February 2009 Archives

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27--The Optical Society (OSA), IEEE Photonics Society (formerly IEEE LEOS) and IEEE Communications Society (IEEE ComSoc) today announced they are partnering to combine two existing publications into one, called the Journal of Optical Communications and Networking (JOCN). The combined journal will cover theoretical and practical advances in the architecture and systems aspects of state-of-the-art optical communications networks. It will launch in June 2009 and be promoted at this year's Optical Fiber Communication/National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference (OFC/NFOEC) in San Diego. Keren Bergman of Columbia University and Vincent W.S. Chan of MIT will serve as co-editors-in-chief.

"OSA and IEEE are excited to partner on this new endeavor," said Bergman. "JOCN will provide professionals in the optical communications field with one comprehensive journal highlighting the latest advances in telecommunications networking, from network security to next generation Ethernet and beyond."

JOCN will combine OSA's monthly Journal of Optical Networking and the Optical Communications and Networking Series published three times per year as a supplement to the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications. OSA and IEEE will share journal operations, with OSA managing peer review and IEEE overseeing production. JOCN will be published online monthly and will be available in a quarterly printed compilation. OSA's Optics InfoBase, IEEE's Xplore and ComSoc's Digital Library will carry the final published version of all JOCN papers. More information on paper submission topics and submission guidelines are available on the JOCN Web site.

"I am a firm believer that architecture development and experimental work need to be closely coupled and the communities working on each segment should communicate often and fluently," said Chan. "JOCN will serve as the bridge and we expect it will help accelerate optical communication and network research in years to come. This journal is indispensible for researchers at the forefront of optical networking and communications."

About OSA
Uniting more than 70,000 professionals from 134 countries, the Optical Society (OSA) brings together the global optics community through its programs and initiatives. Since 1916 OSA has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing educational resources to the scientists, engineers and business leaders who work in the field by promoting the science of light and the advanced technologies made possible by optics and photonics. OSA publications, events, technical groups and programs foster optics knowledge and scientific collaboration among all those with an interest in optics and photonics. For more information, visit www.osa.org.

About the IEEE
Celebrating its 125th anniversary, the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.) is the world's largest technical professional society. Through its more than 375,000 members in 150 countries, the organization is a leading authority on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Dedicated to the advancement of technology, the IEEE publishes 30 percent of the world's literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, and has developed nearly 900 active industry standards. The organization annually sponsors more than 850 conferences worldwide. Additional information about the IEEE can be found at www.ieee.org.

About IEEE ComSoc
The IEEE Communications Society has over 40,000 members and is the second largest of IEEE's 38 technical societies. Founded in 1952, it has become the major international forum for the exchange of ideas on communications and information networking. For more information, see www.comsoc.org.

About IEEE Photonics Society
The IEEE Photonics Society (formerly IEEE LEOS) is focused on advancing the interests of its members and the photonics, laser, and optoelectronics professional community by: providing opportunities for information exchange, continuing education, and professional growth; publishing journals, sponsoring conferences, and supporting local chapter and student activities. The IEEE Photonics Society formally recognizes the professional contributions of members, represents the photonics, laser, and optoelectronics community, and serves as its advocate within the IEEE, the broader scientific and technical community, and society at large. For more information, see www.i-leos.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College Park, Maryland, United States, February 24, 2009

Recognizing the importance of increasing participation from members of all underrepresented groups in the physics community the AAPT Executive Board approved the following statement during the 2009 Winter Meeting, February 12-16, in Chicago, IL:

The American Association of Physics Teachers is committed to making physics more accessible to everyone. We support efforts to encourage greater participation from members of all under-represented groups in every part of the physics community. We strive to provide open access and employment opportunities to all without discrimination. In this commitment we join other organizations engaged in physics and physics education: government agencies; K-12 institutions; colleges and universities; national laboratories and industry.

