamiokande also Proton-Neutron Correlations an active galaxy nucleus (see page 4), and optical communications, as well as searches for neutrinos from the sun, It is a little-known fact that all nu- and the world’s first atom laser, using such future technologies as laser twee- from distant supernovas, and from the clei are superconductors, with protons a Bose-Einstein condensate as its cen- zers, Bose condensates, scanning decay of protons. Based on the first that pair up with other protons and ter (see page4). General interest tunneling microscopy, and 100 days of research in Japan, Young neutrons that form pairs with other sessions included such topics as the nanotechnologies. reported that there are hints that not neutrons. In nuclei with equal num- biological effects of low-dose radiation, The traditional ceremonial banquet only does the neutrino have mass and bers of neutrons and protons, physicists the future of science and technology for the bestowal of prizes and awards can change its form (“flavor”), but it believe that neutron-proton pairs can in North America (see page 4), trends was held Saturday evening, preceded may also be more abundant at night form to create a new kind of super- in federal support of science education, by a reception hosted by APS Presi- than during the day, and more plenti- conductivity. According to Stuart Pittel, and highlights of the 100-year anniver- dent D. Allan Bromley (Yale ful during certain times of the year. If who spoke at a Saturday morning ses- sary of the discovery of the electron. In University). Fourteen APS prizes and the neutrino is found to have mass, it sion, these superconducting effects are addition, the AAPT organized several ses- awards were presented, and the recipi- could constitute part of the dark mat- believed to influence the mass of nuclei sions devoted to issues in education, some ents gave lectures on their respective ter that is believed to comprise as much such as Chromium-48 or Tin-100 (with in conjunction with APS committees or award-winning topics at various ses- as 90% of the universe. equal numbers of protons and neutrons) units, including a Monday morning ses- sions throughout and affect the rate at which proton-neu- sion devoted to national science education the week. Cita- Anti-Hydrogen Atoms tron pairs flow between nuclei which standards, co-sponsored with the APS Fo- tions and brief David Christian of Fermilab reported are close together. The proton-neutron rum on Education (FED). biographies of on an experiment in which anti-hydro- correlations are also expected to be im- Another prominent feature was a gen atoms are produced when a gas portant for single- and double-beta special plenary session on Sunday af- jet is passed through an antiproton decays, radioactive processes in which ternoon. The session was led off by a Margaret Mary Murnane beam. Anti-atoms are produced at a rate received the Maria stirring memorial of C.S. Wu by col- Goeppert-Mayer Award of about one atom a day when the (continued on page 8) league T.D. Lee. This was followed by an address by APS Past President Rob- ert Schrieffer of the National High Magnetic Field Lab in Florida, review- APS Spring Meeting Incorporates CAM’97 ing the many ways in which high-temperature superconductivity is eginning in 1994, the APS, the nadian-American-Mexican physical so- more complicated than its colder coun- BSociedad Mexicana de Fisica (SMF) cieties) represents the third in a series of terpart. Michael Turner of the University and the Canadian Association of Physi- these joint meetings. The first was held in of Chicago and Fermilab addressed cists (CAP) agreed to hold periodic joint Cancun in September 1994, followed by a what he calls the two most pressing meetings for the purpose of bringing second meeting, held in Quebec City, June issues in cosmology today: the nature together the North American physics 1995, in conjunction with the 50th anni- of dark matter and the origin of the community. Held concurrently with the versary congress of CAP. tiny inhomogeneities (perhaps starting usual program of the Joint APS/AAPT At CAM97, physicists from the three April Meeting in 1997, CAM97 (for Ca- North American Societies participated in a variety of sessions and forums on science and society. A special plenary IN THIS ISSUE session honoring these cooperative CAM session speakers Beverly Robertson, ventures was held on the first day of Mary Good, D. Allan Bromley, and Carmen Highlights from Washington, DC ...... 1 the meeting (see page 8). Entitled “The Cisneros (at microphone). APS Spring Meeting Incorporates CAM’97 ...... 1 Future of Science and Technology in Scientists Report First Experimental Results from Jefferson Lab ...... 2 North America,” the session’s keynote for initiating and strengthening partner- APS Units Have Option of Holding Electronic Elections ...... 2 speaker was Dr. Mary L. Good, under ships among the public and private Inside the Beltway ...... 3 secretary for technology of the U.S. sectors and academia as a means of In Brief ...... 3 Department of Commerce’s Technology enhancing US participation in the rapid Researchers Report on New Results for BEC Experiments ...... 4 Administration. Good stressed the need (continued on page 2) DPB/FIAP Session Explores Industrial Applications of Neutrons ...... 4 Gamma Rays Provide Detailed Energy Spectrum of AGN ...... 4 Carl E. Anderson Distinguished Academic-Industrial Fellowship ...... 5 President Announces 1997 Medal of Science Winners ...... 5 APS Matching Memberships Aid Physicists in Developing Countries ...... 5 Opinion ...... 6 1998 General Election Preview ...... 9 Announcements ...... 11 The Back Page ...... 12 About 1,000 APS Spring Meeting attendees going to the CAM reception at the Smithsonian Institution. APS News July 1997 Scientists Report First Experimental Results from Jefferson Lab ertain to be one of the most arrays of electronic data-gathering exist. According to Gao, C important new experimental equipment track, measure and record her experiment repro- nuclear physics facilities in the world, what occurs. Director Hermann A. duced the old 1968 picture, the Thomas Jefferson National Grunder describes it as a research tool enlarged it and clarified its Accelerator Facility in Newport News, designed “not so much to smash at- details. Virginia, produces high energy electron oms as to dissect them.” Because the Describing experi- beams that collide with nuclei in order beams are continuous rather than in- ments in which electrons to study the boundary between the termittent, experimenters can avoid collide with hydrogen, physics of the nucleus and the physics unwanted, confusing signals (“back- deuterium, and carbon of protons and neutrons (composed of ground noise”) in the electronic nuclei, Keith Baker of quarks held together by particles evidence they are studying. “Instead, Jefferson Lab and Hamp- known as gluons). At a Friday they can dissect nuclei with a scalpel- ton University reported afternoon session at the APS/AAPT like precision unattainable in previous on the production of ka- Spring Meeting in Washington, DC, ‘atom smashers,’” said Grunder. ons, two-quark states that researchers presented some of the first Exploring how gamma rays break up contain a strange quark. experimental results obtained from deuterons, Haiyan Gao of Argonne Na- The experiments ob- CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer Jefferson Laboratory by four large team- tional Laboratory presented served the transfer of conducted projects. The experiments, measurements showing that the quark electron energy to clusters of three or- nuclei are ejecting protons at a greater selected by a panel of internationally substructure inside the deuteron must dinary quarks: two “up” and one rate than anticipated by theory, based prominent physicists, focused on be taken into account to properly un- “down.” As the deposited energy on the recently completed baseline-es- achieving a definitive quark-based derstand the breakup process, known causes one of these ordinary quarks to tablishing experiment on photon understanding of the atomic nucleus. as “photodisintegration.” The deuteron be stretched away from its partners, two propogation in nuclei. This information The main machine at the $600 mil- is a simple nucleus consisting of just a exotic new quarks are formed: a is crucial to future experiments to test lion laboratory is the Continuous proton and a neutron, each made up “strange” quark and an “antistrange” and validate quantum chromodynam- Electron Beam Accelerator Facility of three quarks, which enables it to be quark. Together, the antistrange quark ics at high energies, where nuclei often (CEBAF), an underground tunnel al- probed for useful data without too and the stretched “up” quark form an behave differently than they do at lower most a mile in circumference which much complexity. The probing was easily detectable kaon, Baker reported. energies. A team of scientists from accelerates continuous streams of elec- done with photons extracted from the And when detected in the precise ex- Caltech conducted an inclusive elec- trons to energies of 4 GeV. A maximum electron beam. When a photon disin- perimental environment of Jefferson tron scattering experiment from nuclei energy of 8 GeV is planned for the fu- tegrates a deuteron, all of the Lab, kaons yield vital new data about which also helped prepare a baseline ture. The electrons are then diverted deuteron’s quarks are temporarily how quarks are made out of energy for interpreting deviations from con- to one of three experimental halls forced into a cluster of pure quark and how antimatter is produced. ventional expectations that QCD where they collide with fixed targets matter. Deuterons were thus probed in Finally, Rolf Ent of Jefferson Lab predicts will appear at high energy. containing nuclei, while house-sized 1968 at SLAC to provide proof that quarks described how electron collisions with APS Units Have Option of Holding Electronic Elections he APS Executive Board approved per and Web page ballot, which took ber of the FPS Executive Committee ini- were of paramount concern. To that Ta motion at its April meeting au- place between December 1996 and tiated the electronic election effort. He end, Sher designed a system in which thorizing APS units to conduct early March 1997. The experiment was believes a significant factor in the low two files are made when processing a electronic elections, provided that unit very successful. Voter turnout rose to member participation is the large num- vote. One contains the name and email members are assured of the opportu- 18 percent, compared with the 5 to 8 ber of steps it takes in order to vote. address of the voter, as well as the ma- nity to vote whether or not they have percent in recent years, and the proce- “One must get the ballot, find the can- chine IP number they voted from and Web access, and that procedures are dure did not prove to be excessively didate statements, read them, vote, find time of vote, and assigns a voter num- in place to prevent members from in- time-consuming. an envelope, and address, stamp and ber. The other file contains only the advertently voting more than once. The The turnout for annual APS elections mail it,” he said. “Allowing voting via voter number and which votes were decision was based on a report from within the units is generally low, usu- the Web reduces the number of needed cast. Because one can’t determine for the APS Forum on Physics and Society ally below 20 percent of the eligible steps, thus improving participation.” An whom any individual voted without (FPS). FPS requested permission last membership, according to Barrett Ripin, online ballot enables voters to make looking at both files, Sher believes it is November to conduct an experiment APS Associate Executive Officer. Marc their choices with a few clicks of the at least as anonymous as the current for one election with a combined pa- Sher of William & Mary College, a mem- mouse, with candidate statements and paper system. The system also auto- biographies linked to their names on matically checks for duplicate votes. the ballot. The Texas Section of the APS Requiring an APS membership number APS COUNCIL 1997 tried a different approach to electronic would further improve security, but President balloting. In their election last fall, they since many APS members don’t know APS News D. Allan Bromley, Yale University President-Elect sent email ballots to members with what their number is, this would de- Andrew M. Sessler, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Coden: ANWSEN ISSN: 1058-8132 Vice-President email addresses on file and paper bal- feat much of the purpose of electronic Series II, Vol. 6, No. 7 July 1997 Jerome Friedman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology lots to all others. Their ballot return rate elections, according to Sher. © 1997 The American Physical Society Executive Officer Judy R. Franz, University of Alabama, Huntsville (on leave) also approximately doubled from tra- Units interested in holding electronic Editor: Barrett H. Ripin Treasurer ditional paper-only elections. elections may contact APS Executive Newswriter: Jennifer Ouellette Thomas McIlrath, University of Maryland (on leave) Editor-in-Chief Of course, issues about security and Officer Judy Franz for guidance. Sher Production: Elizabeth Buchan-Higgins Martin Blume, Brookhaven National Laboratory Adrienne Vincent Past-President anonymity when voting electronically has software available for this purpose. Coordinator: Amy Halsted Robert Schrieffer, Florida State University General Councillors APS News (ISSN: 1058-8132) is published 11X yearly, monthly, Daniel Auerbach, Virginia Brown, Jennifer Cohen, Charles Duke, except the August/September issue, by The American Physical Elsa Garmire, S. James Gates, Donald Hamann, William Happer, CAM’97 (Continued from page 1) Society, One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844, (301) Anthony M. Johnson, Zachary Levine, Paul Peercy, Susan Seestrom, 209-3200. It contains news of the Society and of its Divisions, Virginia Trimble, Ronald Walsworth, Sau Lan Wu Topical Groups, Sections and Forums; advance information on globalization of today’s R&D climate. program which included remarks by the meetings of the Society; and reports to the Society by its com- Chair, Nominating Committee She was followed by remarks from the three society presidents and reminis- mittees and task forces, as well as opinions. Gerard Crawley three CAM Society presidents: Dr. cences about J.J. Thompson, discoverer Chair, Panel on Public Affairs Letters to the editor are welcomed from the membership. Letters of the electron, from Dr. Samuel De- must be signed and should include an address and daytime tele- Robert M. White Carmen Cisneros (SMF), Dr. Beverly E. phone number. The APS reserves the right to select and to edit Robertson (CAP) and Dr. D. Allan vons of the Nevis Laboratory at for length or clarity. All correspondence regarding APS News should Division and Forum Councillors be directed to: Editor, APS News, One Physics Ellipse, College Frank C. Jones (Astrophysics), Eric Heller, Gordon Dunn (Atomic, Bromley (APS). Columbia University and Dr. Norman Park, MD 20749-3844, email: [email protected]. Molecular and Optical), Robert Callender (Biological), Stephen Leone (Chemical), Joe D. Thompson, David Aspnes, Lu J. Sham, A special reception honoring the F. Ramsey of the Lyman Physics Labo- Zachary Fisk (Condensed Matter), Warren Pickett (Computa- ratory at Harvard University. Subscriptions: APS News is an on-membership publication de- tional), Guenter Ahlers (Fluid Dynamics), James Wynne (Fo- CAP and the SMF was held at the Na- livered by Periodical Mail. Members residing abroad may receive rum on Education), Albert Wattenberg (Forum on History of Phys- tional Museum of airfreight delivery for a fee of $20. Nonmembers: Subscription ics), Matt Richter (Forum on Industrial & Applied Physics), Ernest rates are: domestic $160; Canada, Mexico, Central and South Henley (Forum on International Physics), Dietrich Schroeer (Fo- American History of America, and Caribbean $180; Air Freight Europe, Asia, Africa rum on Physics and Society), Andrew Lovinger (High Polymer), and Oceania $210. Daniel Grischkowsky (Laser Science), Howard Birnbaum (Ma- the Smithsonian Insti- terials), John Schiffer, Peter Paul (Nuclear), Henry Frisch, George tution on Saturday Subscription orders, renewals and address changes should Trilling (Particles and Fields), Hermann Grunder (Physics of be addressed as follows: For APS Members—Membership De- Beams), Roy Gould, William Kruer (Plasma) evening of the second partment, The American Physical Society, One Physics Ellipse, day of the meeting. College Park, MD 20740-3844, [email protected]. For Non- ADVISORS members—Circulation and Fulfillment Division, American In- Exhibits included stitute of Physics, 500 Sunnyside Blvd., Woodbury, NY 11797. Sectional Representatives Allow at least 6 weeks advance notice. For address changes, John Pribram, New England; Peter Lesser, New York; Perry P. Yaney, commemorative dis- please send both the old and new addresses, and, if possible, Ohio; Joseph Hamilton, Southeastern; Stephen Baker, Texas plays celebrating the include a mailing label from a recent issue. Requests from sub- scribers for missing issues will be honored without charge only Representatives from Other Societies 100th anniversary of if received within 6 months of the issue’s actual date of publi- Ronald Edge, AAPT; Marc Brodsky, AIP cation. the electron and the Staff Representatives Barrett Ripin, Associate Executive Officer; Irving Lerch, Director of 50th anniversary of Periodical Postage Paid at College Park, MD and at additional International Affairs; Robert L. Park, Director, Public Informa- mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to APS News, tion; Michael Lubell, Director, Public Affairs; Stanley Brown, Ad- the transistor. The re- Membership Department, The American Physical Society, One ministrative Editor; Reid Terwilliger, Director of Editorial Office ception was open to Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844. Services; Michael Stephens, Controller and Assistant Treasurer all meeting registrants Norman Ramsey addressing a crowd of physicists attending the and featured a short April Meeting Smithsonian Institution Reception. 2 July 1997 APS News IN BRIEF INSIDE THE BELTWAY • A tentative program for the centenary celebration of the APS, to be held 20-26 March 1999 in Atlanta, Georgia, was presented to the APS Council at its April meeting. Plans currently include a symposium on the global Scientists and Politicians Joined at the Hip impact of 20th century physics, two plenary sessions on the contributions by Michael S. Lubell, APS Director of Public Affairs and future of physics, and as many as 30 centennial symposia organized by individual APS units. Special events contemplated for the centennial For politicians as well as physicists, life ground. So too did the Republicans, include a Nobel Prize exhibit and dinner at the Fernbank Museum of after the end of the Cold War is fraught but they called it “bipartisanship.” Natural History honoring Nobel Laureates in attendance, a ceremonial with complications. Public attitudes Although science had not escaped dinner with a keynote address on the cultural impact of physics in the have changed dramatically, and woe the partisan battles of the 104th Con- 20th century, physics exhibits and other events for students, teachers and unto anyone who fails to recognize it. gress, it had the advantage of a legacy the public throughout the week. For more than four decades the of bipartisan support, lasting for almost A number of special projects are also under development to com- threat posed by Communism provided half a century. It became a natural point memorate the event. For example, the APS is developing a centennial an umbrella under which physics re- around which both political parties speakers booklet containing a list of individuals willing to give interest- search flourished in America. What was could once again unite. The Science ing colloquia with an emphasis on the historical, social, cultural and political good for physics was good for national Committee, under the guidance of its impacts of physics. The list will cover a broad range of topics and include defense and good for the nation. The new chairman James Sensenbrenner speakers from around the country and from academia, government, and public forgave the scientific elite their (R-WI), reported out a series of autho- industry. The booklet will be distributed to all physics departments and eccentricities and their arrogance so rization bills with virtually no internal other interested institutions in the spring of 1998. A wall chart is being long as America remained secure. dissent. The committee recommended designed to point out highlights of physics advances of the past century. American politicians also had an increases for R&D that averaged 3 per- The wall chart, which will be quite large, four feet by twenty-seven feet, will easier time during this era. The Iron cent, with some basic research be given to all high schools in the U.S. as a gift. In addition, the APS and AIP Curtain might have been maintained programs exceeding 7 percent. are jointly working to produce a coffee table book intended to capture the by our Soviet adversaries to keep the The Senate, too, began to respond essence of 20th century physics, designed for the general public and distrib- Russian and Eastern European people to the science drum beat. At the sug- uted through commercial bookstores. Anyone with wonderful pictures of in the dark, but it also provided won- gestion of Bill Frist (R-TN) and with physics related activities should contact APS Executive Officer, Judy Franz. derful political cover for our own the cooperation of Joseph Lieberman elected officials. So long as they (D-CT), a bipartisan Senate S&T Cau- • At its April meeting, the APS Executive Board approved a request by the cloaked their actions under the guise cus came to life, its initial membership APS Committee on Minorities (COM) to provide $5,000 to support an on- of national security, they could expect filled out by Pete V. Domenici (R-NM) line archive of minority physicists, similar to the archive under development the average American voter to forgive and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV). And early on contributions of 20th century women to physics. The site will be imple- them many of their transgressions. in the congressional session, Phil mented at Hampton University. According to Cynthia Keppel, a COM Welcome to the 1990’s. The exter- Gramm (R-TX) offered a resolution that member and professor at Hampton University who will be responsible nal threat is gone and the public would double federal investments in for the archive, the APS funds will go toward purchasing a computer to memory is short. American voters have civilian research over ten years, which house the website and providing a small stipend for a part-time student to become more fickle and less tolerant amounts to a 7 percent annual boost. help maintain the site, adding links, upgrades and managing any paperwork of actions they don’t immediately per- The President also began to send required to back up research reports. Hampton will hire a consultant at no ceive as being in their best interest. out strong signals. Having barely men- cost to the APS to design the site, and will send out an initial call for submis- For scientists and politicians, alike, the tioned science during his first term, he sions. The university’s local Society of Physics Students club and its advisor message is clear: Shape up or be shown began to interject it into his speeches. (Keppel) will help research the submissions. the door. By late spring it had achieved suffi- The message seems to be getting cient prominence to become a central • In 1993, APS Council approved a motion to include the presidents or through. For both communities, 1997 theme of his Morgan State commence- designees of certain foreign physical societies at Council meetings as in- is rapidly becoming a watershed year. ment address. (see Back Page, pg 12) ternational advisors. The original group included the Canadian Association Scientists have long been known in Of course, speeches, resolutions of Physics (CAP), the European Physical Society, The Physical Society of Washington for building protective and even authorization bills do not Japan (JPS) and the Sociedad Mexicana de Fisica (SMF). This policy was walls around their individual disci- produce tangible results. It’s the ap- revised last year. CAP and SMF, neighboring societies, will have permanent plines and, when necessary, taking propriations bills that tell the real story. advisor status. But beginning this year, the president of the APS designates dead aim at their colleagues in other As 1996 Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, additional international advisors on an annual basis for his or her term of allied areas. But last March, in an un- Jr. said in Jerry Maguire, “Show me the office. In addition to the presidents of CAP and SMF, APS President D. Allan precedented display of unity, the money!” Bromley invited the current president of the Chinese Physical Society (CPS), leaders of 23 professional societies And here science is on a collision Dr. Chen Jia-er, and the president of JPS, Dr. Fumiko Yonezawa, to partici- agreed to break down the internal bar- course with the political realities of the pate at Council at both the April and November 1997 sessions. riers and endorse a Joint Statement on 1990’s. Without the cover of a foreign Scientific Research. threat, lawmakers are under the do- • Nine new members of the National Science Board (NSB) were confirmed By June, the list of endorsements mestic gun to reduce taxes, cut the by the Senate in May, and were sworn in by Jack Gibbons, President had grown to 46. Members of the me- deficit and preserve popular programs, Clinton’s science advisor. The newly confirmed members include: John dia and members of Congress, many all at the same time. Omit one of these, A. Armstrong; Mary K. Gaillard; M.R.C. Greenwood; Stanley V. Jaskolski; of whom had greeted the initial an- and you’re dead politically. Eamon M. Kelly; Jane Lubchenco; Vera C. Rubin; Bob Suzuki; and Rich- nouncement with skepticism, had Ask George Bush, who preserved ard Tapia. The National Science Board was established by Congress in begun to take notice. And with good entitlements and put into place a 5- 1950 to serve both as an independent national science policy body and to reason. year $593-billion deficit reduction plan. oversee and guide activities of the National Science Foundation (NSF). The message had substance. The But he raised taxes, and he lost the The board consists of 24 members and the NSF director, who is an ex- sciences are interdependent, and fed- Presidency as a result. officio member. Members serve six-year terms. Full titles and affiliations eral investments in research, which are Ask Bill Clinton, who preserved en- of all NSB members may be found at http://www.nsf.gov/home/nsb/ critical to our nation’s future economy titlements and put into place a 5-year members.htm and quality of life, have been on a pre- $487-billion deficit reduction program. cipitous downward slide. What is But he did not deliver a middle-class needed is a commitment to reverse the tax cut, and the Democrats lost con- • The median physicist is 46 years old and makes $65,000 a year, according trend, beginning with a 7 percent in- trol of Congress in 1994. to a report issued in April by the AIP Education and Employment Statistics crease for Fiscal Year 1998. Ask Newt Gingrich, who pushed Division, entitled, “Society Membership Survey: Salaries 1996.” Those who The message also had clout. More bills through the 104th Congress to cut work at federal labs made the most (median $78,500), even more than in than 1.5 million scientists, mathemati- taxes and reduce the deficit. But he industry (median $77,000); those at 4-year colleges made the least, with a cians and engineers were singing from also made entitlements a target, and median of $49,200. Geographically, median salaries ranged from $70,000 the same score. Translate those num- Bill Clinton swept to a second term in (Pacific states) to $56,200 (East South Central). New PhD’s earn $31,000 at bers into votes and you can see why 1996, with the GOP nearly losing con- universities and $39,600 at federal labs. Salaries for female physicists who Capitol Hill might pay attention. trol of the House in the process. have earned their PhD in the past 10 years are comparable to salaries for Fortuitously, the message struck a Three lessons taught; three lessons male physicists with similar experience. A copy of the report can be ob- political resonance. After two years of learned. The result is the bipartisan tained from the AIP Education and Employment Statistics Division, lobbing grenades at each other, both budget deal that cleared Congress in 301-209-3069; email: [email protected]. parties paused to take stock of the June. It cuts taxes, purportedly shaves damage they had inflicted and discov- $204 billion from the deficit over 5 • The American Institute of Physics has signed an agreement with Springer- ered that neither had suffered so much years and essentially preserves entitle- Verlag New York, Inc. under which Springer will publish and distribute in the eyes of the public as had the ments. AIP Press books worldwide. Springer will build upon its physics book institution of democracy itself. For his It also squeezes all the juice out of publishing programs by this new addition. Under this agreement, Springer part, after the 1996 ballots had been the discretionary orange, leaving sci- acquired the AIP Press current and backlist titles and will distribute them counted, President Clinton said that he ence to vie for the remaining pulp with internationally under the dual logos of Springer and AIP Press. was committed to seeking common (continued on page 5)

