April 2013 • Vol
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April 2013 • Vol. 22, No. 4 PRL Editor Takes Stock A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY See page 3 WWW.APS.ORG/PUBLICATIONS/APSNEWS Niels Bohr and Much More at April Meeting OSTP Memo Sets Goal of Public Access A recent memorandum issued ent embargo periods. Physicists the world over will the insights it offers. Nobel lau- the week. At Monday morning’s by the Office of Science and Tech- In a statement on its website, soon be converging on the Mile reate David Wineland of NIST plenary session (P1.01) John Hei- nology Policy (OSTP) sets a goal APS similarly highlighted the im- High City for the annual APS will talk about his research into lbron of the University of Cali- of making direct results of federal- portant role that publishers play in April Meeting, being held this quantum entanglement and infor- fornia, Berkeley will share fresh ly funded science, including peer- the scientific enterprise. year from April 13 through 16 mation using trapped ions. Lloyd perspectives on Bohr’s thinking reviewed publications and digital “The APS supports the princi- at the Sheraton Denver Down- Knox from the University of Cali- and the influence of his wife Mar- data, freely accessible to the pub- ple of making federally supported town Hotel in Denver, Colorado. fornia, Davis will present the sky gre the drawn from soon to be lic to the greatest extent possible, research available to the public and The meeting will draw more than maps of the cosmic microwave published letters written by the consistent with law and other ob- is in the process of evaluating the 1,200 physicists to share the latest background generated from data acclaimed physicist. In addition, jectives, including the continued potential benefits and impacts of results in particle physics, nuclear taken by ESA’s Planck telescope. on Tuesday morning, a full ses- availability of peer review. OSTP the OSTP directive,” the statement physics, astrophysics and plasma sion (X7) will be devoted to re- directs each Federal agency with reads. “The APS will work with physics research. There will be 72 capping the importance of Bohr’s over $100M in annual research ex- federal agencies to develop public invited sessions, more than 120 new paradigm in understanding penditures to develop, within six access policies that best meet the contributed sessions and three the quantum structure of atoms, months, a plan for public access, needs of the science community poster sessions. and the lasting effects it’s had to after consultation with stakehold- and the American taxpayer.” Kavli Keynote this day. ers including researchers, univer- As reported in the February APS Saturday morning’s Kavli Other Plenary Talks sities, libraries, publishers, and News, APS has established a high Keynote Session (A1) will kick Other plenary sessions will representatives of other potential level Task Force to coordinate its off the meeting by highlighting highlight new and exciting di- users. policy on open access. APS’s Trea- some of the amazing high en- rections in physics. On Tuesday The memorandum, issued on surer/Publisher Joseph Serene said ergy, quantum and astrophysics Bohr’s Atom at 100 morning (W1) Geralyn Zeller February 22, comes in response to that he and other members of the research being conducted around 2013 marks the 100th anniver- from Fermilab will review some a petition submitted to the White Task Force appreciate the flexibil- the world. John Harris of Yale sary of Niels Bohr’s discovery of of the important recent neu- House’s “We The People” website, ity provided in the memorandum. University will present recent re- the quantum atom. Physicists and trino experiments and discover- which received more than 65,000 He added that they look forward sults from the LHC’s collisions historians will speak about the ies, such as the smallest mixing signatures. The memorandum to helping agencies develop plans creating quark-gluon plasma, and important milestone throughout MEETING continued on page 6 urges agencies to cooperate on that meet the OSTP goals while their plans, where appropriate, and protecting the Society’s high-qual- Congress Weighs Action to Ease Helium Crisis directs that funds for implementa- ity peer-reviewed journals. tion should come from within ex- “We support open access to the By Michael Lucibella est single supplier of helium in many years.” isting agency budgets. greatest extent possible consistent In the absence of Congressio- the world, but it’s authorized In February, Congressman The memorandum has been with the health and stability of our nal action, the United States is to keep selling it for only a few Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) intro- generally greeted with cautious journals,” Serene said. “The basic facing a “Helium Cliff,” resulting more months. In addition, the duced a bill in the House of Rep- support from