PHYSICS FLASH
    News from the Department of Physics ~ February 2009

ASU PHYSICS
Department of Physics
Arizona State University
PO Box 871504
Tempe, AZ 85287
480.965.3561

Physicist tapped for Secretary of Energy

On January 20, 2009 Nobel laureate and physicist Stephen Chu was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate to serve as Secretary of Energy.  Chu is the first Asian American, the first Nobel laureate, and the first working scientist to serve in the position. As a member of President Barack Obama's cabinet and with the United States openly discussing the need for alternative and renewable energy sources, Chu is poised to become one of the most influential energy secretaries in history.
    Many in the scientific and broader community are delighted at Chu's confirmation and equally delighted at the potential for a renewed focus on science and technology research and education in the United States.
   "His appointment should send a signal that my administration will value science," stated then president-elect Obama.
   President Obama reinforced that statement in both his inaugural address and his most recent address to the joint session of congress on February 24, 2009. The latter speech focused heavily on America's goal of preeminence in education and energy research; a goal that seems to align perfectly with Chu's professional experience.
     As director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Chu has worked to transform LBNL into the "world leader in alternative and renewable energy research, particularly the development of carbon-neutral sources of energy."
   "I am personally excited to see a Secretary of Energy who believes that fighting global warming through energy efficiency and renewable energy should be a priority for the new administration," says ASU Professor Marcia Levitus whose research overlaps heavily with that of Chu. "I am sure several well-known scientists share the same view, but nobody can communicate with the general public, the press, and politicians like Chu does." 

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In the news...

In 2008, the American Physical Society instituted its Outstanding Referee Program to recognize scientists "who have been exceptionally helpful in assessing manuscripts for publication in the APS journals." In addition to helping to maintain the standards of the journals, these referees have helped scientists to "improve the quality and readability of their articles."  The better the readability, the more accessible the information is to both the scientific and non-scientific communities.
   Six ASU scientists appear on the APS Outstanding Referee list:

Selections were made based on the quality, number, and timeliness of their reports from a list of over 55,000 referees.

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Physics graduate students awarded ARCS scholarships

Reid Juday and Richard Kiernan, graduate students in ASU Physics, have each been awarded an Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation scholarship for the 2009-2010 academic year. The scholarship recognizes academically outstanding U.S. citizens pursuing degrees in the fields of natural science, medicine, and engineering as a means of supporting intellectual resources to remain competitive in the global economy of the 21st century. The Phoenix ARCS Foundation chapter has particular interest in the areas of engineering, cancer research, cellular and molecular biology, neuroscience, and geological sciences.
 Juday is currently working in the research group of Professor Fernando Ponce on materials for light emitting diodes (LEDs).  While LEDs are currently in mass production, there are still many unknowns about how the constituent materials behave.  The goal is to make LEDs more efficient, cheaper, and bigger.  However, it is difficult to design new devices if the constituent materials are not well understood.  Reid is working with indium gallium nitride (InGaN). The physics of p-type InGaN, specifically, is a constituent material that needs more research. Juday finds InGaN's potential use in solar cells particularly interesting.
   Juday hopes to pursue a career in solar energy.  He is very interested in being involved in a revolution of solar cell technology. 
   "With the depletion of the world’s oil reserves, America’s dependence on foreign sources of oil, and possibly most importantly, the degradation of the environment means the world needs new and better sources of energy, " says Juday.  "The sun is one of the best possible options we have and (I) would love to be involved in developing solar cells to be put on the roof of every new house built - especially here in Phoenix!"
   Kiernan is currently part of the research group led by Regents' Professor John Spence. The Serial Crystallography group is focused on developing new