3 APS News July 1997 Researchers Report on New Results for BEC Experiments ince 1995, scientists have been collectively transform from a low-density perature, something which cur- Screating a new state of matter, Bose- to a high-density state, forming molecules rent theory does not explain. Einstein condensates of atoms, in which would then release excess heat and The results were obtained us- which a sufficiently densely packed cause the BEC to blow apart. ing a double-magneto-optic trap collection of gas atoms is cooled to Hulet said that the observation of a (MOT) system, which increases such low temperatures that they enter limited condensate number is already the number of atoms in the con- a single quantum state and effectively an indication that this phenomenon is densate by multiple transfers act as a single entity, or “superatom.” happening, but the Rice team is at- between two connected MOTs. During a Sunday morning session at tempting to directly observe the Cornell’s team also condensed the APS/AAPT Spring Meeting in collapse and its aftermath. “Physicists both spin states of rubidium Washington, DC, three researchers are excited because of the opportunity using a sympathetic cooling spoke on the latest results from recent to study quantum mechanics on a mac- technique, and studies the in- Eric Cornell and Wolfgang Ketterle accepting the 1997 APS experiments using BEC condensates, roscopic scale,” he said, adding that this teractions between them. I.I. Rabi Prize from APS President D. Allan Bromley. which were first predicted by Albert tunneling effect usually applies only to Using laser light to excite a Einstein in 1925. single microscopic particles, not to col- specific spot on his cigar-shaped BEC the condensates expand and overlap, Randy Hulet of Rice University re- lections of many atoms, like a BEC. of sodium atoms, Wolfgang Ketterle of the MIT group observed high contrast ported that BECs of lithium atoms are Studying BECs of rubidium atoms, MIT described how the resulting dis- matter-wave interference fringes, dem- different from other BECs in that the Eric Cornell of NIST and the University turbance in a typical condensate onstrating that Bose condensed atoms lithium atoms attract rather than repel of Colorado discussed experiments propagates at about 5 millimeters per are coherent and show long-range cor- each other, and are limited to a size of confirming that BECs are significantly second, roughly 70,000 times slower relations. Ketterle presented videos of approximately 1500 atoms. According more uniform in density than compa- than the speed of sound in air. In one the world’s first “atom laser,” first an- to some predictions, adding more at- rable clouds of cold atoms in a experiment, two condensates were cre- nounced in January 1997 — a device oms than this would cause the BEC to non-BEC state. He also described how ated in a double-well potential formed that produces coherent beams of atoms undergo a “macroscopic quantum tun- the frequencies of sound waves in by magnetic and optical forces. After highly analogous to laser light beams. neling,” in which the condensate would BECs unexpectedly depend upon tem- switching off the potential and letting DPB/FIAP Session Explores Industrial Applications of Neutrons

