2005 APS April Meeting in Tampa
The
2005 April Meeting of the
American Physical Society will be held 16Ñ19 April at the Marriott Waterside
Hotel in Tampa, on the west coast of Florida. The scientific program will
include three plenary sessions, approximately 75 invited and focus sessions,
and more than 100 contributed oral and poster sessions. Astrophysics will be
well represented in each category. A summary of invited sessions sponsored by
DAP is provided below. DAP will host a wine and cheese reception at our
business meeting.
Fellowship Nominations
Members of the Division of
Astrophysics are invited and encouraged to submit nominations of DAP members
for Fellowship in the APS. The number of Fellows elected per year is limited
to one-half percent of the current membership, and is apportioned by Division
membership. Every year our division has the opportunity to nominate 6 or 7
APS members for Fellowship. On surveying the current list of DAP members, the
Executive Committee notes that there is a considerable number of deserving
individuals who have not yet been nominated, so please consider who among your
colleagues might be in this situation and organize a nomination on their behalf.
If you would like to recommend
a member for Fellowship, please do so by filling out the nomination form that
can be found, along with related information, at www.aps.org/fellowship/
Please submit complete nominations by May 1 to:
Executive Officer
American Physical Society
One Physics Ellipse
College Park, MD 20740-3844
ATTN: Fellowship
Program
Unsuccessful nominations submitted
for the first time last year will be reconsidered this year by the Fellowship
Committee (additional supporting letters would still be welcome). After one
year, nominations must be resubmitted.
2005 Division of Astrophysics Election
You will soon receive email instructions for voting
through 22 March. This year we elect a new Vice-Chair, two Executive Committee
members, a Secretary-Treasurer, and a Councillor. The candidates and their
statements:
| Position: Vice-Chair |
| Neil Gehrels |
| |
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center |
| Resume: |
Neil Gehrels is Chief of the Astroparticle Physics
Laboratory at NASA'S Goddard Space Flight Center. He received his
Ph.D. in physics
from Caltech in 1981. Since that time he has worked at Goddard. He
is an Adjunct Professor of Astronomy at the Univ. of Maryland and
of Astronomy & Astrophysics at Penn State. His research interests
focus on transient sources in the gamma-ray sky including gamma-ray
bursts, supernovae and galactic transients. He is the Principal Investigator
of the Swift mission, Deputy Project Scientist of the GLAST mission
and was Project Scientist for CGRO. He is a Fellow of the American
Physical Society and a member of the American Astronomical Society.
He has previously served as Chair of the AAS High Energy Astrophysics
Division and Secretary/Treasurer of the APS Division of Astrophysics. |
| Statement: |
The research fields represented by the Division of Astrophysics
are flourishing. New frontiers are being opened in areas such as
TeV, neutrino and gravitational wave astronomy. Missions such as
GLAST and JDEM highlight the confluence of physics and astrophysics
that is taking place in our communities. The DAP is in a unique position
to provide leadership in this new environment. Unfortunately there
are dark clouds upon us with current and pending budget cuts at NASA,
NSF and DOE. I believe the best strategy in these difficult times
is to join forces with other communities and to promote education.
As the Vice Chair, the Chair Elect and Chair of the DAP, I would
work closely with the other divisions in APS with shared interests
such as Nuclear Physics and Particles and Fields and with the AAS
High Energy Astrophysics Division. I would promote reaching out to
our colleagues, agency representatives and the public through meetings,
special sessions, one-on-one dialogs, publications, and popular lectures.
I am also interested in helping graduate students move forward in
their careers. As DAP Secretary/Treasurer from 1998 to 2001, I helped
the Chair, Virginia Trimble, initiate student travel grants to APS
meetings. These are still in place now and I would work to keep that
program healthy. |
| |
|
| Dan McCammon |
| |
Wisconsin University |
| Resume: |
Dan McCammon received a PhD in physics from the
University of Wisconsin in 1971 under the guidance of Bill Kraushaar.
He graduated from Caltech
in 1966 after working with Bob Leighton and Gerry Neugebauer in the
early days of infrared astronomy. His primary interests are the soft
X-ray diffuse background, the interstellar medium, and X-ray detector
development. He has served on the decadal survey's High Energy Astrophysics
panel, the Structure & Evolution of the Universe subcommittee of
SSAC, the Fermilab visiting committee, and assorted other NASA, NSF,
AAS, and NRC groups. He is currently a professor of physics at Wisconsin. |
| Statement: |
The marvelous report of the Committee on the Physics
of the Universe, "Connecting
Quarks With The Cosmos," provides a real opportunity to increase
the visibility of astrophysics within the APS. It is also an opportunity
to broaden the areas that our Division represents beyond the few
specialized sub-disciplines that have traditionally participated.
