A Forum of The American Physical Society • Volume VIII, No. 2 • February 2001 of Physics HISTORY NEWSLETTER Proposed History Award –Laurie M. Brown, Forum Chair

We are probably becoming a bit weary these days of being some physicists are much better than others in securing funding, and reminded of all the centennials, millennials, etc., but I would like to we would be grateful for any suggestions from our members for pos- point out that Forum itself will soon celebrate a modest two-decade sible sources. We would also like to hear what you think would be anniversary, as its inaugural session was held in Baltimore on April appropriate criteria for selecting awardees. Please let us know. 22, 1981. I noted this in a brief history of the Forum in the last History of Physics Newsletter, which I concluded by mentioning that the Executive Committee has been working on establishing the first APS Award for outstanding work in the field of history of phys- FORUM ELECTIONS ics. To be more specific, our proposal reads: “The award is for pro- fessional achievement in the history of physics through research, writing and/or other scholarly presentations. The Award is granted Forum Elections information is contained in this Newsletter. without restriction. Nominations will remain active for three years.” Please vote for Vice Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and two Mem- The description of the award is intended to be sufficiently broad bers at Large of the Executive Committee. If you have email to allow the selection committee to be flexible enough to include, for registered with APS, you will have received a message inviting example, historical-based philosophical writing. Some committee you to vote on the internet, as authorized by the FHP Executive members felt that an award directed toward younger historians would Committee last year. If not, you should have received a paper be very valuable in advancing the profession, but as we have yet to ballot by mail. If you want a paper ballot but have not yet re- launch even one award, we retained the overall achievement crite- ceived one, please email your request, including your mailing rion, which points to a longer-term involvement. address, to [email protected] or contact Prof. Bill Evenson, The main sticking point so far has been the question of finding Department of Physics, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT a source of funding. APS staff tell us that an estimated $100,000 is 84602, 801 378-6078. Ballots must be returned so they can be needed to endow an annual award of $5,000, or $50,000 for a biennial received by March 26 in order to notify winning candidates and award. Of course, the recognition itself could be quite gratifying, invite them to the April Executive Committee meeting. Brief re- but still, some more tangible prize should accompany it. Obviously sumes and statements from the candidates are printed later in this Newsletter.

INSIDE Forum News 2

Editor’s Note 2

Reports 2

APS and AIP News 3

Notes and Announcements 5

Book Reviews 8 A Course of Lectures in Natural Philosophy, Richard Helsham Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, courtesy Archives AIP Emilio Segrè Visual A Radar History of World War II, Louis Brown We celebrate this year the centenary of birth of both of the celebrated Constructing Quarks, Andrew Pickering physicists shown in this photo taken in 1940. E. O. Lawrence (left) was born August 8, 1901, and Enrico Fermi (right) was born September 29, 1901. Forum News

Forum Program at March (UC Santa Barbara), “Impact of Band Theory: ety, is “Perspectives on Large High Energy and April APS Meetings Past, Present and Future,” A. J. Freeman (North- Physics Projects.” It will be held on Sun- western U.), “Why I Love Pseudopotentials,” day, April 29, 2:30 - 5:30 pm and chaired by At the APS March Meeting in Seattle, Leonard Kleinman (U. of Texas-Austin), and Forum Chair Laurie Brown (Northwestern U.). the Forum on History of Physics is cospon- “Density Functional Calculations of Molecules: The speakers and topics are Herwig soring two symposia. “NIST at the History and Outlook,” Bernard Delley (Paul Schopper, “LEP, the LHC and European Per- Millenium: Condensed Matter and Measure- Scherrer Institut, Switzerland). spectives on the SSC,” Michael Riordan, ment Science,” cosponsored with the Topi- At the April APS Meeting in Washing- “The Rise and Fall of the Superconducting cal Group on Instrument and Measurement ton, DC, the Forum is sponsoring another Super Collider,” Thomas Kirk, “Success Fac- Science, will be held on Tuesday afternoon, contributed session, following last year’s suc- tors in Management of Large Projects,” and March 13, at 2:30. Chaired by Robert Duncan, cessful session, as well as cosponsoring three David Goldston, “Congressional Perspec- University of New Mexico, the following talks symposia. The contributed session will be tives on the SSC and LHC.” will be presented: “Spin-Polarized Electrons: held on Saturday, April 28, 2:30 -5:30 pm. A second symposium, “History of How Measurement Development Advances The first invited symposium, cospon- Atomic Collision Physics,” will be chaired Science and Technology,” Daniel T. Pierce sored with the Forum on Physics and Soci- (NIST), “Adjustment of the Fundamental Con- continued on next page stants at NBS/NIST,” Peter Mohr (NIST), “Polymer Research at NBS-NIST,” Charles Han (NIST), “Neutron Research at NIST- Reports NBS,” J. J. Rush (NIST), and “Electrical Measurements of Fundamental Constants at NBS/NIST,” Edwin Williams (NIST). History of Physics Project Notes “History of Electronic Structure Theory William A. Edelstein, GE Research Center, suggests that the history of the develop- in Atoms,” is scheduled for Wednesday af- ment of MRI has both important and fascinating stories to be pursued by an interested ternoon, March 14, at 2:30, cosponsored with historian of physics. He has materials he would share for such a project. the Division of Materials Physics. This ses- sion will be chaired by John P. Perdew, The fifth annual Seven Pines Symposium will be held in May, 2001, on the subject, Tulane University. The speakers and topics “The Quantum Nature of Gravitation, Space, and Time.” A report will appear in the next will be “A Personal Account of the History issue of this Newsletter. of Density Functional Theory,” Walter Kohn Editor’s Note of Physics HISTORY NEWSLETTER History of Physics in All its Complexity The History of Physics Newsletter There seems to be increasing acceptance of the complexities of history in the physics is published twice each year by the community. Symposia that, along with the grand successes, also note the false starts and Forum on History of Physics of the their lessons in the sometimes tortuous process of discovery are well received at national American Physical Society. It is distrib- meetings. The theoretical physics group at my university read and discussed Allan Franklin’s uted free to all members of the Forum. article, “Selectivity and the Production of Experimental Results,” last fall in which Franklin The Forum also has reciprocal arrange- analyzed five cases of handling experimental data: three that turned out to be erroneous ments with History of Science Society, physics inferred from artifacts of data analysis and two that led to important physical Philosophy of Science Association, insights but for which the data analysis was controversial. The faculty and students in this and HOPOS. Others who wish to re- group (10-12 of us) learned some important lessons about the subtleties of data analysis, ceive it should make a donation to the the power of our biases, and the ability of science to sort out complex problems. The journal Forum of $5 per year (+$3 additional Physics in Perspective has been remarkably successful in publishing readable articles that for air mail). Each 3-year volume con- deal with physics history on a level beyond the superficial and oversimplified. Perhaps we sists of six issues. can’t yet hope that an understanding of the importance of “warts and all” history is wide- spread in the physics community, let alone the broader community of educated people, but Editor: I believe the work of the Forum is contributing to a more sophisticated view and that science William E. Evenson is the better for it. I urge that we make use of history of physics in all its complexity in our Department of Physics courses and in our work as physicists, both to increase understanding of the development Brigham Young University of the discipline and to increase the sophistication with which we all view science, its Provo, UT 84602 strengths and weaknesses and contributions to our worldview. —Please send me your e-mail: [email protected] thoughts on this issue and others related to history of physics to share in this newsletter, tel: (801) 378-6078 and send updates on your current history of physics activities.

