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. C. Ting, the Mas- obvious.” his observations of everyday objects under a mi- 28, 1660 in Gresham College, attended by a dozen sachusetts Institute of Technology, Robert Cousins, University of croscope, complete with eye-popping illustrations. scientists. on his experiment, the Alpha Mag- California, Los Angeles, on his re- But his scientific interests were very diverse, and It was at just such a meeting that Hooke pre- netic Spectrometer, on the Inter- search at the LHC, The Los Ange- among his earliest work was a pamphlet on the sented his very first scientific finding to his gath- national Space Station, The Globe les Times, March 6, 2013. phenomenon of capillary action. ered colleagues on April 10, 1661, reading aloud and Mail, February 17, 2013. Born on the Isle of Wight to a curate, Hooke from a short pamphlet demonstrating that the nar- “He has always been very in- was initially destined to become a minister, like rower the tube, the higher water would rise in it, “If you had cosmic-ray eyes ventive in thinking of new ideas his three brothers, but he suffered from bad head- due to what we now call capillary action. the sky would look very boring, extending and going beyond the aches, which made studying difficult, and his par- In 1662, Hooke was appointed curator of ex- because cosmic rays come from standard model of particle phys- ents abandoned his formal periments to what had now all directions.” ics.” education. The young Rob- become the Royal Soci- Stefan Funk, SLAC National Edward Witten, the Institute ert loved the natural world ety, responsible for the ex- Accelerator Laboratory, on his for Advanced Study, on Paul and showed a proficiency periments performed at its discovery of the supernova origins Frampton, who has been convict- for mechanical tinkering, weekly meetings, although of cosmic rays, Time Magazine, ed of drug smuggling in Argen- building such devices as a he received no payment ini- February 19, 2013. tina, The New York Times Maga- working clock and a model tially for his services. He zine, March 10, 2013. of a ship with working guns. was elected as a Fellow of “As we work to ensure over- He also showed a gift for the Society in June 1663, sight on travel expenditures, we “[If] ‘I predicted a particle drawing. When his father and he was granted a small also should work to preserve that’s actually in the universe.’ died, the 13-year-old Hooke stipend the following year the many benefits of appropriate Wouldn’t that be a rush? Much was apprenticed to the lead- frost beard detail and made curator of experi- travel, which can promote col- better than other ways of getting ing portrait painter of the ments for life. In 1665 he laboration and innovation…As a lot of dopamine…That would age, Peter Lely. was finally hired as a professor of geometry at a scientist, I know firsthand how bring an enormous sense of fulfill- But Hooke complained that the oils and var- Gresham College, giving him financial stability at important scientific conferences ment, quite apart from the Nobel nishes irritated his chest. Deciding the appren- last. and meetings are…The informal Prize.” ticeship was a waste of time and money, he left The publication of Micrographia that same conversations, as well as the for- Paul Frampton, University of to attend Westminster School, where he acquired year cemented his scientific reputation. Described mal presentations and poster ses- North Carolina, describing his mastery of ancient languages, learned to play the in contemporary accounts as a “lean, bent and ugly sions that go into a conference greatest dream, The New York organ, experimented with flying machines, and is man,” Hooke was keenly sensitive to ridicule. among scientists from different Times Magazine, March 10, 2013. said to have mastered the first six books of Eu- So he did not take kindly to playwright Thomas institutions, lead to new collabo- clid’s Elements in a week. He boarded with the Shadwell’s The Virtuoso, which included a carica- rations that have the promise of “It is very exciting to be here, headmaster, Richard Busby, who became Hooke’s ture of an experimental scientist clearly based on new discoveries. These are not and this year just has been quite earliest mentor. Hooke. “Damnd Doogs, Vindica me Deus, people fancy junkets.” exhilarating as a particle physi- In 1653 Hooke became a chorister at Christ almost pointed,” Hooke huffed in his diary after Rush Holt, House of Repre- cist!” Church, Oxford, and found himself keeping com- attending a performance. sentatives, on impact of travel Meenakshi Narain, Brown pany with some of the top British scientists of While largely overshadowed by his contem- restrictions on federal scientists, University, after CERN confirmed his day. He never earned a formal degree, but he porary, Isaac Newton, Hooke was unsurpassed in The Washington Post, February that the particle discovered last worked briefly as a chemical assistant to Thomas his time as an inventor and designer of scientific 27, 2013. July is in fact the Higgs Boson, Willis, and in 1658 he became assistant to Rob- instruments. He invented the compound micro- MSNBC.com, March 14, 2013. ert Boyle, applying his mechanical skills to the scope; a wheel barometer; and the universal joint “What we are advocating is the construction of an improved version of Boyle’s found today in all motor vehicles (the “Hooke’s need to establish nuclear and other “Clear evidence that the new air pump (machina Boyleana), and gaining a thor- joint”). He was among the first to grasp the impor- essentially zero carbon options. particle is the Standard Model ough mastery of chemistry and practical labora- tance of improving the resolution of astronomical We have to understand, what does Higgs boson still would not com- tory skills. instruments, and built the first reflecting telescope, it cost?” plete our understanding of the He also became fascinated by the challenge of using it to observe the rotation of Mars and note Ernest Moniz, MIT, speaking universe…We still wouldn’t un- keeping correct time on ships at sea–a key factor one of the earliest examples of a double star. And to Washington’s World Affairs derstand why gravity is so weak, in the quest to accurately determine longitude. The he was an accomplished architect, providing his Council before being nominated and we would have the mysteries pendulum clocks of the era couldn’t adapt to the services as a surveyor and designing many Lon- as Energy Secretary, All Things of dark matter to confront. But it is pitching of a ship, and he had the idea of using don buildings after the Great Fire of London. Considered, March 4, 2013. satisfying to come a step closer to springs to control the balance wheel instead. His In his later years, Hooke’s health deteriorated, validating a 48-year-old theory.” experiments were successful, and he went so far as and he suffered from numerous symptoms of car- “Our issue is that Europe and Patty McBride, Fermilab, Los to have attorneys draft a patent for his design of a diovascular disease and diabetes: swollen legs, Asia are contemplating or have Angeles Times, March 14, 2013. spring-controlled clock, with an eye toward mak- chest pains, dizziness, emaciation and blindness. made $10 billion investments in ing his fortune. But when he learned more about He died on March 3, 1703. particle physics…How we com- “[The results] are magnifi- the legal ramifications, he opted not to file the pat- Hooke’s humble pamphlet on capillary action pete is a problem for us.” cent and to me it is clear that we ent. Christiaan Huygens later published his own wasn’t the last time the phenomenon was a sub- Jim Siegrist, Lawrence Berke- are dealing with a Higgs boson, version of a balance spring mechanism in 1675. ject of scientific interest. It’s also behind the for- ley National Laboratory,The New though we still have a long way Hooke had plenty of other scientific interests mation of so-called frost flowers (or ice ribbons), York Times, March 5, 2013. to go to know what kind of Higgs to keep him occupied, and a tight-knit group of first noted by astronomer John Herschel while boson it is.” colleagues concerned about preserving their re- walking through the woods one winter morning. “What most of us are motivat- Joe Incandela, CERN, The search results. They resolved to found their own HOOKE continued on page 5 ed by is to find out something new, Washington Post, March 14, 2013.