I would like to focus more attention on increasing our membership.
Sponsoring topical sessions in exciting areas is a good way to improve
visibility. If we could do some of these jointly with the AAS, it
could also be an excellent recruiting tool. Above all, we must take
advantage of the public's great natural interest in current developments
to help assure the future of our field. This involves providing accurate
and interesting material to the press, support of outreach activities
at all levels, recruitment of talented undergraduate majors, and
the development of collegial working relations with all members of
congress. These appear to be difficult years for public funding.
We are fortunate to be in a strong position and should work hard
to take advantage of it. |
| |
|
| Position: Executive Committee Members |
| Jim Beatty |
| |
Ohio State University |
| Resume: |
I work in the field of experimental particle astrophysics. My academic
training took place at the University of Chicago (B.A. (Chemistry)
1982, M.S. (Physics) 1984, Ph.D (Physics) 1986). My thesis work on
galactic cosmic ray composition and propagation was done under the
direction of John A. Simpson. Prior to joining Ohio State I have
held faculty appointments at Penn State, Washington University (St.
Louis), and Boston University. I have been involved in many cosmic
ray balloon experiments over the years, including the PBAR, SMILI
and HEAT balloon-borne magnetic spectrometers and the CREAM detector.
More recently I have become interested in the question of the origin
of the highest energy cosmic rays. I have been working on the Pierre
Auger project since 1994, and serve as the leader of the surface
detector electronics task for Auger. I am also participating in ANITA,
a search for radio transients emanating from the Antarctic ice sheet
due to the neutrinos produced by cosmic ray interactions with the
cosmic microwave background. |
| Statement: |
This is an exciting time to be an astrophysicist.
New astronomical observations enrich our view of the Universe,
and the interplay with
cosmology, particle physics, and nuclear physics connects astrophysical
phenomena to fundamental issues in these areas. The Division serves
as a forum for the "physicist's approach" to astronomical and astrophysical
problems, and as a link between other disciplines of physics and
the wider astronomical community. Funding for major projects in our
field often requires interdisciplinary, interagency, and international
cooperation. The Astrophysics Division has an important role to play
in fostering the interactions required for these approaches to bear
fruit. The general public is fascinated by what we are learning about
the Universe, and the outreach we conduct is important both to our
field and to the public perception of the field of physics as a whole.
As a Divisional Councilor, I would work to develop programs to support
interdisciplinary interaction through the meetings sponsored (or
co-sponsored) by the Division, to explore mechanisms for enhanced
international cooperation with the growing communities in other regions
of the world, and to help communicate the excitement of our field
to the public. I would enthusiastically work towards these ends. |
|
| Joan Centrella |
| |
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center |
| Resume: |
Joan Centrella received her PhD from Cambridge University, where
she was a student at the Institute of Astronomy. Following postdoctoral
appointments at the University of Texas and the University of Illinois,
she joined the faculty of Drexel University in the Physics Department.
In 2001, she moved to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to join
their newly-formed gravitational wave astrophysics group, where she
leads their source modeling and numerical relativity effort in support
of LISA. She is currently head of the Gravitational Astrophysics
Laboratory, which encompasses the gravitational wave and theoretical
astrophysics groups at Goddard. Her research interests include black
hole mergers, gravitational waves, numerical relativity, structure
formation, and cosmology. |
| Statement: |
Astrophysics is a vibrant and fascinating field of endeavor at
the juncture of physics and astronomy. Advances in observation, instrumentation,
simulation, and theory promise a continued flood of new discoveries
and insights about the universe, ranging from extra-terrestrial planets
to massive black holes, galaxy formation, and the early universe.
Interest in astrophysics, both within the scientific community and
from the general public, remains high. Yet with all of this good
news, there are some significant challenges that must be met to insure
the future health of our field. We scientists must join together
to make the case for support of basic research when there are so
many urgent needs competing for attention. Outreach to students as
well as to the general public is essential to educate and inform
our fellow citizens about the nature, excitement, and benefits of
scientific research. And we must continue to reach across the boundaries
between different branches of physics, particularly those supported
by different agencies (e.g., NSF, DoE, NASA...), to glean new insights
and techniques, and to keep our imaginations fresh. As a member of
the DAP Executive Committee, I would encourage and support these
areas through activities at APS meetings such as invitations to key
policy makers to interact with scientists, public talks and visits
to local schools, special events for young scientists to meet with
more senior colleagues, and joint symposia between divisions and
topical groups within the APS. |
|
| Chung-Pei Ma |
| |
University of California, Berkeley |
| Resume: |
Chung-Pei Ma is a Professor of Astronomy at the University of California,
Berkeley. She received her Ph.D. in particle physics and cosmology
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1993. While at
MIT, she was also enrolled in the New England Conservatory of Music
in Boston for violin performance classes. She was a postdoctoral
fellow at the California Institute of Technology and an Assistant
and Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University
of Pennsylvania before joining the Berkeley faculty in 2002. Ma was
a recipient of the Maria Goeppert-Mayer Award from the American Physical
Society, the Annie J. Cannon Award in astronomy, an Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation Fellowship, a Cottrell Scholars Award, and the Outstanding
Young Researcher Award from the Overseas Chinese Physics Association.