2 History of Physics Newsletter • Volume VIII, No. 2 • February 2001 by Forum Chair Elect Ben Bederson (NYU) “For his original contributions to the his- Forum Executive Committee will also meet at and is cosponsored by the Division of tory of physics, especially in the Netherlands, the April APS meeting on Sunday, April 29. Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, the and for his extraordinary contributions to This meeting is for members of the Execu- Group on Few Body Systems, and the Group the edition of Albert Einstein’s papers.” tive Committee and guests. on Fundamental Constants. Speakers and topics are Michael Nauenberg, “Develop- APS Fellow Nominations Newsletter Sharing with Related ment of the concept of electron orbits in at- Fellow nominations are due by March Organizations oms,” Alex Dalgarno, “The history of atomic 31, and the Forum Fellowship Committee We have made contact with the History collision physics in astrophysics,” Timothy must review those who are proposed, make of Science Society (HSS), the Philosophy of Gay, “The quest for the perfect collision ex- a recommendation, and complete the nomi- Science Association (PSA), and the History periment,” and Thomas Gallagher, “History nation file before that time. Hans of Philosophy of Science Working Group of the use of lasers in atomic collision ex- Frauenfelder is chair of the Forum’s Fellow- (HOPOS) to offer our Newsletter to their mem- periments.” ship Committee for 2000-01. Any Forum mem- bers and to inquire about interested FHP mem- The third symposium is “100 Years at bers who wish to nominate a candidate for bers getting access to their newsletters. These NBS-NIST,” chaired by Charles Clark (NIST) Fellow in APS are invited to send him their contacts have been received enthusiastically. and cosponsored by DAMOP. Speakers and suggestion(s), along with a c.v. and letter We are working out arrangements with topics are David DeVorkin (National Air describing the candidate’s achievements in HSS and will have more information soon. Space Museum), “H. N. Russell and atomic history of physics. Mail suggestions well The PSA Newsletter is only published elec- spectra,” Lewis Branscomb, “Political con- before March 31 (as soon as possible now) tronically, and our members can subscribe by troversy and scientific integrity at to Dr. Hans Frauenfelder, CNLS, Los Alamos sending email to [email protected] NBS-NIST,” Barry Taylor, “The history of National Laboratory, MS B258, Los Alamos, and asking to be put on the PSA e-list. Note that fundamental constants,” Mitio Inokuti, NM 87545, or email [email protected]. this was authorized by George Gale. “The scientific legacy of Ugo Fano,” and The HOPOS Newsletter is, for the most Eric Cornell, “The story of Bose-Einstein Forum Business and Executive part, an electronic publication (in pdf format), so condensation.” Committee Meetings you can go to the website, at scistud.umkc.edu/ hopos/ and then go to the Newsletter section. New APS Fellow from the Forum The annual Forum Business Meeting will be held on Sunday, April 29, at 5:30 pm at the This is an experiment right now, but we Congratulations to Anne Jacob Kox, April APS meeting in Washington, DC. It hope to continue it indefinitely. We hope this newly elected Fellow of the American Physi- will immediately follow the Forum-sponsored effort can bring various scholars interested in cal Society. Kox was nominated by the Fo- symposium on large high energy physics history and philosophy of physics into closer rum on History of Physics. Currently at the projects. All Forum members and other in- contact. University of Amsterdam, he was recognized terested persons are invited to attend. The APS AND AIP NEWS