ince the earliest experiments pounds, or the conformation of pro- other target is under discussion for ISIS, understanding not only the static be- S defining the properties of the teins and DNA in nucleosomes without but Ball reported that the prognosis for havior, but also kinetic and dynamic neutron, accelerators have played an neutron scattering. This is because neu- approval was “not too promising.” Over responses of materials. important role in providing neutrons trons not only can penetrate deeply into the next few years, several new neu- Increasingly in recent years, neu- for research and applications. Various materials, but they also have a mag- tron scattering spectrometers will be trons are being applied to strategic or researchers described specific netic moment which can probe an built at the Los Alamos Neutron Sci- applied research, and product devel- examples of how neutrons are used object’s magnetic properties. ence Center (LANSCE), with plans to opment. Roger Pynn of Los Alamos for engineering magnetic materials, for For many years, neutrons produced increase the neutron flux by a factor of National Laboratory described several measuring stress in machine parts, and at accelerator facilities have comple- three. Ball also discussed plans for next- recent experiments conducted at for studying polymer processes in real- mented capabilities available from generation facilities, namely the LANSCE in temperature and particle ve- time during a Sunday morning session reactor-based sources. Now, however, European Spallation Source, and the locity measurement in reacting high at the APS/AAPT Spring Meeting in according to James B. Ball (Oak Ridge National Spallation Neutron Source, a explosives; radiographic imaging with Washington, DC. The session was National Laboratory), with the declining next-generation facility at Oak Ridge protons; chemical bonding in metal- jointly organized by the APS Division availability of reactor facilities, upgrades of proposed to be constructed by 2004. dihydride complexes; and the structure of Physics of Beams and the APS Forum existing accelerator facilities and proposed According to Thomas Russell of the of thin adhesive layers. These experi- on Industrial and Applied Physics. new, more powerful accelerator-based University of Massachusetts, Amherst, ments have found many diverse Neutrons have provided an incisive sources will be called upon to provide the unique insight into the characteristics applications, from the manufacture of tool for investigating the structure and necessary neutron capabilities. In April of bulk materials can also be gained beer cans, the development of new ce- morphology of materials ranging from 1997, the APS Council issued a statement by neutrons. More recently, neutron ramic-reinforced metallics for the complex fluids to magnetic multilayers that expressed concern about an impend- reflectivity has emerged as a premiere aerospace industry, and dynamic im- to superconductors. Virtually every mi- ing shortage of state-of-the-art neutron tool for the study of surfaces and in- aging of weapons hydrotests. croscopic-level detail that is known source facilities in the U.S. The text of this terfaces. However, the flux limitations Joel McKeown of AECL Accelerators about magnetic materials has been statement may be found on the APS home of current reactor and spallation sources reported on recent advances in linac- learned by scattering neutrons from page (www.aps.org) under the Gover- have limited studies to the static, equi- based technology for industrial them. For example, little would be nance button. librium behavior of materials. The next radiation processing, including appli- known about excitations in quantum Argonne’s IPNS and the ISIS facility generation of neutron sources will in- cations such as sterilization and food fluids, the spin-density- wave state of at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in crease neutron flux levels by more than irradiation. There are currently three chromium, electronic back-donation in the U.S. are the two most powerful an order of magnitude, leading to un- such machines in operation, two of the bonding of organometallic com- existing sources. The addition of an- precedented advances in which are being used commercially. Gamma Rays Provide Detailed Energy Spectrum of AGN

n excess of TeV-energy gamma rays gested that the anticipated effect of two by interacting with infrared radiation particularly for galaxy formation. Afrom galaxy Markarian 421 may sources of attenuation, dust near the from galaxies formed in the early uni- Many suspect that AGNs, quasars, oblige astronomers to revise their mod- AGN and the amorphous population verse. However, the recent and indeed all the most violent celes- els of active galactic nuclei (AGN). The of infrared photons in intergalactic observations suggest that the density tial objects in the universe share a discovery challenges existing concepts space, may have been overestimated. of infrared photons is much less than common energy-production architec- of the acceleration processes close to The very-high-energy gamma rays previously predicted. ture: a black hole, supplied by a black holes and how radiation is ab- from galaxies are produced in the in- “We saw many more very high en- surrounding accretion disk, broadcast- sorbed in space, and indicates that the teraction of cosmic particles of even ergy gamma ray photons from this ing powerful jets of matter in two polar universe is not as opaque as previously greater energy with ambient particles source than we thought we would,” directions. Mrk421 (400 million light thought. or photons in the jets apparently ema- said James Gaidos, a professor of as- years away) is the closest such object Last year Mrk421 rewarded patient nating from each pole. These cosmic trophysics at Purdue University and a whose jet axis is aimed directly at us. observers with the most explosive particles are accelerated by a process member of the research team. “We had Because of the shielding effect of gamma display ever, with a flux ten derived from the enormous gravity of a believed there were more low-energy the earth’s atmosphere, gamma rays times higher than that of the much black hole to energies in excess of those photons out there to absorb the gamma must generally be detected by earth- closer Crab Nebula, the strongest attained by man-made particle accelera- rays, but so many are getting through orbiting gamma ray telescopes such as known steady gamma source in the tors. Theoretical astrophysicists have yet to us from such a large distance that it the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. sky. At a Friday afternoon session at to explain the processes involved. appears there’s much less interaction However, if the energy is sufficiently the APS/AAPT Spring meeting in Wash- Even more difficult to explain is how taking place.” Since low energy pho- great (TeV) they can be seen indirectly ington, DC, Trevor Weekes of the the gamma rays, once produced, can tons were created in the universe at with sensitive telescopes on mountain Whipple Observatory presented the escape from the jet without interacting the time of galaxy formation, the num- tops. Gamma ray collision with an air first detailed spectrum for Mrk421. He with lower energy photos and degrad- ber of observed photons imparts molecule generates a cascade of light- reported that the flux of gammas falls ing in energy as a result. Once clear of information on how the galaxies formed. emitting particles which can be off at the highest energies (up past 6 the galaxy, the gamma rays must A reduced number of such photons thus detected by large optical detectors such TeV), but not nearly as fast as one traverse vast regions of intergalactic has direct implications for current theo- as the Whipple Observatory’s 10- meter would have expected. Weekes sug- space, where they could be absorbed ries of the history of the universe, optical reflector.

