ASTROPHYSICS
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Proposal for Formation of a Topical Group in Plasma Astrophysics

Despite identification of problems of mutual interest, the plasma physics and astrophysics communities have remained, for the most part, quite distinct, with different societies and memberships, conferences, and archival journals. A primary rationale for formation of a

DAP Fellows Announced

Walter H. G. Lewin
MIT
For his outstanding observational work on the time variations and spectra of galactic x-ray sources, and in particular for his studies and interpretations of bursting and pulsating phenomena in binary x-ray sources.

James M. Bardeen
University of Washington
For his seminal contributions to the theory of cosmological density perturbations, relativistic astrophysics, and galactic structure.

Edmund Bertschinger
MIT
For his outstanding contributions to theoretical cosmology, especially in the understanding of structure formation in the universe.

Arthur F. Davidsen
Johns Hopkins University
For fundamental advances in the ultraviolet astronomy of faint extragalactic objects, and especially for the impact of these observations on our understanding of the hot intergalactic medium.

John C. Mather
Goddard Space Flight Center
For his advancement of the science of cosmology through precise measurement of the spectrum of the cosmic microwave background radiation and discovery of the first evidence of primordial density inhomogeneities.

Peter I. Meszaros
Pennsylvania State University
For valuable and influential contributions to the theory of radiation processes near magnetized neutron stars, gamma-ray burst sources, black holes and galaxy formation.

E. Sterl Phinney
Caltech
For his contributions to our understanding of black-hole electrodynamics, AGNs and quasars, binary and millisecond pulsars, and globular cluster dynamics, and his method for measuring the intergalactic magnetic field.

Gerald H. Share
Naval Research Laboratory
For his important gamma-ray line observations of the products of nucleosynthesis, which have advanced our understanding of the production rates and distribution of galactic nucleosynthesis.

Invitation to Apply for Travel Support to the 25th International Cosmic Ray Conference

Letters of application (4 copies) should be sent to:

APS Astrophysics Division Travel Grant
c/o Professor J.A. Goodman
Department of Physics
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland 20742-4111

Applications must be received by March 28, 1997. Awards will be announced as soon after May 1 as possible (contingent on success of the proposals) in order to allow timely purchase of tickets. Detailed conditions of the awards may be set by the granting agencies, but it is the intention of the APS that they will be made on the basis of scientific merit in the field of cosmic ray physics with preference to young scientists (e.g. graduate students and post-docs) who have become active in cosmic ray research too recently to have other travel support. In exceptional circumstances awards may be made to more senior scientists who for some good reason are not on existing grants or do not have other support for travel. The awards will be for minimum air fares on U.S. carriers. Applications should include:

• Brief vita and list of relevant publications;
• Reasons for attendance and copies of abstract to be submitted to the conference;
• List of grant, contract and institutional support available to the applicant and why these cannot be used for the trip;
• How other expenses will be met if air fare is awarded; Cost of air fare and basis for the estimate;
• Name, date and location of international scientific meetings attended abroad or scientific visits abroad during the last 3 years, and sources of support.

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1997 DAP Elections

For Vice Chair

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Marvin Leventhal received his Ph.D. from Brown University in 1964. He served on the faculty of the Yale University Physics Department from 1964 through 1968 as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Assistant Professor. From 1968 through 1991 he was a Member of the Technical Staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ. From 1991 through 1993 he was a Senior National Research Council Fellow at Goddard Space Flight Center. Since 1993 he has been Professor and Chairman of the Department of Astronomy of the University of Maryland at College Park, MD. He is a Fellow of the APS and served on the Executive Committee of the HEAD Division of the AAS. He has served on numerous national committees.

M. Leventhal's principle research interests are in high energy astrophysics, gamma ray astronomy and laboratory astrophysics. Of particular interest is the problem of the origin and distribution of annihilation radiation from the Galaxy. Using a balloon borne gamma ray telescope he participated in the pioneering work on this radiation from the Galactic Center region. He is currently using a variety of satellite and balloon experiments to pursue this and other interests.