Series II, Vol. 22, No. 4 both the old and new addresses, and, if possible, include Past-President (Physics of Beams), Vincent Chan* (Plasma), TBA April 2013 a mailing label from a recent issue. Requests from sub- Robert L. Byer*, Stanford University (Polymer Physics), Nan Phiney (California Section) scribers for missing issues will be honored without charge © 2013 The American Physical Society only if received within 6 months of the issue’s actual date General Councillors ADVISORS of publication. Periodical Postage Paid at College Park, Haiyan Gao*, Marcelo Gleiser, Marta Dark McNeese, Representatives from other Societies Coden: ANWSEN ISSN: 1058-8132 MD and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send Pierre Meystre*, Warren Mori, Keivan G. Stassun Fred Dylla, AIP; Gay Stewart, AAPT Editor•...... Alan Chodos address changes to APS News, Membership Department, American Physical Society, One Physics Ellipse, College International Councillors International Advisor Staff Science Writer ...... Michael Lucibella Park, MD 20740-3844. Marcia Barbosa, Annick Suzor-Weiner Gabor Kunstatter, Canadian Association of Physicists Art Director and Special Publications Manager...... Kerry G. Johnson APS COUNCIL 2013 Chair, Nominating Committee Staff Representatives Design and Production...... Nancy Bennett-Karasik Sally Dawson Alan Chodos, Associate Executive Officer; Amy Flatten President Director of International Affairs; Terri Gaier, Director Proofreader...... Edward Lee Michael S. Turner*, University of Chicago Chair, Panel on Public Affairs of Meetings, Ted Hodapp, Director of Education and APS News (ISSN: 1058-8132) is published 11X yearly, Subscriptions: APS News is an on-membership publi- Rob Rosner Diversity; Trish Lettieri, Director of Membership, Dar- President-Elect monthly, except the August/September issue, by the cation delivered by Periodical Mail. Members residing lene Logan, Director of Development, Michael Lubell, Malcolm R. Beasley*, Stanford University American Physical Society, One Physics Ellipse, Col- abroad may receive airfreight delivery for a fee of $15. Division, Forum and Section Councilors Director, Public Affairs; Dan Kulp, Editorial Director; lege Park, MD 20740-3844, (301) 209-3200. It contains Nonmembers: Subscription rates are available at http:// Neil Cornish* (Astrophysics), Thomas Gallagher (Atom- Christine Giaccone, Director, Journal Operations; Mi- Vice President news of the Society and of its Divisions, Topical Groups, librarians.aps.org/institutional.html. ic, Molecular & Optical Physics), Jose Onuchic (Bio- chael Stephens, Controller and Assistant Treasurer Samuel Aronson*, Brookhaven National Laboratory Sections, and Forums; advance information on meetings logical), TBA (Chemical), Francis Hellman (Condensed of the Society; and reports to the Society by its commit- Subscription orders, renewals and address changes Matter Physics), Steven Gottlieb (Computational), James Administrator for Governing Committees Executive Officer tees and task forces, as well as opinions. should be addressed as follows: For APS Members– Wallace (Fluid Dynamics), TBA (Forum on Education), Ken Cole Kate P. Kirby*, Harvard Smithsonian (retired) Membership Department, American Physical Society, Eric Sorte, (Forum on Graduate Student Affairs), Mi- Letters to the editor are welcomed from the member- One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3844, chael Riordan (Forum on History of Physics), Gregory * Members of the APS Executive Board Treasurer/Publisher ship. Letters must be signed and should include an ad- [email protected]. Meisner (Forum on Industrial and Applied Physics), Joseph W. Serene*, Georgetown University (Emeritus) dress and daytime telephone number. The APS reserves Herman Winick* (Forum on International Physics), the right to select and to edit for length or clarity. All cor- For Nonmembers–Circulation and Fulfillment Division, Lowell Brown (Forum on Physics and Society), Anthony Editor-in-Chief respondence regarding APS News should be directed to: American Institute of Physics, Suite 1NO1, 2 Huntington Johnson* (Laser Science), TBA (Materials), David Gene D. Sprouse*, Stony Brook University (on leave) Editor, APS News, One Physics Ellipse, College Park, Quadrangle, Melville, NY 11747-4502. Allow at least 6 McIntyre (Northwest Section), Wick Haxton* (Nuclear), MD 20740-3844, Email: [email protected]. weeks advance notice. For address changes, please send Marjorie Corcoran* (Particles & Fields), John Galayda April 2013 • 3

Washington Dispatch Nominating Committee Gathers in College Park A bimonthly update from the APS Office of Public Affairs In the middle of February, the Nominating Committee met at ISSUE: BUDGET APS headquarters in College Sequestration Park to perform the important Across the board federal budget cuts, known as sequestration, task of finding the best candi- took effect March 1. Defense discretionary accounts declined dates to stand for election to 7.3 percent and non-defense discretionary accounts, 5.9 several APS positions, includ- percent. The Continuing Resolution, which has been funding ing the Presidential Line. In the federal programs at last fiscal year’s levels, expires on March front row, left to right, are: Rob- 27, requiring Congressional action to avoid a government ert Cahn, Nora Berrah, Com- shutdown. mittee Chair Sally Dawson, and Susan Blessing. In the back row On March 6, the House of Representatives passed legislation are, left to right: past Committee extending the CR to the September 30, the end of fiscal year Chair Lars Bildsten, Committee 2013 (FY13). The House bill incorporates the sequestration Chair-elect Paul McEuen, APS and provides some limited reprogramming, but only for the past-President Robert Byer, Department of Defense. and David Hammer. Photo by Michael Lucibella On March 12, the Senate Appropriations Committee adopted legislation that maintains the sequestration but, to mitigate Text of Rush Holt’s Letter (see story on page 1) the sequester, provides some reprogramming for NIST and NASA along with modest funding changes for NSF and OSTP. Congratulations on forming the Mid-Atlantic Section of the American Physical Society. As a longtime member of APS who has spent much of my life in West Virginia, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia, I am The Senate bill maintains FY12 appropriated levels for the pleased and honored to join you in the Mid-Atlantic Section as an original member. Department of Energy, NIH, and the Department of Defense. At press time, the Committee bill was still awaiting full Senate I have spent my career as a professional scientist and now as a member of Congress, so I know firsthand action. how scientific research contributes to every American’s quality of life. APS helps us to more completely understand nature and our universe, and it provides an avenue through which physicists from all around the Fiscal Year 2014 Presidential Budget Request world can converse about the advancement of physical concepts and ideas. The President’s Budget Request, legally mandated for delivery APS is first and foremost a national organization, and indeed, it usually makes sense to think of physics as on the first Monday in February, was delayed because of the being a collaborative endeavor. Many of the theoretical and experimental insights that have driven our field uncertainties in the baseline for the FY13 budget, created by forward in recent years have been possible only through the collaboration of dozens, hundreds, or even the sequestration and uncertainties surrounding extension of thousands of physicists scattered across the globe. the Continuing Resolution. The White House has signaled that it expects to submit the presidential budget on April 11. The But the fact remains that many insights are possible only because of close, personal interactions among budget request is expected to be lean with flat or marginally scientists who see each other regularly: those who work at the same university, or who see each other at increased funding for science. local conferences, or who stop by one another’s houses for dinner and find themselves scribbling half- developed equations on the backs of pizza boxes. Proximity matters, in physics as in every other field (is collaborative productivity an inverse power law?), and I am hopeful that the Mid-Atlantic Section will ISSUE: POPA strengthen these local connections that help make possible further scientific progress. A POPA study committee charged with examining technical issues associated with long-term operation of nuclear reactors It is, I think, especially noteworthy that the Mid-Atlantic Section includes Washington, D.C. and thus the met in February for a two-day workshop, receiving information entire U.S. Congress. To state the obvious, your perspective is very badly needed on Capitol Hill. Right now from industry, university and government laboratory experts, Congress includes only two physicists (the other is Bill Foster of Illinois), and we need look no further than as well as from and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The the phony debates about the scientific validity of climate change or evolution to understand that scientific thinking is far too rare in Congress today. The Mid-Atlantic APS section has the opportunity–and, I would committee expects to release its report later this year. suggest, the responsibility–to help bridge the gap between the scientific community and those who pass laws that affect it. A study, jointly sponsored by APS and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), has completed a draft re- I hope that, at some point in the years to come, you’ll take the relatively short trip to Capitol Hill to share port on nuclear and radiological detection for the Department your thoughts and concerns with your representative in Congress. You have important insights to share on of Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office climate change, renewable energy, nuclear security, and so many other issues facing our country today. And (DNDO). The report, currently under review, will be released while you’re in town, stop by my office to say hi! later this year. Sincerely, A two-day workshop devoted to potential U.S.