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APSNewsAPSNEWSFEBRUARY1998THEAMERICANPHYSICALSOCIETYVOLUME7,NO2TrytheenhancedAPSNews-online:[http://www.
aps.
org/apsnews]InsideNewsAPSOutreachProgramsforMinoritiesandWomenataGlance2MEMBERINTHESPOTLIGHT2FeaturingCherryMurray,directorofthePhysicalResearchLaboratoryatBellLaboratories/LucentTechnologies.
INBRIEF3CAPtobecometheCommitteeonCareersandProfessionalDevelopment;doublingnon-defenseR&D;anewTaskForceonAPSPrizesandAwards;NationalMedalandotherhonorees;andnewfund-inginitiatives.
APSJuniorMemberSurvey:PerceptionsoftheJobMarket4SherriePreischereportsonresultsfromtheAPSJuniorMemberSurvey.
EarlyElectronicPublicationofPhysicalReviewDArticles5PRD-onlinewillpostacceptedarticleswellinad-vanceofthepaperissue.
FreeJETPLettersOnline5PRL-onlinesubscriberscanaccessJETPLetters-onlinewithoutcharge.
FluidResearchersGatherfor1997DFDMeeting.
6Newresearchresultsinturbulencecontrol,sonoluminescence,andbiofluiddynamicswereamongthehighlightsofthe1997fallmeetingoftheAPSDivisionofFluidDynamics.
HistoricalFactal6Thisisthe100thanniversaryofthebirthofphysi-cistLeoSzilard.
Announcements7FrancisM.
PipkinAwardisestablished;StudentresearchApkerAwardsannouncedwith$5,000award;APSFellowshipdeadlinesummary;CaughtintheWeb;APSOperatingandBylawsCommitteesfor1998.
TheBackPage8ThomasNeffdiscussesrecentprogressofthehighlyenricheduraniumdealbetweentheUSandRussiaintheaftermathofthecoldwar.
TheCampaignforPhysics,thescienceeducationfundraisinginitiativeoftheAPSandtheAmericanAssociationofPhysicsTeachers(AAPT)launchedinthefallof1995,attainedits$5millionfund-inggoal.
AvictorycelebrationwasheldNovember22,1997inSanFrancisco,CA.
Theeveningincludedremarksfromkeycampaignleadership,endorsementsfromparticipantsinCampaignprogramsandrecognitionofcampaignvolunteers.
FundingfromtheCampaignhasallowedAPSandAAPTtolaunchandexpandfiveimportantscienceeducationprogramswhicharehavingadramaticimpactonimprovingtheteachingofscienceinschoolsacrossthecountry.
AccordingtoCampaignDirectorDarleneLogan,theeffortbenefittedgreatlyfromthefinancialandvolunteersupportofmajorindustrialleaders,in-cludingWilliamR.
Hewlett,Co-founderofHewlett-PackardCompany,wholedtheCampaign'sExecutiveCommitteeashonorarychair.
WorkingwithhimwereleadingcaptainsofindustrywhoservedasvicechairsoftheCampaignExecutiveCommittee.
TheseincludedRobertAllen,AT&T;PaulAllaire,XeroxCor-poration;NormanAugustine,LockheedMartinCorporation;LivioDeSimone,CampaignforPhysicsCelebratesReaching$5MillionFundingGoal3M;RobertGalvin,Motorola,Inc.
;Gor-donMoore,IntelCorporation;LewisPlatt,Hewlett-PackardCompany;GeorgeSoros,SorosFundManagement&SorosFoundationNetwork;andAlexTrotman,FordMotorCompany.
Togetherwiththesupportof39NobellaureatesservingonaCampaignCouncilofNobelLaureates,thecommitteeraised$3.
5millionincor-porateandfoundationgiftsincludingoneseven-figuregiftand11six-figuregifts.
"ThroughtheCampaign,wehavehelpedschooldistrictsimplementsys-temicscienceeducationreformwhichwillprovidestudentswithasciencecur-riculumandlearningenvironmentthatwillnurturetheirinterestinandappre-ciationforscience,"saidHewlett,whoconsideredtheCampaignanimperative.
"Wehavecreatedsupportstructuresforscienceteachers,particularlyinurbanset-tings,whoareseekingwaysinwhichtoimprovetheirteachingskillsandtech-niquesanddevelopedaresourcecenterfortheiruseinobtaininginformationonthebestinscienceteachingcurriculaandmaterials.
"HeaddedthattheCampaignfundsarealsobeingusedtoprovidemen-torandfinancialsupporttoundergraduateminoritystudentsinterestedinpursuingcareersinscience,andtohelpestablishmechanismsfortheexchangeofinforma-tionamongacademia,industryandgovernmentonscienceeducationandin-dustrialneeds.
NobellaureateNicolaasBloembergen,HarvardUniversityandapastpresidentofAPS,chairedboththeCampaignCouncilofNobelLaureatesandCampaignAd-ministrativeGroup,theinternalsteeringcommitteefortheinitiative.
"Thecare-fullydevelopedscienceeducationprogramsoftheCampaignforPhysicswillmakeadramaticdifferenceinel-ementarythroughgraduatelevelscienceteaching,benefittingstudents,teachers,industryandournation,"hesaidofhisinvolvement.
"Iamproudtohaveplayedaleadershiproleinsupportofsuchexcel-lentinitiatives.
"InadditiontotheCorporateandFoun-dationGiftsCampaign,anefforttoobtainthesupportofindividualswasledbyanIndividualGiftsCommittee.
ChairedbyJohnArmstrong(formerlyofIBMCor-poration),thecommitteeincluded40outstandingmembersofthephysicscom-munity,eachofwhommadealeadershipgifttotheCampaignandencouragedoth-erstoparticipate.
Thecommitteegeneratedover$1.
5millioninindividualgiftsincluding23giftsof$10,000ormore.
"IampleasedthatIwasabletocontrib-utetothiskeyundertakingbyAPSandAAPTasitisimportantthatwe,asphysi-cists,involveourselvesinhelpingassurethatfuturegenerationsareaffordedastrongscienceeducation,"saidErnestHenley(UniversityofWashington),an-otherformerAPSpresident,whoservedasavicechaironthiscommittee.
TheCampaignforPhysicsinitiativeshaveandwillcontinuetomakeimportantstridesinimprovingscienceeducation.
TheCampaigncon-sistsoffiveinterrelatedinitiativesdesignedtosparkandkeepalivetheflameofscientificinter-estandlearninginyoungstersfromkin-dergartenthroughgraduateschool.
Cam-paignprogramsaredesignedtohelpteach-ers,engagestudents,involvescientistsandbuildsupportstruc-turesamongbusiness,academiaandgovern-mentthatwillstrengthenthecoun-try.
ThefollowingsummarizesprogramprogresstodatethankstothegeneroussupportofCampaigndonors.
TheTeacher-Scientist-AllianceInstituteTheTeacher-ScientistAllianceInstitute(TSAI)isaneducationoutreacheffortdesignedtosupportahands-onscienceeducationap-proachintheUS.
ThissystemicscienceeducationreformprogramwaslaunchedbytheAPSwithfundingfromtheCampaign.
TSAIinvolvesvolunteerscientistswhohavecommittedtoworkingwiththeirlocalschooldistrictordis-trictstoreformscienceeducation.
Physicistsdiscussedthelatestdiscoveriesintheuniverseofplas-maswhentheAPSDivisionofPlasmaPhysics(DPP)helditsannualmeetingonNovember17-21,1997attheLawrenceConventionCenterinPittsburgh,Pennsyl-vania.
Morethan1500paperswerepresentedatthesecondlargestAPSmeet-ingoftheyear,includingfourreviewpapers,threeAPSprizerecipientaddresses,and84invitedtalks.
Wednesdayevening'sbanquetfeaturedakeynoteaddressbyWilliamHapperofPrincetonUniversity,aswellaspresentationofthe1997APSMaxwellPrize,AwardforExcellenceinPlasmaPhysics,andAwardforOutstand-ingDoctoralDissertationinPlasmaPhysicsbyAPSPresident,AndySessler.
Aprominentnewfeaturewastheor-ganizationoffivetutorialsessions,aimedateducatingnon-specialistswithagradu-atelevelunderstandingofimportanttopicsinplasmaphysics.
Thirteentuto-rialpresentationsweregiven,explainingthebasicprinciples,accomplishments,issuesandobjectivesofsuchtopicsasla-ser-inducedfluorescencediagnosticsinplasmas,magneticreconnection,laser-drivenplasmabasedaccelerators,andcontroversiesinquasilineartheory.
TheDPPhopessuchsessionswillbeavalu-TutorialSessions,Mini-Conferences,PlasmaScienceExpoFeaturedattheDPPMeetingableadditiontotheannualmeeting,andcontributetothecontinuedcross-fertiliza-tionofideasinplasmaphysics.
Therewerealsofour"mini-conferences"consistingofcontributedpresentationsthroughouttheweekintheareasofcoherentradiationgen-eration,plasmaaccelerators,nonlineardynamics,anddeepspaceplasmas.
LatestFusionNewsMagneticFusion-ScientistsworkingontheJointEuropeanTorus(JET),theworld'slargestfusionexperiment,pre-sentedresultsofarecentrunofexperimentsontheirmachineusinghigh-poweropera-tionwitha50-50mixtureofdeuteriumandtritiumfuel.
Theresearchersannouncedarecord14Megajoulesoffusionenergy,16megawattsofpeakfusionpowerandarecordfusionQ(theratiooffusionpowerproducedtothenetinputpower)of65%.
OnMondaymorning,RichardHawrylukofPrincetonPlasmaPhysicsLaboratorygaveatwenty-yearretrospec-tiveonphysicsexperimentsoftheTokamakFusionTestReactor(TFTR),theexperimentalnuclearfusionfacilityinPrinceton.
Beforeitendedoperationsin1995,TFTRheldthepreviousworldrecordoffusionpoweryeildandprovideddeepinsightsintothenatureoffusionplasmas.
NicolaasBloembergenpresentsLewisPlatt,Chairman,President&ChiefExecutiveOfficerofHewlett-PackardCompany,withaplaquerecognizingthecontributionsofMr.
PlattandHewlett-PackardCompanytowardtheCampaign'ssuccess.
CorporaterepresentativesandcampaignprogramparticipantsjoinedinthecelebrationoftheCampaign'svictory.
Fromfarright(clockwise):LewisPlatt,Hewlett-PackardCompany;D.
AllanBromley,1997APSpresident;JoanPlatt,wifeofLewisPlatt;NicolaasBloembergen,CampaignAdministrativeGroupChair;JanHustler,BayAreaSchoolsforExcellenceinEducation(benefitingfromtheTeacher-ScientistAllianceInstitute);GinnHuster,husbandofJanHustler;BarbaraKaufmann,3MFoundationdirector;NancyThomas,Hewlett-PackardCompanycontributionsmanager;LenThomas,husbandofNancyThomas;DeliBloembergen,wifeofNicolaasBloembergen.
(Continuedonpage3)(Continuedonpage5)APSNewsFebruary19982APSNewsCoden:ANWSENISSN:1058-8132SeriesII,Vol.
7,No.
2February19981998TheAmericanPhysicalSocietyEditor:BarrettH.
RipinNewswriter:JenniferOuelletteProduction:ElizabethBuchan-HigginsCoordinator:AmyHalstedAPSNews(ISSN:1058-8132)ispublished11Xyearly,monthly,excepttheAugust/Septemberissue,byTheAmericanPhysicalSoci-ety,OnePhysicsEllipse,CollegePark,MD20740-3844,(301)209-3200.