Major New Research Tools in the The International Catalog of Sources research laboratories. Our period of interest History of Physics, Astronomy, (www.aip.org/history) is a unique resource is chiefly from about 1890 to the present, but Geophysics and Related Fields for scholars, that lists and briefly describes we include 19th century collections of inter- archival materials, such as unpublished cor- est and even earlier ones of major impor- The Center for History of Physics at the respondence and institutional records and tance. In addition to collections that are in American Institute of Physics announces oral histories, worldwide. The catalog now libraries and archives, the ICOS has informa- two important resources for researchers: a contains records for over 7,000 collections, tion on papers in private hands and informa- more powerful online version of the Inter- and the new online version is more reliable tion on papers of significant scientists that national Catalog of Sources (ICOS) for His- and allows more sophisticated queries, includ- have been destroyed. The ICOS records pro- tory of Physics and Allied Sciences and the ing boolean searches. Many science histori- vide a concise description which lists the name brand new Physics History Finding Aids ans and other scholars check ICOS routinely of the collection and usually includes the span Website. Both the International Catalog of for resources in physics and related fields, es- dates, kinds of materials (correspondence, Sources (ICOS) and the Physics History Find- pecially when planning new research. notebooks, minutes of meetings, etc.), and ing Aids Website are created and maintained What information goes into the ICOS? other information. In addition, records are thor- by the AIP Center for History of Physics. For We list information about papers of scien- oughly indexed (names and subjects); topical access to these resources, and to learn about tists working in physics and related fields, index terms are assigned as specifically as their other programs and resources, visit their such as astronomy, acoustics, optics, geo- possible to enable focussed searching. website at www.aip.org/history, or contact physics, medical physics, and the other How can I get information from the Center for History of Physics, American Insti- fields covered by the AIP’s Member Societ- ICOS? The ICOS database is available online tute of Physics, One Physics Ellipse, College ies. We also list information on records of through our new web catalog. The Center’s Park, MD 20740, phone: (301) 209-3183, fax: major institutions such as academies of sci- Niels Bohr Library staff will also search the (301) 209-0882, email: [email protected] ence, academic physics departments, and ICOS database for any researcher on request History of Physics Newsletter • Volume VIII, No. 2 • February 2001 3 (send an inquiry to the Niels Bohr Library aids. Having identified a particular finding gram, AIP will sponsor one fellow annually by mail, fax, or e-mail). In addition, the major- aid, users can call up its text and search it to spend a year working in a bureau or office ity of the existing ICOS records have been using their own browser’s search engine, and of the State Department, providing scientific uploaded into the AMC file of RLIN’s bib- download and print out parts of interest. In and technical expertise to the Department liographic database, and uploads of new in- addition to locating relevant collections, ac- while becoming actively and directly in- formation will continue periodically. (There cess to the full finding aids facilitates ad- volved in the foreign policy process. Fel- is a free gateway to RLIN’s AMC file via the vance preparation and makes visits to ar- lows are required to be US citizens and mem- Library of Congress/National Union Cata- chives more efficient. In some cases it may bers of one or more of the 10 AIP Member log of Manuscript Collections website.) even allow users to get materials relevant to Societies at the time of application. Qualifi- How can I add new information to the their research by correspondence without cations include a PhD in physics or closely ICOS? The Center is always on the lookout the expense of a visit. related field. In exceptional cases, the PhD for new collections to add to ICOS, and we requirement may be waived for applicants learn about new materials through annual Grants-in-Aid for History of with equivalent research experience. Appli- surveys of major science archives, informa- Modern Physics and Allied cants should possess familiarity with, or ex- tion from researchers, and other sources. We perience in, scientific or technical aspects of strongly encourage users to contact us about Fields (Astronomy, foreign policy. A stipend of $49,000 per year, new resources that they find. Geophysics, etc.) plus allowances toward relocation, in-service The Physics History Finding Aids The AIP Center for History of Physics travel, and health insurance premiums. Ap- Website (www.aip.org/history/ead) is a has a program of grants-in-aid for research plications should consist of a cover letter, brand new resource that the AIP History in the history of modern physics and allied indicating names of references, PhD status, Center has created in the past year with a sciences (such as astronomy, geophysics, society memberships, and where you learned consortium of nine other leading science re- and optics) and their social interactions. of the fellowship; letter of intent providing positories and with financial support from Grants can be up to $2,500 each. They can reason for applying, scientific training and the National Endowment for the Humanities. be used only to reimburse direct expenses professional experience, foreign policy in- The Physics History Finding Aids Website, connected with the work. Preference will be terest; resume; and three letters of reference which is a continuation and expansion of given to those who need funds for travel sent directly. All application materials must the ICOS, is the largest subject-based con- and subsistence to use the resources of the be postmarked by April 15, 2001 and sent to: sortium of finding aids on the web. Research- Center’s Niels Bohr Library (near Washing- AIP State Dept. Science Fellowship, Ameri- ers can use it to get detailed information on ton, DC), or to microfilm papers or to can Institute of Physics, ATTN: Audrey a wide variety of important resources in 20th tape-record oral history interviews with a copy Leath, One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD century American science and science deposited in the Library. Applicants should 20740-3843. For additional information, policy. The more than 60 collections now name the persons they would interview or please contact Audrey Leath at represented cover a broad variety of fields papers they would microfilm, or the collections [email protected] or 301-209-3094. centered around physics, astronomy and at the Library they need to see; you can con- geophysics, with information on some of the sult the online catalog at our website, APS/AIP Congressional most significant topics in modern science. www.aip.org/history, and please feel free to Science Fellowship The finding aids describe major collections make inquiries about the Library’s holdings. at the ten institutions that are currently mem- Applicants should either be working to- Programs bers of the consortium: American Institute ward a graduate degree in the history of sci- The American Institute of Physics and of Physics, California Institute of Technol- ence (in which case they should include a the American Physical Society offer Con- ogy, Harvard University, Massachusetts In- letter of reference from their thesis adviser), or gressional Science Fellowship Programs stitute of Technology, Northwestern Univer- show a record of publication in the field. To each year. Fellows serve one year on the staff sity, Rice University, University of apply, send a vitae, a letter of no more than of a Member of Congress or congressional Alaska-Fairbanks, University of Illinois Ur- two pages describing your research project, committee, learning the legislative process bana-Champaign, University of Iowa, and and a brief budget showing the expenses for while they lend scientific expertise to public University of Texas-Austin. Plans are under- which support is requested to: Spencer Weart, policy