From the Editor

The COVID-19 emergency continues and I am worried about what it will do to the next generation of physicists. At the graduate level, many international students have been unable to join or rejoin their institutions because they cannot travel or get visas. Research labs were closed for months and even now access is restricted. This will delay research. At the undergraduate level, many Universities teach only online and many (including my own institution) claim to use a “hybrid” model which in fact consists of teaching practically everything online, including, believe or not, most labs.

Here in the US, and Minnesota is no exception, panic of the most irrational variety has forced many elementary and secondary schools to go to an online (or fake “hybrid”) model, despite clear scientific evidence and experience from other countries that small children are safe attending school. There is a disturbingly strong correlation between the probability that a school district will be online only and the poverty level at that district, where internet access is worst. The pipeline of young people, particularly poorer people, with reasonable education that would allow them to attend college with STEM majors is being stopped. All the talk about inclusivity? Hot air and hypocrisy. Schools close but bars are open! School Board members and University officials are often, indeed usually, untrained in science and are scared about making any courageous decision. They are timid, cowardly, and afraid to get sued.

Conferences are all online. This can work for the formal talks but so what? Take the APS March meeting: a person attending talks all day would be missing 98% of them anyway. Most of the interaction is informal, over coffee or beer, and this is not happening.

Enough for the rant. Recent issues of the newsletter have been light on the “news” part, and I intend to correct this, starting with this issue, where we have several news items, including extensive information on the next Forum election. Please vote. We have also a couple of articles and two book reviews.

But, I believe in great part because of the pandemic, we have been rather short of article contributions recently. Please consider writing yourself. Articles on any “physics and society” related topics, rather broadly understood, are welcome and I have no restriction on points of view. Articles and suggestions for articles should be sent to me, and also letters to the editor. Book reviews should go to the reviews editor directly (ahobson@uark.edu). Content is not peer reviewed and opinions given are the author’s only, not necessarily mine, nor the Forum’s or, a fortiori, not the APS’s either.

Oriol

Oriol T. Valls
University of Minnesota
otvalls@umn.edu