ItcontainsnewsoftheSocietyandofitsDivisions,TopicalGroups,SectionsandForums;advanceinformationonmeetingsoftheSociety;andreportstotheSocietybyitscommitteesandtaskforces,aswellasopinions.
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APSCOUNCIL1998PresidentAndrewM.
Sessler,LawrenceBerkeleyLaboratoryPresident-ElectJeromeFriedman,MassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyVice-PresidentJamesS.
Langer,UniversityofCalifornia,SantaBarbaraExecutiveOfficerJudyR.
Franz,UniversityofAlabama,Huntsville(onleave)TreasurerThomasMcIlrath,UniversityofMaryland(onleave)Editor-in-ChiefMartinBlume,BrookhavenNationalLaboratoryPast-PresidentD.
AllanBromley,YaleUniversityGeneralCouncillorsDanielAuerbach,BeverlyBerger,VirginiaBrown,JenniferCohen,CharlesDuke,S.
JamesGates,DonaldHamann,WilliamHapper,CynthiaMcIntyre,HelenQuinn,RobertoPeccei,PaulPeercy,SusanSeestrom,VirginiaTrimble,RonaldWalsworth,SauLanWuChair,NominatingCommitteeWickC.
HaxtonChair,PanelonPublicAffairsRuthH.
HowesDivisionandForumCouncillorsStevenHolt(Astrophysics),EricHeller,GordonDunn(Atomic,Mo-lecularandOptical),RobertCallender(Biological),StephenLeone(Chemi-cal),JoeD.
Thompson,DavidAspnes,ArthurHebard,ZacharyFisk(CondensedMatter),WarrenPickett(Computational),GuenterAhlers(FluidDynamics),JamesWynne(ForumonEducation),GloriaLubkin(ForumonHistoryofPhysics),MattRichter(ForumonIndustrial&AppliedPhysics),TBA(ForumonInternationalPhysics),DietrichSchroeer(ForumonPhysicsandSociety),AndrewLovinger(HighPolymer),DanielGrischkowsky(LaserScience),HowardBirnbaum(Materials),JohnSchiffer,TBA(Nuclear),HenryFrisch,GeorgeTrilling(ParticlesandFields),RobertSiemann(PhysicsofBeams),RoyGould,WilliamKruer(Plasma)ADVISORSSectionalRepresentativesJohnPribram,NewEngland;PeterLesser,NewYork;PerryP.
Yaney,Ohio;JosephHamilton,Southeastern;StephenBaker,TexasRepresentativesfromOtherSocietiesRonaldEdge,AAPT;MarcBrodsky,AIPStaffRepresentativesBarrettRipin,AssociateExecutiveOfficer;IrvingLerch,DirectorofInternationalAffairs;RobertL.
Park,Director,PublicInformation;MichaelLubell,Director,PublicAffairs;StanleyBrown,AdministrativeEditor;ReidTerwilliger,DirectorofEditorialOfficeServices;MichaelStephens,ControllerandAssistantTreasurerJugglingademandingcareerincondensedmatterresearchandindustrialmanagementwithvolunteerworkandfamilyobligationsisjustthelatestinalifetimeofchallengesforCherryMurray,acondensedmatterphysicistwhoiscurrentlydirectorofthePhysicalResearchLaboratoryatBellLaboratories/LucentTechnologiesinMurrayHill,NewJersey.
AfellowofboththeAPSandtheAmericanAssociationfortheAdvancmentofScience,Murrayhasabroadbackgroundinexperimentalresearchinlowtemperature,surface,condensedmatter,andcomplexfluidphysics,withparticularemphasisonlightscatteringandimaging.
Ironically,Murrayhadalwaysexpectedtobecomeanartist,thankstotheinflu-enceofherparents,bothofwhomearneddegreesinfineartsandmetatanartist'scolonyinTaos,NM.
HerfatheralsoholdsadegreeinEnglishliterature,andwasanEnglishteacherandheadmasterofaprivateschoolpriortoembarkingonadiplomaticcareerafterastintintheUSArmyduringWorldWarII.
Thefamilymovedconstantlyaroundtheworldthereafter.
Despiteherenjoymentoflessonsinpiano,danceandart,Murraycreditsherbrother,John,nineyearshersenior,withfirstpiquingherinterestinphysicsattheageof6whenhedecidedtostudyphysicsduringtheheightoftheSputnikEra.
[HeisnowaresearchphysicistatLawrenceLivermoreNationalLaboratory.
]Achem-istryteacheratherhighschoolinAlexandria,Virginia,encouragedherabilitiesinphysicalchemistryandphysics,andwhenthefamilysubsequentlymovedtoKo-rea,shestudiedcalculusandphysicsonherownbecausetheUSembassyschoolwassosmall.
JohnalsoplayedapivotalroleinherdecisiontostudyphysicsattheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologybyinsistingshewouldneversurvivetherigorouscourseofstudy.
"Soofcourse,Ihadtodoit,"saysMurray,whoearnedherB.
S.
inphysicsfromMITin1973andwonascholarshiptopursuegraduateworkthere.
ItwasduringherfirstyearofgraduatestudythatMurraywasfirstexposedtophysicsinindustry,whensheelectedtotakeasummerinternshipatBellLaborato-ries,workingonplasmaphysics.
Theexperience"absolutelychangedmyviewofwhatonecoulddoasacareerinphysics,"shesays.
"That'sreallywhyI'matBellLabstoday.
"Sheconsidersthecompanytobeoneofthebestplacesfordoingcutting-edgeresearchincondensedmatterphysics,whilesimultaneouslyhavinganimpactontechnologyandbusinessingeneral.
MurrayreceivedherPhDinphysicsfromMITin1978,andpromptlyjoinedthetechnicalstaffatBellLabs,becomingadistinguishedmemberin1985.
Shesubse-quentlyheadedtheLowTemperatureandSolidStateResearchDepartment,theCondensedMatterPhysicsResearchDepartment,andtheSemiconductorPhysicsDepartmentbeforeassumingherpresentpositioninJune1997.
ThePhysicalRe-searchLaboratoryhasapproximately100researchersinfundamentalphysics,biophysics,chemistryandmaterialsscience,aswellasthrustsinappliedphysicsandmaterials,devicesandcircuitsforhigh-speedoptoelectronics,leadingtoinven-tionsandinnovationsforfuturecommunicationsandmicroelectronicstechnologiesofimportancetoLucentTechnologies.
Murray'sownresearchprogramcurrentlyencompassesimagingoforder-disor-dertransitionsincolloidalcrystals,self-assemblyofopticalmaterials,andRamanscatteringfromverysmallmonodispersesiliconquantumdots.
In1989,shereceivedtheAPSMariaGoeppert-MayerAwardfortheexperimentalmethodssheusedtodiscover"twostage"meltingintwo-dimensionalarraysofcolloidalpolystyrenespheres,singledoutparticularlyforherelucidationoftherolethatdefectsplayinthisphe-nomenon,aswellastheconnectionbetweenherdiscoveryandrecenttheoriesofmeltingintwodimen-sions.
Althoughherowngraduateexperienceswerehighlypositive,Murraycautionsaspiringyoungwomenphysiciststochoosetheirschoolcarefully,particularlyiftheywishtostudywithspecificprofessorsatsmallerschools.
"Ifyouknowexactlywhatyouwanttodo,andwhoyouwanttoworkfor,makesurethatthey'reavailableandwillbeabletotakeyouonasastudent,"shesays.
Butthemostimportantadviceshewouldgiveistofindagoodmentor,citingasanexampletheeffortsofMildredDresselhaus,aprofessorofelectricalengineeringatMIT,whoorganizesseminarseriesforgradu-atestudentstogivetalksontheirresearchtopics.
Murrayherselfhasvolunteeredasamentorforseveralphysicsgraduatestu-dents,inadditiontoparticipatinginahands-onscienceprogramatalocaljuniorhighschooltoencouragestudentstopursuecareersinphysics.
WithintheAPS,shehasheldseveralpositionsinAPSdivisions,servedontheexecutivecommitteesoftheForumsonEducationandIndustrialandAppliedPhysics,andonthePanelonPublicAffairs,aswellasvariousprizeandfellowshipcommittees.
Sheiscurrentlyvice-chairoftheAPSPakePrizeCommittee.
Despiteherconsiderableprofessionalcommitmentsandvolunteerwork,Murrayhasstillfoundtimetomarryandraiseafamily.
Shehasason,age11,andadaugh-ter,age6,andcreditstheavailabilityofanexcellentchildcarecenterinNewJerseywithmakingherdualrolemucheasier.
"It'susuallychildcarearrangementsthatarethedifficulty,"shesays.
"Iwasveryfortunatethatthecenterhadopeningsforbothmychildren.
"Sheevenoccasionallyfindstimeplaythepianoandtakedanceclassestokeepphysicallyactive.
Whileshecanenvisiononedayobtainingapositionasauniversityprofessorhavinganimpactonthefieldbyproducingexcellentstudents,shefindshercurrentpositionfartoochallengingandenjoyabletoconsiderchangingcareerpathsanytimesoon.
"Someonedescribedmynewjobastryingtodrinkfromafirehose,withthingsflyingatyouallthetime,butIenjoythatkindofchallenge,"shesays.
"Idefinitelyenjoymanagementandhavinganimpactbyworkinginindustry,soIseemyselfdoingthisforawhile.
"MEMBERINTHECherryMurrayPursuesExcellenceinIndustrialResearchSpotlightAPSOutreachProgramsforMinoritiesandWomenataGlanceColloquiumSpeakersListsofWomenandMinoritiesinPhysics,avail-ableonlineandinhardcopy,listthenamesandtalktitlesofwomenandminorityphysicists,indexedbyfieldandstate.
TravelGrantsforMinorityandWomenSpeakersPrograms.
TheAPSprovidessmallgrantstophysicsdepartmentstofundvisitsbyminorityandwomencolloquiumspeakers.
Fundingisstillavailableforthe1997-1998academicyear.
TheGazetteistheofficialnewsletteroftheCommitteeontheStatusofWomeninPhysics(CSWP),featuringupdatesonCSWPactivitiesandprograms,bookreviews,statisticalreports,andarticlesonprogramsdesignedtoincreasetheparticipationofwomenandgirlsinscience.
TheRosterofWomenandMinoritiesinPhysicsliststhenamesandquali-ficationsofover4000womenandminoritiesinphysics.
ItservesasthemailinglistforCSWPandtheCommitteeonMinorities(COM)publications,andisalsowidelyusedbyprospectiveemployerstoidentifywomenandminorityphysicistsforjobopenings.
ImprovingtheClimateforMinority/WomeninPhysicsSiteVisits.
Throughthisprogram,teamsofminority/womenphysicistsvisitphysicsde-partmentstoassesstheclimateforminorities/womeninthedepartments,andtomakerecommendationstoimprovetheclimateforminority/womenunder-graduates,graduatestudentsandfaculty.
WIPHYS(WomeninPhysics)InternetList.
Over750subscribersfromaroundtheworldnetwork,exchangeadvice,anddiscussissuesofinteresttowomeninphysicsonWIPHYS.
TheInternetArchiveoftheContributionsofWomentoPhysicsdocu-mentscitationsofwomenwhohavemadeoriginalandimportantcontributionstophysicsthiscentury.
TheEdwardA.
BouchetAward.
Alectureship/awardmeanttoenhancethevisibilityandawarenessofoutstandingminorityphysiciststopeersandminor-itystudents.
COMSymposia.
AtboththeMarchandAprilmeetings,COMorganizesinvitedsessionsduringwhichminorityphysicistsgivetechnicaltalks.
CSWP/COMReceptions.
