The Student Magazine of the Institute of Physics JUNE 2007 MoonLITE: Why UK scientists plan a return to the Moon String theory: Have we exhausted the possibilities? p5 SETI: What 60 years searching for aliens means for science p7 Education: Is there a crisis in physics education? p12 Careers: The ethics of and opportunities for graduates in defence p14 2 Editorial N EXUS N EWS J UNE 2007 Letter from the editor It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the June 2007 issue of Nexus News – our long-promised new look is finally Institute of Physics here! Our new image represents over six months of design and 76 Portland Place, London W1B 1NT,UK. Tel +44 (0)20 7470 4800 development and I hope you will agree that it was time well Fax +44 (0)20 7470 4848 spent. Previously, the magazine had maintained the same Samir Dawoud Student liaison officer and editor of Nexus News identity for as long as I could remember – certainly throughout my [email protected] undergraduate degree I was greeted with the same purple cover each term – E-mail [email protected] if you have any queries about your subscription, need to register a change of address or and its age was beginning to show.With the new design we have aimed to have missed a copy of Physics World. make Nexus News look more professional, reflecting the serious emphasis This issue’s contributors p5 Leila Sattary Undergraduate, University of St Andrews we place on our student members being the academics and researchers of p7 Sheila Kanani Graduate, University of Manchester the future.We have also aimed to make it feel more modern, making the p10 Glyn Collison Postgraduate, Mullard Space Science Laboratory articles our hard-working contributors produce more visually engaging. In p12 Richard Branch Postgraduate, University of Oxford this issue, we welcome back Leila Sattary as she investigates what the future Nexus News is published three times a year by IOP Publishing Ltd, Dirac House,Temple Back,Bristol BS1 6BE, UK. holds for string theory (p5) while Sheila Kanani returns with a look at the way Art director Andrew Giaquinto ahead for the SETI programme’s hunt for extra-terrestrial intelligence (p7). Production Lucy Patterson Circulation Angela Gage Meanwhile, our resident postgraduate writer Richard Branch returns with a © 2007 Institute of Physics look at the worrying decrease in the number of physics students (p12). Printed by Warners (Midlands) plc, Bourne, Lincolnshire, UK. Without the support of our enthusiastic student writers, our efforts in The contents of this magazine do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the Institute of Physics, except where redesigning the magazine would be for nothing and it is perhaps here that the explicitly stated. biggest improvements have been made. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting If you would like to submit an article to Nexus News, contact the editor for further information. All some very creative and intelligent students during my time here.As they contributions are warmly welcomed. continue to develop and clearly express their ideas, the quality of Nexus News will go from strength to strength.We will be well on the way to making it a respected publication within the student physics community and beyond. Samir Dawoud editor/student liaison officer Contents Quote of the issue News 3 “At any given time Features 50 000 female science String theory 5 SETI 7 and engineering MoonLITE 10 graduates within the UK Education 12 are not employed.” p12 Regulars Physics on the brink p12 Careers 14 The Back Page 15 Is this the end of the line for string theory? p5 N EXUS N EWS J UNE 2007 News & Events 3 If you would like more information about anything in this section, contact the student liaison officer, e-mail [email protected] R ESEARCH New council changes the face of UK research Two of the UK’s key physical science changing scientific priorities.They research councils have merged to STFC cannot depend solely upon new form a new body which aims to funding from Government to realise “create a more integrated approach these opportunities and therefore to large facilities”. must routinely assess priorities The Particle Physics and within their current programmes.” Astronomy Research Council It’s not just students who are (PPARC) and the Council for the concerned over STFC’s emergence Central Laboratory of the Research in place of PPARC. Prof. Ken Pounds Councils (CCLRC) completed the of Leicester University, former merger on 1 April. PPARC chief executive, has raised They now make up the Science similar concerns in Research and Technology Facilities Council Fortnight (21 March edition) where (STFC), which will help to support he commented:“PPARC’s ‘blue- facilities such as the Diamond Light skies’ research…was built into its Source in the UK and CERN abroad. founding mission statement but is “The foundation