issues. Qualifications include a PhD way to expand the database to include more Center for History of Physics, American Insti- or equivalent research experience in phys- collections and additional repositories such tute of Physics, One Physics Ellipse, College ics or a closely related field. Fellows are re- as the Library of Congress. Park, MD 20740; phone: 301-209-3174, fax: quired to be U.S. citizens and, for the AIP What’s in a finding aid? Finding aids 301-209-0882 e-mail: [email protected]. Dead- Fellowship, members of one or more of the contain an introductory essay describing the lines for receipt of applications are June 30 AIP Member Societies. A stipend of up to main features and subjects of the collection and December 31 of each year. $49,000 is offered, in addition to allowances and a listing of box and folder contents, for relocation, in-service travel, and health sometimes running to hundreds of pages. AIP State Department insurance premiums. Applications should They are fully encoded in SGML-EAD for- consist of a letter of intent, a 2-page resume, mat, the emerging archival standard. A search Science Fellowship Program and 3 letters of recommendation. Please see engine allows users to search across the full This newly-established program repre- the websites: www.aip.org/pubinfo or texts (or, if preferred, only the introductions sents an opportunity for scientists to make www.aps.org/public_affairs/fellow.html, for or other portions) of the entire set of finding a unique and substantial contribution to the detailed information on applying. If qualified, nation’s foreign policy. Under this new pro- 4 History of Physics Newsletter • Volume VIII, No. 2 • February 2001 NOTES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Physics, the Human Adventure: From copies for class adoption ($5 per copy for History and Technology is an interna- Copernicus to Einstein and Beyond, by shipping & handling), contact Rutgers Uni- tional journal which encourages submissions Gerald Holton and Stephen G. Brush, has versity Press at (800)446-9323, fax (888) from both graduate students and more es- just been published by Rutgers University 471-9014, or write to the Press at 100 Joyce tablished scholars interested in the mutual Press. This is the third edition of the classic Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854. shaping of technology and society in an his- text Introduction to Concepts and Theories torical perspective. To date considerable in Physical Science. Both earlier editions Preserving the Archives of emphasis has been given to work dealing were landmark titles in science education, as Contemporary British Scientists with the 20th century. Papers published are the first to make full and effective use of the included in the Isis bibliography. A special In 1973 an archives project was estab- history and philosophy of science in pre- subscription price is available for members of lished in Oxford to locate, catalogue and find senting for both the general and the SHOT. The journal comes out four times a year permanent places of deposit for the archives science-oriented student an account of the and usually includes three articles and a small of contemporary British scientists. This project nature of physical science. In this third edi- book review section. Guest editors sometimes was unique in that it “was not itself an archive tion, each of the chapters has been reworked take responsibility for a single number deal- repository requiring expensive buildings and to further clarify the physics concepts and ing with a coherent theme. The time to publi- equipment, but a resource-effective processing to incorporate recent physical advances and cation is relatively brief as the journal works centre whose staff, expert in the cataloguing of research. The book shows the unifying on a flow system, i.e. when there is enough scientific materials, would hand over the com- power of science by bringing in connections material available they proceed to publication. pleted collections to established national, uni- to chemistry, astronomy, and geoscience. In Interested authors should submit articles to versity or institutional repositories for permanent short, the aim of the new edition is to teach the Executive Editor, Dr. John Krige, Kranzberg preservation and supervised access to research- good physics while presenting physical sci- Professor, School of History, Technology and ers. Margaret Gowing, the distinguished histo- ence as a human adventure that has become Society, Georgia Institute of Technology, rian of the British atomic bomb project and Ox- a major force in our civilization. New chap- Atlanta, GA 30332-0345, phone +(404) 894 ford University’s first Professor of the His- ters discuss theories of the origin of the so- 7765, fax +(404) 894 0535. tory of Science, was the Director, and it was lar system and expanding universe; fission, An encyclopedia of American Industrial on her retirement that the archives project fusion, and the Big Bang-Steady State con- History is in planning stages with publisher moved to the University of Bath in 1987.” troversy; and thematic elements and styles M. E. Sharpe. Dr. Thomas Heinrich, Baruch Since 1973 the archives have dealt with the in scientific thought. There is also a discus- College, is looking for contributors. This archives of over 200 British scientists, pre- sion of the debate about whether we see by 3-volume project will cover major periods in dominantly Fellows of the Royal Society, 21 sending rays out to an object or receiving industrial history, industries from textiles and Nobel laureates, and five Presidents of the them from the object. steel to automobiles and computers, busi- Royal Society. Records of all the scientists Gerald Holton is Mallinckrodt Professor ness and labor leaders, and key technolo- whose archives have been catalogued by of Physics and History of Science, Emeritus, gies from the spinning jenny to the semi- the project can be found on the project Harvard University. Stephen G. Brush is Dis- conductor. Although it focuses primarily on website: www.bath.ac.uk./Centres/NCUACS. tinguished University Professor of the His- the U.S., the encyclopedia examines Ameri- The current director of the National Cata- tory of Science, University of Maryland, Col- can industrialism in international/global per- loguing Unit for the Archives of Contempo- lege Park. Both authors are Fellows of the spective. Anyone interested in writing any rary Scientists is Dr. Peter Harper American Physical Society, and each has served entries for the encyclopedia may contact Dr. ([email protected]). He and his colleagues as President of the History of Science Society. Thomas Heinrich, Assistant Professor, Baruch are available for advice about archives and The book is about 550 pages, double- College, 17 Lexington Ave., New York, NY will send their twice-yearly Progress Reports column. List price is $39 (paperback), $75 10010, [email protected] to interested scholars. (cloth). To order, or to request examination The Melvin Kranzberg Dissertation Fellowship 2001 applicants will be considered for both pro- History Items in Physical Review The Society for the History of Technol- grams. Application materials are generally due Focus ogy announces the competition for its by January 15 and sent to APS/AIP Congres- Physical Review Focus is a web and Melvin Kranzberg Dissertation Fellowship, sional Science Fellowship Programs, One email publication highlighting new develop- which is presented annually to a doctoral Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3843. ments in physics as found in Physical Review. student engaged in the preparation of a dis- sertation on the history of technology, “This Month in Physics History” David Ehrenstein, editor of Physical Review Focus, would like to do occasional historical broadly defined. This award is in memory of APS News now has a regular column, stories highlighting work published in Physi- the co-founder of the Society, and honors “This Month in Physics History.” Alan cal Review in earlier decades. He would wel- Melvin Kranzberg’s many contributions to Chodos, editor of APS News, welcomes sug- come suggestions and other offers of assis- developing the history of technology as a gestions for this column ([email protected]). tance: [email protected] (301) 209-3201. field of scholarly endeavor and SHOT as a