COMandCSWPusuallyholdajointnetworkingre-ceptionatboththeAprilandMarchAPSmeetings,duringwhichtheypublicizetheirprogramsandprojects.
Forfurtherinformation:Minorityprogramscontact:ArleneModeste,APSStaffLiaisontotheCom-mitteeonMinorities;301-209-3232;modeste@aps.
org;COMwebsitehttp://www.
aps.
org/educ/commiss.
htmlWomenprogramscontact:TaraMcLoughlin,APSStaffLiaisontotheCom-mitteeontheStatusofWomeninPhysics;301-209-3231;tara@aps.
org;CSWPwebsitehttp://www.
aps.
org/educ/cswp/cswp.
htmFebruary1998APSNews3INBRIEFCommitteeonCareersandProfessionalDevelopmentAtitsNovembermeeting,theAPSCouncilvotedtoapproveaproposedamendmenttotheAPSBylawsthatwouldchangethenameoftheCommitteeonApplicationsofPhysics(CAP)tothatoftheCommitteeonCareersandProfes-sionalDevelopment(CCPD),andreviseitscharge.
ThechangewassuggestedbytheAPSCommitteeonCommittees,andapprovedbytheCommitteeonConstitu-tion&BylawsbeforebeingsubmittedtoCouncil.
Therationalebehindthechangeisthat,withtheinitiationoftheForumonIndustrialandAppliedPhysics(FIAP),muchoftheworkthatCAPusedtodo—suchasorganizingsessionsatmeetings—wastakenonbyFIAP.
ItwasalsofeltthattheAPSneedsanadvisorybodyandaclearinghouseforitscareeractivities.
TherecentTaskForceonCareersandProfes-sionalDevelopmentrecommendedthatanAPScommitteebechargedwiththeseresponsibilities.
TherevisedchargeintheAPSBylawswillreadasfollows:"ThemembershipoftheCommitteeonCareersandProfessionalDevelopmentshallconsistofninemembersappointedbythePresidenttostaggeredthree-yearterms.
ThePresidentshallappointtheChairpersonfromamongthemembers.
TheCommitteeshallberesponsibleforcoordinatingaffairswithintheSocietycon-cernedwithcareerandprofessionaldevelopmentinphysicsandadvisingtheSocietyoncoursesofaction.
TheCommitteeshallalsofacilitatetheparticipationofphysi-cistsfromallcareerpathsintheSocietyanditsfunctionsandpublications.
"CommentsfromthemembershipontheproposedrevisionshouldbesubmittedtoAmyHalstedatAPSheadquarters[halsted@aps.
org]byMarch31st.
APSCouncilwilltaketherequiredsecondvoteforaBylawchangeinApril.
DoublingNon-DefenseR&DOnDecember4,1997,twoRepublicanandtwoDemocraticsenatorswrotetoPresidentClintonurginghimtousetheFY1999budgettoestablishabipartisannationalconsensusondoublingnon-defensefederalR&Doverthenexttenyears.
ClintonsendshisFY1999budgetrequesttoCongressthismonth.
AttheOfficeofManagementandBudget,officialsareconfrontingsometoughnumbers.
Un-derthebalancedbudgetagreement,totaldiscretionaryspendingcanincreasebyonly1%,orabout$5billion,overthisyear.
Asexpected,therearemanyconflict-ingrecommendationsonwhatthenation'sprioritiesshouldbeinFY1999.
TheletterfromSenatorsPhilGramm(R-Texas),JosephLieberman(D-Connecticut),PeteDomenici(R-NewMexico),andJeffBingaman(D-NewMexico),allcospon-sorsofS.
1305(seeAPSNews,January1998),urgesClintonto"taketheleadonthisimportantissueandincludesignificantincreasesinR&Dinvestment"intheFY1999budgetrequest,especiallyforthe12federalagenciesspecifiedinthebill.
ThelettercoincidedwithanelectronicalerttoAPSmembersbyAPSPastPresi-dentD.
AllanBromley(YaleUniversity)toaddtheirsupportbywritingtoClintonaswell.
TaskForceonAPSPrizesandAwardsTheAPSExecutiveBoardhasappointedanewTaskForceonAPSPrizesandAwards,chairedbyMildredDresselhaus(MassachusettsInstituteofTechnol-ogy),withaprimarychargetoconsiderthefullrange,breadth,andnumberofAPSprizesandawardstoseeiftheyareappropriateandifallareasofthephysicscommunityarecoveredinanequitablemanner.
Inparticular,theBoardisinter-estedinadviceonunderwhatconditionstheAPSshouldacceptfundingforadditionalprizesandawardsifoffered,andwhethersomeofthecriteriaforexistingprizesandawardsshouldbebroadenedtoencouragemorenominations.
AdditionaltopicsincludewhetherthereshouldbeaminimummonetaryamountforthemajorAPSprizesandwhethertheAPSshouldchangethecurrentpolicyonmultiplerecipientsforaprizeoraward.
Apreliminaryreportwillbepre-sentedattheExecutiveBoard'sFebruary21meeting.
TheothermembersofthetaskforceareRonaldC.
Davidson,PrincetonUnivesity;KatharineB.
Gebbie,NationalInstituteofStandardsandTechnology;WickC.
Haxton,UniversityofWashington;RolfW.
Landauer,IBMTJWatsonResearchCenter;JohnM.
Rowell,JohnRowellInc;andFrankJ.
Sciulli,ColumbiaUniversity.
NationalMedalandPresidentialEarlyCareerWinnersRecipientsofthisyear'sNationalMedalofScience,announcedinDecemberbyPresidentClinton,includedthreeFellowsoftheAmericanPhysicalSociety:DarleneHoffman,aprofessorofchemistryatBerkeley,forherworkontrans-uraniumelements;HaroldJohnston,emerituschemistryprofessoratBerkeley,forcontributionstoatmosphericchemistry;andMarshallRosenbluth,aplasmatheoristatUCSD,forfusionresearch.
ThemedalwasawardedposthumouslytoMartinSchwarzchildofPrincetonforfatheringstellarevolution.
LastNovember,PresidentClintonpresented60youngresearcherswiththesecondannualPresidentialEarlyCareerAwardsforScientistsandEngineers(PECASE).
APSmemberDavidS.
Citrin,aprofessorintheDepartmentofPhys-icsatWashingtonStateUniversity,wasamongthosehonoredfordevelopingacomprehensivetheoryofexciton-polaritonsinsemiconductornanostructures.
Thoseselectedreceiveupto$500,000overafive-yearperiodtofurthertheirresearchandadvancescienceforgovernmentmissions.
NewFundingInitiativesPresidentClintonannouncedtwonewresearchanddevelopmentpartner-shipsthatwillleverageroughly$200millioningovernmentandindustryfunds.
Federalgovernmentfundingis$96million,alreadyappropriatedforthecurrentfiscalyear,withtheremaindercomingfromindustry.
First,theDefenseDepart-mentandthesemiconductorindustrywillfundlong-termR&DatleadinguniversitiesintendedtoeventuallyallowUScompaniestomanufactureasupercomputeronachip.
ThisinitiativeisbeingfundedbytheDefenseDepartment's$14millionGov-ernment-IndustryCo-sponsoredUniversityResearchprogram.
Second,theCommerceDepartment'sAdvancedTechnologyProgram(ATP)willprovide$82millionincost-sharedfundsforeightnewcompetitionstosupportR&Dwithbroad-basedbenefitstotheUSeconomy.
MorethanhalfofallATPgrantshavegonetosmallcompaniesorjointventuresledbysmallcompanies.
ThePhysicsTeacherResourceAgentProgramThefocusofthePhysicsTeacherRe-sourceAgent(PTRA)programistoselect,trainandsupportexperiencedphysicsteacherswhoserveasmentorstolessex-periencedphysicsteachersfromtheircommunities.
Ithasbecomeahighlyrec-ognizedpieceofinfrastructureinthephysicsteachingcommunity,offeringasinglepointofcontactforhighschoolphysicsteachersacrossthecountry.
TheCampaignhasprovidedfundstothePTRAprogramtosupportinitiationofworkshopsinselectedurbanareas.
ThePhysicalScienceResourceCenterTheAmericanAssociationofPhysicsTeachers'PhysicalScienceResourceCenterprovideson-lineaccessaswellashardcopiesofteachingandlearningma-terialsinphysicsatthehighschoolandundergraduatelevels.
Theinformationcenterincludesbibliographiesonthebestphysicalscienceteachingtechnologies,materialsandprocedures.
TheMinorityScholarshipProgramEstablishedin1980bytheAPS,thishighlysuccessfulprogramisable,asaresultofCampaignfunding,toincreasethenumberofscholarshipsforunder-graduatephysicsmajorsawardedannuallytoitshighlyqualifiedpoolofapplicants.
Thisprogramconsistsofthreesupportcomponents:1)amonetarygranttothestudents;2)afacultymentorforthestudent;3)andasmallmonetarygranttothestudent'shostphysicsdepartmenttopromotearelationshipbetweenthede-partmentandthescholarshiprecipient.
Todate,atotalof374newandrenewalscholarshipshavebeenawardedandanimpressive20%havealsogoneontoearntheirPh.
D.
inphysics.
TheAcademic-Industrial-GovernmentRoundtablesTheRoundtablesareaone-daymeet-ingofleadingacademicandindustrialscientistswitheducatorsandgovernmentandcommunityleaders.
Throughaple-narysessionofinvitedspeakersandaseriesofworkshops,participantsexam-inehowtoaddresstheeconomicandeducationalchallengesfacingtheirstateandregion.
RoundtablesaresponsoredbytheAPS,theNSF,localuniversitiesandindustriesandareco-hostedbytheregion'sMembersofCongress.
ThreesuchroundtableshavetakenplacetodateinVirginia,California,andWashingtonstateswiththenextoneplannedforCon-necticut.
In-depthdescriptionsoftheCampaignforPhysicsprogramgoalscanbefoundintheinsertintheJune1997issueofAPSNews,theJanuary1998APSNewsEduca-tionOutreachinsert,andthroughtheAPShomepage[www.
aps.
org].
CampaignforPhysicsCelebrates(Continuedfrompage1)CharlesDuke,XeroxCorporationandAPSCouncilmember(shownontheleft)sharesacelebratorymomentwithNobellaureateBurtonRichterandhiswifeLauroseandHarryLustig(right),retiredTreasurerofAPSandleadingforcebehindtheCampaign'sinitiation.
AndriaErzberger,aleadteacherinthePhysicsTeacherResourceAgentProgramspeakstotheimportantsupportthatprogramisprovidingtophysicsteachersintheSanFranciscoarea.
Chair:JohnArmstrongViceChairs:LewisBranscombD.
AllanBromleyBunnyClarkRobertFroschTheodoreGeballeHermannGrunderErnestHenleyPaulHewittChair:NicolaasBloembergenMembers:LeonCooperAllanCormackJamesCroninPierredeGennesRichardErnstLeoEsakiWilliamFowler(dec.
)JeromeFriedmanKenichiFukuiIvarGiaeverDonaldGlaserSheldonGlashowHerbertHauptmanDudleyHerschbachGerhardHerzbergRoaldHoffmannJeromeKarleHenryKendallJohnMcTagueGeorgePakeNicholasSamiosDavidSaxonRobertSchriefferRaySerwayAndrewSesslerJamesStithAlvinTrivelpieceMembers:ReubenAlleyNicolaasBloembergenArthurBienenstockMartinBlumeJudyFranzSimonFonerMauriceGoldhaberCharlesHebelBernardKhouryDanielKleppnerDonaldLangenbergHarryLustigThomasMcIlrathSokratesPantelidesC.
KumarN.
PatelJohnPeoplesBurtonRichterBrianSchwartzFrederickSeitzCharlesShankH.