4 July 1997 APS News Announcing the Carl E. Anderson Distinguished Academic- Industrial Fellowship

special APS Executive Board luncheon program who was both a colleague and friend of Carl’s, he states “Charlotte’s desire to A was held on April 18, 1997 to announce the establish an APS fellowship in memory of Carl that emphasizes his area of work Carl E. Anderson Distinguished Academic-Industrial would certainly have pleased him. It encourages the work he enjoyed by people Fellowship which will be made possible through a educated in the discipline he believed in.” generous bequest by Dr. Charlotte Anderson in memory of her late husband. The program was held at the J. W. Marriott in Washington, DC and included a number of special guests who gathered with the Board to pay tribute to the accomplishments of Carl E. Anderson. The annual fellowship will allow for academic- industrial interaction by many outstanding physicists Carl E. Anderson in the field of lasers and optics, which was Carl Anderson’s primary field of research. As chair of the special program, Allan Bromley applauded Charlotte Anderson for her apprecia- tion of the opportunities afforded by greater academic-industrial interface. Having known Carl and Charlotte Anderson for 30 years, Allan Bromley related numer- ous examples of Carl’s achievements in the field of laser technology. Others speaking on Carl Anderson’s accomplishments and the importance of this fel- lowship included Nobel laureate, Nicolaas Bloembergen; Inge-Maria Ladenbauer-Bellis; Thomas Karras; Thomas McIlrath and Harry Lustig. In a brief D. Allan Bromley, Charlotte Anderson and Harry Lustig review the program to commemorate biography of Carl Anderson written for the luncheon program by Thomas Karras, the occasion. APS Matching President Announces 1997 Medal of Science Winners

Memberships Aid n May, President Clinton announced is administered by the NSF. The Medal ronmental research, have resulted in Physicists in Ithe nine 1997 winners of the National of Science winners were announced si- contributions to the understanding and Medal of Science, recognizing exem- multaneously with those of the conservation of the earth’s atmosphere. Developing plary work in such diverse fields as National Medal of Technology, admin- Marshall N. Rosenbluth, professor human genetics, mathematics, physical istered by the U.S. Department of and research physicist, University of Countries science, and cognition and learning. The Commerce. California, San Diego, was honored for winners include four long-standing APS The four APS members receiving the his fundamental contributions to In many parts of Africa, Asia, Europe members. Including this year’s recipients, Medal of Science this year are: Darleane plasma physics, his leadership in the and Latin America access to informa- the Medal has been awarded to 353 dis- C. Hoffman, director of the Glenn T. quest to develop controlled thermo- tion about physics and physicists is tinguished scientists and engineers. Seaborg Institute for Transactinium Sci- nuclear fusion, and his wide-ranging severely limited due to local economic NSF Director Neal Lane, in announc- ence at the Lawrence Berkeley technical contributions to national se- conditions. Scientific meetings are far ing the names of the recipients of the Laboratory, University of California at curity. He is noted for his theoretical away and costly to attend, local uni- nation’s highest honor for Berkeley, was recognized for her discov- studies of the behavior of plasmas and versity libraries are not well-stocked groundbreaking scientific research, ery of plutonium in nature and for her their instabilities. and telecommunication infrastructures noted “It is important that the nation numerous contributions to the under- Shing-Tung Yau, professor of math- are not widespread. A membership in publicly repay its debt to these outstand- standing of radioactive decay, notably ematics at Harvard University, was the APS can help to bridge these gaps ing men and women, whose of heavy nuclei. recognized for his profound contribu- but, for most in this situation, a mem- contributions to science have helped to Harold S. Johnston, professor emeri- tions to mathematics that have had a bership is simply beyond their means. advance human learning, fight disease tus of chemistry at the University of great impact on fields as diverse as to- For example, at the current mem- and provide insight into the central California, Berkeley, was cited for his pology, algebraic geometry, general bership rate of $90 a year, a physicist questions of the nature of universe and understanding of the chemistry of ni- relativity and string theory. His work at a university in Ukraine might have humanity’s place in it”. trogen compounds and their role and has resulted in the solution of several to pay a full month’s salary - if he or The National Medal of Science was reactions in the earth’s stratosphere and long-standing and important problems she was actually paid during that established by Congress in 1959, and in urban areas. His chemical and envi- in mathematics. month. Since 1983, the APS has offered an opportunity for these colleagues to participate in Society affairs and learn about other working physicists from Inside the Beltway Plasma Physics Brochure Available around the world through the APS Matching Membership Program. Cur- (continued from page 3) The Division of Plasma Physics has published a lively 10 page brochure rently, over 250 physicists in 28 veterans hospitals, highways, water entitled The Pervasive Plasma State that describes the broad range of current countries from Argentina to Uzbekistan projects, housing and urban develop- areas of plasma science and technology research. This highly illustrated bro- participate in the Program. ment, military personnel, and so on chure is intended to give the educated nonspecialist an appreciation of the Applications for Matching Member- and so on. Who ultimately picks the intellectual challenges in plasma research, as well as its many applications. ship are accepted at any time from fruit clean depends upon who can pro- Topics range from the role of plasmas in astrophysics to semiconductor pro- physicists in eligible countries. Enroll- duce the greatest political muscle. cessing. The text was written by James Glanz, who is currently a staff editor ment in the Program is based on a Scientists are learning how to com- for Science magazine. The brochure was developed by the DPP’s Interdivi- graduated dues structure or via the pete, but, as Science Committee sional and Public Affairs Committee, chaired by Herbert Berk, University of good will of an individual or institu- Chairman Sensenbrenner noted, “One Texas. The first printing of ten thousand copies has been widely distributed tional sponsor. Full APS membership press conference [on the Joint State- to government and agency personnel, scientists, colleges and schools. A sec- benefits are included with some restrictions ment] isn’t going to change things very ond printing is underway. The brochure may be found on the DPP webpage and membership in the Program is lim- much.” It’s the follow through that which may be located through the APS home page [www.aps.org] under the ited to six years to allow as many as counts, and that depends upon every Division button. Printed copies may be requested from Saralyn Stewart, DPP possible to participate. In some cases, researcher and every educator. Like it administrator, via email at: [email protected]. Matching Members continue their or not, scientists and politicians are association with the APS and become full finding themselves joined at the hip. members when economic circumstances improve. Detailed information and appli- cations are available from the Membership CORRECTION office ([email protected]). The article on Cuban scientists The APS supports the matching who were denied U.S. visas in the membership program through member May 1997 issue of APS News errone- contributions to the APS Matching Mem- ously maintained that Dr. Carlo bership Fund. Additional contributions Trallero-Giner of the University of to the Fund are needed and may be Havana was among those denied vi- made by desigating it on the dues re- sas to attend scientific conferences newal invoice or by sending a check to in the U.S. This is incorrect. Dr. The American Physical Society, One Trallero-Giner had not yet applied Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740- for a visa at the time of the article’s On our planet, we inhabit a calm little oasis of ordinary solids, liquids and gases that is immersed in a perpetually blowing, roiling, flaring, erupting substance of a very different kind, called plasma. 3844 USA, Attn.: Accounting Department publication. - Matching Membership Fund. 5 APS News July 1997 OPINION APS VIEWS LETTERS How Many Physicists are Enough? by Barrett Ripin, APS Associate Executive Officer Research Funding: An Increase, but for Whom? Our colleges and universities are currently experiencing dramatic drops in the While Michael Lubell, in his “Inside courages real risk taking. As a result, number of students enrolled in physics degree programs. While this appears to the Beltway” column (May 1997) many trendy grantsmanship empires be a normal reaction to the well publicized difficulties young physicists have praises the Congress for the across-the- are actually overfunded, while scores had gaining traditional physics employment, some fear that we may be experi- board increase of 7% in research of other talented and capable research- encing an overreaction that may ultimately do a disservice to individuals, the funding, it avoids altogether the criti- ers have no funds whatsoever. academic infrastructure, and society. cal question of how the research money To reflect the fundamental error- According to surveys conducted by the AIP, physics bachelor degree produc- is distributed. This unduly shifts the ac- proneness of the peer review, the tion declined by more than 9% from 1994 to 1996. [See APS News, October 1996, cent on the total funding and funding system needs to be radically pg. 5] Estimates, based on last year’s junior physics major enrollments, are that obfuscates the fundamental flaws of the redesigned towards the principle “Fund the number of graduates this year will be smaller still, or about two-thirds of the peer review model in the allocation of researchers, not proposals.” In order to peak production year, 1969. First-year physics graduate students, both of U.S. the research funds. boost the efficiency of the research and non-U.S. origin, are also in steep decline, as can be seen in the figure below. It is getting progressively clear that dollars we need to fund a lot more re- The number of new PhDs awarded in the U.S. peaked in 1994 after a quarter the dominant model of funding alloca- searchers (especially, junior) but on century of steady rise. A further decline of new PhD production (greater than tion through the peer review lower average levels. Such a reform, 25%) is projected over the next six years. Physicists are getting older, collectively “competition” between “proposals” however, will threaten the power con- as well as individually. The average age of full-time employed physicists is 46, adopted by NIH, NSF in the U.S., and trol of the grantsmanship elite and up slightly from 44 in 1990. the NSERC and MRC in Canada, has a paper-shuffling bureaucracy and hence It doesn’t take a rocket scientist (pardon the expression) to identify forces coercive effect towards the sure-fire it is fiercely resisted by both of them. driving this. Prospective physics students are now well aware of lengthening projects (“safe science”) and all claims Alexander A. Berezin times-to-PhD-degree and postdoctoral terms as well as the difficulties obtaining to the contrary notwithstanding, dis- McMaster University potentially permanent physics jobs in recent years. Competition from other ex- citing emerging areas, such as biological sciences, engineering, and information The cynical and destructive prose tus in our laboratories is malfunction- technology, etc., may also draw some talent away from physics. used by Michael Lubell in his “Para- ing, we sit down to discuss how to Many think that these declines are a natural and necessary drop to a lower, lytic Federalitis” article is of the exact repair it, and we do not just sit there more sustainable, level - a supply/demand thing. Others argue that we are vastly type that leads countries straight into and laugh our heads off. If our politi- overreacting and are in danger of the pendulum swinging too far. They fear that facism. Stale jokes and cynicism deprive cal engine is sputtering, let us fix it or overly publicizing past employment trends may cause unnecessary hysteria that the youth of hope. We get so much of rebuild it, possibly starting from our will lead to a shortage of physicists, even in academia, in the near future. So, that flippant, information deprived jour- own backyard. who is right? nalism from television and most of the Giacinto Scoles There is no question that there has been a gross mismatch between career press, that we do not need to have Princeton University hopes of those entering physics programs and real world jobs. But, most physi- more from the APS. When an appara- cists are not employed in academia, do not do basic research, and have a very diverse array of careers (applied or interdisciplinary research, technology and Science and Religion Can Still Converse product development, engineering, management, government, law, finance, to name a few). This includes many of our best and brightest. Surveys show that The 1981 APS statement on creation- nothing to say to one another, in any physics degree holders at all levels typically express high satisfaction with their ism, which was recently reaffirmed by context. careers and that they become successful. This is true even when their jobs rarely the APS Executive Board (APS News, “Creation” is a religious, not a sci- call for their specific technical training. A recent Sigma Pi Sigma survey shows May 1997) is essentially correct. It goes entific, concept. But religious beliefs that BS physics recipients are in a particularly wide range of fields, perhaps due too far, however, in seeming to rule about creation involve the natural to their broad technical ‘liberal-arts’ training. out any conversation between science world, which science describes. Thus, Should we counsel students to embark on a physics degree? Certainly those and religion. religion and science have some sub- with a strong desire and capability to learn and do physics should be encour- It is appropriate for the Society to ject matter in common, though they aged. At the same time, each needs to be made fully aware of employment/ take a public position on this matter. speak of it in different ways. To deny career trends and helped to develop a broad outlook on how they might ulti- However, the last sentence of the state- that religion and science have anything mately use their physics training. ment is unhealthy overkill, neither in common would mean that religion necessary or accurate, and I hope that must be relegated to a purely interior For more information see the APS Task Force on Career and Professional Devel- the Executive Board will give serious spirituality or eliminated completely. opment report (APS Home Page , www.aps.org, under the Career/Employment consideration to its omission: “Attempts Those are undoubtedly the private button). Comments and suggestions are welcomed. to present [scientific inquiry and reli- views of some APS members, but the gious beliefs] in the same context can Society as a whole should not endorse only lead to misunderstandings of them. both.” Taken at face value, this means George L. Murphy that science and religion simply have Tallmadge, Ohio

The Board’s statement, “…Scientific tist was around to observe the origin First year graduate student enrollment inquiry and religious beliefs are two of life. and PhD production at U.S. Doctorate-granting distinct elements of the human experi- I cannot think of a better way to departments, 1980-1996 ence. Attempts to present them in the stimulate thinking and discussion in a same context can only lead to misun- classroom than to present two sides of derstandings of both.”, is seriously a controversial issue! Statements like flawed. Both of these world views are that of the APS Executive Board are foundationally philosophical and reli- signs that evolutionists are beginning gious, not scientific - creationism to panic as the scientific evidence con- starting with a belief in God (theism), tinues to mount against their theory. and evolution starting with no God (the As the theory of evolution falls apart at recognized religion of atheism). Nei- the seams, the only logical alternative ther creation nor evolution can is creation. ultimately be proven or disproven by John M. Cimbala the scientific method, since no scien- Pennsylvania State University We Have Funding Choices In your May issue on the Back Page, choices made by our political leaders Senator Pete Domenici set up some for the nation. convenient straw men to contend that As a minor example, discussing the the US faces an inescapable conflict availability of discretionary funds in the between support for science and en- budget he states that, “Because defense titlement programs. He then attempted requires almost half of the discretion- to recruit APS members in the effort to ary funds, we are left with about 17 roll back entitlements. There is noth- percent to fund all the non defense pro- ing inescapable about this choice. It grams, including the non defense science [Courtesy of AIP Education and EmploymentStatistics Division, Report R-151.33] stems from other more fundamental programs.” “Required” is misleading.