History of Physics Newsletter • Volume VIII, No. 2 • February 2001 5 professional organization. The $2,000 award – often become documents of historical im- institute/nintro.html. is unrestricted and may be used in any way port. The editors of Physics in Perspective Stanford Linear Accelerator Center’s that the winner chooses to advance the re- welcome such first-hand accounts and Beam Line issue for Summer/Fall 2000 (Vol. search and writing of his or her dissertation. hereby extend an invitation to physicists, 30, No. 2) was a Special Quantum Century Possible uses include underwriting the costs and particularly to members of the Forum on Issue with several articles on the history of of travel to archival collections; photocopy- History of Physics, to submit manuscripts the development of quantum theory, from ing or microfilming; translation of docu- for publication. (John S. Rigden, American its origins, through lasers, cosmology, and ments; and so on. The award may not be Institute of Physics, One Physics Ellipse, superconductivity, and a brief essay on “The used for university tuition or fees. Students College Park, MD 20740, [email protected] and future of the quantum theory.” See from institutions of higher learning anywhere Roger H. Stuewer, Tate Laboratory of Phys- www.slac.stanford.edu/pubs/beamline. in the world who are working on projects in ics, University of Minnesota, 116 Church “One Hundred Years of Quantum Phys- the history of technology are eligible to ap- Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, ics,” an article by Daniel Kleppner and Ro- ply; doctoral candidates from outside the [email protected]). man Jackiw, appeared in the August 11, 2000 United States are especially encouraged to The Project on Contributions of 20th issue of Science (Vol. 289). submit application materials. Applicants Century Women to Physics issued two re- John Rigden’s biography of I. I. Rabi was must have completed all requirements for ports last year: a “Final Report” as the project recently reprinted by Harvard University their doctorate except for the dissertation by winds down and moves its materials to the Press. Rigden’s new book of essays on the 1 September 2001. See www.press.jhu.edu/ UCLA Digital Library collection, and a “Dia- hydrogen atom and its influence in the devel- associations/shot/awards/kranz.htm for grammatic Website Visit” that outlines the opment of 20th century physics will be pub- complete information. All application mate- structure of the website and includes a few lished by Harvard University Press this year. rials must be received by 1 April 2001. The sample visits. Although the Project has is- committee’s decision will be announced at sued a “Final Report,” it is still active and Web Resources the Society’s annual meeting, which will be adding citations and names at least this year. held in San Jose, CA, October 4-7, 2001. Visit the website if you have not done so Physics Internet Resources previously (www.physics.ucla.edu/~cwp), The American Physical Society has a Physics in Perspective and watch for the archive’s move to a new collection of useful physics internet links on Most journals are targeted to a small address at the UCLA Library. its website. Go to the APS home page group of scholars. That is not the case for National Endowment for the Humanities (www.aps.org) and follow the “Physics the journal Physics in Perspective, which has Programs: NEH OUTLOOK, an email news- Internet Resources” link. now been published since early 1999 for a letter of the National Endowment for the Hu- wide audience of historians, philosophers, manities (www.neh.gov) can be obtained by Physics Central physicists, and the interested public. The sending an email to [email protected]; Physics Central (www.physicscentral.com) editors believe that scholarly papers written type the word “subscribe” in the body of has been established by APS to help com- by historians of physics, philosophers of the message. NEH offers summer programs municate the excitement and importance of physics, and physicists themselves can be for professors and school teachers and sup- physics broadly. You are invited to visit their an effective means for bringing the ideas, ports Chautauquas around the country in site every week to find out how physics is the substance, and the methods of physics addition to summer stipends for research and part of your world. They answer questions to non-specialists, provided jargon is other programs. on how things work and provide daily up- avoided and care is taken in the writing. NASA History: News and Notes is pub- dates on physics in the news. They describe Physics in Perspective is published quar- lished quarterly by the NASA History Divi- the latest research and the people who are terly. Besides articles and book reviews, the sion, Office of Policy and Plans, Code ZH, doing it, along with web links for more infor- journal has two regular features: first, “The NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC mation. Physical Tourist,” identifies sites for the trav- 20546. You can receive NASA History: News Links to Science History Journals eler whose interests include artifacts from and Notes via email. To subscribe, send a the history of physics, laboratories with his- John Agar of the University of Manches- message to [email protected]. Leave the ter has put together a page of links to 44 torical significance, birthplaces of subject line blank. In the text portion simply well-known physicists, and the like; second, journals for history of science, philosophy type “subscribe history” without the quota- of science, sociology of science, history of “In Appreciation” is written about a physi- tion marks. You will receive confirmation that cist by a student, first-hand acquaintance, technology, history of medicine. It can be found your account has been added to the list for at www.man.ac.uk/Science_Engineering/ or colleague. Physics in Perspective is avail- the newsletter and to receive other an- able to members of the American Physical CHSTM/journals.htm nouncements that may interest you. The lat- Centennial of Flight Commission Society at the special subscription rate of est issue of this newsletter is also available $35 per year plus $10 shipping and handling. Website has information for aviation enthu- on the web at www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/ siasts, educators, students, and all those Additional information can be found at the History/nltrc.html. Birkhäuser Verlag website, www.birkhauser.ch/ who may be planning projects and activities An NEH Summer Institute, “Experience to help the country celebrate the Wright journals/1600/1600_tit.htm. and Experiment in Early Modern Europe,” First-hand accounts of participants in Brothers’ first powered flight centennial on will be held at the Folger Shakespeare Li- and around December 17, 2003. See interesting and important research projects brary, Washington, DC, 25 June to 3 August, – experimental, theoretical, or computational centennialofflight.gov. 2001 for college faculty. See www.folger.edu/ Back issues of Science magazine (Janu- 6 History of Physics Newsletter • Volume VIII, No. 2 • February 2001 ary 1895 to December 1994) are now avail- The Fifth Biennial History of As- San Jose. Details are available at able online through the Journal Storage tronomy Workshop will be held July 5-8, www.press.jhu.edu/associations/shot/ Project at www.jstor.org. While the site re- 2001 at the University of Notre Dame. The annual.htm quires a subscription, this service may be workshop is sponsored by Notre Dame’s The 12th Biennial International Con- available at university or regional libraries. Graduate Program in History and Philoso- ference of the Society for Philosophy and Theuth, the French history of science phy of Science, Notre Dame’s Reilly Center Technology will be held at the University of group, can be found on the web at for Science, Technology, and Values, the Aberdeen in Aberdeen, Scotland, July 9-11, www.sigu7.jussieu.fr/hpr/theuth-index.html. History of Astronomy Special Interest Group 2001. Contact: Andrew Light, SPT Confer- Online French bookshop specialized in of the History of Science Society, and the ence, Int’l Center for Advanced Studies, New second-hand books on history and philoso- Historical Astronomy Division of the Ameri- York University, 53 Washington Square phy of science: www.philoscience.com. can Astronomical Society. Steven Dick and South, Rm 401E, New York, NY 10012, e-mail: Florence Center for the History and Marc Rothenberg are program co-chairs. alight@ binghamton.edu, or see Philosophy of Science: associazioni. This year’s invited guest from overseas www.spt.org. comune.firenze.it/florenceCHPS. is Helge Kragh, who will head a stellar panel On 22-25 October 2001, The First Flight Philosophy of Science Society of Japan: on “How astronomy and cosmology became Centennial Commission is holding a confer- wwwsoc.nacsis.ac.jp/pssj physical sciences.” Other invited sessions ence commemorating the Wright Brothers include the use of instruments in teaching entitled “They Taught the World to Fly: The Upcoming Conferences history of astronomy; astronomy and the Wright Bothers and the Age of Flight”. In- arts; astronomy and religion; historiography, quiries should be directed to Dr. Larry Tise The Second Conference on Laboratory and more. The contributed papers will cover at [email protected] or to (919) 733-2003 or (919) History will be held April 19-21, 2001, at an even wider range of periods, cultures and 715-8959. Jefferson Laboratory in Newport News, Vir- topics than usual. For information contact On 8-11 November 2001 the History of ginia, near Colonial Williamsburg. It will ad- Matt Dowd, Graduate Program in History and Science Society will hold its annual meeting dress all aspects of laboratory life, including Philosophy of Science, Univ. of Notre Dame, in Denver, Colorado. Contact: History of various fields of research and eras from the Notre Dame, IN 46556, Science Society Executive Office, University eighteenth century to the present. The con- [email protected]. The confer- of Washington, Box 351330, Seattle WA ference follows a similar meeting held in 1998 ence website is www.nd.edu/~histast4. 98195-1330, 206-543-9366, e-mail: in New York. For more information contact The XXIst International Congress of [email protected]. Catherine Westfall at [email protected]. History of Science will be held in Mexico The 116th annual meeting of the Ameri- On 26-29 April 2001 the Organization of City from 8-14 July 2001. Prof. Juan José can Historical Association will be held in American Historians will hold its annual Saldaña, conference chair, has provided a San Francisco, 3-6 January 2002. The Pro- meeting at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in new congress website and email address: gram Committee invites proposals from all Los Angeles, CA, with the theme, “Connec- www.smhct.org, email: xxiichs@ members of the Association (academic and tions: Rethinking our Audiences.” Contact servidor.unam.mx. nonacademic), from affiliated societies, and the 2001 Program Committee, Organization In August 2001, there will be a sympo- from scholars in foreign countries and in re- of American Historians, 112 North Bryan sium on History of Geomagnetics, lated disciplines. In planning the program, Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47408-4199. For Solar-Terrestrial Physics and Space Phys- the committee seeks presentations that ad- further information on the conference visit ics and Related Disciplines in Hanoi, Viet- dress the entire community of historians and the OAH web page: www.indiana.edu/~oah/ nam. For further information contact Dr. provide opportunities to examine the larger meetings/2001 program/call.html. Wilfried Schröder, Hechelstrasse 8, D-28777, concerns of the profession. Information on The Southern California Colloquium in Bremen, Germany. proposing may be obtained from the AHA the History of Science, Medicine and Tech- The Society for the History of Technol- office at 2002 Materials, AHA, 400 A St., SE, nology will host a conference on Saturday, ogy will hold its Annual Meeting in San Jose, Washington, DC 20003-3889. (202) 544-2422, 28 April 2001, entitled “Science, Technology California, October 4-7, 2001. Call for Papers ext. 104, fax (202) 544-8307, [email protected]. and Economic Development: How Tight is Deadline: March 23, 2001. The program com- All materials may also be found on the AHA’s the Fit?” It will be held in Room 314, Royce mittee welcomes proposals for individual website: www.theaha.org. Hall, UCLA. To reserve your seat, please papers or complete sessions on topics re- A Robert Hooke Tercentenary Confer- e-mail Margaret C. Jacob, moderator: lated to all facets of the history of technol- ence will be held in London, 7-9 July, 2003. [email protected]. ogy. In particular, the committee will welcome Contact [email protected]. Congress on the History of Science and non-US and/or pre-1800 topics, Engineering, Lille, France, 24-26 May, 2001, works-in-progress from researchers of all sponsored by Société Française d’Histoire stripes (including graduate students, chaired des Sciences et des Techniques. For infor- professors, and independent scholars), and mation see wwwrc.obs-azur.fr/cerga/hdsn/ papers from those new to SHOT who be- SFHST.html or email [email protected]. lieve that an engagement with history can The Canadian Society for History and help their own work, regardless of discipline. Philosophy of Science (CSHPS) will meet at Because the 2000 meeting took place out- Université Laval, Quebec City, 24-26 May, side the U.S., those who presented at 2001. See www.ukings.ns.ca/cshps. SHOT-Munich are eligible to give a paper at