EugeneStanleyPaulVandenBoutHowardVossCampaignCouncilofNobelLaureatesWillisLamb,Jr.
LeonLedermanYuanLeeWilliamLipscombRudolphMarcusLinusPauling(dec.
)ArnoPenziasEdwardPurcell(dec.
)NormanRamseyBurtonRichterIndividualGiftsCampaignCommitteeAbdusSalam(dec.
)ArthurSchawlowRobertSchriefferMelvinSchwartzGlennSeaborgRichardTaylorCharlesTownesStevenWeinbergRobertWilsonChenNingYangAPSNewsFebruary19984APSVIEWSAPSJuniorMemberSurvey:PerceptionsoftheJobMarketbySherriePreische,APSExecutiveOfficeAreyouworriedaboutcareerprospectsWouldyouadvisesomeonetogetaphysicsPhDDifficulttosecurepresentjobEasiertofindajobinphysicsthan3yearsagoThereispresentlyarumoramongsomephysiciststhatthejobcrunchforrecentphysicsPhDrecipients,somuchdiscussedinthefirsthalfofthe'90s,isnowadistantmemory.
Itissaidthattherearenowplentyofeasilyobtainedjobsforphysi-cists—thecrisisisover.
WhatsupportisthereforthisstoryandwhatdoyoungphysiciststhinkofitTohelpusgetsomeunderstandingofthepresentjobclimateandthemoodofrecentdegreerecipients,theAPS,undertheauspicesofCAP/CommitteeonCareersandProfessionalDevelopment(seeInBriefarticleonpage3),didanemailsurveyof'juniormembers'inOctober1997.
Upongraduation,studentmembersmaybecomejuniormembers(fullmembership,buthalftheregularduesrate)forthreeyears.
Thisisagroupofyoungphysicistsstartingtheircareers.
Therewasastrongresponsetothissurvey—43%.
Thisincludes592repliesfromrecentPhDrecipients.
SurveyresponsesreinforceasuppositionthatourjuniormembersremainmorecloselyalignedwithphysicsthanthegeneralpopulationofrecentphysicsPhDgradu-ates.
Assumingthisisthecase,thesesurveyresponsesaregivenbypeoplewhoaredoing"better"(bythetermsofwhataphysicscareeristypicallyexpectedtobe)thantheoverallpopulationofrecentgraduates.
ThemajoremploymentsectorsforourPhDrespondentsarepost-docs53%,industry17%,tenure-track11%,anduniversityorgovernmentresearchstaff9%.
Juniormembersareworriedabouttheirownfuturecareers.
Thestrengthofthisfeelingvariesbythetypeofjobpeoplehold.
Post-docsaremostconcernedwhilethoseinindustryortenure-trackpositionsfeelmoresecureabouttheirfuture.
Whenasked,Areyouworriedaboutcareerprospectsforthefuture,suchasfindingaperma-nentjobwithopportunityforadvancementPostdocsareveryconcernedaboutcareerprospectsforthefuture:80%worried,6%notworried.
TotrytolearnsomethingaboutallrecentPhDgraduates,weaskedtheques-tion:Intermsofcareerprospects,whatdoyouthinkisthepresentmoodofmostphysi-cistsinyourpeergroup(0-4yearsafterdegree)70%ofPhDrespondentssaythemoodoftheirpeergroupispessimis-ticwithregardtocareerprospects.
Whenasked"Doyouexpecttoremaininyourpresenttypeofcareerpathoverthenext5yearsordoyouexpecttomakeamajorcareerchange",60%ofPhDrespondentsleantowardexpectingtostayintheirpresentcareerpathoverthenext5years.
40%don'tknoworthinktheymayhavetomakeamajorcareerchange.
Again,post-docsareslightlylesssecure,with48%notsurethattheycanstayintheirpresenttypeofcareerpathoverthenext5years.
WhyarepeopleconsideringamajorcareerchangeTheoverwhelminglyhighestreasongivenis"lackofopportunitiesformeinmypresentcareerpath".
Thisisthefirstoronlyreasonfor40%ofrespondentsandmentionedasareasonby54%.
Thenexthighestreasonis"familyorotherpersonalconsiderations",mentionedby31%ofrespondents.
Thesearefollowedby"developednewinterests"and"jobsecurity".
Withthisdegreeofinsecurityandpessimismabouttheircareerfuture,itseemsthatrecentPhDsdonotthinkthatthejobproblemisover.
But,dotheyreallyhavecauseforconcernFew(lessthan1%)areunemployed.
Only11%ofPhDrespondentssaytheyfounditverydifficulttosecuretheirpresentjob.
Only7%ofPhDrespondentsdonotfindtheirjobprofessionallychal-lenging.
Whenaskedhowtheirpresentjobcomparestotheirexpectationswhentheystartedgraduateschool,few(6%)saytheirjobisverydifferentfromwhattheyexpectedandunfavorable;21%saytheirjobisverydifferentfromwhattheyexpected,butfavorable;and40%aredoingwhattheythoughttheywouldbedoingatthispointintheircareers.
Amajorityfounditsomewhateasytose-curetheirpresentjob,withgraduatesin1997showingslightlymoreofatendencytosayitwaseasytosecuretheirjobcomparedtopreviousclasses.
Whenasked,Comparedto3yearsago,doyouthinkitiseasierormoredifficulttofindajobinphysics30%thinkthatitiseasier(includedinthisare3%whothinkthatitismucheasier),24%thinkthatitisthesame,and20%thinkthatitismoredifficult.
Onascaleof1to5,where1ismucheasier,3isthesame,and5ismuchharder,theaverageresponseis2.
9.
WhilethereisaslighttendencyamongrecentPhDstothinkthatthatjobmarketissomewhatbetterthanitwasafewyearsago,thisfeelingisnotover-whelming.
RecentAIPstatisticsshowthatveryrecentgraduatesarelesslikelytotakeapost-doctoralpositionthaninpreviousyearsandaremorelikelytotakeajoboutsideofphysicsfortheirfirstjob(AIPPub.
R-282.
20,tobp).
DoesthismeanthatrecentPhDsaregivinguponphysicsIsthistendencytoleavethefieldimmediatelyrelievingpressureonthesystemandmakingitslightlyeasiertofindajobthesedaysTheresponsetothesurveyshowsthatphysicistsstartingtheircareersthinkithasbeenrelativelyeasytofindtheirfirst(usuallytemporary)jobandyettheyarestillveryconcernedabouttheirfuturecareerprospects.
Basedonthisresponseandonthemanycommentsreceivedwiththesurvey:Itmaybeeasiertofindafirstjob,butthereisgreatconcernaboutfindingalong-termorpermanentjob.
PerhapsevenmoretroublingisthedepthofthepessimismofyoungPhDsshownintheirresponsetothefollowingquestion.
Doyouagreewiththefollowingstate-ment:IfIwasaskedtoadvisesomeonewhowasconsideringpursuingaPhDinphysics,Iwouldadvisethemtodoit.
40%ofrespondentswouldnotadvisesomeonetopursueaPhDinphysics.
AnothersurpriseisthatthosewhoholdaPhDinphysicsfromthe12"mostdistin-guished"physicsdepartments(asdefinedbytheNRC1995ratings)donotfeelanymoresecureabouttheirowncareerprospectsthanotherrespondentstothesurvey.
Theserespondentsalsohavethesamedistributionbyemploymentsectorasotherrespondentstothesurvey.
Peoplewithdegreesfromtheseprestigiousdepart-mentsarenomorelikelytobeintenure-trackpositionsthanotherAPSjuniormembers.
TheyarealsoequallylikelytoadviseornotadvisesomeonetopursueaPhDasotherrespondents.
NeitheristhereasignificantdifferenceinresponsestothesurveybypeoplewhoholdaPhDinafieldotherthanphysics.
TheresultsofthissurveyconfirmthefactthattheAPSjuniormembershipisverydiverse,asisthegeneralmember-ship.
Only71%ofjuniormemberrespondentsholdaPhDinphysicsfromaUSuniversity.
The1996APSMembershipSurveyalsoshowedthattheAPSmem-bershipisadiversegroup.
(Fordetails,seeAPSNews,October1997andsurveyresultsthroughtheAPShomepage(www.
aps.
org)undertheMembershipbutton).
StudentsandphysicistsintheearlystagesoftheircareersrepresentasignificantfractionofAPSmembership-asimilarfractiontothatofourmemberswhoarephysicistsworkinginacademiaorinindustry.
Dothesephysicistsstartingtheirca-reersthinkthatthephysicsjobcrisisisoverThissurveyshowsthattheythinkitmayberelativelyeasytofindafirstjob,buttheyareveryconcernedabouttheirabilitytoestablishlong-termorpermanentcareers.
ContributionstothissurveybyJimEgan,JudyFranz,andBarrieRipinoftheAPSandRomanCzujko,RaymondChuandKristiJentoft-NilsenoftheAIParegratefullyacknowl-edged.
PeermoodaboutcareerprospectsPhDyear199714%199630%199531%199414%ResidencystatusUSCitizen70%PermanentUSvisa11%TemporaryUSvisa18%Non-USresident1%WhoarethesurveyrespondentsThereare2,150APSjuniormembers.
Thesurveywassentto1449USresidentjuniormemberswithvalidemailaddressesand622replieswerereceived,592ofthesefromjuniormemberswithPhDs.
Theserepliesincludeabout10%ofallphysicsPhDre-cipientsfromUSuniversitiesintheclassesof1995and1996.
Becauseveryfewresponseswerereceivedfrommemberswhosehighestdegreeisamastersorbachelorsdegree,theresultsgivenherearebasedonlyonre-sponsesfromPhDholders.
DistributionofAPSmembership(from1996membershipsurvey)14%Students5%Juniormembers19%USresidentphysicistsworkinginacademia19%USresidentphysicistworkinginin-dustryorgovernment14%USresidentnon-physicists(selfde-scribed)9%USresidentsretired20%ForeignresidentsPost-doctoral53%Othertempresearch4%Industry17%Researchstaff9%(univ/govt)Non-tenuretrack2%teachingTenuretrack11%Othernon-research3%CurrentemploymentdistributionbyyearofdegreeFieldofdegreePhysics71%Engineering10%Chemistry6%Astronomy2%MaterialsScience1%AppliedMath1%Degreefrom8%non-USunivFebruary1998APSNews5Inrecentyears,thephysicscommunity,particularlyinthefieldscoveredbyPhysi-calReviewD,hasbecomeincreasinglyaccustomedtoaccessingthecurrentlit-eratureelectronically.
Inkeepingwiththistrend,PhysicalReviewDischangingitsproductionprocesssothatallarticleswillbefirstpublishedelectronically,withtheprintedversionappearingatasubsequentdate.
Asatpresent,theprintedandonlineversionswillbevisu-allyidentical.
ThisnewprocessbeginswiththearticlesofVolume57(theJanu-ary-June1998printissues)andincludesallarticlescurrentlybeingaccepted.
"Inmakingthischange,wearemov-ingfromabatchmodethatfocussedontheproductionofanentireprintedissuetoonethatallowseacharticletobepub-lishedassoonasitisready,"saidPRDEditorErickWeinberg(ColumbiaUni-versity).
"Forwell-preparedmanuscripts,ourgoalistosendpageproofstotheau-thorabouttwoweeksafterthearticlehasbeenacceptedforpublication.
"Headdedthatafewdaysafterapprovaloftheproofshasbeenreceived,thearticlewillbepostedaspartoftheelectronicjournal,withthedateofpostingbeinglistedasthepublicationdateofthearticle.