of STFC will give now lost within the new STFC.” UK physicists a large variety of new Mr Barratt again responded by opportunities, especially in relation Imperial College researchers at work with the ASTRA laser – one of directing attention toward the to greater coherence of the STFC’s supported facilities. STFC’s broad mission statement, approach to international facilities which does not specifically exclude and the possibility of siting new ones number of their programmes. blue-sky research. within the UK,” said Peter Main, “The PPARC programmatic The new council will also be director of education and science at “The foundation review seemed harsh to me,” said under pressure to learn from the the Institute of Physics. of STFC will give UK one research student from within the lessons of its predecessors. In Not everyone welcomed the news community, who chose to remain January the National Audit Office of the STFC’s founding. Some physicists a large anonymous. found that the existing research students are concerned that the In response, Peter Barratt, head councils had significantly disappearance of PPARC will have variety of new of media relations at STFC, stated underestimated operating costs for adverse effects on their research that these decisions were “one their facilities – up to communities.Those from the solar opportunities.” outcome of the PPARC approximately £20m a year in the terrestrial physics research Programmatic Review in 2005”. He most extreme case. Responsibility Peter Main, director of education community are particularly anxious added:“All Research Council for facilities originally overseen by and science,Institute of Physics. since prior to the cessation of programmes need to be able to PPARC and CCLRC has now been PPARC’s activities as a separate respond to new opportunities and to transferred to STFC. council, a thorough programmatic review resulted in the closure of a MORE INFO http://www.stfc.ac.uk S PACE BNSC to be overhauled. Martin Rees, president of the Royal Plans for UK ESA facility Society, and Michael Rowan- Robinson, president of the Royal as space centre Astronomical Society, suggested to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee on 6 March restructure discussed that a UK space agency with a Plans for a new European Space Agency (ESA) centre to be based in “significant research budget” be the UK are currently being discussed between the British National formed. In the same oral transcript Space Centre (BNSC) and ESA. The centre would be the first ESA Space exploration – Dr Desmond Turner of the Science facility in the UK, with Harwell, Oxfordshire being a strong candidate ESA’s Venus Express probe. and Technology Select Committee for its location. Harwell is currently the location of a number of high- stated that the BNSC “is not set up tech science facilities, including the Diamond Light Source and ISIS with enough clout to be effective”. Mr Wicks responded by stating his neutron facility. In an uncorrected oral transcript on space policy opinion that “the BNSC has been a success and I think it is an taken before the parliament’s Science and Technology Committee, important partnership.”He said he was open-minded about the future. Malcolm Wicks, Minister for Science and Innovation, suggested that The BNSC is a collaboration between nine government departments the new centre might focus on “space exploration” and “the and research councils that coordinates UK civil space activity and ambitions of satellite technology”. Mr Wicks, whose portfolio also supports space research. It was established in 1985 to coordinate includes the BNSC, added that he thinks “there should be a significant space policy and programmes. ESA facility here in the UK.” The proposal comes weeks after leading academics called for the MORE INFO http://www.bnsc.gov.uk 4 News & Events N EXUS N EWS J UNE 2007 C LIMATE IOP Events UK international Imperial College establishes student conference just months away first climate change institute Nexus will host one of the largest Imperial College London will receive £12m to establish a new climate research physics conferences devoted to institute which will be the first of its kind in any major university.The donation “Research students students this August.Volunteer comes from the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, members have been working for which was established by philanthropist couple Jeremy and Hannelore will now have almost two years in preparation for Grantham, and represents the largest sum of private funding given to climate the International Conference of change in the UK. opportunities to Physics Students (ICPS) 2007, The Grantham Institute for Climate Change envisages being an “idea leader develop which will be hosted at University and a strong voice” in developing new technologies and influencing College London on 10–16 August.