About AAPT: AAPT (www.aapt.org) is the leading organization for physics educators--with more than 10,000 members worldwide. Our mission is to advance the greater good through physics teaching. We provide our members with many opportunities for professional development, communication, and student enrichment. We serve the larger community through a variety of programs and publications. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.

For more information: Contact Marilyn Gardner, Director of Communications, mgardner@aapt.org, (301)209-3306, (301)209-0845 (Fax)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College Park, Maryland, United States, February 24, 2009

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) today announced the top 400 students chosen to advance to the Quarter-Final round of U.S. Physics Team selection. Nearly 4,000 students participated in the Fnet=ma Exam in January. The top 400 students have been posted by AAPT at www.aapt.org/physicsteam/quarterfinalists.cfm.

About the Olympiad: The U.S. Physics Olympiad Program is a joint initiative of AAPT and the American Institute for Physics (AIP). AAPT began the program in 1986 to promote and demonstrate academic excellence. The International Olympiad is a nine-day competition among pre-university students from more than 80 nations. This year's Olympiad, the 40th, will be held in Mérida Yucatán, México, July 11th to 19th, 2009.

U.S. Physics Team Selection: AAPT is responsible for recruiting, selecting and training teams each year to compete in the International Physics Olympiad Competition. This selection process begins in early January when high schools register their students to participate in the Fnet=ma exam. Each year approximately 400 top scorers on this first test advance to the quarter-final round of competition.

A third exam, student transcripts, and letters of recommendation are used as the basis for selection of the 24 members of the U.S. Physics Team. In May these students travel from schools all over the United States, to the University of Maryland-College Park to the Physics Team Training Camp. There they engage in nine days of intense studying, mystery lab, daily exams and problem solving.

At the end of that training camp, five students and an alternate will be selected as the "Traveling Team" to represent the United States at the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO). In July, the Traveling Team will attend a three day Mini Camp of intense laboratory work. At the end of the Mini Camp the five member Traveling Team and two coaches will go on to the IPhO.

Funding for the U.S. Physics Olympics team is supported through donations from concerned individuals and organizations. Contributions are entirely used to support the selection, training, and travel of the team. Donations to the U.S. Physics Olympics team are accepted at www.aapt.org/physicsteam/donate.cfm.

About AAPT: AAPT (www.aapt.org) is the leading organization for physics educators--with more than 10,000 members worldwide. Our mission is to advance the greater good through physics teaching. We provide our members with many opportunities for professional development, communication, and student enrichment. We serve the larger community through a variety of programs and publications. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.

For more information: Contact Marilyn Gardner, Director of Communications, mgardner@aapt.org, (301)209-3306, (301)209-0845 (Fax)

At its 47th Annual National Engineers Week Banquet held on February 20th, the Quad City Engineering and Science Council (QCESC) recognized Dr. John D. Johnson as its 2009 Senior Scientist of the Year. The QCESC numbers 32 local engineering and technical societies with a total membership of 6,000 engineers and scientists. The QCESC also promotes engineering and science to area youth through scholarship and engineering competition programs.

GREENBELT, Md. - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. is the home of many award winning scientists, and this year is no different. This month, Climatologist Claire L. Parkinson, Astrophysicist Marc Kuchner and Astrophysicist Neil Gehrels received recognition of their achievements.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College Park, Maryland, United States, February 16, 2009

The American Association of Physics Teachers announced that Steve Iona has been re-elected to the role of Executive Board Secretary. Dr. Iona, will serve an additional two-year term as Secretary.

Iona has also previously served on the AAPT Board, most recently as Chair of Section Representatives (1999-2005). Iona has also served AAPT as Chair of a Meetings Committee and the Membership and Benefits Committee. He has also served on the High School Committee; the Pre-High School Committee; the Awards Committee; The Physics Teacher Advisory Board; the AAPT national Nominating Committee; and as one of the first PTRAs.

