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Quantum Weirdness, Parallel Worlds, Dinosaur Poop, and the Ultimate Fate of the Universe. . .American Institute of Physics Announces Awards for Best Science WritingCollege Park, MD, 11 February 2008 - The American Institute of Physics (AIP) announced the winners of its 2007 Science Writing Awards today. The winners -- a scientist, a journalist, a children's book author, and three radio broadcasters -- will receive a prize of $3,000, an engraved Windsor chair, and certificates of recognition. The winners and their award-winning pieces:
"These outstanding writers and broadcasters have each improved the general public's appreciation of physics, astronomy, and related sciences through their creative endeavors," says James Stith, AIP Vice President, Physics Resources. "We are pleased to be able to recognize such excellent work." Highlights of the award-winning pieces: GRAVITY’S EFFECT ON A SPECK OF DUST Quantum mechanics says something about how we measure the world but not about the world itself, says Folger. There is no widespread agreement on what the theory says about reality. Penrose hopes to remedy this. His experiment would consist of observing the effect of gravity on a tiny mirror the size of a speck of dust, showing that it can reside in two places at once only briefly before collapsing into a single location. Folger spent a week talking to Penrose prior to writing his award-winning article. "It was fun meeting with him," says Folger, "but it took a little time to figure out what he was saying." In addition to his magazine work, Folger is the series editor for "The Best American Science and Nature Writing," an annual anthology. He lives with his wife Anne in a small town in northern New Mexico, where he is currently writing a new book. His award will be presented during the American Physical Society March Meeting in New Orleans. FINDING THE ORDER IN THE UNIVERSE The article discusses dark matter, dark energy, and what the new cosmology tells us about the fate of the universe. Cosmologists have long debated whether the universe contains enough energy to continue expanding or whether the expansion would eventually halt and then contract. The measurement of the amount of dark energy in the universe in recent years has shown that there is enough of this energy to prevent gravity from someday collapsing the universe in upon itself. Because most of the energy in the universe is dark, however, we do not know if the expansion will keep accelerating or if the acceleration will peter out. "Physics is a place where you can take something that looks messy and unconnected and see the order in the chaos," says Trefil, who has written more than 40 books about science for the general public. "Once you have done that, you can explain it." Trefil is the Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Physics at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. He has also served as contributing editor for science for "USA Today Weekend" and has been a regular contributor for "Smithsonian" and "Astronomy." His award will be presented during an awards ceremony at the American Physical Society April Meeting on Sunday April 13, 2008 in St. Louis, MO. DRAWERS FULL OF THE STUFF "They had drawers full of the stuff," he says, recalling what inspired him to tackle Jurassic Poop. He recalls being blown away that "something soft and ooey and gooey" could survive for millions of years. In addition to the book, Berkowitz has evolved a storytelling performance on the same subject. "Kids love the poopiness of it," he adds. Berkowitz is an author, playwright and journalist who lives in Almonte, Ontario. His writing combines a passion for science and storytelling. His award was announced on January 23, 2008 at the American Association of Physics Teachers' winter meeting in Baltimore, MD. PARALLEL UNIVERSES The winning segment, "Multiple Worlds, Parallel Universes," was Senson's brain-child. "One of the things that I find interesting about physics is that there is more out there than we can experience with our eyes and ears," Senson says. "I thought it was time to explore the idea." Begun in 1975, "Quirks & Quarks" is the oldest radio science show in the world. In 2003, the same team of Handman, McDonald, and Senson won the AIP Science Writing Award in the Broadcast category for their broadcast "It’s About Time." They will be presented with their 2007 award at a ceremony during the 2008 summer meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers in Edmonton, Alberta. About the Awards For additional information contact: Jason Socrates Bardi, 301.209.3091, . |