techniques aimed at determining protein structures in the cases where conventional methods fail.
   Membrane proteins catalyze a variety of important key processes in living cells ranking from respiration and photosynthesis to transport, cell communication, hormone binding and nerve function.  The development of new methods for determining structures of membrane proteins has been identified as a crucial bottleneck in structural biology.  In short, a larger database of protein structures will allow improved therapeutics to be developed, based on the increased ability to compare proteins from host and pathogen, while at the same time contributing to the understanding of protein folding, evolution, and structure prediction.
    "The recent invention of the X-ray laser has suggested to us a completely new method for rapidly solving the structure of membrane proteins to near-atomic resolution," says Kiernan. "[A] sufficiently short X-ray pulse can produce a useful diffraction pattern and terminate before radiation damage starts by a 'diffract-and-destroy' process.  The aim of my PhD work is to undertake femtosecond diffraction experiments from proteins which will expose the basic physics of the diffract-and-destroy process."
   Kiernan isn't ready to commit to a specific career path yet, but he is generally interested in the development of new experimental techniques. Narrowing his scope will be part of the next few years of research at ASU.
   The ARCS awards help both Juday and Kiernan to keep a strong focus on research while providing important validation for their academic efforts.

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From the Chair...

Making a case for science and science education

As Vice Chair of the Division of Materials Physics of the American Physical Society (APS), I traveled to Washington, D.C. last week with the goal of discussing the impact of science and science education with Arizona’s congressional delegation. It is always a pleasure to visit with our senators and representatives and this trip was no exception. I was teamed with Michael Kruse, an officer of the Graduate Student Council of the APS and a graduate student from the University of Arizona.  Michael is working towards his Ph.D. in nuclear physics theory, so we were able to not only represent the physics programs in our respective universities, and also offer a perspective based on two different areas within physics.
   The APS helped arrange visits with leading staff in the offices of Senators Kyl and McCain, and Representatives Grijalva, Mitchell, and Pastor. Throughout all our visits and discussions, it was indeed encouraging to find such strong support for science and science education.  In each meeting, we examined the critical juncture at which science finds itself, the impact in the U.S. and in Arizona, and the critical importance of improving science education at all levels.  The National Academy of Science’s 2005 report “Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future” highlighted the importance of rebuilding our commitment to science. Every office I visited last week appreciated the significance of that report and broadly agreed with the recommendations.
   With the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, there will be significant funding to ‘kick start’ many science research and education programs to address some of the shortfalls noted in the “Gathering Storm” report.  It is, however, equally important to establish a sustained commitment of funding for science, engineering,

  technology development and science education. This was the most important message we communicated to each office.
    Our trip began with visits to the offices of Senators Kyl and McCain.  In Senator Kyl’s office, we met with Legislative Counsel Abby Donovan who is focused on science and education, and Legislative Correspondent Peter Schirtzinger who is focused on defense. Both noted the bipartisan support for the American COMPETES Act that was passed last year. The discussion focused on how funding for science is often included in bills that contain other spending that overshadows the science component. When the science funding is ‘lost’ in a bill, it often complicates the ability to develop support for science funding.  An important new theme in our discussions with Ms. Donovan and Mr. Schirtzinger was the importance of energy research for the U.S. and in particular for Arizona.
   In Senator McCain’s office, we met with Legislative Assistant Nick Matiella who, within his wide range of responsibilities, coordinates activities related to resource management.  Senator McCain serves on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and our discussion went into some depth on energy. We described some of the specific recommendations from the new report developed through the APS, and noted how Arizona would play an important role in many of the initiatives.

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Physicist named energy secretary...

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   Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1948, Chu described himself as an "academic black sheep" when compared to his GPA-superstar older brother and the long line of highly educated, accomplished family members. His inquisitive nature began early with an interest in tinkering and testing through the construction of erector sets to building backyard rockets with a friend to testing neighbors' soil for acidity and missing nutrients. Throughout his childhood, education was more than an expectation. It was the "raison d'être."
   Chu recalls that geometry and English, and later physics and calculus, were the courses that sparked his interest in high school. After graduating, he attended the University of Rochester and received degrees in physics and mathematics. He received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of California at Berkeley, studying with Eugene Commins. It was during this period that Chu shifted from theoretical physics to experimental physics, unable to squelch the desire to tinker in the lab.
   From Berkeley, Chu entered the world of Bell National Laboratories where he noted that "the joy and excitement of doing science permeated the halls." For nine years, Chu flourished at Bell Labs; collaborating and growing into leadership positions. It was there he began his work in laser cooling and trapping of atoms which would later garner him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997.
   Chu left Bells Labs in 1987 to join the Stanford University physics department, serving as chair twice during his 16-year tenure. He wanted to work with students again - a environment and an endeavor that he holds very dear. In his Nobel address, Chu cited the words of his colleague Ted Geballe who said:

The best part of working at a university is the students. They come in fresh, enthusiastic, open to ideas, unscarred by the battles of life...If a mind is ever free to be creative, that's the time. They come in believing textbooks are authoritative but eventually they figure out that textbooks and professors don't know everything, and then they start to think on their own. Then, I begin learning from them.