History of Physics Newsletter • Volume VIII, No. 2 • February 2001 7 BOOK REVIEWS

Richard Helsham, A Course of colors, reflection, refraction). The lectures include in Dublin. Thus the selections of 1818 omit Lectures in Natural Philosophy, applications to simple machines, water wheels, the general principles of mechanics, perhaps published by Bryan Robinson, carriage wheels, pumps, hypsometry, meteorol- because of their emphasis on Newtonian ogy, acoustic devices, time measurement (cyc- central forces and their cumbersome and in- reprint of the fourth edition, 1767. loidal pendulums), ballistics, and optical instru- complete treatment of collisions, and also With an introduction by D. Weaire, P. ments. The presentation uses little mathematics friction and the account of carriage wheels, Kelly, and D. A. Addis. (Dublin: beyond conic sections and elementary algebra but retain the sections on simple machines. Trinity College, Department of except for a discussion of the decline of atmo- Hydrostatics and pneumatics remain, but Physics, and Institute of Physics spheric pressure with height, which requires loga- highly edited; the typical advanced rithms. The mathematical arguments are strict and Newtonian topics – the flow through orifices Publishing, 1999). 18 + x + 404 pp., clear, almost always operating on proportions and pipes, the theory of the cataract, the 11 plates of figures. $59 (£35) rather than equations. Sometimes, however, as in speed of sound, and the law of force be- Reviewed by J. L. Heilbron, Worces- Helsham’s treatment of collisions, the method tween gas particles – are discarded alto- ter College, Oxford divided the problem into several cases and pro- gether, as, indeed, they deserved to be. The Galileo wrote his Two chief systems of voked unnecessary repetition and complica- editors also dropped the superseded sec- the world (1632) for all the world who knew tion. Throughout, the lectures stay close to tions on light and colors, which were based Italian to read. Its accessibility to the lay- Newton’s work, augmented by experiments on a particulate theory of light, in their en- man magnified its menace to the Inquisition. performed under his direction at the Royal tirety. By 1834, nothing was left of mechan- Descartes expected everyone to understand Society by Francis Hauksbee and J. T. ics; only the bowdlerized hydrostatics and his Principles of philosophy (1644), in French Desaguliers. pneumatics survived. or in Latin; and anyone who experienced a Helsham’s coverage of Newtonian The progressive removal of obsolete and difficulty to surmount it by reading the book themes lies between that of Roger Cotes’ erroneous pieces from the Lectures may twice. But Newton’s Mathematical principles Hydrostatical and pneumatical lectures have something to say to the physicists of of natural philosophy (1687), which set the (1738) and W. J. ‘sGravesande’s Mathemati- our time. Is there not an anticipation of the foundations of the modern universe, remained cal elements of natural philosophy, con- over-confidence of “modern naturalists” (as for thirty years in the Latin and mathematics firmed by experiments; or, An introduction Helsham called his colleagues) in his con- in which it was composed. It might as well to Sir Isaac Newton’s philosophy (several gratulatory opening? It reads: “it is of no have been written in Chinese and hieroglyph- editions beginning in1720). ‘sGravesande’s small suprize to think how inconsiderable a ics for almost everyone to whom Galileo and text, the most widely used survey of progress the knowledge of nature had made Descartes were open books. Richard Newton’s ideas during the 1720s and 1730s, in former ages, when compared with the vast Helsham, M.D., a fellow student of George includes an account of the gravitational improvements it has received from the num- Berkeley’s and physician to Jonathan Swift, theory and the system of the world as well berless discoveries of later times; insomuch, occupies an honorable place in the van of as the subjects Helsham offers. Discoveries that some of the branches of natural phi- writers who undertook the useful and de- about heat, electricity, and magnetism from losophy, which at this day is almost compleat manding task of dumbing down Newton. the 1740s made ‘sGravesande as well as in all its parts, were utterly unknown before Helsham began lecturing on Newtonian Helsham, who mentions electricity and mag- the last century.” natural philosophy in 1711, in the then new netism only as examples of attraction and re- The reprint is accompanied by a brief medical school of Trinity College, Dublin. pulsion, obsolete as surveys of natural phi- introduction by D. A. Addis, P. Kelly, and D. He seems to have had no official position there losophy. Nonetheless Helsham’s Lectures Weaire. Their biographical sketches of until 1722, when he took up a lectureship in were reprinted (all the “editions” seem to be Helsham and Robinson, and their gestures mathematics. Two years later he received a the same) six times during the eighteenth toward placing Helsham’s Lectures in his- gold plate for his uncompensated lectures and century (five times in London, lastly in 1777, torical context, did not require the efforts of appointment to Trinity’s newly established and once in Dublin, in 1793), and once early three persons. professorship in “natural and experimental in the nineteenth century in backward Phila- philosophy.” He did not bother to publish his delphia (1802). The text’s longevity was no Louis Brown, A Radar History of lectures. The volume under review here was doubt owing to the clarity of the presenta- World War II, (Bristol and Philadel- put together from his papers by his student tion and the excellent illustrations of physi- phia: Institute of Physics Publishing, and successor Bryan Robinson. cal principles in practical applications. Although well outmoded as a whole be- 1999). c584 pp. $38 (£27.50) Helsham’s lectures cover general mechan- Reviewed by Robert W. Seidel, ics (central forces, composition of motion, fore 1800, Helsham’s Lectures continued to collision, center of gravity, friction, projectile guide instructors and students at Trinity until University of Minnesota motion), hydrostatics (Archimedean prin- his book reached its centennial. “Select The concept of a radar history of World ciples, specific gravity, flow through pipes and parts” were issued by the College’s printers War II seems as incongruous to the histo- orifices), pneumatics (general principles, at- in 1818, 1827, and 1834. Comparison of the rian as, say, a refrigerator history of the mospheric pressure, sound), and light (vision, selections with the parent text is a quick way kitchen. Just when we thought technologi- to identify advances in physics as perceived cal determinism had been thrown on the 8 History of Physics Newsletter • Volume VIII, No. 2 • February 2001 dustheap of historiography, if not history, radar played an essential determining role, “Watt was a Scot, a tribal attribute that gave Brown’s book, subtitled “Technical and Mili- and is honest enough to admit it. What, then, him satisfaction almost as great as his con- tary Imperatives,” comes along to resuscitate are the “technical and military imperatives” viction that he had invented radar, two pieces the genre. This first impression is reinforced of which he writes? of information that seldom escaped the at- by the illustrations, which are overwhelmingly The technical imperatives arise from the tention of others. He was descended from pictures of World War II radar apparatus. While increasing understanding of potential appli- the inventor of the external-condenser steam antiquarians prize such things, and the hard- cations of electromagnetic radiation: after engine yet wanted that illustrious name im- ware history of war is replete with lovingly Hertz and Marconi showed the potential of proved by adopting a double-barrelled ver- assembled and encyclopedic volumes that say radio, and it was observed that radio waves sion on receiving honours.” [446] very little of history, it might be thought that were reflected from ships and airplanes, most The details of technology and tactics those with a more serious interest in history of the primary participants in World War II demand more of the reader than the casual might better turn to Robert Buderi’s The In- developed some form of radar in the 1930s. military buff or historian of technology may vention that Changed the World: How a The secrecy of these efforts and the absence wish to expend, but for those who have Small Group of Radar Pioneers Won the of evidence of successful espionage sug- plumbed the depths of Guerlac’s wartime his- Second World War and Launched a Tech- gests that these were independent develop- tory of radar or soldiered through Buderi’s nological Revolution, the focus of which ments. The author traces British, American, more prosaic account without exhausting seems to be artists rather than artifacts. French, German, Soviet and Japanese efforts their curiosity about the technology, Brown’s Yet this would be a mistake, for Brown along these lines, and compares their tech- account will provide a worthwhile read. has sought to explore the human aspects of nical success in terms of achieving success- radar’s development, and has uncovered and ful detection, ranging, and position of tar- Andrew Pickering, Constructing catalogued a large number of events in the gets. The evidence shows that although this Quarks, (University of Chicago history of science and technology that have was accomplished using different technolo- Press, 1984, new paper edition, been ignored or discounted by other histo- gies in different countries, there is a com- rians. He grasps at the generalizations that mon thread of development. 1999) 468 pp. $26 will make historical sense of his subject, and, The technical development, however, Reviewed by Lawrence Rees, although he fails in many cases to come to was subject to military imperatives, e.g. Brigham Young University. grips with substantial issues, he is clearly interservice rivalries, the degree of integra- In 1984, Andrew Pickering created a bit seeking a contextualized understanding of tion of the air arm into the army and navy, of a stir in the high energy physics commu- the hardware, and he brings a great deal of the rank and assignment of its sponsors, and nity with his work, Constructing Quarks, information to light in the process. the prevailing attitudes toward the use of aerial published by the University of Edinburgh Historical patterns, however, require bombardment. Those who followed the view Press. The University of Chicago Press has more than such an attempt. If a man’s reach that the bomber would always get through reissued this book in a paperback version. must exceed his grasp, still he can increase thus took a different tack than those who While the paperback version has made both by standing on the shoulders of those thought of aviation in a supporting role to the Pickering’s work more financially accessible, who have gone before. The problems of his- army and navy. On one extreme, General Billy it has done nothing to change the original torical scholarship do not elude him, and Mitchell asserted that the airplane had made text. The book is identical, right down to the some of his conceptions, i.e. that one must both naval and military targets vulnerable. On typographical errors, to the original publica- rely on oral histories only at one’s peril, are the other, the Luftwaffe discounted strategic tion. Although it would be interesting to read clear insights into the hazards of that com- bombing in developing tactical air support for Pickering’s view of the last decade or two of fortable form of “research.” the blitzkrieg. No one could anticipate the ac- particle physics to see if his philosophies On the other hand, historical patterns are tual utility of aviation, since no one could have changed in the passage of time, not the result of Platonic forms, but, like the understand the effect that radar would have Pickering’s description of the birth pains of radar patterns that are grappled with in the upon both air defense and offense. the Standard Model remains an accurate and book, require careful resolution and filtering Brown attempts to work these impera- informative standard in the history of high of the data to distinguish the signal from the tives into a narrative that shows the effects energy physics. noise, and to identify the signal with its ref- radar had upon the battles in all of the the- To begin with, I’d like to make it clear erent. That sort of focus is never quite aters of the war, and comes to the conclu- that this book is not a textbook about high achieved in the 500 pages of the narrative. sion that radar contributed to, but did not in energy physics, nor is it a popular guide to The technical density of the material pre- and of itself win the war. He tirelessly exam- particles and interactions. The purpose of sented is not the problem. Brown believes ines the evidence relating to the deployment, the book is not to teach physics, but to de- that any one with a good high-school sci- tactical employment, and enhancement of scribe the often-winding road that led to our ence education can understand radar, and radar during the course of the conflict. His present idea of matter at its most fundamen- does his best to make it intelligible both in narrative casts radar – in its multifold mani- tal level. Pickering suggests that the reader his narrative and his helpful appendix. It is festations and acronymic noms de guerre – need not be fluent in the mathematics or lan- rather the space and time coordinates which as the leading character in a drama that does guage of particle physics. He does keep the are unstable. The use of radar is no more not lack human characters from Luis Alvarez number of equations to a minimum and de- helpful as a signifier than, say, the use of the to Robert Watson-Watt, whom he captures fines rather simply the host of physical defi- bazooka. And, in many of the battles Brown with the same force and economy that he nitions needed to present the topic with any examines in detail, he finds no evidence that depicts the technical characters of radar sets: degree of rigor. In spite of that, this work

History of Physics Newsletter • Volume VIII, No. 2 • February 2001 9 FORUM ELECTIONS