She was also a recipient of the Lindback Award for Distinguished
Teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, and the first prize winner
in the 1983 Taiwan National Violin Competition. Ma has served on
the ten-year planning committee of astronomy in Taiwan and is a General
Member of the Aspen Center for Physics. |
| Statement: |
My research interests are in cosmology, a field that has matured
to a point at which we can now use precise measurements and high-quality
astronomical data to explore fascinating questions about fundamental
physics at both the smallest and largest scales. Accompanying the
excitement in this new intersection of discoveries is an increased
need for a closer contact between the physics and astronomy communities.
Having received my Ph.D. training in physics and served on the faculty
in both a joint physics and astronomy and a separate astronomy department,
I am aware of both the tensions and opportunities present between
these two disciplines. I will use this experience to broaden DAP's
efforts at bringing the two communities closer together. |
|
| Steve Ritz |
| |
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center |
| Resume: |
Steve Ritz received a BA with High Honors in Physics (and Music)
from Wesleyan University in Connecticut (1981) and his Ph.D. from
the University of Wisconsin-Madison(1988). While doing his thesis
work in experimental particle physics at DESY and at CERN, he wrote
several papers on neutrino, gamma-ray, and antimatter signatures
of dark matter annihilations in the sun, earth, and galactic halo.
After a two-year post-doc at Columbia, he joined the faculty in 1990.
At Columbia, he enjoyed teaching a variety of courses, and he found
teaching 'Physics for Poets' for three years particularly rewarding
and challenging. He was a Sloan Foundation fellow starting in 1993.
In 1996, Ritz started working on GLAST and, in 1998, he moved to
Goddard. He is now the GLAST Project Scientist and GLAST LAT Instrument
Scientist. Ritz has served on a number of committees, including the
DOE-NSF High Energy Physics Advisory Panel (HEPAP), the NASA Astronomy
and Physics Working Group (APWG), the IUPAP Particle and Nuclear
Astrophysics and Gravitation International Committee (PaNAGIC), and
the NSF-DOE Scientific Assessment Group for Experiments in Non-Accelerator
Physics (SAGENAP). He is also on the Editorial Committee of Annual
Reviews of Nuclear and Particle Science. His current area of research
is high-energy gamma-ray astrophysics. |
| Statement: |
You already know that astrophysical measurements are important
for fundamental physics and that our understanding of the astrophysical
systems themselves is improving at a fantastic pace, so I won't go
on about all that here. It seems to me the two most important roles
of the DAP are (1) to make sure our scientific meetings are interesting,
useful, visible to the media and educators, and not redundant; and
(2) to continue to encourage progress expanding our field so we more
closely resemble the diversity of society. The second role should
include helping to ensure that we remain open and welcoming to non-U.S.
scientists. As a member of the DAP Executive Committee, I would actively
seek input on these issues and do whatever I can to make improvements.
We should have greater participation in the DAP, so independent of
your choices I hope you will take the time to vote. |
|
| Position: APS Councilor |
| Charles Dermer |
| |
US Naval Research Laboratory |
| Resume: |
Chuck Dermer is an astrophysicist and civil servant employed at
NRL since 1991. Before this he held postdoctoral and research faculty
positions in academia, at NASA/Goddard, and at LLNL. Dermer's main
research interest is to understand the nature of the high-energy
space radiation environment, especially if its sources involve black
holes. His training with Reuven Ramaty shaped his outlook as an astrophysicist:
high quality calculations using the best available physics in models
that are consistent with the most reliable observations. Besides
numerous proposal reviews, his committee service includes terms with
the HEAD/AAS and DAP/APS executive committees, chairing the DAP Executive
Committee from 1999-2003, organizing the DAP Centennial Exhibit in
1999, and being a member of the SEUS advisory committee from 2001-2004.
Dermer received his PhD in the physics of relativistic plasmas from
UCSD in 1984 under the supervision of Robert J. Gould. |
| Statement: |
The Division of Astrophysics has a unique role to play in physics
and society. It provides a forum where the most recent advances and
results at the intersection of physics and astronomy are presented.