-Russian agree- ments on non-strategic nuclear warheads and sponsored by RushHolt the State Department in conjunction with APS and the Center Member of Congress for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), took place in Feb- ruary. Participants included policy and technical experts from the United States, Russia, Turkey, Sweden, France and the Jack Sandweiss Looks Back on 25 Years at PRL United Kingdom. Ed. Note: As Jack Sandweiss, A couple of years ago we had they make a decision. An author A template for study proposals can be found online, along with the Donner Professor of Physics a big effort to raise the standards who does not like the decision can a suggestion box for future POPA studies, by visiting: at Yale University, prepared to because we thought the journal appeal to the divisional associ- leave office after a quarter cen- was just getting too big. We did ate editor, what we call the DAE. http://www.aps.org/policy/reports/popa-reports/suggestions/ tury as the senior editor of Physi- actually succeed in raising the I’m the chairman of the DAEs, so index.cfm. cal Review Letters, he took time standards. We sent an email to that’s also one of my activities. A to reflect on his experiences in an all the authors and referees, had lot of papers are perfectly good interview with Michael Lucibella papers, but they’re just not impor- ISSUE: MEDIA UPDATE of APS News. tant enough to put in PRL. Roll Call, a leading Capitol Hill newspaper, published Michael Q: How has the journal What the journal should pub- Lubell’s column, “Lessons from the Cliffhanger” on Jan. 21. changed in the 25 years you’ve lish are the papers that you cannot The piece noted that the Jan. 1 fiscal deal made sequestration been there? afford to miss in your field. One more politically palatable by lowering reductions of defense A: It’s grown a lot, but it hasn’t of my colleagues became the dean and non-defense spending. On March 1, Lubell appeared changed in a fundamental sense. of a graduate school, so he had to on NPR’s Science Friday program in a segment titled If anything, the standards have cut back on his research, but he “Mapping the effects of the sequester on science.” Lubell said probably increased slightly. Our still could read PRL every week the sequestration would have long-term, devastating effects acceptance rate used to be some- and he didn’t have a big thing that on science. thing like 40%, and now it’s a he missed. He had to do a lot of little under 30%. PRL has gotten homework when he came back, The February edition of Capitol Hill Quarterly, published by the bigger, but its basic philosophy meetings with the divisional as- but he knew the main things that APS DC Office, featured an op-ed by U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, hasn’t changed. The other thing I sociate editors and so on, and we happened in the field. And that’s chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology would say about it is we’ve some- made a more precise definition the test that we want to make of Committee. In the piece, Smith notes the country should what broadened the areas that we of what a paper should be if we the papers. continue to support scientific research and STEM education, call physics. For example, when wanted to publish it in PRL. When we have to hire new even in the face of tough fiscal times. He explained that I started, something called soft Q: What can you say you’ve editors, I’m involved with decid- research has given us innovations and business that stimulate matter physics (polymers, foams, contributed to the journals? ing whom to hire. And I’m also economic growth in our nation. gels, that kind of thing) did not A: Mostly it’s a sort of day-to- involved with the general policy have its own separate section but day thing. One of the things that of the journals. The editor in chief Log on to the APS Public Affairs Web site (http:// the subject grew in the physics re- I do is the handling of appeals. is mainly involved with that, but www.aps.org/policy) for more information. search world quite a bit, and now The paper comes in, editors send I’m part of it. For example, some we have a section on soft matter it through referees, referees make years ago when we went elec- and other related things. comments, editors read them, and SANDWEISS continued on page 7 4 • April 2013

Nothing Wrong with Fewer Women Physicists Letters I was shocked by the quote men, 0% women, and then tried women, 10% men. Nobody thinks Readers interested in submitting a letter to APS News should from Kate Kirby in the February to achieve that goal by discourag- that’s a problem. Nobody says we email [email protected] APS News in which she says, “En- ing girls to pursue physics. It is should encourage boys to enter couraging women to pursue phys- morally wrong to believe that the those professions. If boys are less ics is a top priority for us.” If you percentage of physicists who are interested in those professions, believe that physicists “should” women should have any specific what’s wrong with that? If physi- be 50% men, 50% women, and value. If you believe that in a per- cists are 80% men, 20% women, Centrifuges, not Lasers, the Real then try to achieve that goal by fect ideal world, physicists would why would that be a problem? “encouraging” girls to pursue be 50% men, 50% women, do you Proliferation Danger physics, you are deciding ahead also believe that in a perfect ideal If girls are less interested in be- of time what you believe the per- world, nurses, elementary school ing physicists, what's wrong with Regarding the January Back ran out of money. Most recently, centage should be, and then trying teachers, and secretaries would that? Page on “The Benefits and Risks Alfred Wong, after retiring from to make that happen. This would also be 50% men, 50% women? of Laser Isotope Separation”: It UCLA, formed the company be the same as if you believed Nurses, elementary school teach- Jeffery Winkler seems strange that you should Nonlinear Ion Dynamics LLC, that physicists “should” be 100% ers, and secretaries are 90% Hanford, CA pick on an inefficient method that in which he had a new Dawson had already been tried for years Separation machine built with su- Solution to Pioneer Anomaly is Premature at Livermore. Centrifugal separa- perconducting coils. I don’t know tion is much more efficient and is what became of that. On Wong's Michael Lucibella’s “Top from the P10 data. The P10 data periodicities are unexplained by the reason we are worried about website, I see that in 2011 he was Physics Newsmakers of 2012” at the furthest distance flattened a thermal model. Anderson 2002 Iran’s program. working on “charged-fluid cen- in the February APS News listed and increased which is incon- overreaches the uncertainty of the the culprit for the Pioneer Anom- sistent with a declining thermal JPL’s Horizons data. At the very In the 1970s, Livermore had a trifuges for separation of large aly as having been found. I think cause. Although this increase is least we should wait until Tury- large program for isotope separa- quantities of isotopes.” this is premature. Turyshev’s pa- within error limits, several read- shev’s model is compared to P11 tion using copper lasers. At the I wrote up a summary of the per dealt with only the Pioneer ings showed the trend. Turyshev data. same time, TRW had a large pro- Dawson Separation project as a 10 (P10). Much of the data used et al.’s 2011 paper suggested the Although Turyshev’s paper is gram using ion cyclotron accel- chapter entitled “The Double He- eration of uranium in a magne- to calculate the forces are less Pioneer anomaly may be Earth probably the last possibility for lix: The Dawson Separation Pro- tized plasma, based on the theory well known or are unsupported directed which is inconsistent traditional physics, a new physics cess” in the book From Fusion to and impetus of John Dawson. It by other data. A lower anomaly with a declining thermal cause. cause may still be possible. Light Surfing, Lectures on Plas- was headed by Don Arnush, who occurred during the Saturn en- The cosmological connection is ma Physics Honoring John M. reported to Peter Staudhammer, counter of P11. Also, the P11 unexplained by the thermal mod- John C. Hodge Dawson by Thomas Katsouleas and the theoretical group was values were slightly different el. The solar and sidereal diurnal Flat Rock, NC (now Engineering Dean at Duke). headed by Burt Fried. I am the This paper is No. 136 in my web- only survivor. The method made clever use of the fact that a mi- site below. As far as I know, I am nority species could be acceler- the only one with copies of all the ated to much larger orbits than previously classified memos pro- the majority species. The experi- duced in the project. ment was a success, and palpable It would be more fruitful to quantities of U235 could be ob- develop the Dawson scheme for Schroedinger’s Cat tained. Nonetheless, the politi- medical isotopes rather than us- cians canceled the program to ing lasers, which are more glam- Saying–“Curiosity killed the cat.” In some alternate universe, protect Livermore’s status as a orous and more attractive to the It’s cruel, even if theoretical– Or curls up in a superstring national lab. (You can tell I’m in- ill-informed. Furthermore, one A cat, even if it’s hypothetical, Or some such insubstantial thing? censed about this.) cannot discuss proliferation with- Placed in a box with poison spray, In its strange probabilistic state, Years later, the Dawson out emphasizing centrifuges. The switch, radioactive decay. One peek inside will seal its fate. Perchance does that famous feline scheme was revived in several Have lives beyond the fabled nine? Joan Braman places for the purpose of mak- Frank Chen Does it twinkle in and out of being? ing medical isotopes, but they all Los Angeles, CA Where does it go when we’re not seeing? Copyright 2008 by Joan Braman. All rights re- Perhaps that elusive creature purrs served

