FPS Sessions at APS April Meeting 2016

April 16-19 • Salt Lake City, UT

Saturday, April 16 • 10:45 a.m.

Recent Discoveries in Planetary Science and their Potential Impacts on Physics and Society
Recent discoveries by planetary scientists studying the near universe suggest an increasing probability for the existence of other life in the universe. We explore the potential impacts of a discovery of such life on physics and society as a whole.

Saturday, April 16 • 1:30 p.m

Modernizing Nuclear Weapons
Modernizing US nuclear weapons is hotly debated: is the stockpile populated well for the future? What changes encourage proliferation? What do we have to know before making informed decisions? This session will address these and other questions.

Sunday, April 17 • 10:30 a.m.

Politicizing Science: Benefits and Costs
Science has always been influenced by religion, money and values. This session will explore the relationship between politics and science, how today’s environment compares to that of the past, and how scientists can make things better or worse. (Speakers: Joel Primack, Rush Holt, Spencer Weart

Sunday, April 17 • 3:30 p.m.

Fracking and Physics
Hydraulic fracturing, fracking, injects fluid under pressure into porous rock to extract petroleum and natural gas. Fracking improves production but may harm the environment. The technology and its social and environmental impacts will be discussed.

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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.