6 July 1997 APS News OPINION Blurring the Boundaries in Physics Education by Stan Jones

emember those boundary value These physical boundaries are well- cause it has applications. As funding must also be R problems from your electricity and defined; it is clear what is inside our sources have evolved, many scientists ready to help magnetism course, the ones we also department or company, and where the have recognized the wealth of inter- them explore ran into in classical and quantum outside world begins. The issue is how esting new physics discoveries waiting problems that mechanics? I loved those problems. we define “our job.” We can’t make the to be made in supposedly “applied” may not be as Really, I did. A well-defined boundary mistake of allowing these boundaries areas. In a sense, we have found that clearly “phys- value problem has a unique answer, to become barriers to our involvement the need to define a problem as pure ics.” one you can find by standard in the larger world. There is a great or applied is no longer significant. From The third techniques, and one whose validity you need for better public understanding an educational point of view, the fact boundary is that between teaching and can easily check at the end. of science, and we serve not only the that research has an application does research. One of the finest ways to learn There are many boundaries in the public, but ourselves as well if we ven- not necessarily diminish its value as is by doing, and whenever students can real world. Some are physical, some ture beyond our “walls” to make our physics. Our graduate curricula must become part of a research project, ev- psychological, some bureaucratic, some contribution. recognize and incorporate this reality. eryone benefits. Research can be sociological. Some are real, and some At the undergraduate and graduate In exploring the interesting proper- teaching, and teaching can be research. are imagined. Some we construct to levels of physics education, I see ties of matter in its varied forms, We should be learning from our stu- make life simpler for ourselves, or to boundary problems that are artificially physicists have found common inter- dents: how they think, how they avoid the uncertainties beyond that set up; problems where the boundaries ests with chemists, engineers, understand or misunderstand the prin- border. There is a boundary to our are not well-defined, and perhaps do mathematicians, biologists, and more. ciples we discuss. In so doing, we “comfort zone,” and until we cross that not exist at all: the boundary between To say that a problem is physics and ourselves increase our understanding, boundary, we do not grow. I want to pure and applied research; between not, for instance, chemistry, is often a and as we learn how students learn, talk about the boundaries I see in our physics and other disciplines, such as distinction we cannot make. Tech- we should be changing how we teach system of physics education, and how chemistry; and between teaching and niques are also blurred. There are some in order to be more effective. The de- some of these can truly get in the way research. People have set up these ways of approaching a problem that bate over the relative priority of of our goal of giving our students the boundaries in order to make physics are clearly physics, some that are clearly teaching and research, which has lasted very best we can. and physics education a well-defined chemistry; but the importance of mak- through the ages, is based on a false Some of the physical boundaries that problem. They began disappearing ing this distinction has faded. Insisting dichotomy; the two go hand in hand. exist in physics education are the walls some time ago in physics, but remnants that the distinction be made can inter- I would argue that whether or not of our departments and buildings, or remain, and for some educators they fere with our ability to recognize and boundaries exist, increasingly it is those the confines of our company. Indus- continue to get in the way. address very fundamental and intrigu- who go beyond the boundaries who trial scientists who want to have an In graduate training, we must de- ing questions. And many problems are making the changes in this world. impact on education are finding ways cide what classroom experiences, and require an integrated, multi-disciplin- Willingness to ignore boundaries, to reach beyond their institutions, by what research experiences, to give our ary approach if we want to truly whether real or imagined, marks the going out into the public schools, or students. What role should physics ap- understand them. creative person. Defense of the bound- by bringing the public into their out- plications play? What is pure and what Physics is a discipline where change aries is often a decision which binds reach programs. Physicists at is applied physics is not always easy to is rapid and exciting. As educators, we one to the past. universities are finding they can learn identify. Many of the interesting re- must always be open to this same rate from collaborations with other scien- search problems just happen to have of change. If what we do changes rap- Stan Jones is a professor of physics at tists and engineers, and that education real-world significance, such as mate- idly, what we teach, and how we teach, the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. faculty can teach us something about rials, atmospheric physics, magnetic must also be flexible enough to change. An earlier version of this article ap- how students learn. They, too, are resonance, and so on. Many physicists We must be ready to provide our stu- peared in the Spring 1997 issue of the reaching out beyond the confines of have learned that there is no particular dents with an introduction to the new Forum on Education newsletter. the campus. virtue in avoiding a problem just be- interdisciplinary ways of thinking. We

Georgetown Senior Rallies Students for Support of Science Funding

larmed by the prospects for graduate study in public policy at needed to be an equal effort on the cessful as it could have been.” A aspiring physicists, a senior Rutgers University, Daniel Benson con- part of the science majors, the stu- However, he did receive strong sup- student at Georgetown University ceived of the campaign as his senior dents,” he said. Georgetown’s physics port from students enrolled in a new launched a Congressional letter writing project, fueled by his growing concern department sponsored the effort. course on science and public policy, campaign in May through the Society over declining federal funding for sci- After receiving approval from the recently instituted by the physics de- of Physics Students (SPS) to enlist ence and what he perceived to be a American Institute of Physics to use partment, and believes the campaign students in a grassroots effort to secure corresponding “anti-science” atmo- their nationwide SPS mailing list, was especially useful in terms of edu- their own futures. sphere in Washington. As the scientific Benson sent letters to the presidents cating students about how their A combined physics and govern- community began to speak out in de- of all SPS chapters asking them to rally government operates. “One of the main ment major who plans to pursue fense of science, “I thought there their members to write letters to their reasons for doing this was just to get Congressional representatives in sup- the undergraduates to start thinking port of increased science funding, about their voice in Congress,” he said. Letters continued through such legislation as Senator Phil “It’s been extremely successful in let- Gramm’s proposed National Research ting people know that there are “Gets” would be more accurate. The pro- second law about them. For one, if we Investment Act, for example, which decisions being made that affect their portion of discretionary funding that choose to tightly restrict funds for fun- proposes a 7% increase in science fund- future, and they need to be alert and goes to defense is a free will choice; no damental research, our scientific ing each year for ten years. “Don’t let notify their representatives about what political equivalent of the second law of community and its productivity will at- Congress balance the budget by sacri- their wishes are.” thermodynamics requires it. It deserves rophy as we evolve from scientific ficing your future,” his letter Benson is following up the initial serious thoughtful debate. leaders to followers to also rans. For admonished. He is still waiting for word mailing with a similar mailing to sci- More major choices are that in this, another, if we choose to continue to on the response nationwide from the ence professors, but is concerned that the richest nation on earth, we choose skew the distribution of wealth and various SPS chapters. recent positive developments on the to have one of the lowest tax rates ignore public investment, we will have Similar letters and accompanying federal funding front could hinder his among industrialized nations and the an increasingly apathetic and cynical background materials were sent to all efforts. “A lot of people are now read- most skewed distribution of wealth. As citizenry that will further debilitate us Georgetown physics majors, and ing that things are looking up and a result, the wealthy can wallow in ever as a nation and may eventually pro- Benson wrote an article on the subject figure it’s being done for them,” he said. increasing affluence and necessary in- duce violent reactions. for the student newspaper. While re- “But it’s only the authorization that’s vestments in research, education and We have choices. As a nation the sponse overall was positive on campus, underway now, we haven’t actually other areas important to the general choices that we make, more than our Benson admits that, given their tight gotten the appropriations bills out. So welfare of the nation are not made. resources, will dictate our future. Sena- schedules, “it’s hard to get [students] there still needs to be an effort. People These are choices that we have freely tor Domenici adopted a conveniently to write letters. It was more successful need to understand this crucial differ- made, they were not imposed upon us. myopic view. than I was expecting, but not as suc- ence.” There are long term consequences David W. Blair to these choices that do have a bit of a Princeton, New Jersey