CANDIDATE'S STATEMENT: If elected as Vice Chair of the DAP I would strive to achieve the following 5 goals over the next 4 years: 1) Increase and sustain membership in the DAP particularly among younger scientists. The DAP membership (about 2,000 out of 30,000) does not reflect the prominent role played by modern astrophysics in the overall scientific activity of the APS nor the great interest of the public in our work. Increased membership would also give us a greater voice in all APS activities; 2) Maintain the high level of presentations at the Spring Meeting and involve a large cross section of members in arranging the programs; 3) Initiate closer cooperation with our sister division (HEAD) in the AAS to better define the missions of the two divisions and to avoid obvious scheduling conflicts such as the unfortunate events of last spring. Among other things it would be worth considering joint memberships in the two divisions; 4) Increase the outreach activities of the DAP at the K- 12 level, to the general public and indirectly to our government officials. We are entering an era of national budget balancing and implied funding cutbacks for our enterprise. The best tool we have for our defense is that of educating the society at large about the exciting activities we engage in. Astrophysics continues to experience a golden age as powerful new telescopes and sensors reveal the secrets of the universe; 5) Work to increase employment opportunities for our youngest members. It is time to put our heads together and think of creative things to do that will keep the next generation of astrophysicists from being driven out of the field.

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Trevor Weekes
SAO/Arizona

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Current position: Senior Astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and resident at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in Arizona for 30 years. Served as Resident Director of the Observatory from 1969 till 1976. My degrees are from University College, Dublin (B.Sc., Ph.D., D.Sc.). I am the recipient of the 1997 Rossi Prize of the American Astronomical Society. I am Spokesperson for the Whipple Gamma Ray Collaboration. I have served on the Executive Committee of the Astrophysics Division (also the Nominating Committee) of the APS; I have also served on the Executive Committee of the High Energy Astrophysics Division of the AAS. My interests are in: high energy gamma-ray astronomy, gamma-ray bursts, cosmic rays, black holes.

CANDIDATE'S STATEMENT: As research funding diminishes with memories of the Cold War it is becoming increasingly necessary to seek public approval for major scientific research projects. The interest of the general public in astronomical topics is well known; this interest should be shamelessly exploited by the APS is seeking approval for physics funding. The role of the Astrophysics Division is therefore critical and every attempt should be made to increase its visibility in the society. This can be done by arranging programs with broad popular appeal, in particular by crossing divisional lines, by choosing topics that are on the forefront of astrophysical research, and by inviting speakers who are outstanding communicators. Because of their unusual and popular specialty, Division of Astrophysics members must be encouraged to get involved in all the efforts of the APS to popularize and support public understanding of science.

Many of the most interesting areas of astrophysical research are inter-disciplinary and outside the normal funding channels; we should take care to support and publicize these unusual channels of astrophysical information and ensure that they are not lost between the cracks.

The membership of the Astrophysics Division must be increased perhaps by targeting members of the AAS whose interests are in astrophysics, by attracting physics teachers who use astrophysics in their teaching and by exploiting the mutual interest with high energy particle and nuclear physicists.

Member-at-Large

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Eli Dwek received his Ph.D. from Rice University in 1977. He subsequently held postdoctoral positions at the Kellogg Radiation Laboratory at Caltech, and in the Astronomy Program at the University of Maryland; Eli also was an NAS/NRC Fellow in the Infrared Astrophysics Branch at NASA/GSFC, where he is currently conducting research in theoretical astrophysics. Eli is a member of the COBE Science Working Group, involved primarily in the analysis and modeling of the infrared emission detected by the Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment on board the COBE satellite. He was a member of the NASA science working group for the studies of SN 1987A. His primary current research interests are: (1) setting limits on the cosmic infrared background and examining the implications of these limits on cosmic chemical evolution and the conversion of starlight into infrared radiation; and (2) studies of interstellar dust in a variety of astrophysical environments.

RESEARCH INTERESTS: Galactic structure; supernovae and supernova remnants; interstellar dust and infrared astronomy; stellar and chemical evolution; cosmology and background radiations.

CANDIDATE's STATEMENT: As a member of the Executive Committee, I will strive to increase young physicists' awareness of research opportunities at the various NASA centers. I will also continue the tradition of organizing the program of invited talks in astrophysics for the Spring Meeting of the American Physical Society. In the past, these talks have emphasized the connection between nuclear/particle physics and cosmology/high-energy astrophysics. I would expand the range of topics to include the exciting field of infrared astrophysics.

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John P. Hughes
Rutgers University
Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: B.A. Columbia College 1978; Ph.D. Columbia University 1984; Staff Scientist, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (1984-1996). Currently Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

RESEARCH INTERESTS: supernova remnants, nucleosynthesis, clusters of galaxies, Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect.

PREVIOUS SERVICE POSITIONS: member NASA High Energy Astrophysics Management Operations Working Group, member and chair of various NASA peer review panels, chair of ASCA Users' Group, member of APS DAP nominating committee, member Astro-E International Science Working Group.