Atmonthlyintervalsthesearticleswillbecollectedtogethertomakeuptheprintedissuesthatwillappear,accordingtothesamedivisionbysubjectareaasatpresent,onthe1stand15thofeachmonth.
Inasix-monthtransitionalphase,fullcitationinformation(volumeandpagenumber)willonlybeavailablewhenallofthearticlescorrespondingtoagivenprintissuehavebeenposted.
BeginningEarlyElectronicPublicationofPhysicalReviewDArticleswiththefirstissueofVolume58(printdate1July1998),thejournalwillchangetoacitationschemebasedonvolumeandarticlenumber,withthearticlenumberbeingassignedatthetimethatthearticleispublishedelectronically.
Articleswillthenbefullycitableassoonastheyap-pearintheonlinejournal.
Intheprintedjournal,articleswillbeorderedbyin-creasingarticlenumber;thealgorithmforassigningthesenumbershasbeende-signedsothatarticleswillbeorderedbytopicwithineachprintedissue,asiscur-rentlydone.
AccordingtoWeinberg,authorsshouldbeawareoftwoimportantimpli-cationsofthischange.
First,becausearticleswillbepublishedelectronicallyassoonastheyareready,authorscanre-ducethetimefromacceptancetopublicationbycarefullypreparingandproofreadingtheirmanuscript,submit-tingitelectronically,andrespondingpromptlyafterreceivingthepageproofs.
(Iftheproofsrequireonlyafewminorcorrections,ornoneatall,anemailre-sponseissufficient.
)Second,becausetheonlineversionwillbeconsideredthefi-nalpublishedversion,withthesubsequentprintedversionsimplyare-productionoftheonlineversion,authorswillnotbeabletomakeanycorrectionstothearticleafterthepageproofshavebeenreturned;instead,anyfurthercor-rectionsmustbemadebysubmittinganerratum.
APSmembersmayaccesstheelec-tronicversionofPhysicalReviewDathttp://publish.
aps.
org/PRDO/prdohome.
htmlHighlightsfrom1997DPPMeeting(Continuedfrompage1)ICF-Thereweremanytalksoninertialconfinementfusion(ICF),especiallyontopicsrelatedtothe192-beam,2MegajouleNationalIgnitionFacility(NIF)undercon-structionatLLNL.
Notsurprisingly,thefocusofICFresearchrevolvesaroundre-finingtheunderstandingoftheunderlyingphysicsofinteractionofintenselightwithplasma,capsuleimplosions,andfirmingupthedesignsforignition.
OtherICFhigh-lightspresentedincludetalksonthe"fastignition"schemeforICF,inwhichanul-tra-intenseshort-laserpulsecouldsupplytheignitionsparkofacompressedICFpel-let,andimpressiveincreasesofx-rayyieldsfromSandia'sZ-pinch.
PlasmaApplicationsMedicalphysics-AtaThursdaymorn-ingsession,RichardLondonofLLNLdescribedhowmodelsdevelopedforla-serfisionarenowbeingappliedtolasermedicine.
Laserfusionandmedicinemaybedescribedbysimilarphysicsrelationswhich,forexample,describehowheaten-ergyfromthelaseristransportedthroughmaterials.
Bysimulatingtheinteractionsbetweenlasersandhumantissue,themodelcanofferinsightsintohowtoopti-mizelasersurgery.
Itisbeingappliedtoanimaltrialsofalasersystemforbreak-ingupbloodclotsinthecerebralvesselswhichcausestrokes.
Acceleratorformaterialsprocessing-Atthesamesession,KurtSchoenbergofLANLdescribedthepossibleapplicationofcoaxialplasmaacceleratorsasenviron-mentallysoundandeconomicmeansformaterialsprocessingandadvancedmanu-facturing.
Originallydevelopedtoprovideenergeticplasmasforfusionenergyexperi-ments,thedeviceusestheLorentzforcetoaccelerateplasmastohighvelocity.
Com-mercialapplicationsarealreadyonline.
PlasmaThrustersforDeepSpaceTrans-port-Thoughtitlessuchas"variablespecificimpulsemagnetoplasmarocket"(JaredP.
Squire,ASPL/JSC/NASA),"lithium-fedLorentzforceacceleratorpro-pulsion"(NatFisch,PrincetonUniv),or"antiproton-catalyzedmicrofission/fusionpropulsionsystem"(GeraldA.
Smith,PennStateUniv.
)soundlikethestuffofsciencefiction,thisisindeednotthecase.
A"mini-conference"heldwithintheDPPannualmeeting,drewengineersandresearchersfromaroundtheworldtodiscussthelatestadvancesinthetheoryanddesignsofplasma-basedpropulsionsystemsfordeepspacetravel.
Amajorlimitingfactorondeepspacemissionshasbeentherelativelylimitedexhaustvelocitiesofchemicalrock-ets,whichnecessitateslargeinitialfuelmass.
Plasmathrustersyieldhighexhaustvelocitiesandenergyefficiency.
Plasmaapplicationssessionswerein-terspersedthroughoutthemeetingtouchingonsuchvariedtopicsas:klystrons;usesofionbeams;plasmaprocessingofmateri-als,suchasforthesemiconductorindustry;compactaccelerators;plasmadisplaypan-els;environmentalcleanup;andplasma'mirrors'and'windows.
'DustyPlasmasRoughly99%ofallmatterintheuni-verseexistsintheformofaplasmawhichcoexistswithdustgrains.
Inthis"dustyplasma,"thegrainsexertsignificantinflu-encesonplasmabehavior.
Aone-microndustgrainweighsatrilliontimesmorethanahydrogenionintheplasma,andcanac-cumulatethousandsofelectronswithease.
Creatingartificialdustyplasmasintheirlaboratory,BobMerlino,NickD'AngeloandtheirstudentsattheUniversityofIowahaveobservedextremelylow-frequencyFreeJETPLettersOnlineInanefforttopromotetheonlineversionoftheJournalofExperimentalandTheoreticalPhysicsLetters(JETPLettersOnline),theAmericanInstituteofPhysics(AIP)isofferingfreeaccesstocurrentsubscribersofPhysicalReviewLetters-onlinefromOctober15,1997,throughDecember31,1998.
OneofthemostimportantphysicsjournalspublishedinRussia,JETPLettersOnlinepresentstimelyandtopicalshortpapers,emphasizingfundamentaltheoreticalandexperi-mentalresearchinallfieldsofphysics—fromsolidstatetoelementaryparticles.
Itsfirst-handreportsofthecurrentstateofresearchintheformerSovietUnionplaceitamongthemostconsultedjournalsservingphysics,chemistryandengineeringdepartmentsandlaboratoriesaroundtheworld.
TheonlineeditionprovidesaccesstoJETPLettersOnlinearticlesbeginningwithJanuary1996issues,andincludesthefollowingfeatures:referencelinkingtoconnecttoareferencedarticle'sabstract;newdownloadoptionstoenableuserstoprintfull-textPostScriptorPDFfilesforeachpublishedarticle;and"Seealso"linksprovidingaccesstosuchrelatedinformationaserrata,multi-partpapers,readercommentsandauthorresponsestocomments.
SubscriberstoPRL-omaygainimmediateaccesstoJETPLettersOnlineathttp://www.
aip.
org/jetplo,usingtheircurrentusernameandpassword.
Theymayalsolinkfromonelettersjournaltotheotherwithoutre-validation.
Thereisnoneedtocompleteanothersubscriberagreementforaccess.
Fortechnicalquestions,contactAIPat516-576-2262,orviae-mail:ojshelp@aip.
org.
wavesthatpropagatethroughdustyplas-mas.
AccordingtoMerlino,whospokeataMondayafternoontutorial,these"dust-acous-ticwaves"areanalogoustosoundwaves.
SimulatingSupernova1987AwiththeNOVALaserTobetterunderstandSupernova1987A(SN1987A),thebrightexplodingstarfirstobservedadecadeago,plasmaphysi-cistsarecreatingminiaturelaboratoryversionsoftheexplosion.
Rightbeforeitexplodes,thesupernovaisbelievedtobelayeredlikeanonion,withametalcoresurroundedbyheliumandhydrogenlay-ers.
ObserversofSN1987Asoonrealizedthatmetalatomswerequicklypokingthroughthehydrogenlayer.
InexperimentsatLLNL'sNOVAlaser,copperplasma(representingthesupernova'smetalcore)isacceleratedintoalessdenseplasticplasma(representingthelessdensehydro-genandheliumlayers).
AccordingtoJaveKaneoftheUniversityofArizona,thisproducesfeaturessimilartothoseobservedinthesupernova.
LaboratorySimulationsofSolarProminencesSolarprominences,hugeluminousarchesextendingoutwardsfromthesur-faceofthesun,areoftentwisted,formingstrikinghelicalpatterns.
Scientistsbelievethesepatternsresultfromplasmastracingouttheshapeofcomplextwistedmagneticfieldsemanatingfromthesolarsurface.
Whenprominenceseruptfromthesun'ssurface,theycanindirectlycausemagneticdisturbancesonEarth,damagingsatellitesorevencausingpoweroutages.
PaulBellanandcolleaguesatCaltechinalaboratoryexperimentwhichproducescontrolled,re-produciblesimulationsoferuptingprominences,observetwisted,unstablearch-shapedstructuresverysimilartothesolarprominencesseenbyobservatoriesandspacecraft.
IonosphericMappingInaMondayafternoonsession,P.
A.
BernhardtofNRLdescribedhowheismappingtheplasmadensityintheearth'supperatmosphereusingComputerizedIonosphericTomography(CIT),are-centlydevelopedtechniquethatusesandcomputerreconstructionstodeterminebothelectronandiondensities.
Newiono-sphericimaginginstrumentsarescheduledforlaunchonnumerousspacecraft.
SpecialthankstoPhilipScheweandBenjaminSteinofAIP'sPublicInformationDivisionandBruceRemington,DPP'sPublicInforma-tionCoordinator,forcontributingtothecoverageoftechnicalsessionsinthisarticle.
AtwhatratearephysicsdepartmentshiringearlycareerphysicistsIn1995-96,1,438PhDsweregrantedbyUSphysicsdepartments.
ShownarethepreviousoccupationsofnewfacultyhiredbyPhDgrantingphys-icsdepartmentsin1995-96.
Insomecasesitisindicatedwhetherthesenewhiresre-ceivedtheirPhDanytimebefore1992orbetween1992and1995.
Thesenewfacultywerehiredintoten-ured,tenure-track,ortemporarypositions.
Thenumbersshownwithineachbararetheap-proximatetotalnumberofhiresinthatcategory.
Temporarypositionsarethosesuchassabbaticalleavereplacement,researchstaff,adjunctorvisitingprofessor,orlecturer.
PreviousoccupationofAcademicincludesallranksfromprofessortotemporarylecturer.
PreviousoccupationofRe-searchScientistincludesindustry,governmentlabs,andsomeuniversitypositions.
19%ofallthesenewhiresreceivedtheirdegreefromaforeigninstitution.
Shownarethepreviousoccupationsofnewfacultyhiredbybachelorsandmastersgrantingphysicsdepartmentsin1995-96.
AlmostallofthesenewhiresreceivedtheirPhDfromaUSuniversity.
Allofthesenumbersareestimatesbasedonresponsesfrominstitutionsdescribingapproximately2/3ofthenewhires.
PhDphysicistsarealsohiredintofacultypositionsinuniversitydepartmentsotherthanphysicsdepartments.
HiresbyotherdepartmentsincreasethetotalnumberofhiresofPhDphysicistsbyabout25%.
ThankstoRomanCzujkoandChristineCassagnauforprovidingthesestatisticsbasedonAIP1995-96AcademicWorkforcereport,AIPPub.
No.