publishers of sci- message of the OSTP memo is in an acute helium shortage and low cost of crude helium from resentatives to let the Bureau of entific journals. It specifically entirely consistent with what APS price spike even more dramatic the federal government has led Land Management’s (BLM) Na- mentions the role that publishers policy has always been.” than the current supply problems to over-consumption resulting in tional Helium Reserve continue play in organizing peer review, “We are very concerned that that are seriously impacting re- supply shortages. to sell its helium for years at a and allows agencies to craft poli- implementation of the OSTP di- searchers, industry and clowns. “The pricing for the helium is cost that will more closely re- cies suited to individual scientific rectives allows high quality sci- Proposed legislation would pre- not correct. The helium is being flect market rates. A similar bill is fields and agency missions. In entific publishers to continue pro- vent the worst disruptions in the priced well below what the de- likely to be introduced soon in the particular the memorandum gives viding the essential services such market, but helium prices are al- mand reflects,” said Jodi Lieber- Senate. It should prevent current a twelve-month embargo period as peer review, powerful online most certainly going to jump sub- man, senior government relations shortages from worsening, but it as a guideline for public access platforms, and secure archiving,” stantially by the end of the year. specialist at APS. “It’s essentially is not likely to add excess capac- to published papers, but allows Serene said. “Peer review plays a The United States is the larg- underpriced and has been for HELIUM continued on page 6 stakeholders to petition for differ- OSTP continued on page 7 Congressman is Charter Member of New APS Section What's in the Box? The newly formed Mid-Atlan- Holt used several sections in tic Section of the APS got a big the letter in recent testimony be- boost when physicist and Con- fore a subcommittee of the House gressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) joined Committee on Oversight and its ranks. In a letter he wrote to the Government Reform. His pre- section (text on page 3), Holt con- sentation to the Subcommittee on gratulated its founding members Federal Work Force, U.S. Postal and emphasized the dual role that Service and the Census highlight- scientists have to advance knowl- ed how important it is for scien- edge and weigh in on important tists to travel to conferences and national issues. expressed his opposition to new The section’s past-Chair, restrictions on travel for federal Charles Clark of NIST, first workers. reached out to Holt’s office during The Mid-Atlantic Section in- the 2012 campaign. At the time, Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) corporates physicists who live Holt was the only PhD physicist great thing for the APS as a whole or work in Delaware, Maryland, serving in Congress. to hear, reiterated by a person New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Wash- “To get him to join this newly of his stature, the value that he ington DC, and West Virginia. founded section is a very great thinks our Society offers society It officially formed in the fall of thing for us,” Clark said. “On the at large,” Clark said. 2012 and is planning to hold its national scene, he’s probably one Holt represents central New first elections later in 2013 and of the best known physicists in the Jersey. Before winning office, its first meeting at Penn State in country.” Clark added that he was he was Assistant Director of the 2014. The section’s organizers Photo by Gene Sprouse excited that the letter came in time Princeton Plasma Physics Labora- also held a reception at the APS Answer: a ceremonial gavel, presented by APS Executive Officer Kate Kirby to be included in the section’s first tory and a professor of physics at March Meeting in Baltimore as (left) at the February Executive Board meeting to Bob Byer of Stanford, in commemoration of the five Board meetings and two Council meetings that he newsletter. Swarthmore College before that. a way to attract more local mem- chaired, among his many other duties as APS President in 2012. “I thought it would be a very He is a Fellow of APS. bers. HOLT LETTER on page 3 2 • April 2013 Members This Month in Physics History in the Media April 10, 1661: Hooke’s pamphlet on capillary action “There are many things you not just to measure some number The 17th century scientist Robert Hooke is best philosophical society. The first meeting of the So- can learn [from the ISS]...surpris- to more accurate precision…up known for the eponymous Hooke’s Law and for ciety for the Promoting of Physico-Mathematical ing things.” till now, there’s no new stuff that’s his masterwork, Micrographia, a treatise detailing Experimental Learning took place on November Samuel C.