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Fall 2007 (Volume 2, Number 2)

Capitol Hill Quarterly Fall 2007 (Volume 2, Number 2)

Nobel Laureate Richter to Chair APS Energy Study
Former APS President and Nobel Laureate Burton Richter will chair a newly established APS study group that will produce a report on energy efficiency.

Congress Considers Scaling Back RRW Following Scientific Report
Congress is weighing scaling back the Reliable Replacement Warhead program, following the recent release of a report on the role the RRW might play in the U.S. nuclear weapons program.

Physics Training Leads to 'Star Trek' and Beyond
Andre Bormanis is among the privileged few to have a biography listed on, of all things, the official Web site of Star Trek.

NASCAR Fans Find the Physics
University of Nebraska physics professor Diandra Leslie-Pelecky recently went to the asphalt at the Daytona International Speedway to uncover the science behind the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR).

Nobel Laureates Discuss Science Fund to Tackle Middle East Problems
More than 30 Nobel Laureates, including nine physicists, recently discussed the possibility of funding scientific projects to improve education in the Middle East.

Study Yields Insights into Public Attitudes Toward Science
Scientists promoting the teaching of evolution in public schools received good news from a recent survey.

Members in the Media
This features members quoted in other publications.

Snapshots from Physics History
Fifty years ago, John Bardeen, Leon Cooper and Robert Schrieffer presented their complete theory of superconductivity, finally explaining a phenomenon that had been a mystery to physicists since its discovery in the 20th century.

The Back Page: Boosting America’s Energy Security
Senator Byron Dorgan discusses boosting America’s energy security.

APS and Yale University honor
J. Willard Gibbs

Photo by Michael Marsland/Yale University Office of Public Affairs

The APS Historic Sites Committee recently celebrated the work of the late J. Willard Gibbs (pictured on easel), who served as professor of mathematical physics at Yale University from 1871 until his death in 1903.

During his tenure at Yale, Gibbs made fundamental contributions to thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, two areas of classical physics. To mark the occasion, members of the Yale Physics Department and guests gathered in Sloane Physics Laboratory to celebrate. Two years ago, the committee chose Yale as a historic physics site and noted Gibbs’ contribution to the physics field during its selection process.

Standing left to right: Yale Physics Chair R. Shankar; APS Editor-in-Chief Gene Sprouse; and Yale Provost Andrew D. Hamilton, who is explaining the impact that Gibbs had on Yale and on science. Listening intently is the Chair of the APS Historic Sites Committee, John Rigden (seated at left).

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Fall 2007 (Volume 2, Number 2)

APS and Yale University honor J. Willard Gibbs

APS and Yale University honor
J. Willard Gibbs