R-392.
2FacultyhiredbyPhDgrantinginstitutions'95-'96(approximatetotalnumber200)Facultyhiredbybachelorsandmastersgrantinginstitutions'95-'96(approximatetotalnumber200)APSNewsFebruary19986Newresearchresultsinturbulencecontrol,sonoluminescence,andbiofluiddynamicswereamongthehighlightsofthe1997fallmeetingoftheAPSDivisionofFluidDynamics,held23-25NovemberinSanFrancisco.
Nearly900contributedpaperswerepresentedinadditiontoseveralinvitedlectures.
Inaddition,the1997recipientsoftheAPSFluidDynamicsPrizeandOttoLaPorteAwardspokeataspecialawardsprogramonSundayafternoon.
Themeetingalsofeaturedthe15thAnnualGalleryofFluidMotion,anexhibitofcontributedphotographsandvideosofexperimentalfluiddynamics.
Outstandingentries,selectedfororiginalityandtheirabilitytoconveyandexchangeinformation,willappearintheSeptember1998issueofPhysicsofFluids.
MEMsandTurbulenceControlRecentexperimentsandsimulationshavedemonstratedthefeasibilityofac-tiveboundarylayercontrol,accordingtoSudeepKumarandWilliamReynoldsofStanfordUniversity,whospokeataTues-dayafternoonsession.
Theyhavedevelopedactuatorarraysusingacombi-nationofmicromachiningtechnologiesalongwithmesoscaleassembly.
AnBiofluidDynamicsAccordingtoCharlesPeskinofNewYorkUniversity,whospokeonMondayafternoon,thefluiddynamicsoftheheartinvolvetheinteractionofblood,aviscousincompressiblefluid,withtheflexible,elastic,fiber-reinforcedheartvalveleafletsthatareimmersedinthatfluid.
Neitherthefluidmotionnorthevalveleafletmotionareknowninadvance;bothmustbecomputedsimultaneouslybysolvingtheircoupledequationsofmo-tion.
Peskinhasdevelopedameansofaccomplishingthissimulationusinghisimmersedboundarymethod,whichcanbeextendedtoincorporatethecontrac-tilefiberarchitectureofthemuscularheartwalls,aswellasthevalveleafletsandtheblood.
Theresultisathree-dimensionalmodeloftheheart,whichcanbeusedasatestchamberforthedesignofprostheticcardiacvalves,andalsotostudythefunc-tionoftheheartinhealthandindisease.
Dogsandotherscentinganimalsde-tectairborneodorswithextraordinarysensitivity.
AccordingtoG.
W.
SettlesofPennStateUniversity,whospokeonTuesdayafternoon,aerodynamicsam-plingplaysakeyroleinthis,althoughlittleinformationisavailableontheex-ternalaerodynamicsthereof.
Tothisend,hevisualizedtheairflowsgeneratedbyascentingdogusingtheso-called"schlierentechnique.
"Heobservedthatadogstopspantinginordertoscent,sincepantingproducesaturbulentjetwhichdisturbsscent-bearingaircurrents.
Fur-thermore,inspiratoryairflowentersthenostrilsfromstraightahead,whileexpi-rationisdirectedtothesidesofthenoseanddownward.
Thus,themusculatureandgeometryofadog'snosemodulatestheairflowduringscenting.
Theeventualpracticalapplicationofhisworkistoachieveasufficientlevelofunderstand-ingoftheaerodynamicsofcanineolfactiontodesignamimickingdevice.
NonlinearStabilityOnTuesdayafternoon,WilliamSaricofArizonaStateUniversitydescribedre-centresearchinthethree-dimensionalboundarylayertransition,focusingonthecross-flowinstabilitythatleadstonon-linearsaturationandtransitiononsweptwingswithpressuregradients.
Inparticu-lar,hehasshownthattheintroductionofmicronsizedroughnessorganizestheunstablemodesinuptonineharmonics,andthatitispossibletoisolatesingle-modegrowthinordertoprovideadatabaseforthecomputations.
AccordingtoSaric,themeasurementsshowaclearnon-lineardistortionofthemeanflowandsaturationofthestationarystructure.
Hehasalsoshownthatcertainroughnessspacingsinhibitthegrowthofthemostunstablemodes,andthattransitioncanbemovedbeyondthesmoothcase.
FluidDynamicsResearchersMeetinSanFranciscoarrayconsistsofeightpiezoceramic-sili-concantileverswithintegratedcavitiesandunequalsidegaps,withtypicalspringconstantsrangingbetween100-500N/m.
Inaddition,theactuatorhasmillisecondrisetimeswithpowerconsumptioninthemilliwattrange.
Atthesamesession,SteveTungofCalTechdescribedhowhisteamhasde-signedandfabricatedmultiplearraysofmicromachinedmicroshear-stresssen-sors,intendedtotemporallyandspatiallyresolvethesmallstream-wisestreaksinthenear-wallregionofaturbulentbound-arylayer.
Usingthesesensors,theturbulentsurfaceshear-stressdistributionhasbeenmeasured,andthehighshear-stressstreakshavebeenidentifiedandanalyzed.
Basedonthetemporaldata,Tung'sgroupfoundthatahighcorrelationexistsbetweenthepeakshearstresslevelandtheleadingedgeshear-stressgradientofahighshear-stressstreak.
Thisinformationiscurrentlybe-ingappliedtothedesignofareal-timeflowcontrollogic,whichispartofaMEMS-basedneuronetsystemforactiveturbulentshear-stresscontrol.
SyntheticJetActuatorsAriGlezeroftheGeorgiaInstituteofTechnologydescribedhisnovelapproachtothemanipulationandcontrolofshearflowsusingfluidictechnologybasedonsyntheticjets.
Thesejetsarezero-mass-fluxandaresynthesizedfromtheworkingfluidintheflowsysteminwhichtheyareembedded.
Althoughthereisnonetmassinjection,thejetsprovideformomentumtransferintotheflowsystemtobecon-trolled.
Inaddition,nearthesurfacefromwhichitisgenerated,interactionofasyn-theticjetwithanembeddingflowresultsinformationofclosedrecirculationre-gimes,withanapparentmodificationofthesurfaceshape.
Theseattributesenablesynthetic-jetcontrolsystemstoeffectsignificantglo-balmodificationofembeddingflowsonscalesonetotwoordersofmagnitudelargerthanthecharacteristiclengthscaleofthejets.
Futhermore,whileconven-tionalexcitationmethodshavebeenlimitedtofrequencybandstailoredtothelinearreceptivitymechanismsofagivenflow,fluidicactuationfacilitatesexploi-tationofnonlinearmechanismsforamplificationofdisturbancesinaverybroadfrequencyband.
Potentialapplica-tionsoffluidictechnologybasedonsyntheticjetsincludejetmixingandthrustmanagement,andmodificationofaero-dynamicsurfaces.
SonoluminescenceWhenanacousticwaveofmoderatepressureconvergesinanaqueousliquid,lightemissionscanbeobserved,acon-versionofmechanicalenergyintoelectromagneticenergythatrepresentsanenergyamplificationpermoleculeofoverelevenordersofmagnitude.
OnMondayafternoon,LawrenceCrumoftheUni-versityofWashington'sAppliedPhysicsLaboratory,describedhisrecentdiscov-erythatasingle,stablegasbubble,acousticallylevitatedinaliquid,canemitopticalemissionseachcycleforanunlim-itedperiodoftime.
"Wehavenocurrentexplanationforhowthismechanicalsys-temsustainsitself,"Crumadmitted.
"Presumably,theoscillationsofthebubblecausethegasintheinteriortobeheatedtoincandescenttemperaturesduringthecompressionportionofthecycle.
"Furthermore,recentexperimentalevi-dencesuggeststhatthelifetimeoftheopticalpulseislessthan12picoseconds,andthatthetemperatureintheinteriorofthebubblecanexceed40,000K.
WhileCrumfindstherecentsuggestionthatsonoluminescencemaybeduetoquan-tumvacuumradiation,hetheorizesthatashockwaveiscreatedinthegas,whichisthenelevatedtohightemperaturesbyinertialconfinement.
"Ifshockwavesarethemechanismforsonoluminescentemission,theoptimizationoftheprocesscouldleadtoextraordinaryphysics,in-cludingtheremotebutintriguingpossibilityofthermonuclearfusion,"hesaid.
LeoSzilardAwardforPhysicsinthePublicInterestTheAPSForumonPhysicsandSocietyestablishedtheAPSLeoSzilardAwardforPhysicsinthePublicInterestin1974inrecognitionofSzilard'sconcernforthesocialconsequencesofscience.
TheForumhasrecentlylaunchedanefforttoestablisha$60,000endow-menttoconverttheSzilardAwardintoalectureshipawardinwhichtherecipientswouldreceivefundstospeakabouttheirworkattwoormoreinstitutions.
Theobjectiveofthelectureshipformatwouldbetoprovideexposureforoutstandingphysicistswhohaveappliedtheirscienceforthebenefitofsocietyand,hopefully,actaspositiverolemodels.
Thoseinter-estedinmakingadonationshouldsendtheircontribution(payabletoAPS-SzilardFund)to:BarbaraLevi,1616LaVistadelOceano,SantaBar-bara,CA93109.
LeoSzilardwasborn100yearsagoonFeb-ruary11,1898,inBudapest,Hungary,andemigratedtotheUSin1938.
SzilardleftGer-manyin1933becauseoftheworseningsituationforitsjewishcitizensHeinitiallyplannedtostudyelectricalengineering,butswitchedtophysicswhilestudyingattheTechnischeHochschuleinBerlin,Germany.
AtColumbiaUniversity,herepeatedtheHahn/Strassmanexperimentdemonstratingnuclearfissionandhelpedcomposethelet-tersignedbyAlbertEinsteinimploringFranklinRoosevelttoconsiderdevelopmentofafissionbomb.
Althoughknownforhiscontributionstonuclearfissionanddevelopmentoftheworld'sfirstatomicbombasamemberoftheManhattanProject,Szilardismostrememberedforhislatereffortstoceaseresearchonnuclearweaponsandhistimelessworktowardpromotingso-ciallyresponsibleuseofscience.
SzilardwasafoundingmemberoftheFederationofAtomicScientists,whichworkedtokeepcontrolofatomicenergyoutofthehandsofthemilitary,aswellastheCouncilforaLivableWorldinWashington,DC.
HelaterturnedtobiophysicsasaprofessorattheUniversityofChicago,developingthechemostat,aninstrumentthataidsinthestudyofbacteriaandvirusesbyregulatingvariousgrowthfactors.
Inadditiontohisscientificpublications,hepublishedacollec-tionofsciencefictionshortstories,in1961.
ALeoSzilardCentennialMeetingwillbeheldthismonth,February9-10,1998,inBudapest,Hungary.
ItissponsoredbytheHungarianPhysicalSocietyandPugwashandendorsedbytheAPS.
ASzilardCentennialsessionisalsoscheduledforatthespringAPSMeetinginColumbus,Ohio.
MoreinformationaboutLeoSzilardmaybefoundat[www.
peak.
org/~danneng/szilard.
html].
DoyouhaveinterestinghistoricphotographsofphysicistsormeetingsPleasesendthemto:Editor,APSNews,OnePhysicsEllipse,CollegePark,MD20740.
WewillseethattheygettotheEmilioSegrèVisualArchivesoftheCenterforHistoryofPhysicsNielsBohrLibrary.