Please vote for Vice Chair, Secretary- Trea- Executive Committee: pline an important aspect of that discipline. surer, and two Members at Large of the Ex- The one place where historians and physi- Lawrence Badash ecutive Committee. If you have email regis- cists can meet is in the Forum, to our mutual Daniel Greenberger tered with APS, you will have received a benefit. On the board I would hope to Elizabeth Paris message inviting you to vote on the internet, strengthen interactions between members K. C. Wali as authorized by the FHP Executive Commit- and historians and encourage discussions tee last year. If not, you should have received of issues critical to understanding the place Nominees for Vice Chair a paper ballot by mail. If you want a paper of physics in an era of immense structural ballot but have not yet received one, please changes. Elizabeth Garber is an historian of physics email your request, including your mailing at the State University of New York at Stony address, to [email protected] or contact Michael Riordan is the Assistant to the Di- Brook whose latest book is The Language Prof. Bill Evenson, Department of Physics, rector at the Stanford Linear Accelerator of Physics: The Calculus and the Develop- Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, Center, a Lecturer in the History and Phi- ment of Theoretical Physics, 1750-1914. She 801 378-6078. The closing date of the elec- losophy of Science Program at Stanford has also published on Maxwell and the ki- tion is March 26 – ballots must be received University, and Adjunct Professor of Phys- netic theory of gases and statistical physics by that date to be valid. Brief resumes and ics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. with Stephen G. Brush and Francis Everitt. statements from the candidates begin on this After earning his Ph.D. in physics from MIT Statement: History can give us a per- page. The candidates on the ballot are in 1973, he did research in particle physics at spective of the discipline within which we MIT, the University of Rochester and work that is unique. It can demonstrate that Vice Chair: Stanford before turning to the history of much we take for granted is not inevitable physics in the 1980s. He is author of The Elizabeth Garber and the conditions of the field more contin- Hunting of the Quark (Simon & Schuster, Michael Riordan gent than we may be comfortable with. How- 1987), which won him the 1988 Science Writ- ever, it also can deepen our appreciation of ing Prize of the American Institute of Phys- Secretary-Treasurer: what it has taken for physics to develop as a ics, and coauthor with Lillian Hoddeson of Bill Evenson discipline and profession. History also makes Crystal Fire: The Birth of the Information Ken Ford the discipline accessible to the general pub- Age (W. W. Norton, 1997). For this history lic. This alone makes the history of a disci- of the invention and development of the tran- would easily lose readers who do not have toward the truth. Instead, Pickering discusses different standard to results that promoted at least a working knowledge of elementary the ebb and flow of ideas that eventually led the community consensus as opposed to modern physics and of the Standard Model. to what James Bjorken described as the “new those that detracted from that consensus. To a reader who is somewhat familiar with orthodoxy” of high energy physics: the gauge The book gives the impression that the Stan- the discipline, however, the work presents a theory of the electroweak interaction, quan- dard Model is a house of cards, ready to fascinating unfolding of events that cannot tum chromodynamics, and the SU(5) theory topple at any instant. It is this insinuation be found in textbooks. of grand unification. that made Pickering’s work controversial when The subtitle of Constructing Quarks is It is significant that Pickering did not it was first published. Although it is philo- A Sociological History of Particle Physics. entitle his book Discovering Quarks. His sophically compelling to ask what sort of stan- This subtitle reflects the two main, yet some- premise, providing one thread of continuity dard model would have evolved if history had what disparate, themes of this work: the his- throughout the book, is that quarks were unfolded a little differently, the process which tory of the development of the Standard constructed, not discovered. That is, the gave birth to the Standard Model was neither Model, and the sociological effects at play Standard Model was developed by a syner- unusual nor unique to high energy physics. in that development. gistic relationship between experiment and Pickering’s objections, therefore, seem some- As a history, Pickering has a done a re- theory, with theorists guiding the experi- what melodramatic in places. Pickering, how- markable job of following the developments ments being done and the methods of inter- ever, is not asking us to throw away the Stan- of high energy physics from its earliest years preting them, and experimental evidence lead- dard Model, only to be cautious in canonizing through the very early 1980s. The book is care- ing theorists in their work. This is demon- it. Even then, Pickering is more successful fully researched and is accurate in its details. strated well by the fact that the “old science,” when he is narrating history – even from a His personal contact with many of the key as Pickering calls it, was dominated by mea- sociological perspective – than when he is players brings insights into the thoughts and surements of the most probable interactions, standing on a soapbox. motivations of those who were most influen- but the “new science” was an art of pulling All in all, Constructing Quarks is a very tial in the field. What makes the book most very unlikely exotic events cleanly out of interesting portrait both of high energy phys- worthwhile is Pickering’s choice to carefully the background. There is a subtle indictment ics and of contemporary science at work. I avoid the “scientist’s approach” that portrays in Pickering’s writing that high energy phys- see it as a valuable history that will be used high energy physics as an inexorable march ics practitioners had a tendency to apply a for generations to come. 10 History of Physics Newsletter • Volume VIII, No. 2 • February 2001 sistor, they were awarded the inaugural Sally Fall 1997, he has been editor of this Newslet- tion to doing whatever a secretary-treasurer Hacker Prize of the Society for History of ter. He was a Fulbright Senior Scholar in is supposed to do, I would join in promoting Technology in 1999. Germany 1998-99 and is the current FHP better history in textbooks and in teaching, Riordan was principal organizer of the Secretary-Treasurer. and would support more good history ses- Third International Symposium on the His- Statement: The programs of the APS sions at APS meetings. tory of Particle Physics, held at Stanford in Forum on History of Physics increase aware- June 1992, and an editor of the associated ness in the physics community of historical Nominees for Members at Large volume, The Rise of the Standard Model: issues and help deepen perspective on cur- of the Executive Committee Particle Physics in the 1960s and 1970s rent activities in physics. I am committed to (Cambridge University Press, 1997). A Fel- broadening the discussion of history in our Lawrence Badash (BS in physics, Rensselaer low of the American Physical Society, he community, including meaningful interaction Polytechnic Institute, 1956; PhD in history currently teaches a course on the history of between physicists and historians. I believe of science, Yale University, 1964) is Profes- twentieth-century physics at Stanford and the Forum should help to expose both the sor of History of Science, in the History De- leads a group of scholars researching and complexities and the beauty of science, with partment, University of California, Santa writing a history of the Superconducting its sophisticated interplay of intellectual and Barbara, where he has taught since 1966. He Super Collider. In connection with this social elements. In particular, the Forum pro- has been a NATO Postdoctoral Science Fel- project, he received a John Simon vides an opportunity to educate physicists low at Cambridge University, a Guggenheim Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship in 1999. about challenges to the credibility of science Fellow, a Visiting Professor of International Statement: The Forum already does an that are fashionable in some intellectual Studies at Meiji Gakuin University, excellent job of sponsoring sessions on the circles these days and to improve the ability Yokohama, and is a Fellow of the American history of physics at annual meetings of the of physicists to discuss these issues in set- Physical Society and of the American Asso- American Physical Society. Recent sessions tings that can affect public understanding ciation for the Advancement of Science. His have attracted hundreds of participants, of and support for science. I want to con- research is centered on the physical sciences demonstrating the interest in the subject that tinue helping the Forum be effective in meet- of the past century, especially the develop- exists among APS members. And our news- ing the challenges of informing physicists ment of radioactivity and nuclear physics, letter serves the important need of maintain- about their history and of providing a foun- on the role of scientists in the nuclear arms ing communications among APS members dation for more sophisticated discussion of race, and on the interaction of science and who are involved in the history of physics. science in the broader community. society. These interests are shown by the Both efforts are fundamentally sound, but six books he has authored or edited, which Ken Ford received his Ph.D. from Princeton they can benefit from improvement. The Fo- include Radioactivity in America: Growth University in 1953, and has held faculty po- rum can do substantially better in two other and Decay of a Science (1979), Kapitza, Ru- sitions at Indiana University, Brandeis Uni- areas of endeavor: promoting the use of his- therford, and the Kremlin (1985), Scientists versity, the University of California, Irvine, tory of physics in broader educational ef- and the Development of Nuclear Weapons and the University of Massachusetts at Bos- forts, and fostering scholarly work on the (1995), and Reminiscences of Los Alamos, ton. He also served as president of New subject. The proposed APS History of Phys- 1943-1945 (1980). At