Annual Report 2002

Introduction:

The Panel on Public Affairs of the American Physical Society is "responsible for making recommendations to the President, the Executive Board and the Council on public affairs activities of the Society designated by the Executive Board or Council." Such public affairs activities are usually in areas where the technical expertise or experience of the physics community can be of value to the general, non-science, community. This is in contrast to the Physics Policy Committee which is exclusively concerned with the impact on the US physics community of federal science policies. The Panel is also responsible for ethics issues involving the physics community. The Panel consists of 15 members who are elected to it by the APS Council and 4 members who are present, past, or future elected Chairs. It also includes several ex-officio members of the leadership of the Society including its Vice President, and Executive Officer. In 2002, for the first time, its membership included an official representative from the Forum on Physics and Society.

The Panel both originates its own activities, as well as passes on proposals generated by other Divisions and Committees of the APS. These include groups such as the Committee on Education and the Committees associated with the APS' Office of International Affairs. It also responds to direct requests for recommendations and actions from the Executive Board and Council of the APS. The Washington Office of the Society provides guidance to the Panel on the national public policy environment, and carries on society activities involving congress and the Federal government, some of which were initiated by the Panel. The Panel normally works through subcommittees which focus on policy areas thought to be of interest to the physics community and to which the physics community can contribute. In the year 2002, the subcommittees of the Panel included Ethics, Energy and the Environment, National Security, Physics and the Public, and GPRA (Government Performance and Results Act). New subcommittees included the subjects of Contacts with the Islamic World, public and private limitations on the freedom of communications in the US scientific community, and membership on a joint committee with PPC on Terrorism. POPA's activities in 2002 will be discussed in terms of its subcommittees.

Ethics:

2002 was a challenging year for the Ethics Committee of the Panel on Public Affairs. Reports confirming two allegations of research misconduct became publicly available during the summer and early fall of 2002. These raised questions concerning APS policies in this area. At its September, 2002 meeting, the Executive Board charged

"its Panel on Public Affairs to revisit the APS Guidelines for Professional Conduct. Issues to be examined include (but are not limited to) the responsibilities of coauthors for the contents of a paper, and suggestions regarding institutional lines of responsibility extending topossible penalties. In addition the APS will work with the physics community to develop educational programs that improve awareness of the accepted norms for ethical behavior in science."

The Panel proposed a number of actions to the Executive Board of the APS in response to this request. These proposals were considered at the November, 2002 meeting of the Executive Board and Council. The proposals included language regarding the Society's existing statements on Research Integrity and Professional Conduct, new descriptions of the responsibilities of coauthors and collaborators, descriptions of appropriate processes and procedures for handling future allegations of scientific misconduct, and suggestions concerning enhanced efforts in education on professional standards and ethics. The proposals led to three new or modified statements on professional ethics and standards which can be found on the APS website.The confirmation of the two allegations of research misconduct generated substantial press interest in the activities of the APS with regards to standards for professional conduct.

The Panel also engaged in discussions with members of the editorial staff of The Physical Review concerning current barriers to the publication of extended, archival manuscripts following the publication of initial letter type papers.

The Ethics Committee developed a Conflict of Interest Policy for the members of the Panel on Public Affairs. The policy parallels that of the Executive Board and Council of the APS.

Energy and the Environment:

The Panel has had a long involvement with public issues involving energy and the environment. In November 2001, the Panel issued a POPA report summarizing the current status of a number of issues in nuclear energy. This report can be found on the APS website. In 2002, a new "Occasional Paper" entitled "CO2, Kyoto and Energy," reviewing aspects of physics related issues involving the Kyoto Protocol was posted on the APS web site. Work was begun on two assessments of Fuel Cell and Wind Energy Technology.

National Security:

The Panel on Public Affairs has had a long involvement with National Security issues. In fact, the APS involvement in Public Affairs has strong roots in the post WWII relationship between the US physics community and the National Defense establishment. In 2002, POPA considered a number of National Security-related initiatives.

The Panel recommended to the Executive Board and Council a proposal by A. M. Sessler and S. Sen for an APS study of the technology underlying the problem of humanitarian demining. This recommendation was considered by the Executive Board and Council at their November meeting. The recommendation was accepted and the study will be carried out if appropriate funding can be obtained.

The Panel has continued its interest in the progress of the Boost Phase Intercept Study which it helped initiate three years ago. The preliminary report was summarized to the Panel, and the chair of POPA was a member of the APS review committee for the draft report of the study.

The evolution of National Security Policy in the spring of 2002, with indications of Administration interest in the resumption of nuclear testing, prompted a reassessment of the APS 1997 Statement on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. This was carried out in the context of both the stated desire to develop new nuclear weapons, in particular systems capable of attacking deeply buried targets, and also challenges to the adequacy of the existing program of scientifically-based, stockpile stewardship which does not include the full-scale testing of nuclear weapons. Consideration of the latter issue is continuing.

The Panel recommended to the Society a statement of concern about trends in funding of Department of Defense basic and applied research. This issue involved the increasingly mission oriented character of 6.1 and 6.2 research. A letter was sent to appropriate individuals in the Bush administration and a response was received from Mitch Daniels, Director of OMB. Director Daniel's response reiterated the administration's position that there was adequate funding for 6.1 and 6.2. It was decided by the Executive Board that no further action on this subject was appropriate.

The Panel on Public Affairs received several briefings following the September 11, 2001 attacks on national needs for research related to counter-terrorism activities. Members of POPA participated in an APS committee considering issues arising from the September 11 attacks, and terrorism-related subjects.

Physics and the Public:

Material was developed and placed on the APS website regarding courses for non-science majors on "Science and Public Policy," and "Science, Psuedoscience and Antiscience." The problems arising from the low level of scientific literacy on the part of the American public are a constant theme of POPA discussions.

GPRA (Government Performance and Results Act):

Over the last two administrations, various initiatives to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Federal programs have been implemented. These have included efforts to improve federal operations related to the support of basic research. The Panel was briefed on these activities, especially more recent efforts by the Bush administration to provide a new framework for the assessment of Federal science programs.

International Affairs:

The Panel recommended to the Executive Board and Council a statement opposing recent calls for boycotts of Israeli science and scientists. A statement was approved by the Council and can be found on the APS website.

James C. Tsang
Chair, 2002