LeoSzilard(left)inconversationwithErnestLawrenceattheAPSMeetinginWashington,DC,April27,1935HistoricalFactalLeoSzilardPhotoCourtesyofArgonneNationalLaboratoryandtheNielsBohrLibraryPhotoCourtesyofScienceServiceandtheNielsBohrLibraryLeoSzilardFebruary1998APSNews7Announcements*COMMITTEEONAPPLICATIONSOFPHYSICS:JohnLowell(Chair),PeterAbbamonte,DavidAspnes,GordonCates,AllenGoland,DiandraLeslie-Pelecky,StuartParkin,RoyRichter,PeterRosenthal,JohnRowell.
*NOTE:ThereisanAPSBylawproposedtochangeCAPintotheCommitteeonCareerandProfessionalDevelopment.
SeeInBriefarticleonpage3.
AUDITCOMMITTEE:JohnSchiffer(Chair),HowardBirnbaum,GordonDunn.
COMMITTEEONCOMMITTEES:ErnestHenley(Chair),GuenterAhlers,DavidAspnes,DanAuerbach,VirginiaBrown,WillHapper,WickHaxton,AnthonyJohnson,ZacharyLevine,GeorgeTrilling.
COMMITTEEONCONSTITUTIONANDBYLAWS:MarkMcDermott(Chair),RobertAdair,SteveBaker,FrankJones,GordonDunn,PeterLevy.
COMMITTEEONEDUCATION:LoriGoldner(Chair),MeiganAronson,DonBurland,DonCorrell,KenHass,DonMadison,LyleRoelofs,JamesWynne,PaulZitzewitz.
EXECUTIVEBOARD:AndrewSessler(Chair),GuenterAhlers,DavidAspnes,MartinBlume,D.
AllanBromley,VirginiaBrown,CharlesDuke,JudyFranz,JeromeFriedman,WillHapper,DonHamann,JamesLanger,ThomasMcIlrath,SusanSeestrom,GeorgeTrilling.
1998OPERATINGANDBYLAWSCOMMITTEESFELLOWSHIPCOMMITTEE:JamesLanger(Chair),JosephDehmer,AnthonyJohnson,ChrisQuigg.
COMMITTEEONINTERNATIONALFREEDOMOFSCIENTISTS:WilliamDorland(Chair),KeChiangHseih,DanAuerbach,AurelBulgac,HenryFrisch,RudolphHwa,TheodoreLavine,JoelLebowitz,DmitriMaslov,LuzMartinez-Miranda.
COMMITTEEONINTERNATIONALSCIENTIFICAFFAIRS:IvanSchuller(Chair),LynnBoatner,BerndCrasemann,EfimGluskin,HermanGrunder,DavidPines,KennedyReed,ShangFenRen,JamesVary.
INVESTMENTCOMMITTEE:ThomasMcIlrath(Chair),JudyFranz,JamesLanger,RichardNewrock,MelSchwartz,WattWebb.
COMMITTEEONMEETINGS:JoeThompson,DavidCassel,JudyFranz,AlanKleinsasser,ThomasMcIlrath,AnthonyNero,PaulPeercy,SusanSeestrom,JohnWilkerson.
COMMITTEEONMEMBERSHIP:MaryAlberg(Chair),DonCox,JudyFranz,DanielGrischkowsky,ZacharyLevine,JamesMaher,TomO'Neill,MatthewRichter,PeterReynolds,ErichVogt.
COMMITTEEONMINORITIES:AlexdeLozanne(Chair),KevinAylesworth,ClaytonBates,CarlosHandy,CynthiaKeppel,CynthiaMcIntyre,LawrenceNorris,JuliaThompson,SergioUlloa.
NOMINATINGCOMMITTEE:WickHaxton(Chair),D.
AllanBromley,GerardCrawley,FrancisChen,MelissaFranklin,JanHerbst,BarbaraJones,BorisKayser,MilesKlein.
PANELONPUBLICAFFAIRS:RuthHowes(Chair),HenryAbarbanel,JohnAhearne,SamAustin,KevinAylesworth,G.
A.
NevilleConnell,JohnG.
Cramer,WilliamFrazer,CarolynHerzenberg,BarryKlein,JamesLanger,LouisLanzarotti,MarshaLester,DenisMcWhan,ThomasMoss,ThomasPicraux,NicholasSamios,RobertaSaxon,MarcSher,StevenSmith,JamesTsang,RobertM.
White.
PHYSICSPLANNINGCOMMITTEE:NicholasSamios(Chair),JohnArmstrong,PraveenChaudhari,RonaldDavidson,MillieDresselhaus,JeromeFriedman,GeraldGarvey,KatharineGebbie,HermannGrunder,RuthHowes,GeraldIafrate,WilliamCarlLineberger,JoeMichels,RobertRichardson,AlvinTrivelpiece.
PUBLICATIONSOVERSIGHTCOMMIT-TEE:MartinGoldman(Chair),PhilAllen,MartinBlume,R.
StephenBerry,AlanChodos,JudyFranz,AllanGoldman,DavidHertzog,ThomasMcIlrath,ChrisQuigg,VirginiaTrimble.
COMMITTEEONTHESTATUSOFWOMENINPHYSICS:PeggyCebe(Chair),BeverlyBerger,ShuChang,SallyDawson,ElsaGarmire,MarjorieOlmstead,LindaVahala,BarbaraWhitten,TBA.
APSFellowshipNominationDeadlinesUNITDEADLINEDCMP(CondensedMatter)PassedHighPolymerPhysicsForumonEducationForumonIndustrial&AppliedPhysicsChemicalPhysics02/15/98ComputationalPhysicsFluidDynamicsMaterialsPhysicsForumonHistoryofPhysics03/01/98PhysicsofBeams03/15/98DAMOP(Atomic,Molecular,Optical)PlasmaPhysicsLaserScience04/01/98NuclearPhysicsParticles&FieldsForumonInternationalPhysicsForumonPhysics&SocietyFewBodySystemsFundamentalConstantsGravitationInstrument&MeasurementScienceShockCompressionMagnetism&ItsApplicationsAstrophysics05/01/98BiologicalPhysics06/01/98Eachyear,upto1/2of1%oftheAPSmembershipmaybeelectedtofellowship.
Submissionofanominationinvolvesthefollowing:completionofanominationform,submissionofthenomineesC.
V.
andpublicationlist,andproviding2-3lettersofsupportfromcolleagueswhoareknowledgeableofthenominee'swork.
Nominationspackagesshouldbefor-wardedtoAPSFellowshipProgram,OnePhysicsEllipse,CollegePark,MD20740priortothedeadlinelistedbelowfortheunitthatwillbereviewingthenomina-tion.
MoreinformationonsubmittinganominationforAPSFellowshipcanbeobtainedbybrowsingtheFellowshipPageontheAPSwebsite[http://www.
aps.
org],emailingthefellowshipof-ficeat"fellowship@aps.
org",orcalling(301)209-3268.
APSUNDERGRADUATEPHYSICSSTUDENTCOMPETITION1998APKERAWARDSForOutstandingUndergraduateStudentResearchinPhysicsEndowedbyJeanDickeyApker,inmemoryofLeRoyApkerDESCRIPTIONTwoawardsarenormallymadeeachyear:OnetoastudentattendinganinstitutionofferingaPhysicsPh.
D.
andonetoastudentattendinganinstitutionnotofferingaPhysicsPh.
D.
Recipientsreceivea$5,000award;finalists$1,000.
TheyalsoreceiveanallowancefortraveltotheAwardpresentation.
Recipients'andfinalists'homeinstitutionsreceive$5,000and$500,respectively,tosupportundergraduateresearch.
Recipients,finalistsandtheirhomephysicsdepartmentswillbepresentedwithplaquesorcertificatesofachievement.
Thestudent'shomeinstitutionisprominentlyfeaturedonallawardsandnewsstoriesofthecompetition.
EachnomineewillbegrantedafreeAPSStudentMembershipforoneyearuponreceiptoftheircompletedapplication.
QUALIFICATIONSStudentswhohavebeenenrolledasundergraduatesatcollegesanduniversitiesintheUnitedStatesatleastonequarter/semesterduringtheyearprecedingthe15June1998deadline.
Studentswhohaveanexcellentacademicrecordandhavedemonstratedexceptionalpotentialforscientificresearchthroughanoriginalcontributiontophysics.
Onlyonecandidatemaybenominatedperdepartment.
APPLICATIONPROCEDUREThecompletenominationpackageisdueonorbefore15June1998andshouldinclude:1.
Aletterofnominationfromtheheadofthestudent'sacademicdepartment2.
Anofficialcopyofthestudent'sacademictranscript3.
Adescriptionoftheoriginalcontribution,writtenbythestudentsuchasamanuscriptorreprintofaresearchpublicationorseniorthesis(unbound)4.
A1000-wordsummary,writtenbythestudent,describinghisorherresearch5.
Twolettersofrecommendationfromphysicistswhoknowthecandidate'sindividualcontributiontotheworksubmitted6.
Thenominee'saddressandtelephonenumberduringthesummer.
FURTHERINFORMATION(Seehttp://www.
aps.
org/praw/apker/descrip.
html)DEADLINESendnameofproposedcandidateandsupportinginformationby15June1998to:Dr.
BarrieRipin,Administrator,ApkerAwardSelectionCommitteeTheAmericanPhysicalSociety,OnePhysicsEllipse,CollegePark,MD20740-3844;Telephone:(301)209-3268,Fax:(301)209-0865,email:ripin@aps.
orgwFrancisM.
PipkinAwardisEstablishedAtitsNovembermeeting,theAPSCouncilapprovedestablishmentoftheFrancisM.
PipkinAward.
Itisintendedtorecog-nizeexceptionalresearchaccom-plishmentsbyayoungscientistintheinterdisciplinaryareaofprecisionmea-surementandfundamentalconstants,andtoencouragethewidedissemina-tionoftheresultsofthatresearch.
ThePipkinawardwillbepresentedbienni-allyandconsistof$2000plussupportoftravelexpencestoattendtheAPSmeetingatwhichtheawardwillbecon-ferred.
FundingtoendowthePipkinawardwasestablishedbytheTopicalGrouponPrecisionMeasurementandFunda-mentalConstantsamemorialtoFrancisM.
Pipkin.
PipkinwasaprofessorandchairintheDepartmentofPhysicsatHarvard.
Heservedasthesisadvisortomorethan50PhDstudentsinabroadrangeofexperimentalphysicstopicsincluding:atomic,molecular,optical,nuclear,andparticlephysics.
ChairedbyLouisW.
Anderson,Uni-versityofWisconsin,thefirstselectioncommitteewillalsoincludeLindaYoung,ArgonneNationalLaboratory,asvice-chair,aswellasEricAdelberger,UniversityofWashington,KayKinoshita,VirginiaTechnologyInsti-tute,andMarvinCage,NationalInstituteofStandardsandTechnology.
ThefirstawardingoftheFrancisM.
PipkinAwardwillbeattheAPSCen-tennialMeetinginAtlanta,GAinMarch1999.
CAUGHTINTHEWEBNotableadditionstotheAPSWebServer.
TheAPSWebServercanbefoundathttp://www.
aps.
orgAPSNewsOnlinelatesteditionAPSCommitteesandGovernanceCampaignforPhysicsPressReleaseAPSCongressionalFellowsDirectoryNewAPSFellowshipListAPSPrizeRecipientsfor1998UnitsDAMOP's1998ThesisAwardAn-nouncementDAMOP1998MeetingAnnouncementJournalsRMPOnlineforFreeAPSNewsFebruary19988THEBACKPAGETheBackPageisintendedasaforumtofosterdiscussionontopicsofinteresttothescientificcommunity.
OpinionsexpressedarenotnecessarilythoseoftheAPS,itselectedofficers,orstaff.
APSNewswelcomesandencourageslettersandsubmissionsfromitsmembersrespondingtotheseandotherissues.