Most physicists recognize that astronomy is the most public face
of the physical sciences. It is therefore important to have a Division
Councilor with extensive DAP experience who is familiar with the
important policy questions facing astronomers and astrophysicists.
To name the more pressing issues where the DAP and the APS have both
interests and a stake: the April APS meeting; the balance of the
physical science program at NSF, NASA, and DOE; the impact of the
Presidents Vision for Space Exploration on the Explorer and Beyond
Einstein program; the issues related to HST reservicing and Shuttle
return-to-flight; immigration; outreach (I think that the press activity
in the April meeting could be improved); and increasing DAP membership.
My records of the public SEUS advisory committee meetings are posted
on my website. If I am elected Councilor, Ill do the same as appropriate
regarding DAP/APS issues. Thank you for your consideration. |
|
| Position: Secretary-Treasurer |
| Tod E. Strohmayer |
| |
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center |
| Resume: |
Tod Strohmayer received his PhD in physics from the University
of Rochester (New York) in 1992. He spent time as a postdoctoral
researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory before coming to NASA's
Goddard Space Flight Center in 1994, where he remains today. He has
worked on a wide range of research topics, both observational and
theoretical. Some of these include, in no particular order; gamma-ray
bursts, neutron star oscillations, accreting neutron stars, soft
gamma-ray repeaters, thermonuclear bursts on neutron stars, and fast
X-ray timing studies of neutron stars and black holes. He is a member
of the AAS, APS and is presently a member of the Executive Committee
of the AAS High Energy Astrophysics Division. |
| Statement: |
Astrophysics is indeed flourishing at the present
time. Some have called it a "golden age." Although growth in the field has been healthy
over the past decade, it is extremely important as a community that
we not fail to do the work necessary to see that the present golden
age is not replaced by a "dark ages" devoid of observatories with
which to carry on our work. I think the DAP should be at the forefront
of promoting our field both to the broader physics community as well
as the general public. It is important that all of our communities
resources are working together as strong advocates for astrophysics
research. This means more effective communication and coordination
between those who see the APS as their primary advocacy organization
and those who see themselves more closely aligned with the AAS. As
DAP secretary-treasurer I would enthusiastically work towards these
ends. |
|
2005 April Meeting Program
Most days at the April
meeting will feature early plenary sessions, with speakers and subjects of
general interest to all APS members. Of special interest to DAP members are
these plenary talks:
Hendrik
Schatz Rare
isotopes and thermonuclear explosions: journey through the crust of an
accreting neutron star
Felix
Aharonian Probing
Supernova Remnants, Black Holes, and Dark Matter with TeV Gamma Rays
Wendy
Freedman The
Standard Model of Cosmology: Successes and Challenges
Leonard
Susskind The
Black Hole Information Paradox (Tentative
Title)
There are many invited
sessions, organized by DAP and/or other
divisions, of great interest to astrophysicists and students potentially
interested in astrophysics:
16 April 2005
Observational Cosmology
Neutrinos I
Neutrinos II
Space based gravitational wave detection
17 April 2005
Baryogenesis and the Dark Matter Problem
Gamma Ray Bursts
Dark Matter
Giant Star Evolution and Nucleosynthesis
Neutron Stars
18 April 2005
Active Galactic Nuclei
Dark Energy/Inflation
Space Plasmas
The Link between Neutrinos and the Origin of the
Elements
Baryons: birth and death
Earth based gravitational wave detection
19 April 2005
The Galactic Center
Extrasolar Planets
Please check the APS April Meeting website for further details as
they develop: http://www.aps.org/meet/APR05/
Join APS Sections and Topical Groups
We urge all of our
division members to consider joining sections, forums and topical groups
relevant to you. Membership is free for sections and forums, and very
inexpensive ($7) for topical groups. There are benefits beyond the obvious ones
of the meetings, newsletters, and lobbying efforts of the units. Your
membership benefits the units and, indirectly, astrophysics.
The geographical sections
are funded entirely by APS in proportion to the number of members. It takes
seconds to register for free online and help your section. The topical groups
(e.g., Plasma Astrophysics, and Gravitation) are funded through their dues, but
are awarded invited sessions at APS meetings and APS Fellowship Nominations in
proportion their membership. More members in groups of interest to you result
in more talks and more Fellows in your area. Further, the existence of the
topical groups depends on their maintaining a membership threshold. There are several
good reasons to join, and no good reasons not to.
Future Newsletters
If
you have items of general interest to DAP members, consider submitting them to
the Secretary-Treasurer for upcoming newsletters (February and November 2005.)
We will be happy to publish meeting announcements or letters.
APS/DAP on the WWW
http://photon.phys.clemson.edu/dap/