Friday, 30 October 1992 Washington, DC
1. WALTER MASSEY WAS QUOTED OUT OF CONTEXT IN WHAT'S
NEW.
In a description of the 16 Oct meeting of the
Commission on the Future of NSF, Massey was described as agreeing
with Executive Secretary Charles Brownstein's assessment of the
letters received by the Commission (WN 16 Oct
92). Massey's remark actually came later in the meeting in
the context of concern expressed by one of the commissioners
that the letters not be turned into "some kind of a vote."
Massey agreed: "I hope you don't think of yourself as simply a
filter for the letters, you know. You were chosen because of
your judgement....Ultimately it's your report." The written
comments were the only real opportunity the scientific community
had to communicate its views to the Commission. It is clear that
the commissioners are taking the letters seriously.
2. THE NSF PHYSICS ADVISORY COMMITTEE DID HOLD A "TOWN
MEETING"
two days later to hear Walter Massey and other
members of the physics community express their views on increased
links between NSF and industry. The APS was represented by
former president Eugen Merzbacher, who reaffirmed the views in
the letter from Ernest Henley to the Commission
(WN 16 Oct 92).
Massey said the Commission will only outline new directions;
before any major changes are made the NSB will hold "field
hearings" around the country. Massey's strategy is to enlarge
the NSF portfolio in the hope that somehow it will benefit basic
science. He admits there is risk along this path, but he sees no
alternative. The Physics Advisory Committee has now drafted its
own letter to the Commission, which could be released later this
afternoon.
3. MEANWHILE, NSF PROGRAM DIRECTORS ARE FACING A CUT OF
ABOUT
10% under the new budget, due in large part to new
initiatives. Moreover, Walter Massey told Division Directors that
individual grants are already too small. Some divisions want to
make their grants smaller yet to accommodate the cuts, but the
Materials Research Division expects to increase grant size by 5%
and make it up by a 30% cut in the number of renewals and new
awards.
4. PHYSICISTS CALL ON THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT TO RELEASE LIU
GANG
and other persecuted pro-democracy activists. More than
350 U.S.-based physicists signed the statement, which was issued
jointly by the Committee on International Freedom of Scientists
of the American Physical Society and the Committee to End the
Chinese Gulag. Liu Gang, a former physics graduate student,
endures torture at the infamous Lingyuan prison. "We cannot
accept the persecution of individuals like Liu Gang," the
statement reads, "who remain imprisoned for non-violent
expression of their belief in democratic reform." In the past,
physicists were active on behalf of Soviet dissidents such as
Sakharov and Orlov. Today, Yuri Orlov is at Cornell; he signed
the statement, along with Fang Lizhi, "the Sakharov of China,"
who is at the University of Arizona. China continues to enjoy
most-favored-nation status.
|
