FPS Sessions at March and April APS Meetings

March APS meeting, Denver, CO, March 3-7

Session Title: Secrecy and Science

Description: Classified research and development has grown significantly in the last decade. What are the implications of increased secrecy for science? Does it affect scientists’ morale? Can outcomes be assessed objectively? Does it impact U.S. S&T prominence?

Session Time: 03/03/2014, 14:30

Speaker, talk title: George Dyson, Secrecy versus Openness: Historical Perspectives; David Relman, The Growing Tension between Openness and Risk in the Life Sciences; Paul McEuen, Intellectual Property and Corporate Research: Threats to Scientific Openness; Bruce Held, Espionage and Science

Session Title: Keyhole to the World: Public Access to Satellite Data for Environmental, Security, and Social Ends

Description: Accessibility of satellite data today enables scientists and other analysts to do previously unimaginable work on environmental, security, and social problems. What is done today, what are the gaps, and what might be possible in the near future?

Session Time: 03/04/2014, 08:00

Speaker, talk title: Jeff Dozier, 40 years of Landsat images: What we learned about science and politics; John Amos, Tentative: Tracking Oil spills, Detective Gas leaks, and Monitoring Coal waste using Satellite Imagery; Ted Scambos, Mapping Earth's Last Frontiers Step by Step: meter-scale images and Earth's Poles; Others TBA

Session Title: Impacts of Physics Research on the Economy

Description: What is the importance of physics research to economic activity and how might increasing or decreasing investments in physics affect the economy? We will hear from some experts and leaders.

Session Time: 03/06/2014, 08:00

Speaker, talk title: Eric Isaacs, Physics for Knowledge and Economic Growth; Thomas Baer, Lasers and their Economic Impact in the United States; Venkat Selvamanickam, Applications of Superconductivity and Impact on U.S. Economy; Others TBA

April APS meeting, Savannah, GA, April 5-8

Session Title: Hyperloop and other transportation ideas

Cosponsored with GERA

Description: This session looks ahead to revolutionary ideas for transportation.

Session Time: 04/05/2014, 10:45

Speaker, talk title: Rhett Allain, Hyperloop Homework as an Inspirational Assignment; Stephan Granade, Hyperloops, Nuclear Spacecraft, and the New York City Subway; Aatish Bhatia, Can we build a more efficient airplane?

Session Title: Extreme Energy Efficiency

Cosponsored with GERA

Description: Science and technology achievements and goals for energy efficiency beyond what are thought of as the usual bounds.

Session Time: 04/05/2014, 15:30

Speaker, Title: Karina Garbesi, Driving Extreme Efficiency to Market; Robert van Buskirk, Understanding the "Moore's Law" of Clean Technology Innovation, and Planning for the Extreme Energy Efficiency of the Future; Tina Kaarsberg, Extreme Energy Efficiency: In the city, in the country, and beyond

Session Title: Joseph A. Burton Forum Award and Leo Szilard Lectureship Award

Description: The Burton Award is for contributions to public understanding of issues of physics and society. The Szilard Award is for the use of physics for the benefit of society in such areas as the environment, arms control, and science policy.

Session Time: 04/06/2014, 10:45

Speakers: Michael May, R. Rajaraman, M.V. Ramana

Session Title: The Many Worlds of Leo Szilard

Organized by FHP with FPS as cosponsor

Description: Some background about this ingenious man and his insights, with personal recollections and comparisons.

Session Time: 04/07/2014, 10:45

Speaker, talk title: William Lanouette The Many Worlds of Leo Szilard; Richard Garwin, Leo Szilard In Physics And Information; Matthew Meselson, Leo Szilard: Biologist and Peace-Maker

Session Title: Physics and Innovation

Description: Inventors and innovators talk about the connection of physics to innovation.

Session Date: 04/07/2014

Session Time: 15:30

Speakers: Eric Fossum, Hasan Padamsee, and one more TBA

Session Title: Popularizing Physics

Description: Speakers who are engaged in popularizing physics will share insights from their activities.

Session Time: 04/08/2014, 13:30

Speaker, talk title: David Lindley, Explaining today's physics through history and biography; Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, Multimedia Communication of Physics; Mats Selen, Why Everyone Loves Science

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These contributions have not been peer-refereed. They represent solely the view(s) of the author(s) and not necessarily the view of APS.