Over a thirty year career as a K-12 teacher, Iona taught Physics, AP Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, mathematics, a G/T Research Class, and served as the department chair. His professional experience after "retirement" includes Lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Denver (2003-present) and Instructor, Learning Assistant Seminar on Mathematics and Science Teaching University of Colorado (2003-present). His previous higher education experience included adjunct work at Front Range Community College (Physics), Metropolitan State College of Denver (Science Methods), Teacher in Residence, Metropolitan State College of Denver and University of Colorado (PhysTEC).

His is the recipient of the Radio Shack National Awards for Teaching (1999); Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics and Science (2001); AAPT Distinguished Service Citation (2006)

Iona says of his service, "AAPT is a thriving professional organization because of the good ideas that come from individuals and the dedication of its membership to see them implemented. The most successful programs have been those that have helped strengthen relationships among the physics teaching communities. I bring to the Executive Board a historical memory based on my strong participation in past activities and the enthusiasm to explore future opportunities so that AAPT can continue its mission to enhance the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching."

About AAPT: AAPT is the leading organization for physics educators--with more than 10,000 members worldwide. Our mission is to advance the greater good through physics teaching. We provide our members with many opportunities for professional development, communication, and student enrichment. We serve the larger community through a variety of programs and publications. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.

For more information: Contact Marilyn Gardner, Director of Communications, mgardner@aapt.org, (301)209-3306, (301)209-0845 (Fax)

Dr. Samuel Lofland, SPS Advisor and Director of Materials at Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, has been honored as the 2008 SPS Outstanding Chapter Advisor. The Award, which was presented by SPS President Earl Blodgett during the February 16 Awards Ceremony at the 2009 AAPT Winter Meeting in Chicago, IL, consists of a plaque and a $5,000 prize; with $3,000 going to Dr. Lofland and $1,000 going to both the Rowan University physics department and the Rowan University Physic Club.

Andrew Roberts, President of the Rowan University Physics Club, notes that "[Professor Lofland's] steadfast belief in the Rowan chapter's potential and his infectious enthusiasm for physics has ensured that Rowan SPS isn't just another campus club, but rather a nationally recognized organization committed to the education of both its members and of its community." Robert Booth, the club's Treasurer, adds "Professor Lofland has a way of rallying the troops, so to speak. He has a talent for unifying our SPS chapter, with chants and catch phrases such as "top of the food chain" -- meaning that we can do anything. He commands a great respect from the student body perhaps because of the respect that he gives to students."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
College Park, Maryland, United States, February 16, 2009

The American Association of Physics Teachers announced that Alexander K. Dickison has assumed the role of Executive Board President. Dr. Dickison, Professor of Physics, Semonole Community College, will serve as President in 2009, and Past President in 2010.

Dr. Dickison has served as a Physics Instructor (1973-present) and Chairman of the Physical Sciences Department (1986-present) at Seminole Community College. He was also an instructor at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay (1969-72).

His AAPT service includes: Committee on the History and Philosophy of Physics (2002-Present); Treasurer (1996-2002); Chair of Section Representatives (1991-1995); Section Representative (1978-1996); Two-Year College Committee (1987-1990); Building Fund Committee (1986-1988); Science Education for the Public Committee (1981-1985); and TPT Review Committee (1979).

A member of AAPT, the American Physical Society, Florida Section of AAPT, NSTA, Florida Academy of Sciences, and Sigma Pi Sigma, Dr. Dickison has received numerous honors including the AAPT Distinguished Service Award. He serves as the Principal Investigator for Introductory College Physics/21st Century (ICP/21) project; member of the Advisory Committee for SPIN-UP/TYC; Co-Chair of the Florida State Physics and Astronomy Leveling Committee (1996-present); AP Physics Summer Workshops Coordinator (1987-present); Florida Statewide Committee on Common Course Numbering (1984-present); AIP Committee on Career Planning and Placement (1992-present); Summer Eisenhower Grant Institutes for K-12 Teachers Coordinator (1985-92); and the Steering Committee for TYC21.