present, he is com- Mexico Tech, vice president of the Univer- ics Award will certainly help to encourage pleting a book on the science and politics of sity of Maryland, and director of the Ameri- individual efforts in both areas. If elected the nuclear winter phenomenon, after which can Institute of Physics. After retiring from Vice Chair of the Forum, I will devote a good he plans to turn his attention to books on AIP, he was director of science programs at portion of my available time to making this Ernest Rutherford and on the effect of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Award a reality and to getting it fully funded. McCarthyism on science. and taught (and is currently teaching) Statement: The Forum’s large member- high-school physics. His research was in Nominees for ship testifies to the interest that practicing theoretical nuclear physics and field theory. Secretary-Treasurer physicists have in the history of their pro- His books include The World of Elementary fession. I believe that we are well beyond Particles (1963), Basic Physics (1968), and, Bill Evenson is Professor of Physics at the time when, as a gesture towards the past, with John Wheeler, Geons, Black Holes, and Brigham Young University. He was formerly many physics texts contained an introduc- Quantum Foam: A Life in Physics (1998). He Associate Academic Vice President, Dean tory chapter to identify Galileo, Newton, and served as president of the American Asso- of the College of Physical and Mathematical Maxwell. Now, physicists join with profes- ciation of Physics Teachers in 1972 and was Sciences, and Dean of General Education at sional historians to ask questions about the part of an APS summer study on energy ef- BYU. He received his BS in physics at BYU history of science, not merely to glorify its ficiency in 1975. and PhD from Iowa State University, fol- luminaries. The results appear in both phys- Statement: I am a cheerleader for the his- lowed by postdoctoral research at the Uni- ics and history journals, and in well attended tory of science (and for the Forum on His- versity of Pennsylvania. His research has sessions organized by the Forum, where the tory of Physics), not a historian of science. been in theoretical and computational con- audiences also show their own sophistica- At AIP, I did what I could to support the densed matter physics. He has a tion by the questions posed. I had the privi- important work of the Center for History of long-standing interest in history of physics lege of being chair of this Forum (in Physics and its Niels Bohr Library. I have and served as FHP program chair in 1995-96 1988-1989, when it was a Division), and be- used history to try to enrich my teaching, and on the committee for the centennial of lieve that its newsletter and sessions are and in my writing I have tried to get the his- the discovery of the electron in 1997. Since valuable means of serving historical schol- tory straight. In service to the Forum, in addi- History of Physics Newsletter • Volume VIII, No. 2 • February 2001 11 arship and the larger physics community. aware of just how fascinating the subject is. will encourage the next generation of schol- ars to participate in the excellent work being Daniel Greenberger is a graduate of the fa- Elizabeth Paris received her Ph.D. in his- done by the Forum. mous Bronx HS of Science class of 1950, tory and philosophy of science from the (which included Steven Weinberg, Sheldon University of Pittsburgh in 1999. Also that Kameshwar C. Wali did his undergraduate Glashow, Myriam Sarachik-- VP elect of the year, she helped to organize the revival of and graduate work for Masters degrees in APS, and other well-known physicists) he the Joint Atlantic Seminar in the History of India. He received his Ph.D. in physics at got his BS at MIT, and his MS and PhD at the Physical Sciences in Washington, DC. University of Wisconsin (with Robert G. the U. of Illinois. Originally trained as a high In addition to research in solar physics, Sachs) in 1959. After two years of energy physicist, his research interests have Elizabeth’s teaching experience has ranged Post-Doctoral work at The Johns Hopkins over the years become more heavily centered from physics and chemistry at a Los Ange- University, he was at the Argonne National on foundational problems in quantum theory. les high school to history of science at Laboratory in the High Energy Physics Di- His best known work (done with Mike Horne Harvard University. Currently at the Dibner vision from 1962-69, when he joined Syra- and Anton Zeilinger) is the introduction of Institute for the History of Science and Tech- cuse University. He is now Professor Emeri- three particle “entangled” states (GHZ nology at MIT, she is exploring issues re- tus and Research Professor in the Physics states), on which a single set of measure- lated to 1960s Italian particle physics. Her Department. At Syracuse, he received ments would yield one effect, while a local, most recent article, “Lords of the Ring: The Chancellor’s Citation for Academic Excel- realistic theory would yield exactly the op- Fight to Build the First U.S. Electron-Positron lence and was named J. Dorman Steele Pro- posite effect. He is an APS fellow, and has Collider,” is scheduled to appear in the fessor before his retirement. He was a Senior been a Fulbright fellow, and a Humboldt Spring issue of Historical Studies in the Fulbright Scholar in 1995 to visit Australia. Foundation senior fellow. He has been on Physical ands Biological Sciences. He is a Fellow of the American Physical So- the editorial or advisory boards of a number Statement: I believe the results of inves- ciety and was one of the founding members of journals, including some with a historical tigations nurtured within our community can of the Forum on History of Physics. He is or philosophical bent, such as the American have a role in both education and policy. the author of CHANDRA: A Biography of S. Journal of Physics, Foundations of Physics Historical enquiries ask distinctly different Chandrasekhar. His area of research is in Letters, and History of Modern Physics. He questions from those of physics. Rather than theoretical elementary particle physics and recently co-edited a yearbook of the Vienna search for an understanding of physical phe- with primary interests in symmetries and Circle, devoted to the memory of Erwin nomena, we here concern ourselves with the dynamics of elementary particle interactions. Schrödinger and last year was honored by intellectual, social, and/or cultural situations He has contributed significantly in the areas having a two issue festschrift dedicated to motivating and affecting such questions. It of Grand Unified Theories. His current inter- him by the Foundations of Physics. He has is an opportunity to emphasize the distinctly ests include the application of the techniques also organized and chaired two major inter- human dimension of scientific investigation. of non-commutative geometry to elementary national conferences on the foundations of No equipment, no theory, no experiment cre- particle interactions including gravity and quantum mechanics, and has been on the ates itself. Only a small fraction will ever be the study of magnetic monopoles in curved organizing committee of many others. realized, attempted, or even conceived of by space-time. Statement: I have always been interested human actors. The historian of physics has Statement: I have been interested in the in the history and philosophy of physics. the opportunity and the tools with which to history of physics throughout my career and Not only is my research centered on the more examine the evolution of these processes. believe strongly that it should be an impor- philosophical side of the subject, but I also The Forum has the opportunity to bring tant part of the physics curriculum at all lev- think that courses in physics should include these examinations to a place where histori- els. Particularly while teaching elementary interesting philosophical and historical ma- cal understanding and the physics commu- physics courses, I found to my great dis- terial far beyond a few biographical com- nity interact. In the realm of education, ac- tress a total disregard on the part of stu- ments about famous men (for example: fields, knowledging the human actors in scientific dents for the historical background of great like the electric field, should be presented as practice can help to make physics less mys- discoveries and the men and women respon- the amazing intellectual innovation they are, terious to the public and more accessible to sible for them. As a member of the executive not just as useful tools!) I think that remov- students -- who are all, then, perhaps better committee, besides doing my best to pro- ing the historical and philosophical frame- able to appreciate the exquisite beauty and mote the scholarly activities of our forum in work from the subject, effectively dehuman- incredible challenges that have been pre- APS meetings and other conferences, I izing it, has been a major culprit in creating sented in connection with the natural world. would like to explore how best our forum the lack of interest in physics by both the In the realm of policy, studies of more recent can help make history a part of physics edu- general public and bright young students. episodes provide an invaluable resource. To cation, providing encouragement and support And yet, in most universities it is impossible deny the political activities of the APS would for a new genre of books on histories and bi- to find a course in the physics department be at best naive, at worst, dishonest. If we ographies suitable at high school and under- devoted to the history of the subject. I think truly believe that physics has been and con- graduate college levels. I would also like to the potential interest is out there, and I think tinues to be a worthy endeavor, it behooves build on the success of the play Copenhagen that besides promoting professional work in us to be aware of and to learn from the past, and similar efforts to extend the boundaries of the field, the Forum should actively make a as well as to encourage those engaged in physics to the humanities by extending the major effort toward proselytizing both our col- contemporary political negotiation to utilize activities of our forum beyond the confines of leagues and the general public, making them our work. Additionally, I hope my candidacy APS to the public at large.

12 History of Physics Newsletter • Volume VIII, No. 2 • February 2001