Discover
/
Article

Physics and the world in 1982

APR 01, 1983
An appraisal of the state of APS, the state of the world and the state of the proton brings out challenges, dangers and progress.

DOI: 10.1063/1.2915569

Maurice Goldhaber

Physicists and organizations of physicists, like all individuals and groups, are subject to the influence of events in this country and throughout the world. It is interesting to examine how physicists and The American Physical Society, through its elected council, committees, president and professional staff, have reacted to and become involved in some of these events. A quick glance at the last year shows physicists active along a broad front of important issues—working to increase the number of women in physics, trying to improve our knowledge of the Washington scene, joining in an effort to minimize government control over the flow of technical information when national security is not at stake, standing up for physicists and other scientists in difficulty in many countries, and organizing educational activities concerning nuclear‐arms control. At the same time, within budgetary limits, physicists have vigorously continued to pursue research.

References

  1. 1. Physics in Your Future, available from Committee on the Status of Women in Physics, The American Physical Society, 335 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10017.

  2. 2. J. H. Sammons, quoted in The New York Times, 2 January 1983, page 25.

  3. 3. See Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, December 1982, page 12.

  4. 4. R. M. Bionta, G. Blewitt, C. B. Bratton, B. G. Cortez, S. Errede, G. W. Foster, W. Gajewski, M. Goldhaber, J. Greenberg, T. J. Haines, T. W. Jones, D. Kielczewski, W. R. Kropp, J. G. Learned, E. Lehmann, J. M. LoSecco, P. V. Ramana Murthy, H. S. Park, F. Reines, J. Schultz, E. Shumard, D. Sinclair, D. W. Smith, H. Sobel, J. L. Stone, L. R. Sulak, R. Svoboda, J. C. van der Velde, C. Wuest, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett.

  5. 5. From A. L. MacKay, Harvest of a Quiet Eve, a Selection of Scientific Quotations, Russak, New York (1977).

More about the Authors

Maurice Goldhaber. Brookhaven National Laboratory.

This Content Appeared In
pt-cover_1983_04.jpeg

Volume 36, Number 4

Related content
/
Article
Technical knowledge and skills are only some of the considerations that managers have when hiring physical scientists. Soft skills, in particular communication, are also high on the list.
/
Article
Professional societies can foster a sense of belonging and offer early-career scientists opportunities to give back to their community.
/
Article
Interviews offer a glimpse of how physicists get into—and thrive in—myriad nonacademic careers.
/
Article
Research exchanges between US and Soviet scientists during the second half of the 20th century may be instructive for navigating today’s debates on scientific collaboration.

Get PT in your inbox

Physics Today - The Week in Physics

The Week in Physics" is likely a reference to the regular updates or summaries of new physics research, such as those found in publications like Physics Today from AIP Publishing or on news aggregators like Phys.org.

Physics Today - Table of Contents
Physics Today - Whitepapers & Webinars
By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.