Recognizing AAPT as a very important component his professional life, Dr. Dickison says, "It provides me a source of rejuvenation. I always leave the section and national meetings with renewed enthusiasm and new teaching ideas to try in my classroom. AAPT is unique in bringing together teachers, from high school through university, to work together to improve student understanding of physics. The strength of APPT resides in its members and their initiatives."

About AAPT: AAPT is the leading organization for physics educators--with more than 10,000 members worldwide. Our mission is to advance the greater good through physics teaching. We provide our members with many opportunities for professional development, communication, and student enrichment. We serve the larger community through a variety of programs and publications. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.

For more information: Contact Marilyn Gardner, Director of Communications, mgardner@aapt.org, (301)209-3306, (301)209-0845 (Fax)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College Park, Maryland, United States, February 16, 2009

The American Association of Physics Teachers announced that David R. Sokoloff has assumed the role of Executive Board Vice President. Dr. Sokoloff, Professor of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, will serve as Vice President in 2009, President-Elect in 2010, President in 2011, and Past President in 2012.

Sokoloff began his physics education at Queens College of the City University of New York, and went on to earn his Ph.D. in AMO physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1972. He has been on the physics faculty of the University of Oregon since 1978.

For more than two decades, he has conducted research into students' understanding of physics, and used the results of physics education research to develop active learning laboratories and interactive lecture demonstrations that connect students to the behavior of the physical world. He has also been active sharing these active learning approaches with colleagues.

Since 1999, he has been part of UNESCO teams presenting active learning workshops in Australia, Vietnam, Korea, Sri Lanka, The Philippines, Malaysia, Ghana, Tunisia, Morocco, India, Tanzania, Brazil, Mexico, Zambia, and Cameroon, most recently as part of the UNESCO program for developing countries, Active Learning in Optics and Photonics. He is editor/contributor to Active Learning in Optics and Photonics Training Manual (UNESCO, 2006).

A previous recipient of AAPT's Distinguished Service Citation (1997) and Robert A. Millikan Award (2007), Dr. Sololoff has been an active member of AAPT since 1972. He has served as a New Faculty Workshop presenter (2006-present); Co-chair of the Committee on Research in Physics Education (1992-95); PTRA workshop presenter, and done many other national and international presentations. He also has a long career as an author, including RealTime Physics and Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (Wiley, 2004), and is the designer and presenter of optics magic shows for college, elementary school and informal, public audiences.

Sokoloff says of his new role, "With my years of administrative experience at the departmental level and on grant-funded projects, I believe that I can help the AAPT continue to flourish. Having worked, over the years, with high school, two-year college, college and university faculty, I believe that I am sensitive to the needs of each of these groups. I look forward to working more closely with an organization that has given me so many opportunities over the years to grow professionally.

About AAPT: AAPT is the leading organization for physics educators--with more than 10,000 members worldwide. Our mission is to advance the greater good through physics teaching. We provide our members with many opportunities for professional development, communication, and student enrichment. We serve the larger community through a variety of programs and publications. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.

For more information: Contact Marilyn Gardner, Director of Communications, mgardner@aapt.org, (301)209-3306, (301)209-0845 (Fax).

College Park, Maryland, United States, February 16, 2009

The American Association of Physics Teachers announced that Marie Plumb has assumed the role of Executive Board Two Year College (TYC) Representative.

Dr. Plumb is a Physics Professor, Coordinator for physics and geology, and student advisor at Jamestown Community College, Jamestown, NY. She has also served as a member of the Steering Committee and Co-chair of a national meeting for the Two Year Colleges in the 21st Century Project; PI and co-PI on several NSF Grants; instituted an ongoing outreach program to bring hands on science activities to a local elementary school; served as reviewer of grants for NSF; participated in PEPTYC program at Texas A&M; and hosted TYC workshops.