7 APS News July 1997

films, dendrimer-based films, and con- a coherent national vision of where we Highlights from Washington, DC (continued from page 1) ventional polymers. His group has also want to go in science and math educa- a nucleus emits electrons or positrons laboratories around the world to match applied chemical sensor array technol- tion, but the changes called for in the along with neutrinos. their measurements to an internation- ogy to investigate the surprising reactivity [standards] will be difficult to imple- ally accepted scale. However, this of Martian soil reported by Viking Lander ment and take more than a decade to Black Hole Formation temperature scale does not go below experiments. Specifically, an instrument build,” he said. “Science must become Matthew Choptuik of the University temperatures of 3 Kelvins, because there using an array of fiber optic micromirror- the fourth R in every school year, start- of Texas, whose computer simulations was not enough data in these low-tem- based chemical sensors was designed ing in kindergarten, not the dry of “naked singularities” (essentially the perature regions at the time ITS-90 was and built, using an array of chemically memorization of science terms, but an gravitational centers of black holes developed. On Saturday afternoon, re- sensitive thin films, including metals, exciting and empowering experience without their event horizons) obliged searchers reported on the development of organometallics, and organic dyes to in problem-solving that takes advan- Stephen Hawking to pay off a famous what some may consider a holy-grail for produce a pattern of reflectivity changes tage of the curiosity in children and bet, discussed critical phenomena in defining temperature in this region: the characteristic of the species interacting increases each student’s understanding black hole formation at a Saturday melting curve of helium-3, a liquid which with these sensing layers. of the world.” Other session speakers morning session. Specifically, his de- solidifies at different temperatures depend- discussed the implications of the new tailed studies of various models of ing on the amounts of pressure that are standards, such as its likely effect on classical gravitational collapse revealed General Interest Sessions. applied to it. teaching at the K-12 level. strong-field solutions which dominate Biological Effects of Low-Dose the collapse dynamics at the threshold Low-Temperature Glow Discharge Radiation Forum Session Award Lectures of the black hole formation, which Plasmas On Monday morning, the Forum on Physicists do more than research. As exhibit such phenomena as universal- Low-temperature plasmas have Physics and Society (FPS) organized a administrators and citizens they are ity and scaling. Other speakers at the gained prominence in recent years in session presenting diverse views on the often involved with governmental and session discussed such issues as rapidly developing high technology ar- biological effects of ionizing radiation social issues of national and interna- whether black hole entropy arises from eas, such as the etching of at low doses. According to session chair tional importance. At a special Saturday boundary states, horizon fluctuations, microstructures which form the basis John Cameron (University of Wiscon- afternoon session, the FPS recognized and quantum mass gap at the thresh- of computer chips and other devices; sin-Madison), current national and the work of Martin Gardner, essayist old of black hole formation. the deposition of thin films used as international radiation protection policy and a longtime editor at Scientific high-tech coatings; the clean-up of is based on the assumption of a “linear American, with the APS Forum Award. Search for Life on Mars volatile organic compounds; and more no-threshold” (LNT) model relating a Accepting on Gardner’s behalf was At a Friday evening session, Jack generally, the controlled modification of population’s frequency of cancer and James Randi, a notable debunker of Farmer of the NASA Ames Research surfaces. Most commonly used for pro- heritable ill-health to radiation dose. pseudo-scientific claims. The APS Leo Center reviewed the aims of present cessing purposes is low-temperature The LNT model specifically predicts that Szilard Award Lecture was presented by and future efforts to search for life on glow discharge plasmas, which are usu- any increase in dose produces an in- Thomas Neff of MIT, who reported on the Mars. He believes that robotic field sci- ally sustainable only below atmospheric crease in probability of cancer. dangers posed by the still-potent nuclear ence will play a fundamental role in pressure because of instabilities such as Speakers included Dr. Arthur Upton stockpiles of the US and Russia. The APS advancing current understanding of the the glow-to-arc transition, which creates (New York University), chair of the Nicholson Medal Lecture, on the sub- planet’s history. In particular, capable a high-current, spatially confined arc NAS/NRC committee that produced a ject of scientists and totalitarian societies, rovers are needed to survey a broad between the two electrodes of a plasma 1990 report supporting the wide use was given by Li-Zhi Fang, a former dis- array of Martian rock types for in situ device, making them inefficient for tech- of the LNT model; Ludwig Feinendegen sident in China and now a professor at mineralogy and chemistry as a basis for nological applications. (Brookhaven National Laboratory) and the University of Arizona. Manuel interpreting remote sensing data ob- However, at a Friday morning ses- Myron Pollycove (University of Califor- Cardona from Max-Planck-Institut Für tained from orbit. “In situ mineralogical sion, researchers at the Stevens Institute nia, San Francisco), who offered Festköperforschung gave the APS analysis will be crucial for selecting the of Technology in Hoboken, New Jer- contradicting evidence to the LNT Wheatley Award lecture on physics in best materials for sample return,” he sey, reported on a new method for model; and Daniel Strom (Pacific North- Latin America said, adding that rovers will need to be suppressing the glow-to-arc transition west National Laboratory), who equipped with a suite of instruments in dc and rf glow discharges, thus ex- addressed the use and abuse of mod- capable of identifying acqueously-de- 1997 Spring Meeting tending their operating range to els in radiation risk management. posited sediments, as well as the Program Committee atmospheric pressures. While there capability to access rock interiors and Trends in Federal Support of have been previous reports of stable Chair: Virginia Brown, National Science Foun- cache small subsamples. There are still Science Education glow discharges at atmospheric pres- dation compelling reasons to mount human The FPS and FED co-sponsored a sures, the Stevens method has several Vice-Chair: Paul Grannis, SUNY-Stony Brook missions to Mars, however. While a deep Friday morning session reviewing re- advantages over other approaches, in- AAPT Program Chair: Thomas L. O’Kuma, Lee subsurface hydrosphere is believed to cent trends in federal support for K-12 cluding active versus passive College be the most likely haven for living or- and undergraduate math and science stabilization, low energy consumption, APS Program Committee: John Ahearne, ganisms, such exploration will require education. Current initiatives include simple engineering design, and easy Sigma Xi (FPS); Beverly Berger, Oakland Uni- drilling to depths of tens to hundreds of opportunities for science teachers to scaling to larger plasma volumes. The versity (GTG); Bunny Clark, Ohio State kilometers. Robotic platforms are likely participate in research internships or new method will allow the efficient use University (DNP); L. Craig Davis, Ford Research to provide very limited subsurface ac- related programs at federal and univer- of flow discharges for large-scale pro- Laboratory (FIAP); Gordon W.F. Drake, Univer- cess to depths of only a few tens of sity research laboratories. Agencies cessing purposes without the need for sity of Windsor (DAMOP); Nathaniel Fisch, meters; hence, deep subsurface drill- covered in the session included the costly vacuum equipment. It is already Princeton University (DPP); James Friar, Los ing will most likely require a human NSF, NASA, the Department of Energy, being used at Stevens to generate large Alamos National Laboratory (FBSM); Howard presence. the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Georgi, Harvard University (DPF); Daniel volume atmospheric pressure plasma, Agency, and the Department of De- Gamma Rays from a Free Electron Heinzen, University of Texas-Austin (FCTG); and for the remediation of gaseous pol- fense research agencies. According to Laser William Herrmannsfeldt, Stanford Linear Accel- lutants from waste streams. Other Richard Stephens, a science education erator Center (DPB); Wendell T. Hill, III, Physicists at Duke University scat- potential applications include novel consultant, cross-agency initiatives in University of Maryland (COM); Rush Holt, ter ultraviolet photons from 500-MeV lighting devices and discharge-en- math and science education present the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (FED); Paul electrons inside a free electron laser fa- hanced combustion. potential for new K-12 and undergradu- cility to produce much higher energy Houston, Cornell University (DLS); Marvin Kalos, Chemical Sensor Design ate science initiatives developing from (12 MeV) gamma-ray photons. By Cornell University (DCOMP); Richard On Monday morning, Steve the recently enacted National Oceanic collimating the gamma flux, one can Lingenfelter, University of California-San Diego Semanchik of NIST’s Chemical Science Partnership legislation administered by achieve a nearly mono-energetic beam. (DAP); Laurie McNeil, University of North Caro- and Technology Laboratory reported the Office of Naval Research, which At a Saturday morning session, Eric lina (CSWP); Roberto Merlin, University of on recent major advances in gas sens- involves nine federal research agencies. Schreiberl reported that the emittance Michigan (FIP); John Rigden, American Institute ing with the use of micromachined At the same session, Tom Weimer, staff (the divergence) of the beam is so low of Physics (FHP); Robert Soulen, Jr., Naval Re- structures called “microhotplates,” director of the Subcommittee on Basic that even after collimation the intensity search Laboratory (IMSTG); John Weiner, which he describes as “platforms for Research for the House of Representa- of the gamma beam is 1000 times greater University of Maryland (DCP). thin sensing films of oxide materials tives’ Committee on Science, reported than that produced with conventional Canadian Association of Physicists: Eric C. decorated with ultrathin islands of cata- that the subcommittee is planning a laser systems. A beam like this will be Svensson, AECL/Chalk River Laboratories (CAP lytic metals.” In addition to enabling comprehensive review of K-12, under- useful for cancer therapy and for high- vice president); See L. Chin, Universite Laval kinetic selectivity, arrays of multiple graduate, graduate, and post-graduate precision gamma-ray transmission (DAMOP); David A. Clarke, Saint Mary’s Uni- microhotplates with different active federal science education programs, in radiography. It can also be used to pro- versity (DAP); Janis McKenna, University of British overlayers can be used to obtain the light of the FY 98 agency authoriza- duce positrons and to perform sensitive Columbia (DPF); Ann C. McMillan, Atmospheric varied adsorption/ desorption/reaction tion bills reviewed this spring. studies of the atomic nucleus. Environment Service (CSWP, DCOMP, FIP, FPS); characteristics needed for gas multi- National Science Education Standards Louis J. Dube, Universite Laval (DAMOP); Rene Developing a New Cryogenic component analyses. At a joint AAPT/FED session on Roy, Universite Laval (DNP); Roberto D. Connor, Temperature Scale At the same session, A.J. Ricco of Monday morning, Bruce Alberts, presi- University of Manitoba (FHP). In the past few years, more and more Sandia National Laboratories reported dent of the National Academy of Sociedad Mexicana de Fisica: Jose L. Moran- physicists have gotten closer and closer on efforts to detect volatile organic Sciences, urged that the wider commu- Lopez, UNAM (1994-96 SMF president); Silvia to absolute zero, with the proliferation compounds using a six-device array of nity of scientists help to implement the Torres, UNAM (DAP); Juan C. D’Olivo, UNAM of experiments in such fields as laser 97-MHz, ST-quartz-based SAW delay comprehensive program of science (DPF); Carmen Cisneros, UNAM (1996-98 SMF cooling, Bose-Einstein condensation, lines in combination with chemically teaching standards promulgated a year President, DAMOP); Maria-Ester Brandan, UNAM and atom lasers. The International Tem- sensitive interfaces, including self-as- ago by the National Research Council. (DNP); Miguel A. Perez, Centro de Investiga- perature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90) allows sembled monolayers, plasma processed “For the first time in our history we have tion y Estudios Avanzado (FIP). 8 July 1997 APS News 1998 General Election Preview Members To Choose New Leadership for 1998 The membership of The American Physical Society will elect a Vice-President, interests are in experimental atomic physics, high precision measurements and a Chair-Elect of the Nominating Committee, and four General Councillors in the quantum optics. Current research includes quantum chaos, studies of hydrogen 1998 General Election. Ballots must be received by the 5 September deadline in at extremely low temperatures, and ultra precise spectroscopy. He is the co- order to be valid. A slate of candidates has been prepared by the Nominating author of two textbooks. Within the APS, Kleppner has served as chair of the Committee, and biographical summaries for each are provided below. Full bio- Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, as a Councillor-at-Large, and graphical information and candidates’ statements are printed in the ballot. on several other committees including the Physics Planning Committee, which he joined in 1988 and chaired from 1992-96. Vice President General Councillor James S. Langer University of California, Santa Barbara Cynthia McIntyre George Mason University James S. Langer was born in Pittsburgh in 1934. He re- ceived his PhD in mathematical physics under the McIntyre is a theoretical physicist and a Commonwealth supervision of R.E. Peierls at the University of Birmingham, Assistant Professor of physics at George Mason University. England in 1958. He joined the Physics Department at Her research focus is on the electronic and optical proper- Carnegie Mellon University in 1958. In 1982, he became ties of semiconductor heterostructures. Most recently she professor of physics and a member of the Institute for Theo- has investigated electron-phonon scattering in structurally retical Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, modified semiconductor heterostructures. She received her serving as its director from 1989 to 1995. The 1997 recipient Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- of the APS Oliver E. Buckley Prize, Langer’s research generally has been in the nology in 1990, and was awarded the Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship to theory of nonequilibrium phenomena in condensed matter. His specific areas of study at the University of California, San Diego, and the National Research interest have been quantum many-body theory of transport in solids, the kinet- Council’s Research Associateship Award for postdoctoral study at the Naval Re- ics of first-order phase transitions including nucleation and spinodal search Laboratory. She has served on the Research Associateship Programs decomposition, dendritic pattern formation in crystal growth and, most recently, Advisory Committee for the National Research Council, the APS Committee on the dynamics of earthquakes and fracture. the Status of Women In Physics, and the American Institute of Physics Advisory Langer’s most recent national committee service includes stints as chair of the Committee on Physics In Two Year Colleges. APS Division of Condensed Matter Physics; chair of the APS Nominating Com- mittee (1995); chair of the Physics Section of the AAAS (1992); and chair of the Douglas F. Finnemore Panel on Research Opportunities and Needs, Materials Science and Engineering Iowa State University Survey, National Research Council (NRC) (1986-89). Finnemore received his Ph.D. in physics from the Uni- versity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He became an Paul Martin Harvard University Assistant Professor at Iowa State University in 1963, a Pro- fessor in 1968, and a Distinguished Professor in 1988, and Martin was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1931, and currently chairs the Department of Physics and Astronomy. received his AB and PhD in 1951 and 1954, respectively, He was Program Director for Condensed Matter Physics in from Harvard University. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the Ames Laboratory/ISU from 1977-83 and was Associate the University of Birmingham and the Bohr Institut for Director of the Ames Laboratory/ISU from 1983-88. Finnemore’s long time re- Teoretisk Fysik in Copenhagen, he joined the Harvard fac- search interests are in superconductivity and magnetism. He has won the ulty in 1957, where he has remained ever since, serving as Department of Energy Materials Science Award for outstanding research three a professor, Physics Department chair, Dean of the Divi- times, for superconducting materials research, for research in magnetostrictive sion of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Associate Dean of the Faculty of (continued on page 10) Arts and Sciences. He has been extensively involved in bringing high-speed electronic communication to Harvard students and faculty. Martin’s research in theoretical physics includes work on quantum field theory, nuclear physics, and Nomination Ballot—1998 Bylaw Committees atomic physics, statistical and condensed matter physics, and fluid mechanics To be Completed Only by Members of The American Physical Society and non-linear dynamical systems. (please complete both sides) Martin was the first chair of the Advisory Board for the Institute for Theoreti- cal Physics at Santa Barbara. He served as an APS Councillor and Chair of the The Committee on Committees has the responsibility for nominating elected mem- APS Nominating Committee. As Director of the Massachusetts Microelectronics bers of the Publications Oversight Committee and the Lilienfeld Prize Committee and Center and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative he has worked with for advising the President concerning suitable candidates for service on other Bylaw industry and state government in areas including electronics, communications, Committees appointed by the President. Information on the Committees and their and medical instrumentation. He has also played a large role in directing the present membership appears on the APS home page under Governance. New England Consortium for Undergraduate Science Education (NECUSE) — a The Committee needs input from the membership. Please provide the name and consortium, headquartered at Harvard, of four New England universities and affiliation of nominees and attach information on career highlights and suit- twelve colleges — and in organizing the Northeast Center of the National Insti- ability of the nominee for the particular committee indicated. Nominees must tute for Global Environmental Change (NIGEC). be APS members. Self-nominations are strongly encouraged.