Approximately60yearsago,theworldbeganatechnologicalrevolutionthatwouldtransformthenatureofwar,altertherelationshipsbetweennations,andultimatelyrestructuretheeconomiesandgovernanceoftheUS,Russiaandothernations.
Theinventionanddeploy-mentofnuclearweaponsbytheUSandtheSovietUnionledtoadifferent,bipo-larworldinwhichregionalstruggleswereoftenmerelyproxiesforthemainadversariesintheColdWar,wherenuclearweaponsarsenalswerethemea-sureofgreatness,andwheredomesticeconomiesanddecision-makingwereoftendominatedbyColdWarconsider-ations.
Thiswasalsoanewworldinwhichscientists,particularlyphysicists,actuallyseemedimportanttogovernmentandtothepublic.
BoththeSovietandUSgovernmentsandsocietieswerereshapedbytheim-perativesoftheColdWar.
MinistriesanddepartmentswithColdWarroleswereascendant.
Closetothecentersofpower,advisorswithColdWarportfolios(someofthemphysicists)commandedalevelofattentiontheymayneverhaveagain.
Un-fortunately,institutionalrigiditiesandColdWarconditioningremainseriousobstaclestoliquidatingtheColdWar,potentiallyresultingindangersgreaterthanthosefacedpreviously.
ItseemsatthispointthatwedonotneedmorefathersoftheH-bombormod-ernequivalents,butrathermorticiansoftheColdWar.
ThefundamentalchallengeistofindwaystorestructureandredirectboththeUSandRussiaalonglinesthatsimultaneouslyliquidatethedangersoftheColdWarandcreatepracticalwaystousethevaluabletalentsofscientistsandengineers.
TheHighlyEnrichedUranium(HEU)Dealisbutthefirstofmanypos-sibleinitiatives.
TheHEUDealInSeptember1991,PresidentsBushandGorbachevreachedagreementonre-duceddeploymentsofnuclearweapons,settingthestageforthefirstmajorreduc-tioninnumbersofnuclearweapons.
Atthesametime,itbecameclearthattheSovietUnionwasdisintegrating.
Isoonbegantoworryaboutwhatwouldhap-pentosurplusnuclearweapons,fissilematerials,andtotheweaponscapabili-ties,includingalargenumberofhighlytrainedpeople.
Itwasimmediatelyappar-entthatapotentialoutcomewasthattheweaponsandpersonnelcouldbetrans-formedinshortorderfromawell-controlledforcetoamajorweaponsproliferationthreattotheworld.
Thebasicproblemwastofindawaytomotivateandfinancepost-Sovietcon-trolofnuclearweapons,fissilematerialandpersonnelinacountrywherecentralauthoritiesmightnothavethepowertodoso.
Itoccurredtomethatthehighlyenricheduraniuminsurplusweaponshasahighvaluewhenblendeddowntoen-richmentlevelsusableincivilpowerreactors.
Thedestructionofweaponscouldbeaself-financingprocess,withoutcosttotheUStaxpayer.
Ideally,muchofthemoneyshouldflowtotheRussianenterprisesandsecretcitiesthathadproducedtheweapons,astheywouldbeessentialtoreversingtheprocess.
Ifthematerialineachnuclearweaponhadcommercialvalueontheor-derofahalfmilliondollars,notonlywoulditbewatchedcarefully,butthede-structionofitandtheuraniumfissilematerialwouldbeexpedited.
Thehighlycapablescientistsandengineerswouldcontinuetobesupported,reducingthelikelihoodthattheywouldbeforcedtoselltheirtalentstoothernationalorsubnationalgroups.
Oncebegun,theen-terprisesinvolvedinthedestructionofweaponsandtheblendingofHEUtocivilfuelwoulddemandweaponsandweap-onsmaterialtodestroy.
WeaponsdestructionwouldnotbedrivenbyRus-siancompliancewithtreatyrequirements,butbypowerfulself-interestedforceswithinRussia.
Politically,theselargeen-terpriseswouldenlistregionalsupportinthefragmentedpost-Sovietsystem,ulti-matelyhelpingtoshiftnationalpolicyawayfromnewmilitaryspending.
OnFebruary18,1993,theUSandRus-siasignedabilateralagreementfortheUStoundertakethepurchaseof500met-rictonsofHEU,thequantitycontainedinroughly20,000nuclearweapons.
Rus-siaandtheUSweretoappointcommercialexecutiveagentstocarryoutthedeal.
RussiachoseTechsnabexport(Tenex),essentiallyagovernmentexportagency,andtheUSchosetheenrichmentarmoftheDepartmentofEnergy,whichisnowagovernmentcorporationcalledtheUSEnrichmentCorporation(USEC)onitswaytoprivatization.
ByMayof1993,theDOEandTenexofficialshadinitiatedadraftcontractforthepurchaseof500tonsofHEUover20years,withanexpectedvalueof$12billion.
Usedformakingfuel,akilogramofHEUisworthabout$24,000,twicethevalueofgold.
ThefinalcontractwassignedinJanuary1994.
ProblemsandProgressWhilethesedevelopmentsappearedtobeamajorvictoryforarmsreductionandnon-proliferation,itturnedouttobeonlythebeginningofaverydifficultprocessofimplementation.
Forexample,atleastsomeRussianHEUcontainssmallamountsofplutonium,mostlikelytheresultofhybridweaponsdesignsinwhichHEUcameintometalliccontactwithplutonium.
Tomeetcommercialspecifications,ithasbeennecessarytopurifytheHEUbyreprocessing.
Also,toalleviateconcernsthatRussiamightsimplyenrichnaturaluraniumtomakeHEU,ratherthandestroyingweap-ons,theUShasinsistedonmonitoringthedestructionandblenddownofHEU.
Russiahasunderstandablybeensensitiveaboutthisissue.
ThesolutionwasachievedinDecember1996:USmonitorsareplacingmeasurementdevicesatkeypointsintheHEUdestructionfacilities,andRussiahasareciprocalrighttomoni-tortheuseofLEUfromHEUintheUStomakesureitisnotbeingusedtopro-ducenewweaponsmaterial.
Inaddition,therehavebeentrade-re-latedproblems.
InNovember1991,anantidumpingactionwasbroughtagainsttheSovietUnionforsellingnuclearfuelproductsattoolowaprice.
Theantidump-ingactionwouldhavepreventedtheimportintotheUSoffuelproductsmadefromRussianHEU,aswellasconven-tionalnuclearfuelproductsfromsuccessorstates.
Itwasthusnecessarytonegotiateasettlement.
Finally,eventhoughtheUSECwasagovernmentcor-poration,therewaslittleindependentoreffectiveoversightofcontrolbyUSpolicymakers.
Thissetthestageforpossibleconflictsbetweenthecommercialobjec-tivesofthenewcorporationandthenationalsecurityobjectivesoftheUSgov-ernment.
ThesedifficultiesinitiallyledtosomedelayintheoriginalschedulefordesctructionofHEU.
However,theirresolutionandbeginningofcashflowtoRussiaisrapidlyeliminatingbottlenecks.
Asoftoday,reactorfuelequivalentto21tonsofHEUhasbeendeliveredtotheUS,theequivalentofabout1,000nuclearweapons.
Bytheendofthefive-yearcon-tract,atotalof150tonsofHEU,equivalenttoabout6,000nuclearweap-ons,willhavebeendestroyed.
Capacitylimitsonpurificationandblendingaretheonlyfactorsimpedingmorerapidde-structionofthefissilematerial.
In1997,Russiareceivedabout$450mil-lionforthedestructionofnuclearweapons,whichwillincreasetomorethan$750millionperyearby1999.
Whilethemoniesnotspentonactualweaponsdestructionwillostensiblybeusedforimprovementsinreactorsafetyandotherpurposes,thereisapotentialdangerthatsomeofthesefundswillbeusedtoen-hanceweaponsdesignandproductioncapabilities.
However,theHEUdealwasnotprimarilyintendedasadisarmamentprogram,butratherasanon-proliferationactionthatRussiaandtheUScouldagreeon.
Moreover,theUSishardlystoppingitsdesignactivities,nordestroyingitsabil-itytoproducenuclearweapons.
Thereisthusstillanimportantroletobeplayedbytraditionalarmsnegotiations.
Theagreementtobantestingofnuclearweap-onsisanimportantfirststep.
Withsomeluck,theHEUdealwillfosterabetterclimateforarmsagreements.
ReflectionsInhindsight,theHEUdealappearstobeanobviousidea.
Inreality,anewideaismuchlikeachild:conceivingoneisnowherenearashardortime-consumingasraisingone.
Withalotofwork,theHEUdealhassurviveditschildhood.
Unfortunately,itmaybeenteringado-lescence,whereoutsideinfluencesmayleaditastray.
Thelargeamountsofmoneyinvolvedarelikelytotemptop-portunists.
ThedealhasalreadybeenchallengedinRussiabyconservativena-tionalists,andsomeintheRussiangovernmenthavebeentemptedtodefendtheHEUbysayingthatitisfinancingtheweaponsprogram.
IntheUS,theprivatizationofUSECcontinuestoraisethelargerquestionabouttherelationshipsbetweendomesticeconomicmattersandinternationalsecurityimperatives.
Inthecaseofplutonium,somenewideasareneeded.
ForseveralyearsIhavebeenquietlytryingtoencouragearela-tivelybriefdelayincivilreprocessingthatwouldfreeupexistingcapacityinEuropetofabricatemixeduraniumandpluto-niumfuel(MOX)fromweaponsplutonium.
Whilethereprocessingindus-tryhaspreviouslyopposedsuchactions,theircustomersinEuropeandAsiawouldwelcomeaslowdownincivilre-processingandcorrespondingdelayinreturnofnuclearwaste.
IftheMOXin-dustrycanbeconvincedtotakethiscourse,therealchallengewillbetocon-vincetheUSandRussiangovernmentstolettheirweaponsplutoniumbefabricatedinEuropeandpotentiallyburnedelse-where.
Inallofthis,weneedbetteragreementswithRussia,aswellaswithothernations.
AsLeoSzilardwrote,the"problemisnottowriteanagreementthatRussiawillsign,buttowriteonewhichRussiawillbeeagertokeep,notonlyforthenextfewyearsbuttenyearsandtwentyyearshence.
"Impatientwithtraditionaldiplo-macy,Szilardwentontoarguethat"todevisesuchanagreementrequiresimagi-nationandresourcefulness,"qualitiesheobviouslyfoundwantingingovernment.
IdonotagreewithSzilardonthispoint—therearemanycreativepeopleingov-ernment—butdosharetheimpatience.
Itseemsbettertomakesmalltimelyef-fortstodirectthecourseofeventsthantorespondmoreheavilytothecrisisofeventsgonebadlyastray.
Theentropyofmultipleactorsandagendasingovern-mentmayrequiretheinjectionoflargeamountsofpoliticalenergytogetany-thingdone.
ThebroaderchallengeistobuildonthesuccessoftheHEUdealtoredirectbothpoliticalsystemsandtech-nologicalcapabilitiestowardmorepeacefulandmoreeconomicallyproduc-tiveends.
ThomasNeffisattheCenterforInterna-tionalStudiesofMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology,andwastherecipientofthe1997LeoSzilardAward.
Thisarticlewasadaptedfromhislectureatthe1997APS/AAPTJointSpringMeeting.
AlongerversionappearedintheJanuary1998issuethenewsletteroftheAPSForumonPhysicsandSociety.
LiquidatingtheColdWar:ProgressoftheHEUDealbyThomasL.
NeffInreality,anewideaismuchlikeachild:conceivingoneisnowherenearashardortime-consumingasraisingone.