| NEWS OF THE FORUM Upcoming Forum Election The FPS nominating committee is looking for suggestions from the FPS membership for nominees (including self-nominations) for the upcoming vacancies on the FPS Executive Committee, and particularly for the positions as Members-at-Large. The Members-at-Large serve for three years. The election is to be held during November-December of this year for terms starting in early 2008. Please contact Phil Taylor (taylor@case.edu) with your suggestions. Forum Short Course on Physics of Sustainable Energy As members of the American Physical Society’s Forum on Physics and Society, we are concerned with the need to produce and use energy more wisely. One contribution we feel we can make is to educate fellow physicists, especially those who teach in our colleges and universities, about the technical details of some of the more promising techniques for efficient and renewable energy. To that end, we are organizing a short course on the Physics of Sustainable Energy: Using Energy Efficiently and Producing It Renewably. The short course is intended to give physicists in–depth technical background needed to evaluate these issues for teaching and research. We have reserved an auditorium in Evans Hall, UC Berkeley for March 1–2, 2008. The announcement lists the program as of September 2007 (pdf). The year after the 1973–74 oil embargo, the APS leaped into action with a study on enhanced end-use efficiency, realizing that it is easier to save a kilowatt-hour than it is to produce a kilowatt-hour. The results of the APS study appeared in the 1975 AIP Conference Proceedings 25, titled Efficient Use of Energy. It launched the energy–careers of Art Rosenfeld, Rob Socolow, Marc Ross, Dave Claridge and others. The energy programs at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and at Princeton are a direct result of AIP25. The LBNL energy program for buildings and appliances has had far more effect than any action on energy supply. Savings of 75% for refrigerators, 50% for lighting and 50% for buildings can be directly traceable to Building 90 at LBNL. Twenty years ago, the Forum organized a short course, Energy Sources: Conservation and Renewables, at the former Office of Technology Assessment in Washington, DC. The 700–page proceedings of that short course, AIP135, served as a useful textbook for such professors as Art Rosenfeld, then at the University California at Berkeley. The book also became a valuable reference in the libraries of many physics departments, where such applied topics are often scarce. The US continues to import oil from the unstable Middle–East. The European Union calls for a 50% reduction in carbon by 2050 and California with 20% by 2020. How will this be done? The short course will be held in Evans Hall (room 10) at UC Berkeley. It is intended to give physicists in–depth technical background needed to evaluate these issues for teaching and research. Don’t procrastinate, space is limited, send in your registration without delay! David Hafemeister
Physics Department
CalPoly University
dhafemei@calpoly.edu Deadline Approaching for AIP State Dept. Fellowship This is a reminder to members of all AIP Member Societies -application materials for the 2008-2009 AIP State Department Science Fellowship are due by NOVEMBER 1, 2007. For scientists interested in the nexus between foreign policy and science, there is still time to apply to this program. For this year, AIP has implemented a new paperless application process. Please visit our Fellowships web site at http://www.aip.org/gov/fellowships/ to apply. As an AIP State Department Fellow, you will experience a unique year in Washington, making a personal contribution to U.S. foreign policy while learning how the policy-making process operates. The AIP State Department Science Fellowship places one or more qualified scientists in the State Department for a 12-month term to apply their knowledge and analytical skills to S&T issues that are international in scope. An annual contribution to the AIP Fellowship is provided by the American Astronomical Society. AIP is currently seeking applicants for the 2008-2009 State Department Science Fellowship. The term will start in the fall of2008. Qualified scientists at any stage of their career are encouraged to apply. Information on applying is provided below. Interested readers can also see our web site http://www.aip.org/gov/fellowships/ and click on "AIP State Department Fellowship" for more information on the program. TO APPLY FOR THE 2007-2008 AIP STATE DEPARTMENT FELLOWSHIP: Applicants must be U.S. citizens, have a PhD in physics or a closely related field, be members of one or more of AIP's ten Member Societies, and be eligible to receive an appropriate security clearance prior to starting the Fellowship. (The PhD requirement may be waived for outstanding applicants with equivalent research experience.) Once selected, the Fellow will work with the State Department to arrange an assignment. You must visit our Fellowships web site http://www.aip.org/gov/fellowships/ to apply. Applicants will be asked to fill out a form on the web site, providing contact and qualification information. They will also receive instructions on submission by email of the following materials: 1. LETTER OF INTENT, limited to two pages, and providing information on your reason for applying, scientific and professional background, foreign policy interest or experience, and attributesthat would make you effective in this Fellowship. 2. RESUME, limited to two pages, with one additional page for alist of key publications. 3. THREE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION: Applicants should arrange for three recommendation letters to be submitted directly by your references. The letters should be from those having direct knowledge of your character, professional competence, and attributes or experience that enhance your suitability for this position. The APPLICATION DEADLINE is NOVEMBER 1, 2007 for the 2008-9 Fellowship term Audrey T. Leath
Media and Government Relations Division
The American Institute of Physics
fyi@aip.org www.aip.org/gov
(301) 209-3094 |