The deadline for receipt of nominations is 8 August 1997. Chair Elect of the Nominating Committee For Membership on the Committee on Applications of Physics: Barbara Goss Levi Physics Today ______

Levi received an MS and a PhD in particle physics from For Membership on the Committee on Constitution & Bylaws: Stanford University in 1967 and 1971, respectively, and started working for Physics Today in 1969 as an associate ______editor. From 1970-76 she taught physics at Fairleigh For Membership on the Committee on Education: Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey, and from 1976-1980, she was a lecturer at Georgia Tech. In 1981, she ______became a member of the research staff at Princeton University’s Center for Energy and Environmental Studies, returning to Physics For Membership on the Committee on Fellowship: Today full time in 1987, where she is a senior editor. Levi’s career has focused primarily on problems of physics and society, including studies of nuclear prolif- ______eration and the future of nuclear power, energy conservation in homes and For Membership on the Committee on International Freedom of Scientists: automobiles, and arms control. She has served as chair of the APS Forum on Physics and Society and Committee on Committees,as well as a member of the ______Committee on Education and the Committee on Committees, APS Executive Board and Forum on Education. For Membership on the Committee on International Scientific Affairs:

Daniel Kleppner ______Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology For Membership on the Investment Committee: Kleppner received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1959, where he participated in the invention of the hydro- ______gen maser with Norman F. Ramsey. He joined the faculty of M.I.T in 1966, where he is now the Lester Wolfe Profes- For Membership on the Lilienfeld Prize Committee: sor of Physics and Associate Director of the Research Laboratory of Electronics. A past recipient of the Davisson- ______Germer Prize and the Lilienfeld Prize of the APS, his research Continued on Reverse 9 APS News July 1997

1997 General Election Preview (continued from page 9) materials, and for studies of the motion of a single superconducting vortex in a Beverly K. Berger thin film. From 1989-93, he served as councillor for the APS Division of Con- Oakland University densed Matter Physics. Berger has been a faculty member at Oakland Univer- sity since 1977. She received a Ph.D. in physics from the Roberto D. Peccei University of California, Los Angeles University of Maryland in 1972 and held postdoctoral posi- tions at the University of Colorado (JILA) and Yale Peccei is Dean of the Division of Physical Sciences of University. Berger’s research is in the area of theoretical the College of Letters and Science at UCLA, a position he gravitational physics. Recent work includes Monte Carlo has held since November 1993. He is a particle theorist simulations for quantum cosmology, chaotic dynamics of whose principal interests lie in the area of electroweak Mixmaster universes, and the application of symplectic PDE solvers to the nu- interactions and in the interface between particle physics merical study of cosmological singularities. She is a member of the APS Divisions and cosmology. Born in Italy, completed his secondary of Astrophysics, Computational Physics, and Particles and Fields. During the school in Argentina, and came to the U.S. in 1958 to pur- past two years, she founded and served as the first chair of the APS Topical sue his university studies in physics. He obtained a Ph.D. from MIT in 1969. Group in Gravitation. She has also served on organizing committees for interna- After a brief period of postdoctoral work at the University of Washington, he tional conferences and on an NSF panel on future directions in gravitational joined the faculty of Stanford University in 1971. In 1978 he returned to Europe physics. as a staff member of the Max Planck Institute in Munich, Germany. He joined the Deutsches Elektron Synchrotron (DESY) laboratory in Hamburg, Germany, as Helen Quinn the Head of the Theoretical Group in 1984 before returning to the U.S. in 1989, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center joining the faculty of the Department of Physics at UCLA. Within the APS, Peccei Quinn is a theoretical particle physicist at Stanford Lin- served for three years on the Division of Particles and Fields Executive Commit- ear Accelerator Center, where she also leads the laboratory’s tee, chairing the unit in 1993. education and outreach efforts. She received her PhD from Stanford University in 1967 and held positions at Deutsches Kevin T. Lesko Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Electronen Synchrotron and Harvard University before re- turning to SLAC in 1977. Her research is focused on Lesko received his Ph.D. in physics in 1983 from the understanding the nature of the breaking of CP symmetry University of Washington. As a postdoctoral fellow he in weak interaction processes, as well as the mechanisms that ensure its mainte- worked in heavy-ion nuclear reactions and weak interac- nance in strong interaction processes. She is currently an active participant in the tion physics at Argonne National Laboratory (1983-85). He development of the experimental program for the SLAC B-factory, designed par- moved to Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in 1985 to pursue ticularly to study CP violation in the decays of B mesons, where it is expected to astrophysics and weak interaction physics. He became a manifest itself in a variety of decays and thus provide tests of Standard Model staff scientist at LBNL in 1987, receiving the laboratory’s predictions and probes for beyond Standard Model effects. She has served in the Outstanding Performance Award in 1994. He is a group APS Division of Particles and Fields Executive Committee and as a member of leader in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory collaboration, and leads a group in the Panel on Public Affairs, and is currently on the Executive Committee of the neutrino astrophysics at LBL. His research interests include neutrino astrophys- Forum on Education. ics, nuclear astrophysics, and weak interactions. He is currently involved with the solar neutrino problem and the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory. His extensive in- Elaine S. Oran volvement with the APS Division of Nuclear Physics (DNP) includes serving on Naval Research Laboratory numerous meeting program committees, and as a member of the DNP Physics Oran received her Ph.D. from Yale University in 1972 News Committee. and promptly joined NRL as a research physicist in the Plasma Physics Division. She has been the Senior Scientist for Reactive Flow Physics since 1988, responsible for de- veloping, supervising, advising on, and carrying out theoretical and numerical research in areas such as compu- tational sciences and numerical analysis; high-performance computing and parallel architectures; chemically reactive flows; flame, deflagrations, and detonations; For Membership on the Committee on Meetings: turbulence in reacting and nonreacting flows; astrophysical phenomena, par- ______ticularly supernovae; rarefied gas flow, such as reentry flows and microdynamical flows; and shocks and shock interactions in gas and condensed phases. She For Membership on the Committee on Membership: coordinates a number of programs involving industry, government laboratories, and universities. Within the APS, she is a past chair and founding member of the ______Division of Computational Physics, past Vice-Chair of the Division of Fluid Dy- namics, and has served on the Committee on the Status of For Membership on the Committee on Minorities Women in Physics. ______Christopher Stubbs For Membership on the Committee on the Status of Women in Physics: University of Washington Stubbs is an experimentalist working on a variety of ______astrophysical problems. He is a principal investigator on For Membership on the Publications Oversight Committee: the MACHO project, a search for galactic dark matter using gravitational microlensing. In addition, he is working with ______an international team to determine whether supernovae can be used to probe the evolution of the geometry of the For Membership on the Physics Planning Committee: Universe. He earned his Ph.D. in experimental gravitational physics with the Eot-Wash group at the University of Washington. In 1989 Stubbs was named the ______Center Fellow at the Center for Particle Astrophysics (CfPA) at the University of California, Berkeley, where he served as Associate Director for Education and Please provide brief biographical material on your candidates. Outreach. He joined the faculty of the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1991, returning to Seattle in 1994. He also holds adjunct appointments at the Nominator’s Information UCSB and at the Mt. Stromlo Observatory in Australia. Name:______

Address:______CAUGHT IN THE WEB ______Notable additions to the APS Web Server. The Signature: ______APS Web Server can be found at http://www.aps.org

APS News Online latest edition Units Please Address Your Envelope to: • DCMP updated Operating Proce- The American Physical Society APS Committees and Governance dures and Meetings ATTN: AMY HALSTED • APS Task Force Report on Careers • FHP: Birthday of the Electron One Physics Ellipse and Professional Development on • New York State Section pages updated College Park, MD 20740-3844 the Careers/Employment Page Fax: (301) 209-0865 • Text of speech by Dr. Mary Good, Meetings Email: [email protected] Undersecretary of Commerce • Shock Compression, PC97, and Ohio • Updated Centenary pages Section Meeting Programs The deadline for receipt of nominations is 8 August 1997. • POPA: The Current Energy Situation • DFD: Meetings information updated & Background Papers • APS Meeting Calendar updates 10 July 1997 APS News Announcements COUNCIL RECOMMENDS BYLAWS REVISIONS Based upon recommendations from the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws, 4) Make one of the two new members of the Publications Oversight Com- the APS Council provisionally approved six Bylaws revisions at the 19 April meet- mittee (POC) appointed, instead of elected. Due to the importance of the ing. Four are related to the structure of the Society’s committees, one to the submission Publications Oversight Committee, the bylaw has specified that Council elect of papers to APS meetings, and one to the reporting of unit councillor election its members. However, the election of members leaves much to chance and results. Members are invited to comment upon the revisions (address below). the POC has occasionally been left with significant gaps in representation Taking member comments into account, the Council will take a second vote on among subfields and/or types of workplace. To balance the importance of these revisions in the fall and those it approves will be adopted into the Bylaws. Council’s input with the need for technical balance within the POC, it is The present APS Constitution & Bylaws are available at http://www.aps.org/ proposed that one of the new members be elected by Council, and the other exec/bylaws/apsbylaw96.html or from APS Headquarters. Revisions appear be- appointed thereafter by the APS President. low with text proposed for deletion in strikeout and new text in italics. Suggested Change: Publications Oversight Committee. - The membership of the Publications Oversight Committee shall consist of the Editor-in-Chief, 1) Reduce the size of the Committee on Education from 12 members to 9. the Executive Officer, the Treasurer, and eight four members elected by Council Although the bylaws presently state that the COE has 12 members, in fact it to staggered four-year terms, and four members appointed by the president to has been operating with nine members, as do almost all of the other outreach staggered four year terms… committees. The size was set at 12 while the committee was setting up the Forum on Education, which is now well established. 5) Change in the number of contributed papers at a meeting. This revision Suggested Revision: Committee on Education. - The membership of the allows a meeting attendee to present one technical paper (invited or contrib- Committee on Education shall consist of nine twelve members appointed by uted) at regular meeting session and one non-technical paper at a session the President to staggered three-year terms… organized by one of the Forums or APS Committees, with both papers ap- pearing on the regular program. 2) Reassign responsibilities formerly carried out by the disbanded Com- Suggested Revision: ARTICLE XII - PAPERS AT MEETINGS Presentation. mittee on Membership Publications (COMP). When it was in existence, - The first author of a contributed paper submitted for a Meeting of the Soci- COMP was charged with oversight of APS News, which is now a responsibil- ety is expected to present the paper in either an oral or a poster session. An ity of the Committee on Membership, and with that of the APS Bulletin, individual may normally present only one technical contributed paper dur- which is now assigned to the Committee on Meetings. ing the regular program of a Meeting. One additional contributed paper on a Suggested Revision: Committee on Membership. - …The Committee shall non-technical topic may also be presented during the regular program at a suggest to Council means for improving the relationship between the Society non-technical session where said session has been explictly approved as an and its members, and for improvement in services the Society provides to its exempt session by the appropriate program committee and/or program com- members including APS publications members receive on payment of their mittee chair upon the advice of the Executive Officer of the APS. If an individual membership dues, and for other activities in the area of membership as del- wishes to present any additional more than one contributed papers at a egated to it by the Council. Committee on Meetings. -… The Committee shall Meeting, the individual must specify which paper(s) shall be presented in the propose guidelines and rules for the organization and operation of all meet- regular program, and the rest will be assigned to the supplementary program ings of the Society and its units and shall provide oversight for meetings-related upon approval of the Executive Officer. A second contributed paper shall be publications, including the Bulletin of the American Physical Society. The assigned to the supplementary program. The inclusion of additional contrib- Committee shall recommend procedures for the Society sponsorship of other uted papers in the program requires the approval of The Executive Officer, meetings. who is empowered to schedule these supplementary any such additional con- tributed papers as either an oral or a poster papers after making a reasonable 3) Permit Audit Committee members to serve the third year of their terms effort to satisfy an expressed preference of the author(s). If poster presenta- when they are no longer members of Council. The Bylaws require that tion space is limited, the Executive Officer may require some or all additional members of the Audit Committee be Councillors who are not otherwise in- poster contributed papers with the same first author to be presented in a volved in the Society’s governance. Candidates are best selected from among space normally intended to accommodate one such paper. sophomore councillors who are not serving on the Executive Board. That way, continuity in the Audit Committee is preserved because members can 6) Change reporting date of Division and Forum councillor election re- serve a full three year term without being disqualified from further service by sults. The Bylaws require Divisions and Forums to report the results of their their election to the Board. New Audit Committee members would begin elections for new Councillors by September 1, but due to their annual schedules their service in January of the third year of their Council terms, and continue some units are unable to comply with this provision. A more reasonable dead- through one year past the end of their service on Council. So that the Audit line for reporting councillor election results is January 1, so that new Councillors Committee Chair is a member of Council, the revision specifies that the Audit can start their terms on time and attend the spring Council meeting. Committee member in his or her second year of service shall ordinarily chair Suggested Revision: Each Division and Forum shall conduct its nomina- the committee. tions and elections for the position of Councillor in conformance with the Suggested Revision: Audit Committee. - The membership of the Audit rules specified hereinafter and shall communicate the results of their elec- Committee shall consist of three members of the Council, who are not mem- tions to the Executive Officer before 1 January 1 September of the year prior bers of the Executive Board or are not otherwise directly involved in the business to that in which they assume office. management of the Society, elected by Council to staggered three-year terms which may extend one year beyond the term on Council. Council shall elect the Comments on the bylaw revisions should be sent to Amy Halsted, APS, One Chairperson from among these three members. The member in his or her second Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844; email: [email protected]; comments year of service shall ordinarily chair the committee. must be received prior to the 23 November Council meeting.