She has served on numerous AAPT Committees including, as a member of the Committee on Research in Undergraduate Education (1995-1998); member of the Committee on Women in Physics, (1998-2001, 2005-2008), and Chair (2007); member of Committee on Physics in Two-Year Colleges (2001-2004), and Chair (2002-2004); and member of Nominating Committee

Dr. Plumb was recognized with the Outstanding Physics Graduate Student Award (1990); Outstanding Educator Award (2000); Presidents Award for Excellence in Teaching (2003); and New York State Chancellor's Award for Excellence (2004).

Of her new role a Two Year College Representative, Dr. Plumb says, "For the last 15 years AAPT and the Two-Year College Community within the AAPT, as well as the Women in Physics committee, have been pivotal in the development of my college physics teaching career. When I think of the ways my approach to physics education has evolved, I can point to a meeting, a workshop, or a suggestion from a colleague. Each connection leads back to AAPT. I have a deep respect for the important role of two year colleges in physics education. We not only prepare future physicists and engineers, doctors and pharmacists, but we also prepare future teachers. I have had the opportunity to teach at almost every level on the academic spectrum from elementary school, to high school, two-year colleges and four-year colleges and universities. Each and every step along the academic ladder is essential. While the content changes, the need to connect with students and guide them along the educational path is the same at every level. AAPT has been my lifeline. As Two Year College Representative I will work diligently to enhance the presence of the two-year college community in the AAPT.

About AAPT: AAPT is the leading organization for physics educators--with more than 10,000 members worldwide. Our mission is to advance the greater good through physics teaching. We provide our members with many opportunities for professional development, communication, and student enrichment. We serve the larger community through a variety of programs and publications. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.

For more information: Contact Marilyn Gardner, Director of Communications, mgardner@aapt.org, (301)209-3306, (301)209-0845 (Fax)

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18--The Optical Society (OSA) today announced the launch of its new online products database, the Green Photonics Guide. The searchable guide contains a directory of environmentally-friendly optics and photonics products and services spanning all aspects of the industry, from fiber optics and components to sensors and laser accessories. The purpose of the guide is to give buyers an easy-to-use portal designed specifically for optics and photonics professionals who are interested in purchasing products and services that are environmentally sustainable.

Fourteen Society of Physics Students (SPS) chapters have received 2009 Marsh W. White Outreach Awards to help fund their outreach projects during the coming academic year. Marsh W. White Awards are made to SPS chapters "to support projects designed to promote interest in physics among students and the general public."

Five Society of Physics Students (SPS) chapters have received Sigma Pi Sigma Undergraduate Research Awards to fund chapter research projects. The awards provide calendar year grants to support local chapter activities that are deemed imaginative and likely to contribute to the strengthening of the SPS program. The program is funded through income from the Sigma Pi Sigma Trust Endowment Fund.

Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics honor society, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2009 Sigma Pi Sigma Chapter Project Awards. These annual awards recognize chapter efforts to raise public awareness of the honor society, build Sigma Pi Sigma's student and alumni communities, and promote inter-chapter activities. The winning chapters receive $500 to help them achieve proposed activities. They are: Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA; East Central University, Ada, OK; University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, MD; Mesa State College, Grand Junction, CO; and Penn State University, University Park, PA.

WATERLOO, Ontario, Canada, February 9, 2009 - Dr. Neil Turok, Director of Canada's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI), is pleased to announce the appointment of nine more outstanding international scientists to the positions of PI Distinguished Research Chairs.

Dr. Leo L. Beranek of Boston, Massachusetts, was awarded the 2008 Vladimir Karapetoff Award, Eta Kappa Nu's most prestigious award, at a ceremony in Philadelphia, January 24, 2009. The Karapetoff Award is made annually to an electrical engineering practitioner who has distinguished him/herself through an invention, discovery or development that has demonstrated a long-term positive impact on the welfare of society. The citation for the Leo L. Beranek award reads, "For technical attainments in acoustics, broadcasting, and computer networking."