APS Creates Degree Demographics Site It didn’t used to be easy for a report “Engage to Excel” from the physics department to gauge how President’s Council of Advisors well it compared to others in the on Science and Technology. number or diversity of its gradu- Recognizing the need to make ates. Now, with the new degree full use of the talents of women demographics site from APS, one and underrepresented minorities can search every physics program (URMs) to meet the demands of in the US and see how many de- the growing US science and tech- grees each has produced and how nology sector, the statement spe- it compares nationally to other cifically noted that it was essen- physics degree-granting institu- tial to increase the number of both tions. women and URMs who major in This new website, at go.aps. physics. Without these individu- org/degreecompare, is an out- als, the US will lack the diverse come of the Doubling Initiative–a scientific workforce necessary to joint effort by APS, the American drive innovation and solve com- Association of Physics Teachers, plex problems. and the Society of Physics Stu- The new degree demograph- dents to advocate doubling the ics website is designed to allow number of bachelor degrees in US institutions to see how they physics to address critical nation- stack up nationally in terms of al needs including K-12 educa- producing physics degrees and tion, economic competitiveness, encouraging diversity among energy, security, and an informed these degrees. The site features electorate. every institution that has granted institutional comparison graphs grees granted based on all degrees “by observing their own depart- In 2007, the APS Executive a physics bachelor’s, master’s or are presented as 3-year averages granted at the institution and all ment, and by looking at compa- Board endorsed a statement call- doctoral degree during the three and can be sorted by the type of STEM degrees granted at the in- rable institutions.” ing for doubling the number of most recent years for which data degree. The raw data for each in- stitution. The APS Education & Diversi- physics bachelors in the US. This are available from the Department stitution are also provided. “We hope this site will allow ty Department created the site, and action pre-dated calls by other or- of Education’s National Center In addition to information on universities to better understand will be improving its functional- ganizations to increase the number for Education Statistics (2011 how one’s institution compares in where they stand, and how im- ity going forward. Input from the of STEM (Science, Engineering, data will be available on the site awarding physics degree to wom- provement can be made,” said physics community is welcome; Mathematics, and Technology) this summer ). en and URMs, data are available Theodore Hodapp, Director of Ed- feedback and suggestions should majors in the US, such as the 2012 The degree data used in the on the percentage of physics de- ucation and Diversity at the APS, be sent to [email protected]. April 2013 • 5

Education C orner A column on educational programs and publications

The Ibero-American Federation of Physical Societies Registration Open for 2013 Department Chairs Conference and Go the Distance: Distance Education and Online Learning in (FEIASOFI) Physics Workshop J. Raul Grigera Physics Department Chairs Conference (May 30-31) The American Physical Society and the American Association of Physics Teachers are pleased to jointly organize the 2013 Physics With many scientific societ- nities began to have more organic Since its establishment, FE- Department Chairs Conference, to be held on May 30 (evening) ies located in various countries interactions. Frequent meetings IASOFI has also supported the and 31 (full day) at the American Center for Physics in College Park, around the world, we might ask were organized between two or Physics Olympiads, which are MD. This conference is one of a series of conferences that have ourselves, what is the purpose more societies, which produced geared towards pre-university been organized biennially for the past three decades. Topics of of establishing a new regional a better knowledge of the physics students. These competitions help interest to chairs representing the full range of physics departments society such as the Federación community of each country, shar- to generate an interest in physics, are planned for this event. The conference is held jointly with the Iberoamericana de Sociedades de ing their experiences and helping which is critical for attracting stu- Distance Education and Online Learning in Physics Workshop. Física (FEIASOFI)? To start with, to address common challenges. dents to pursue physics degrees FEIASOFI is not a pure regional After several years of informal during their university studies. Distance Education and Online Learning Workshop (June 1-2) Immediately following the Department Chairs Conference, the “Go association, in that it is composed contacts, in 1995 the Federación The Federation cooperates in dif- the Distance” workshop on June 1-2 will provide participants a of physical societies from both Latinoamericana de Sociedades de ferent aspects with the organizing chance to discuss the opportunities and implications of distance Latin America and Europe (Spain Física-FELASOFI (Latin-Amer- committees. education and online learning for the physics community. Topics will and Portugal). Its formation was ican Federation of Physical Soci- While excellent international include: based not only on scientific af- eties) was formed with the aim of meetings are taking place around • MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) fairs, but also on the common increasing the interaction among the world, it is also important to culture that originally came from the physicists of the region, while encourage participation in re- • Hybrid and Fully Online Courses the Iberian peninsula after the dis- maintaining the identity of the na- gional meetings. We have to bear • The Flipped Classroom covery of America, and was amal- tional physics associations. Soon in mind that international travel • Assessment and Research gamated by the local traditions after (in 1996), and due to the requires resources that, unfortu- and later by the enormous contri- strong interactions between Latin nately, many excellent scientists • Laboratories butions from immigrants all over American countries and Spain do not have. At the same time, the Participants may register for either or both conferences at: the world. The main reason for the and Portugal, an agreement was participation of scientists in local http://go.aps.org/chairregistration creation of a regional society such signed between FELASOFI and meetings of other countries can Award for Improving Undergraduate Physics Education as FEIASOFI is exchange and the physical societies of Spain and sometimes have difficulties for Created by the APS Committee on Education, the award recognizes cooperation–sharing experiences Portugal to constitute the Unión political reasons. Regional meet- departments and programs that support best practices in education toward solving research problems, Iberoamericana de Sociedades ings can provide an opportunity at the undergraduate level. Programs will be recognized for a sharing of local facilities, and stu- de Física-UISF (Latin American to overcome these obstacles. FE- three-year term, acknowledged on the APS website, awarded a dent exchanges. Union of Federation of Physical IASOFI’s endorsement of interna- plaque, announced in APS News, and recognized at an annual In Latin America, two languag- Societies). The final statutes were tional meetings have, in some cas- meeting. These awards are intended to acknowledge commitment 1 to inclusive, high-quality physics education for undergraduate es are dominant, Spanish and fixed in 2005 where it was decided es, strengthened scientists’ ability students, and to catalyze departments and programs to make Portuguese, and are close enough to change the name to Federación to attend. significant improvements. Nominations for the award are being to be understood by almost ev- Iberoamericana de Sociedades de But these activities are not accepted until July 15. More information can be found at www.aps. erybody. This allows communi- Física-FEIASOFI (Ibero-Ameri- enough; the mission of FEIASOFI org/programs/education/undergrad/faculty/award.cfm cation not only with colleagues can Federation of Physical Societ- is to go beyond promoting meet- and advanced students, who also ies). ings. With co-operation among APS Excellence in Physics Education Award speak English, but also at different International collaboration its members, it must search for The award recognizes and honors a team or group of individuals educational levels. For instance, among FEIASOFI countries al- activities that can improve the (such as a collaboration), or exceptionally a single individual, who have exhibited a sustained commitment to excellence in physics meetings can include lectures for lows support for research across scientific capacity of its member education. Nominations are being accepted until July 1. More the general public from almost multiple sub-disciplines. Here, the countries. The search for such information can be found at www.aps.org/programs/honors/awards/ any of the speakers. situation is quite different for de- activities, as well as the funding education.cfm Physics in Latin America ap- veloping countries. For example, to support them, however, is not pears early, and briefly, in history. in developed countries, one can simple. Many technical and sci- ALPhA’s Laboratory Immersions Program Expands in 2013 During the summer of 2013, the Advanced Laboratory Physics One of the first recorded activi- find almost any type of scientific entific problems have to be solved Association (ALPhA) will be offering an expanded selection of ties dates between 1828 and 1834 equipment that one could need in different countries–identifying its popular “Laboratory Immersions”. The Immersions offer an when Octavio Mossotti left his under one roof. However, the topics for collaboration requires opportunity for faculty and teaching staff to spend two to three homeland of Italy for political lack of such equipment in devel- harmonizing priorities, opportuni- full days, with expert colleagues on hand, learning the details of reasons, and undertook a posi- oping countries has produced an ties, and common interest across a single experiment well enough to teach it with confidence. This tion as Professor at the recently overabundance of theoretical re- the field of physics. Metrology, year there are 10 sites offering a total of 20 different experiments, established (in 1821) University search over experimental. Thus, for example, has come to be an many based on popular workshops at last summer’s Conference on of Buenos Aires. During his time programs that permit the mobil- important subject among coun- Laboratory Instruction Beyond the First Year of College. in Buenos Aires, where he taught ity and exchange of researchers tries, given its relevance to eco- For details, including topics and registration, please visit www. elementary physics, Mossotti be- to perform specific experiments nomic and public health issues. advlab.org. gan to work on ideas that led to are extremely important. Enabling Resources have been assigned the well known Clausius-Mossotti collaborations between different by the Brazil government for the APS Speakers Program features Physics Education equation. When the political situa- regions/countries that share com- project Ibero-American Physical Researchers tion in Italy improved, Mossotti re- mon cultures can be beneficial. Societies and the Dissemination The APS Speakers Lists contain names, contact information, and turned home. A historian of phys- This has to be undertaken with of Metrology. The implementation talk titles of physicists who are willing to give talks on a variety of ics may track other similar cases, care, however, for any particular for the project is now one of the subjects. Advanced searches allow one to search specifically for or could tell us about the first re- country. There are large differenc- main