Now Appearing in RMP…

Reviews of Modern Physics is a quarterly journal featuring review articles and colloquia on a wide range of topics in physics. Titles and brief descriptions of the articles in the July 1997 issue are provided below.

Nobel Lectures in Physics and Chemistry Nonlinear dynamics and breakup of free-surface flows D.M. Lee, D.D. Osheroff and R.C. Richardson describe their discovery of the J. Eggers reviews the formation of droplets on liquid surfaces. There has been superfluid phases of liquid 3He. R.F. Curl, H. Kroto, and R.E. Smalley describe recent progress in the theory with a discovery of scaling solutions near the singular point of droplet formation. their discovery of molecular C60, buckyballs. These authors were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics and in Chemistry, respectively, for their discoveries. Long-scale evolution of thin liquid films Random-matrix theory of quantum transport A. Oron et al. discuss the many kinds of fluid dynamics that arise in their film C.W.J. Beenakker reviews for nonexpert readers the applications of random- flow. The equations depend of course on the driving forces, and in many matrix theory in diverse areas of physics. Particularly emphasized are recent cases little is known about the solutions. developments in the theory of conductance in mesoscopic systems. RMP Colloquium: The ground-state phase diagram of the one-dimensional Kondo Independent particle motion and correlations in fermion systems lattice model I. Sick et al. discuss the very successful independent-particle model in nuclei H. Tsunetsugu et al. review the theory of strongly correlated electrons in a and its quantitative testing by electron-scattering measurements. context where many results are known: the one-dimensional Kondo lattice.

11 APS News July 1997 THE BACK PAGE THE FOUR GUIDEPOSTS OF SCIENCE By William J. Clinton, President of the United States (Excerpted from his commencement address at Morgan State University on May 18, 1997.)

ask you to imagine the new century, effort, we have always reached our far and the have-nots, those with and those Ifull of promise, molded by science, horizons and set out for new ones. without the tools and understanding shaped by technology, powered by Let us resolve further to work with to learn and use technology. knowledge. These potent transforming other nations to deal with great prob- Science must always respect the dig- forces can give us lives fuller and richer lems like global climate change, to nity of every American. We must never than we have ever known. They can break our reliance on energy use de- allow our citizens to be unwitting be used for good or ill. If we are to structive of our environment, to make guinea pigs in scientific experiments make the most of this new century, we giant strides to free ourselves and fu- that put them at risk without their con- must work to master these forces with ture generations from the tyranny of sent and full knowledge. Whether it is vision and wisdom and determination. disease and hunger and ignorance that withholding a syphilis treatment from The past half-century has seen mankind today still enslaves too many millions the black men of Tuskegee or the Cold split the atom, splice genes, create the around the world. And let us also War experiments that subjected some microchip, explore the heavens. We pledge to redouble our vigilance to of our citizens to dangerous doses of enter the next century propelled by make sure that the knowledge of the radiation, we must never go back to new and stunning developments. 21st century serves our most enduring those awful days in modern disguise. Just in the past year we saw the clon- human values. We have now apologized for the mis- ing of Dolly the sheep, the Hubble Science often moves faster than our takes of the past; we must not repeat telescope bringing into focus dark cor- ability to understand its implications, them — never again. ners of the leaving a maze of Second, none of our discoveries cosmos never moral and ethical should be used to label or discriminate have left the house, to the video cam- seen before, inno- questions in its against any group or individual. In- era at the toll booth and the charge vations in “Science often moves wake. The creasing knowledge about the great slip we have for lunch, we cannot af- computer technol- Internet can be a diversity within the human species ford to forget this most basic lesson. ogy and faster than our ability to new town square must not change the basic belief upon As the Internet reaches to touch every communications, understand its implica- or a new Tower which our ethics, our government, our business and every household and we and now cures for of Babel. The society are founded. All of us are cre- face the frightening prospect that pri- our most dreaded tions, leaving a maze of same computer ated equal, entitled to equal treatment vate information — even medical diseases — diabe- moral and ethical that can put the under the law. records — could be made instantly tes, cystic fibrosis, questions in its wake.” Library of Con- With stunning speed, scientists are repair for spinal gress at our now moving to unlock the secrets of cord injuries. The fingertips can also our genetic code. Genetic testing has sweep of it is truly be used by pur- the potential to identify hidden inher- “ in science, if the last humbling. Why, just recently we saw a veyors of hate to spread blueprints for ited tendencies toward disease and computer named Deep Blue defeat the bombs. The same knowledge that is spur early treatment. But that infor- 50 years were the age world’s reigning chess champion. I re- developing new life-saving drugs can mation could also be used, for example, of physics, the next ally think there ought to be a limit to be used to create poisons of mass de- by insurance companies and others to this. No computer should be allowed struction. Science can enable us to feed discriminate against and stigmatize 50 years will be the age to learn to play golf. But, seriously, billions more people in comfort, in people. of biology.” my friends, in science, if the last 50 safety, and in harmony with our earth; We know that in the 1970s, some years were the age of physics, the next or it can spark a war with weapons of African Americans were denied health 50 years will be the age of biology. mass destruction rooted in primitive care coverage by insurers and jobs by We are now embarking on our most hatreds. employers because they were identi- available to the world, we must develop daring explorations, unraveling the Science has no soul of its own. It is fied as sickle cell anemia carriers. We new protections for privacy in the face mysteries of our inner world and chart- up to us to determine whether it will also know that one of the main rea- of new technological reality. ing new routes to the conquest of be used as a force for good or evil. sons women refuse genetic testing for Fourth, we must always remember disease. We have not and we must not We must do nothing to stifle our basic susceptibility to breast cancer is their that science is not God. Our deepest shrink from exploring the frontiers of quest for knowledge. After all, it has fear that the insurance companies may truths remain outside the realm of sci- science. But as we consider how to use propelled from field to factory to either deny them coverage or raise their ence. We must temper our euphoria the fruits of discovery, we must also cyberspace. But how we use the fruits rates to unaffordable levels. No insurer over the recent breakthrough in ani- never retreat from our commitment to of science and how we apply it to hu- should be able to use genetic data to mal cloning with sobering attention to human values, the good of society, our man endeavors is not properly the underwrite or discriminate against any our most cherished concepts of human- basic sense of right and wrong. domain of science alone or of scien- American seeking health insurance. ity and faith. My own view is that each Science must continue to serve hu- tists alone. The answers to these This should not simply be a matter of human life is unique, born of a miracle manity, never the other way around. questions require the application of principle, but a matter of law, period. that reaches beyond laboratory science. The stakes are very high. America’s ethical and moral principles that have Third, technology should not be I believe we should respect this pro- future — indeed, the world’s future — guided our great used to break found gift. I believe we should resist will be more powerfully influenced by democracy to- down the wall of the temptation to replicate ourselves. science and technology than ever be- ward a more privacy and au- But this is a decision no President fore. Where once nations measured perfect union for “But science is about tonomy free should make alone. No President is their strength by the size of their armies more than 200 more than material citizens are guar- qualified to understand all of the im- and arsenals, in the world of the fu- years now. As anteed in a free plications. ture knowledge will matter most. Fully such, they are the wealth or the acquisition society. The right These, then, are four guideposts, half the growth in economic produc- province of every of knowledge. to privacy is one rooted in our traditional principles of tivity over the last half-century can be American citizen. Fundamentally, it is of our most cher- ethics and morals, that must guide us traced to research and technology. We must de- ished freedoms. if we are to master the powerful forces But science is about more than ma- cide together how about our dreams.” As society has of change in the new century. One, terial wealth or the acquisition of to apply these grown more com- science that produces a better life for knowledge. Fundamentally, it is about principles to the plex and people all and not the few. Two, science that our dreams. America is a nation always dazzling new dis- have become honors our tradition of equal treatment becoming, always defined by the great coveries of science. Here are four more interconnected in every way, we under the law. Three, science that re- goals we set, the great dreams we guideposts. First, science and its ben- have had to work even harder to re- spects the privacy and autonomy of the dream. We are restless, questing efits must be directed toward making spect the privacy, the dignity, the individual. Four, science that never people. We have always believed, with life better for all Americans — never autonomy of each individual. confuses faith in technology with faith President Thomas Jefferson, that “Free- just a privileged few. Their opportuni- Today, when marketers can follow in God. If we hold fast to these prin- dom is the first born daughter of ties and benefits should be available every aspect of our lives, from the first ciples, we can make this time of change science.” With that belief and with will- to all. Science must not create a new phone call we make in the morning to a moment of dazzling opportunity for power, resources and great national line of separation between the haves the time our security system says we all Americans.

The Back Page is intended as a forum to foster discussion on topics of interest to the scientific community. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the APS, its elected officers, or staff. APS News welcomes and encourages letters and submissions from its members responding to these and other issues.

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