   Chu remained at Stanford until 2004 when he left to head up the LBNL. He goes to Washington with a track record of advocacy for science education and research particularly in the area of energy. With that in mind, there is the possibility that Chu's inclusion on the cabinet might serve as a tremendous catalyst in returning the United States to its position as a global leader in science and science education.

Who's who in science policy and legislation?

 

President Barack Obama - Agendas on technology, energy, science, the environment, and education.

 

John P. Holdren - Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)

 

Patricia M. Dehmer - Deputy Director for Science Programs in the Department of Energy

 

Gabrielle Giffords - U.S. Representative (AZ), member of the House Committee on Science and Technology, member of the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment

 

Harry Mitchell - U.S. Representative (AZ), member of the House Committee on Science and Technology, member of the Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation

Physics Flash welcomes your feedback. Please send your comments, questions, and story suggestions to phyflash@asu.edu.

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A case for science...

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   From the senate offices, we then headed to the Longworth Building where we met first with Gloria Montaño, Chief of Staff for Representative Raul Grijalva’s office.  Representative Grijalva serves on the House Committee on Education and Labor and on the Committee on Natural Resources. Grijalva represents the Arizona’s 7th District which includes Tucson. We discussed the tremendous impact of research on the local industry, the importance of science education, and the impact of energy programs.
   Just down the hall, we met with Senior Legislative Assistant Carrie Solomon in Representative Harry Mitchell’s office.  Mitchell represents Arizona’s 5th District which includes Tempe and Scottsdale and serves on the House Science and Technology Committee. Our discussion amplified Representative Mitchell’s strong and continued support for science and science education.  We explored several specific examples of cases where he has supported science initiatives.
   After traveling through the basement tunnels of the Longworth building, we crossed into the Rayburn Building to meet with Eve Young, Legislative Director in Representative Ed Pastor’s office.  Ms. Young mentioned that Representative Pastor had been a chemistry teacher and has developed a

 longstanding commitment to support science and science education.  Pastor, who represents Arizona’s 4th District which includes Phoenix, serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the Energy Subcommittee.  Our discussions centered on the growing impact of ASU’s Downtown Campus and on the importance of APS’s continued focus on supporting education initiatives that offer opportunities for the youth in the district.
   The budget challenges facing Arizona’s universities also seemed to come up in each discussion.  All of the offices recognized the stress on the Arizona state budget. They were hopeful that the support offered through the stimulus package and an improved economy would not only re-invigorate state programs, but serve to strengthen and refine the partnership between universities and the state legislature.
   As we headed home from the Capitol Building, Matt and I were pleased at how well each of the visits progressed. All of the offices we visited were to very open to meeting with us and being involved in our discussions on science.  I encourage everyone to explore the current state of science and science education in the United States and express their views to your congressional delegation.


Robert J. Nemanich
Chair & Professor of Physics

Congratulations to...

...Heather Clark on the birth of her daughter Claire on November 17, 2008. Heather is a Sponsored Projects Officer with the ASU Office for Research and Sponsored Projects and oversees proposals coming out of ASU Physics. She had been away on parental leave since November and recently resumed her duties here at ASU. Mother, baby, and husband Kevin are doing well. Equally well these days are the physics faculty who rely heavily on Heather's outstanding service. Welcome back, Heather! We missed you!

...ASU Physics student worker Sonja Branch who recently won a Grammy award as part of the Phoenix Chorale. The Chorale took home the Grammy for "Best Small Ensemble Performance" for their recording Spotless Rose: Hymns to the Virgin Mary.  Branch works in the Instrument Shops as a student worker-trades helper. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at ASU.

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