activities of FEIASOFI. physics education researchers (PER). Learn more at http://www. aps.org/programs/speakers/ search institutes in Latin America. es between countries, and hence, The above gives some of the Nonetheless, after these early en- one of the strengths of FEIASOFI history of science in Latin Amer- deavors, many years elapsed until is to encourage and to facilitate ica, and recent activities of the physics really grew in the region. cooperation among diverse orga- newly formed scientific Federa- Nowadays, physics departments nizations with common goals of tion, FEIASOFI. The Federation and institutes are very active in spreading knowledge, sharing fa- is still young, but we have con- HOOKE continued from page 2 teaching and research. cilities, and helping scientists in fidence that in a relatively short In March 1884, Nature reported flowers, he wanted to understand Contact between physicists in different ways. time, its relevance will contribute that one Professor Schwalbe, at a the physical mechanisms behind Latin America and foreign col- One of the first actions of to the development of physics meeting of the Physical Society in their formation. He cut off stems, leagues–mostly from Europe and FELASOFI was to publish the activities of its members, as well Berlin, had succeeded in produc- inserted them in moist soil and North America–grew steadily. Revista Iberoamericana de Física as to the welfare of our collective ing his own ice flowers from with- test tubes, recorded how quickly However, cooperation within the (Ibero-American Physics Jour- population. ered and rotten twigs he’d brought water moved up the dry stems, region started slowly. As the num- nal), which publishes articles in J. Raul Grigera is Emeritus with him to the conference from and figured out how to grow ice ber of active physicists grew in Spanish and Portuguese on clas- Professor, Universidad Nacional the Harz Mountains. ribbons in the lab. He conclusive- Latin America, professional so- sical and new topics. One audi- de La Plata, Argentina. He is the In 1914, a physicist at the Na- ly demonstrated that the water that cieties began to appear in many ence for the journal is high school former President of the Physical tional Bureau of Standards named makes the ice comes from within countries and the physics commu- teachers, who can update their Society of Argentina and is a Fel- William Coblentz observed frost the stem, rather than being depos- physics knowledge and lessons low of the American Physical So- flowers while strolling in Wash- ited from moisture in the air, and 1. Other official languages are Guarani to include hot new topics, help- ciety, the Institute of Physics (UK) (Paraguay-bilingual country-Spanish ing stimulate their students to go and the Royal Society of Chemis- ington, DC’s Rock Creek Park. that they formed due to capillary and Guaraní), English (Grenada), When he observed his first frost action. French (Haiti) and Dutch (Suriname). deeper in their physics studies. try of London. 6 • April 2013

HELIUM continued from page 1 Science Summitry ity to the global helium market. a contaminant of natural gas… Doctors who rely on helium The reserve dates back to they are not driven by the eco- to run MRI machines have had the 1920s. It was established nomics of helium in their deci- to invest in expensive recycling to stockpile helium to loft the sions.” systems to ensure a more reliable army’s fleet of dirigibles. In the Helium is extracted along with supply. Helium is also widely 1960s the reserve purchased an- natural gas. Though production used by industry in microchip other large supply of helium of natural gas has increased dra- manufacturing and welding. with the expectation that demand matically in recent years because Researchers using federal would increase. of advancements in “fracking,” grants are allowed to participate That demand never material- helium can’t be isolated from in the government’s “In-Kind” ized, and left the reserve $1.4 that process, and escapes through purchasing program. It prioritizes billion in debt. In 1996 Congress the porous ground into the atmo- federal grant recipients, and sells froze the reserve’s debt, declared sphere. them helium at a lower price. The that it was no longer necessary to There are a few companies federal government does not sell maintain a strategic reserve of the around the world hoping to enter direct to consumers, but sells to gas, and would start selling down the market as helium suppliers. distributors who then resell the its 900 billion liters of gas. However, construction at the new helium at the two price tiers. The ’96 legislation set the plants in Algeria, Qatar and Rus- Some researchers, includ- price of the reserve’s helium sia has been delayed, and won’t ing Sam Aronson, APS’s vice- to pay off the reserve’s debt by be online for some time. President and former Director of 2015, not to reflect market con- “There isn’t any more incen- Brookhaven National Laboratory, ditions. At the time, the market tive to develop more helium,” have charged that the distributors price of helium was much lower said Moses Chan, a physicist at are not fully prioritizing federal than the price set by the govern- Penn State and co-author of the grant recipients, instead selling ment, so it was expected that the NRC study. “In the long run, the first to commercial consumers at government would be the sup- helium price has no place to go the higher price. Photo by Florence Haseltine plier of last resort. but up.” The Bureau of Land Manage- However since then, the de- Already, the distortions in he- ment and the distributors deny Erstwhile MIT colleagues Ernest J. Moniz (right) and Subra Suresh (left) got mand for helium in electronics lium prices and subsequent short- this is happening, but in testimo- together for a chat at an event in February hosted by the AAAS. President manufacturing, industry and re- ages have made it difficult for ny before the House Committee Obama has nominated Moniz, who is a professor of physics at MIT, to be the next Secretary of Energy, and, as APS News goes to press, he is awaiting search has increased dramatically, researchers to access a reliable on Natural Resources, Aronson Senate confirmation. During the Clinton administration, Moniz served as As- while the government’s price has supply. Helium remains a liquid stated “... small researchers re- sociate Director for Science at OSTP, and also as Under Secretary of Energy. not, resulting in shortages. Right at temperatures lower than 4 Kel- liant on federal research grants Suresh stepped down from his post as Director of NSF in March to assume now, the federal government sup- vin making it invaluable to cool continue to be subject to severe the presidency of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. plies about 40 percent of the he- superconductors and other low supply constraints and price lium nationally and 30 percent temperature experiments. The shocks which their research globally. A study by the National high cost of helium has eaten into grants cannot accommodate....I MEETING continued from page 1 Research Council in 2010, (and scientists’ grant money, while also note that some large federal angle, and their implications on entists’ understanding of how the reflected in the bill introduced in disruptions and delays in supply users are having their allocations future research into CP violation planet’s hydrosphere behaves. It the House) recommended con- have hindered experiments reli- cut back.” and beyond. Florencia Canelli of has already been used to map the tinuing to sell helium at market ant on the coolant. Historically, helium legisla- ETH Zurich will present some evolution of the Nubian Aquifer rates, even after the loss has been “If there is no new replenish- tion has enjoyed bipartisan sup- of the latest results of CERN’s of Africa, the Great Artesian Ba- recouped. Once only 85 billion ment of it coming in, I would port, and Congress is likely to Large Hadron Collider. Tim Tait sin of Australia and the Guarani liters remain, likely around 2020, have to warm [the experiment] pass some version of the bill this of the University of California, Ir- Aquifer of South America and the the BLM would stop selling the up,” Chan said. “All that calibra- year. Both bills permit the re- vine will talk about what particle circulation of water in the deep helium except to the federal gov- tion, my four to five months of serve to continue to sell helium physicists have to look forward oceans. In addition, the team from ernment itself and recipients of work, would go down the drain.” past the date it breaks even. The to now that the Higgs Boson has Argonne will present results that federal research grants. Other cooling systems ex- version introduced in the House been discovered. Also in Monday explore its uses to date ancient ice For all consumers of helium, ist, but each has its drawbacks. auctions off an amount of helium Morning’s plenary session (P1), core samples. (J10.08) it will cost more to buy helium, Systems that recycle helium are to distributors every six months. John Preskill from Caltech and Irradiating the Oceans but the question is how much. If available but expensive, costing The Senate has not yet released Deborah Jin of NIST will pres- Ionizing radiation from space is no legislation is passed, the price $100,000 extra or more. Liquid its version of the bill. Last year, ent their research at the frontier ubiquitous, but the Earth’s atmo- of helium will skyrocket because nitrogen dips down only to 77 proposed legislation in the Senate of quantum computing, entangle- sphere does a good job of shield- of a dramatic reduction in supply, Kelvin, too warm for many low would have collected information ment and quantum optics. ing its inhabitants from the dan- and shortages will likely become temperature experiments. Me- about the market value of the he- The Shores of Stability gers of cosmic rays–at least, most even more acute. If legislation is chanical refrigerators, which use lium and sold it at similar prices. Physicists in the 1960s pre- of the time. Some researchers passed allowing the BLM to con- more moving parts, vibrate as Vargas from Praxair said that dicted an “island of stability” have suggested that major space tinue to sell helium after it pays they cool, which can also throw most distributors prefer the Sen- for super-heavy elements with radiation events, like huge solar off its debt, the price will be re- off sensitive experiments. ate’s version because of con- long lasting half-lives, theoreti- flares or gamma ray bursts, might figured to more accurately reflect Rachael Floyd, the sales man- cerns over continued disruptions cally centered around element have had an influence on some of its higher market prices. ager at Janis Research Company, in