P&S Election Results

Welcome New Forum Officers

The following members were recently elected to the Forum’s executive body. They assume their respective roles at the APS April annual meeting. A brief introduction to each is provided.

Charles D. Ferguson (Vice-Chair):

Dr. Ferguson is a Fellow for Science and Technology at the Council on Foreign Relations, an Adjunct faculty in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University and in the Homeland Security Certificate Program at the Johns Hopkins University. He is an expert on public policy issues related to nuclear nonproliferation, nuclear and radiological terrorism prevention, nuclear safety, energy security, and missile defense. He has authored or co-authored reports and books on nuclear policy issues and advises the U.S. government on radioactive materials security. He served as a Member-at-Large on the Forum's Executive Committee during 2001-04. Dr. Ferguson would like to help the Forum bring the larger academic physics community into working on the societal issues and doing a better job in educating policymakers about the contributions a non-politicized science can make to improve people's lives as well as on national and international security.

Philip Hammer (Councilor):

Dr. Hammer is vice president for The Franklin Center at The Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia. He has served as an APS Congressional Science Fellow on the staff of the Subcommittee on Science in the US House of Representatives. He has advised the APS in its efforts to engage Congress through grassroots political involvement. He has worked at the American Institute of Physics as Director of the Society of Physics Students / Sigma Pi Sigma, and of the AIP Corporate Associates Program and has initiated programs to meet professional development needs of physics students, and the technical and workforce needs of industry and communities. Dr. Hammer was Chair of the APS Forum on Physics and Society in 2002. He is currently on the APS Executive Board and chairs the APS Committee on Informing the Public. As the returning Forum Councilor, Dr. Hammer would like to continue working to sustain the output of timely, relevant, and targeted APS studies, such as those in the areas of energy and nuclear weapons. He would also work on advocating strategic approaches to create and keep a healthy flow of students into bachelor's degree programs to meet the pressing national needs in the areas of K-12 teaching, energy, and innovation.

Brian Schwartz (Member-at-Large):

Dr. Brian Schwartz is Vice President for Research and Sponsored Programs and Professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His scientific career has focused on the communication of science. He has served as Associate Executive Officer of the American Physical Society and Editor of APS News and has managed outreach programs for the APS including the Committees on Education, Minorities, and Women. He helped establish the APS Congressional Fellowship program, and along with a colleague initiated the formation of the Forum on Physics and Society and other APS forums. Dr. Schwartz served as the national director of the centennial celebration of the APS in Atlanta in 1999. He has organized public programs at the interface between science and theater, art, music and dance. He would like the Forum to continue to study and publicize arms control and ethical issues in science and technology. He would work to promote more programming and strategies aimed at the general public and students.

Mark Goodman (Member-at-Large):

Dr. Goodman is a Physical Scientist in the Office of Multilateral Nuclear and Security Affairs at the Department of State, now on an assignment as a senior advisor at the Office of Nonproliferation and International Security at the Department of Energy (DOE). He has worked on nuclear nonproliferation, safeguards, nuclear weapons policy, energy, environment and defense issues. He has worked with many organizations such as the DOE, the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and with the International Atomic Energy Agency. He has served as an AIP Congressional Science Fellow. Dr. Goodman believes that issues we face regarding energy, climate and international security demand sound decisions based on sound advice. Dr. Goodman’s chief priority, during his second term on the executive committee, will be to help the Forum fill in the role of providing sound advice on these issues and restoring a strong and effective institutional relationship between science and policy.