January 30, 2009.- The Basic Sciences award in this inaugural edition of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards has been shared by physicists Peter Zoller (Austria, 1952) and Ignacio Cirac (Manresa, 1965), "for their fundamental work on quantum information science", in the words of the jury chaired by Theodor W. Hänsch, Nobel Prize in Physics. Zoller and Cirac's research is opening up vital new avenues for the development of quantum computers, immensely more powerful than those we know today.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 - The Optical Society (OSA) is pleased to announce that the premiere issue of its review journal, Advances in Optics and Photonics, was published today. Advances in Optics and Photonics is an online, quarterly journal of invited reviews and tutorials that focus on the most up-to-date advances in the fields of both basic and applied optics and photonics.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2--Sliced light is how we communicate now. Millions of phone calls and cable television shows per second are dispatched through fibers in the form of digital zeros and ones formed by chopping laser pulses into bits. This slicing and dicing is generally done with an electro-optic modulator, a device for allowing an electric signal to switch a laser beam on and off at high speeds (the equivalent of putting your hand in front of a flashlight). Reading that fast data stream with a compact and reliable receiver is another matter. A new error-free speed-reading record using a compact ultra-fast component--640 Gbits/second (Gbps, or billion bits per second)--has now been established by a collaboration of scientists from Denmark and Australia, who report their results in the journal Optics Express, the Optical Society's (OSA) open-access journal.

New technology and new ways of doing business require new approaches to old procedures. Conventional readers of optical data depend on photo-detectors, electronic devices that can operate up to approximately 40 Gbps. This in itself represents a great feat of rapid reading, but it's not good enough for the higher-rate data streams being designed now. The data receiving rate has to keep up.

Sometimes to speed up data transmission several signals are multiplexed: each, with its own stream of coded data, is sent down an optical fiber at the same time. In other words, 10 parallel streams of data could each be sent at a rate of 10 Gbps and then added up to an effective stream of 100 Gbps. At the receiving end the parallel signals have to be read out in a complementary de-multiplexing process. Reliable and fast multiplexing and de-multiplexing represent a major bottleneck in linking up the electronic and photonic worlds.

In 1998 researchers in Japan created a data stream as high as 640 Gbps and were able to read it back, but the read-out apparatus relied on long lengths of special optical fiber. This particular approach is somewhat unstable. The new de-multiplexing device demonstrated at the Technical University of Denmark, by contrast, can handle the high data rate, and can do so in a stable manner. Furthermore, instead of fibers 50 meters long, they accomplish their de-multiplexing of the data stream with a waveguide only 5 cm long, an innovation developed at the Centre for Ultrahigh Bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems, or CUDOS, in Australia. Another benefit of the new device with the compact size is the potential for integration with other components to create more advanced ultra-fast functional chips. The dynamics involved in the CUDOS device could even allow for still higher data rates approaching terabits/second (Tbps, or trillion bits per second).

One of the authors of the new report, Danish scientist Leif K. Oxenløwe, says that the record speeds of de-multiplexing represented by his tiny glass microchip is a boon to circuit designers and opens the door to faster network speeds. In the near future, the Danish and Australian researchers hope to achieve 1 Tbps Ethernet capability.

Paper: "Breakthrough switching speed with an all-optical chalcogenide glass chip: 640 Gbit/s Demultiplexing," Leif Oxenløwe et al, Optics Express, Vol. 17, Issue 4, Feb. 16, 2009.

About OSA
Uniting more than 70,000 professionals from 134 countries, the Optical Society (OSA) brings together the global optics community through its programs and initiatives. Since 1916 OSA has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing educational resources to the scientists, engineers and business leaders who work in the field by promoting the science of light and the advanced technologies made possible by optics and photonics. OSA publications, events, technical groups and programs foster optics knowledge and scientific collaboration among all those with an interest in optics and photonics. For more information, visit www.osa.org.