supply. It’s possible that too 126. None have been synthesized the major extinctions throughout “It’s clear that the price of a supplier of cryogenics equip- much or too little would be auc- so far, and whether they actually terrestrial history. Brian Thomas BLM crude [helium] is going to ment, said that she’s already seen tioned off at any given time, re- exist it is one of the persisting from Washburn University delves go up,” said Omar Vargas, the di- changes in the way researchers sulting in shortages and surpluses unsolved mysteries of nuclear into this possibility, and shares rector of governmental relations are buying equipment, and that and big swings in price over the physics. Jacklyn Gates of the some of his recent work looking at Praxair, a leading helium sup- will likely continue. year. Lawrence Berkeley National at what happens to Earth’s oceans plier. “If they are having a hard “That bill proposal…will in- Laboratory will review the search when one of these cosmic events However the price is not like- time getting liquid helium, they ject considerable uncertainty into for these elusive elements, as ac- occurs. (X8.01) ly to rise high enough to attract will have to outlay a lot more the supply chain, and at the end celerators have managed to create New Gravitational Wave De- many if any new vendors to the capital in the beginning,” Floyd of the day that will affect jobs,” heavy nuclei that lap at the shores tector market. said. “Instead of spending a lot of Vargas said. “It doesn’t take into of these so-called islands of sta- Though gravitational waves “The House bill will not result money on liquid helium as time consideration the very compli- bility. (Q3.03) haven’t yet been detected, physi- in additional helium...to come to goes on, they’re spending it up- cated mechanics of the helium Renewable Energy by 2050 cists are already developing the market,” Vargas said. “Helium is front on a refrigerator.” market.” The future of renewable energy next generation of detectors. An- seems bright. Trieu Mai from the drew Geraci from the University National Renewable Energy Lab- of Nevada in Reno and his team oratory and his team have recently have devised a detector using concluded a study looking at the sensors suspended by lasers in Alda’s “Flame Challenge” last lomatic tool that can encourage center of the galaxy has been opportunities and obstacles for an optical cavity. Theoretically, year. The contest asked people international collaboration, trade hinting at the possible presence of switching the United States elec- the device should be an order of to explain what fire is in a way and understanding. E. William dark matter. However, questions tricity supply over to 80 percent magnitude more sensitive to high that’s both scientifically accurate, Colglazier, the science and tech- abound about whether the Fermi renewable energy by 2050. The frequency gravitational waves and understandable to the general nology adviser to the U.S. Sec- Telescope is seeing an artifact in possibility is there, but it would than any of the current designs, in public. Ames will talk about why retary of State, will explain how the data or a real signal and what take a concerted effort to make it a device that can fit on a tabletop. engaging the public about science science diplomacy works, and that signal actually means. Elliott happen. (H6.02) (L10.08) is important, what elements make how progress can continue to be Bloom from SLAC, whose team Dating the Oceans The “Flame Challenge” Win- for effective communication and made. (H7.03) has been working on the data, The new Atom Trap Trace ner Speaks what falls flat. (D5.03) Dark Matter at Last…? will present the latest results on Analysis for radio-krypton dating Ben Ames from the Univer- Science as Diplomacy For months a mysterious 130 the signal, and what might be pro- has started to transform Earth sci- sity of Innsbruck won actor Alan Science is an important dip- GeV gamma ray signal from the ducing it. (J14.01) April 2013 • 7

ANNOUNCEMENTS Editor–Physical Review Letters Reviews of Modern Physics The American Physical Society is conducting an international search for the leading Editor of Physical Review Letters (PRL). The leading Editor is responsible for editorial Quantum fluids of light standards, policies and direction of the journal, and leadership of the staff of 20 edi- Iacopo Carusotto and Cristiano Ciuti TM tors. PRL is the leading multidisciplinary letters journal in the field of physics. In vacuum an assembly of photons is a textbook example The ideal candidate should possess many of the following qualifications: stature in a of a noninteracting Bose gas, each photon crossing the field of research within the scope of PRL and within the PRL author community; experience with scholarly journals; management and interpersonal skills to deal effectively with an international array of authors, container along a straight line independently from all oth- referees, and editors and with the APS; advocacy, integrity, and wisdom to lead the journal in responding ers. In a medium, the situation can be much richer due to important matters and issues. to the effective photon-photon interaction that appears in The Editor may maintain his/her present appointment and location and devote at least 20% of his/her the presence of optical nonlinearity. The many interesting time to the position. A higher level of commitment would be desirable in the initial year of service; several collective features that these fluids of light can then ex- possible levels of long-term commitment, from 20% to 50%, are possible. Candidates who can be physically hibit are reviewed, such as superfluid flow, solitons, vorti- present at the APS editorial office (Long Island, New York–adjacent to Brookhaven National Lab and near ces, and even the strongly correlated regime in which new Stony Brook University) at least once a month are preferred. The initial appointment is for three years quantum phases are expected. with renewal possible after review. Salary is negotiable and dependent on time commitment. The desired starting date is 1 August 2013. The APS is an equal employment opportunity employer and especially en- courages applications from or nominations of women and minorities. The search is not limited to residents http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/RevModPhys.85.299 of the United States. Inquiries, nominations, and applications should be sent by 1 May 2013 to: U. Heinz, PRL Search Committee Chair, [email protected] http://rmp.aps.org

OSTP continued from page 1 crucial role in the advancement of Publishers, which has in the past does not specifically say how or in The mandate was controversial not easy or inexpensive to build science, and publishers’ contribu- been sharply critical of legislation what form. Publishers have said when first announced. repositories that work well…you tions carry significant costs.” and proposals mandating open ac- that they prefer working with the “I have been totally opposed may get archives that are not as After the announcement, a cess, also supports the OSTP’s di- agencies to come up with a policy, to PubMed Central since its in- good as they could be, or as good wide range of groups, including rective. rather than having a universal sys- ception,” said Martin Frank, Ex- as already exist.” publishers, libraries and open- “We’ve taken a fairly optimistic tem for all sciences legislated by ecutive Director of the American The memorandum states that access advocates, often with very and forward-looking view of it,” Congress. Physiological Society. He estimat- repositories could be run by either different positions, have similarly said Allan Adler, the vice president “We’ve always had opposition ed that since 2008, his society has the federal government or “schol- supported the memorandum. Pub- for legal and government affairs to this idea of government man- seen about a 15 percent reduction arly and professional associations, lishers have opposed many past at AAP. “Of course, there is a lot dates,” Adler said. “This is more in downloads and a reduction of publishers and libraries.” open-access efforts because of the that depends on how it’s read and flexible in the sense that it does about 2 percent in subscriptions. APS has a long history of open potential loss of revenue from li- implemented by individual agen- propose a 12 month embargo pe- Because of the economic down- access initiatives, including allow- braries canceling journal subscrip- cies.” riod, but as a guideline.” turn, however, it is difficult to as- ing unrestricted posting of pre- tions once their content is free. Major commercial publishers One of the biggest questions cribe that solely to PubMed Cen- prints and author’s final versions The Scholarly Publishing and Elsevier and Springer have simi- is whether the NSF and other sci- tral. of published papers. It publishes Academic Resources Coalition larly issued statements saying they ence agencies would set up their Frank added that because of the three open-access journals: Physi- (SPARC), which has been push- are “encouraged” by the OSTP own centralized databases to store reduced traffic to their websites, cal Review X, Physical Review ing for the adoption of broader memorandum and that it was “a research papers, akin to what the they’ve lost some ad revenue. Special Topics - Accelerators and open access policies, hailed the very reasonable place to start.” National Institutes of Health did in Physical Review does not host ad- Beams and Physical Review Spe- announcement, calling it “a water- The reason that so many groups 2008, when it imposed a require- vertising on its website, but Serene cial Topics - Physics Education shed moment,” and adding that the with opposing views have been ment that all research done with said that he would prefer to see the Research. In addition, author-pays directive “will accelerate scientific supportive of the directive may be NIH funding would have to be agencies set up a system that links open access has been available for discovery, improve education, and that so far it is only a framework. made available in its open access to publisher websites, rather than all other APS journals since 2006, empower entrepreneurs to trans- The memo sets up a goal that 12 database PubMed Central within hosting the papers themselves. and APS makes all of its publica- late research into commercial ven- months after research using fed- 12 months of publication, build- “What we would least like to tions and archives freely available tures and jobs.” eral funds is published, it’s made ing on a voluntary system in place see happen is the agencies run to any U.S. public or high-school The Association of American available to anyone for free, but it since 2004. large archives,” Serene said. “It’s library.

SANDWEISS continued from page 3 tronic, I was very active in helping A: I think it’s changing. Science published in PRL. We also have the future of the journal? is in some sense a specialized ad- to do that because I think it was a and Nature had more established other things called “Synopses,” A: Oh yes, I’m very optimistic. diction for physicists. I don’t think very good thing and I was part of “points” because they have a tre- which are short pieces written by The reason why such journals are that there is any real need for open the small group that hired the first mendous history. But they cover the editors themselves on interest- important is that there’s a huge access in physics, but nevertheless head of our technical information all of science. You get one or two ing papers, and in the journal we array of publications in phys- the idea has caught on and there division. [physics] papers there maybe a added a feature called “Sugges- ics. If you look at the ArXiv for are people who have religious Q: How did you first come to week. PRL publishes 70 or 80 pa- tions.” example, in your own particular ideals about it, but many of them PRL? pers a week. Science was always Q: What kind of characteris- area, where you know the people don’t actually realize that publish- A: I always read it, and we important, but it was so small it re- tics do you think your successor well and the work well, you can ing a refereed journal costs money. published in it, so I knew about ally didn’t have a big effect. should have? perhaps pick up things that you You have to pay editors, you have the journal perfectly well. And Nature, recently, has started A: I think he or she should be should look at. But the minute you my colleague here at Yale, Rob- what we loosely call “Baby Na- interested in the journal and have go the slightest bit away from that, to have a system, and you have to ert Adair, had been the editor. tures ”: Nature Condensed Matter, a breadth of interest in a range of you’re overwhelmed with a huge have a whole technology opera- He knew me and actually recom- Nature Photonics, Nature every- physics. That’s important because number of papers you don’t know tion working. In a sense, open ac- mended me. There was a period thing, there’s a whole bunch of the journal covers lots of different what to do with. If you look at cess doesn’t make it free, it means, when they didn’t have any out- them. Those are new journals, they things. An interest in the publica- PRL, you know that these papers “Who will pay?” The main thing, side editor, they only had the in- don’t really have the history of the tion world, publications, referees, have been selected and reviewed which is the only way that it’ll house editors, and things didn’t go real old Nature, and in some ways adjudicating problems and so on, and refereed, experts don’t think work, is if the author pays. That of so well. They needed that sort of we don’t think that their quality is that’s something one should have there’s anything wrong with them course depends on the author’s in- stabilizing and professional view quite so optimal, but they do have an interest in and want to do. and they’re credible and they’re come, which usually comes from from the field. Adair recommend- the cachet of having the title Na- I write a lot of letters. For all of something worth knowing. That’s some grant. I think it’s better to ed me, and the APS President, I ture, so we are concerned that we the papers I accept or reject, usu- a huge value to the reader and to keep it the way it is, for us any- think it was Val Fitch at the time, might be losing good papers to ally reject, I write a long letter to the science community. way. That is of course a journal- Another thing that is on the ho- called me and asked if I would do them. the person and explain that their wide problem, and I take part in it I thought about it and I said I We are trying to do things to thoughts were considered and rizon that I think shouldn’t really the discussions on it, but in the end have a fair amount of interest in make PRL have more visibil- they were evaluated, in perhaps be for physics, is “Open Access.” it’ll be the APS management that broad areas of physics, apart from ity. APS started a website called not quite the way that they would The driver in open access is the my own research, so I said I would Physics to highlight research pub- have liked, but with consideration medical profession. If someone decides what to do with it, the edi- do it. Once I got into it, I got into lished in our journals. It publishes for their point of view. You have to does a big test on some new drug, tor in chief and the treasurer/pub- it. It’s really quite a wonderful “Viewpoints,” which are written write reasonably well, otherwise anybody can, in some sense, get an lisher and so on. But I imagine that journal. We try hard to maintain it. by people in the field, but not the you could create a lot of people idea what that showed. I never yet for a long time we will try to keep Q: Looking to the future, is author of the paper. It’s quite a angry with the journal, which is have found a person in my every- our library subscription policy as it in danger of losing its premier feather in your cap to get a “View- not a good thing to do. day work that’s dying to know the the main means of supporting the position to Science or Nature? point” written on a paper that you Q: Are you optimistic about next article in Phys Rev Letters. It journals. 8 • April 2013 The Back Page

avid Klahr1, in his provocative Back Page togram of Klahr, showing the–at first sight polar Dessay in the December APS News “In- opposite–apparent superiority of direct-instruc- quiry Science rocks: Or does it?” makes three tion-like “Type A” pedagogy over discovery- points in his introduction: Direct Instruction rocks: Or does it? learning-like “Type C” pedagogy. 1. “the relative effectiveness of different by Richard Hake Here IE and T courses are operationally de- types of instructional ‘approaches’ is not fined8 as follows: always investigated with the same rigor IE courses are those designed at least in part that permeates all strong scientific disci- to promote conceptual understanding through plines–clear definitions, well-defined em- the active engagement of students in heads-on pirical procedures, and data-driven con- (always) and hands-on (usually) activities that clusions”; yield immediate feedback through discussion with peers 2. “for many aspects of science instruction, ‘discovery and/or instructors ...... (A) learning’ is often a less effective way to teach than a An elaboration of “A” has recently been given by Melt- direct, didactic, and explicit type of instruction”; and zer & Thornton10. 3. some in the physics education community may regard T courses are defined as those reported by instructors to point (2) as “a foolhardy heresy, while for others it may make little or no use of IE methods, relying primarily on be a dark secret that they have been reluctant to share passive-student lectures, recipe laboratories, and algorith- with their colleagues.” mic problem examinations...... (B) I have previously stressed2 the crucial importance of op- As indicated above, Klahr1 cautions that it’s necessary to erational definitions in educational research and strongly provide a detailed “script” for how each instructional compo- agree with Klahr’s first point. And considering the work of nent of a method was actually implemented, so that it can be Chen & Klahr3 and Klahr & Nigam4, I would agree with replicated in other labs. The “scripts” for IE courses are pro- point (2) IF “discovery learning” is defined as by Klahr & vided in ref. 8 since “A” is used as a proxy for the forty-eight Nigam4 as including near zero teacher guidance. However, IE courses (N = 4458) which are fully described in the com- as explained below, I would amend point (3) to read: “few panion paper “Interactive-engagement methods in introduc- physicists who read Klahr1 carefully will regard point (2) as tory mechanics courses.” I think the T course “scripts” are heresy, or a dark secret to be kept from their colleagues.” students, and (c) the above descriptions of “Training– so invariant and so well known to physicists and to students In support of point (2) Klahr describes a 1999 experi- Probe” (TP) and “No Training–No Probe” (NTNP) meth- who have taken traditional introductory physics courses, that ment by Chen & Klahr3 which appears to demonstrate that ods, I think there is no reason for some in the physics edu- the abbreviated description “B” is adequate. for the instruction of seven-to-10-year-old students in the cation community to regard the apparent superiority of the In conclusion: “control-of-variables strategy” (CVS), a direct-instruction- TP over the NTNP in that study as surprising or grounds for A. Klahr’s1 Fig. 1 histogram and the research of Chen like pedagogy called “Training–Probe” & Klahr3 and Klahr & Nigam4 suggest that produced better learning outcomes than a if one’s goal is the enhancement of a pro- discovery learning–like method called “No cess skill such as the “Control of Variables Training–No Probe.” The details of both Strategy” (CVS) among elementary-school methods are fully described by Chen & students then (s)he should probably con- Klahr in their article. sider utilizing Klahr’s direct-instruction-like In a later 2004 report, Klahr & Nigam4 “Type A” pedagogy rather than discovery made what was later acknowledged by learning-like Type-C method with near zero Klahr & Li5 to have been a mistake by call- teacher guidance. ing the “Training–Probe” method “Direct B. The present Fig. 1 histogram taken Instruction” (DI) and the “No Training–No from ref. 8, its corroboration by others listed Probe” method “Discovery Learning.” This in ref. 11, and the high positive correlation of switch to loaded language led to a mael- post-test conceptual FCI and problem-solv- strom of media misinterpretation (refer- ing MB tests, suggest that if one’s goal is the enced by Klahr & Li5) in which it was often enhancement of conceptual understanding erroneously implied that Chen & Klahr3 and problem-solving ability among high- had shown that “direct instruction” in all its school or undergraduate students then (s)he various forms was superior to “discovery should probably consider utilizing discov- learning” in all its various forms, in much Fig. 1. Histogram of the average normalized gain : dark (red) bars show the fraction of 14 “Tradi- ery-learning-like “Interactive Engagement” the same way that Klahr’s1 Back Page essay tional” (T) courses (N = 2084), and light (green) bars show the fraction of 48 “Interactive Engagement” pedagogy rather than direct-instruction-like (IE) courses (N = 4458), both within bins of width δ = 0.04 centered on the values shown. could mislead some to think that “direct in- “Traditional” pedagogy. struction” in all its various forms is superior Richard Hake is an Emeritus Professor of 1 to “inquiry science” in all its various forms. heresy, as Klahr suggests in point (3) of his introduction. Physics, Indiana University, now living in Woodland Hills, Klahr & Li5 wrote: “In hindsight, we may have muddied Consistent with the above, as far as I know, physicists CA. He is a Fellow of APS. the interpretation of our findings by incorporating popular who read Klahr’s Back Page essay carefully are not pre- 1. Klahr, D. 2012. Inquiry Science rocks: Or does it? APS News 21(11), 8, paring to burn Klahr at the stake as a heretic. And–I think December; online at . terminology like ‘direct instruction’ and ‘discovery learn- 2. Hake, R.R. 2004. Direct Science Instruction Suffers a Setback in Cali- ing’ into articles and public presentations of [Klahr & Ni- –for good reason: the apparent superiority of the direct- fornia - Or Does It? AAPT Announcer 34(2), 177; online as a 240 kB pdf gam4]. Only when we tuned in to the recent political debate instruction–like TP over discovery-learning-like NTNP in at . A 132 kB pdf version of the slides shown at 3 the meeting is at . in California2 about the permissible amounts of ‘hands-on the study of Chen & Klahr has almost nothing to do to do 6-11 3. Chen, Z. & D. Klahr. 1999. All Other Things being Equal: Children’s science’ vs. ‘direct instruction’ .... did we become fully with the demonstration by physics education researchers Acquisition of the Control of Variables Strategy, Child Development, aware of how easy it is for someone to pick up a terminol- that discovery-learning- like “interactive engagement” (IE) 70, __ 1098 - 1120; online as a 950 kB pdf at . courses are superior to direct-instruction-like traditional (T) 4. Klahr, D. & M. Nigam. 2004. The equivalence of learning paths in early ogy, and imbue it with whatever meaning suits the purpose science instruction: effects of direct instruction and discovery learning. of an argument.” courses for promoting conceptual understanding of Newto- Psychological Science, 15, 661-667; online as a 1.1 MB pdf at . 8 5. Klahr, D. & J. Li. 2005. Cognitive Research and Elementary Science the meaning of Chen & Klahr’s3 “Training–Probe” and “No two standard deviations in average normalized gain . 8 Instruction: From the Laboratory, to the Classroom, and Back, Journal Training–No Probe” methods as follows: For example, Fig. 1 shows a histogram of the average of Science Education and Technology 14(2), 217-238; online as a 549 The “Training–Probe” method is equated to “Type A” normalized pre-to-post-test gain kB pdf at . 1 = (<%post> - <%pre>) / (100%–<%pre>)..(1) 6. Halloun, I. & D. Hestenes. 1985. The initial knowledge state of col- instruction in Klahr’s Table 1: hands on materials; teacher lege physics, Am. J. Phys. 53(11), 1043-1055; online at /max possible <%G>...... (2) b1488v>, scroll down to “Evaluation Instruments.” summary by teacher; no student execution of experiment or achieved by “Interactive Engagement” (IE) and “Tradition- 7. Hestenes, D., M. Wells, & G. Swackhamer. 1992. Force Concept Inven- al” (T) courses. In Eqs. 1 & 2 the angle brackets indicate tory, Phys. Teach. 30(3): 141- 158; online as a 100 kB pdf at [but without the test itself]. For the 1995 revision by The “No Training–No Probe” is equated to “Type C” in class averages on concept inventories [Mechanics Diag- Halloun, Hake, Mosca, and Hestenes see (scroll 6 7 Klahr’s1 Table 1: hands on materials; student designed ex- nostic (MD) or Force Concept Inventory (FCI)–see the down to “Evaluation Instruments”). Wikipedia entry on “Concept Inventories” at http://bit.ly/ 8. Hake, R.R. 1998. Interactive-engagement vs traditional methods: A six- periment; no probe questions, explanations, or summary by thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory phys- teacher; student execution of experiment and observation dARkDY] of conceptual understanding of Newtonian Me- ics courses, Am. J. Phys. 66, 64-74; online as an 84 kB pdf at . See also the crucial companion paper “Interactive- engagement methods in introductory mechanics courses” at . tions must be supplemented by details if the methods are coefficient r = + 0.91 was found for post-test scores on 9. Hestenes, D. & M. Wells. 1992. A Mechanics Baseline Test, Phys. to be replicated, stating: “In our full scientific report...of the conceptual FCI test and the problem-solving Mechan- Teach. 30:159-166l online (but without the test itself) at , (scroll down to “Evaluation Instruments”). course, each of the cell entries in the table was augmented 10. Meltzer, D. & R. Thornton. 2012. Resource Letter ALIP-1: Active-Learn- by a detailed ‘script’ for how that component of the instruc- reports of average normalized gains for IE and T courses ing Instruction in Physics, Am. J. Phys. 80(6), 478-496; online to sub- tion was actually implemented, so that it could be replicated consistent with ref. 8 are listed on page 12 of ref. 11. scribers at . An abstract and outline are online This Fig.1 histogram showing the apparent superiority at . in other labs.” 11. Hake, R.R. 2008. Design-Based Research in Physics Education Re- Considering that the Chen & Klahr3 experiment con- of discovery-learning-like IE courses over direct-instruc- search: A Review, in Handbook of Design Research Methods in Educa- cerns: (a) the process skill CVS, (b) seven-to–10-year-old tion-like T courses is to be compared with the Fig. 1 his- tion . A pre-publication version of that chapter is online as a 1.1 MB pdf at . APS News welcomes and encourages letters and submissions from its members responding to these and other issues. Responses may be sent to: [email protected]