CANDIDATE'S STATEMENT: The role that astrophysics plays as an element of the larger field of general physics is becoming increasingly more prominent. The connections between cosmology, the early Universe, and elementary particle physics are well known, but in other areas, including my particular research interests of nucleosynthesis and X-ray spectroscopy, physicists have much to offer the modern astronomer. In order to strengthen both fields, it is important that we astronomers take advantage of the resources and expertise of the larger physics community as we interpret observations from our existing ground- and space-based facilities and as we plan for the next generation of missions and observatories. As a member of the Executive Committee of the Division of Astrophysics, I will work toward the goal of closer interaction by sustaining the high quality of our annual meeting and promoting the growth of the division by encouraging membership from both the physics and astronomy communities.

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Lawrence M. Krauss
Case Western Reserve University

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Ph.D. from MIT in 1982, Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows from 1982-85. Faculty of the departments of physics and astronomy at Yale University (1985-1993). 1993-Present: Ambrose Swasey Professor of Physics, Professor of Astronomy, and Chairman of the Physics Department at Case Western Reserve University.

SERVICE EXPERIENCE: I have had substantial experience as a member of both physics and astronomy departments, coordinator of various national and international conferences, member of various task forces in physics and astronomy, and in my current position as Chairman of the Physics Department at Case Western Reserve University in long range planning, coordinating different groups of physicists, and in hiring. In addition, through my popular writing, I have become a spokesman for physics and astrophysics among the general public. I believe the connections I have established, the experience I have in administration, as well as the diverse experience I have in research will help me contribute to the workings of the Division.

RESEARCH INTERESTS: cosmology, large scale structure, stellar evolution, neutrino astrophysics, planetary physics, and general relativity.

CANDIDATE'S STATEMENT: This is a very exciting time for astrophysics. With new data coming in from a vast variety of sources, and wavelengths, the coming decade promises a revolution in our knowledge of such areas as structure formation, stellar evolution, planetary formation, and the early universe. Perhaps no other Division of physics will yield such excitement in the near term. In addition, the connections between astrophysics and other areas of physics, including particle physics, nuclear physics, general relativity, plasma physics, and condensed matter physics continue to increase, so that fundamental progress will depend in part on interdisciplinary work. The purpose of the Division of Astrophysics of the APS should not be merely to provide an internal focus on important new developments. It should also spearhead an awareness among other physicists of these developments. In addition, we should focus on increasing the interdisciplinary connections and contacts with other areas in order to make others aware of the research opportunities. Finally, one of the more important issues the Division will have to address is the changing climate for research support in astrophysics.

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Lyman Page
Princeton University

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Lyman A. Page received his B.A. from Bowdoin College in 1978. After five years of working as a research technician in the Antarctic, re-building and sailing a 37' ketch about the Eastern seaboard and Caribbean, and carpentering in Boston, he started graduate school at MIT, receiving his Ph.D. in 1989. He went on to work as a post-doc at MIT (1989-1990), Instructor of Physics at Princeton (1990-1991), Assistant Professor at Princeton (1991-1995), and now Associate Professor at Princeton (1995-). He is the recipient of a NASA GRSP fellowship, NSF NYI grant, Research Corporation Cottrell Scholars award, and a David and Lucile Packard Foundation award.

RESEARCH INTERESTS: Page's current research interest is in cosmology, specifically measurements of the anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background. He has been part of five separate experiments over the last ten years and is now part of the MAP (Microwave Anisotropy Probe; Chuck Bennett, NASA/GSFC, is PI) satellite project.

CANDIDATE'S STATEMENT: One of the principal responsibilities of the executive committee is organizing a meeting program that is interesting to DAP members. I would bring the perspective of an experimental cosmologist, with interests ranging from gravity wave detection to high energy probes of the cosmos. In all fields, there seems to be a growing gap between those who build experiments and those who analyze the data from them. I strongly support talks, prizes, and programs that emphasize the necessary union of these endeavors. I support with equal enthusiasm prizes and programs aimed at increasing the public's awareness of how science is done.

For Division Councillor

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Edward L. Chupp received his A.B. in Physics ( with Honors) in 1950 from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in cosmic ray physics in 1954 from the same institution. He was a staff physicist at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (1954-1959), a physicist at the Boeing Airplane Company (1959-1961) before joining the University of New Hampshire faculty as Associate Professor of Physics (1962) and then Professor of Physics (1967). He has been a Senior Fulbright-Hayes Fellow (1972-1973), a Alexander von Humboldt Senior Awardee (1972-1973 and 1992) and a National Academy of Sciences China Scholar (1987). In 1972 he received the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement "For outstanding contributions to the discipline of gamma-ray astronomy and solar physics with balloons and the Orbiting Solar Observatory 7 and the discovery of nuclear reactions in the solar atmosphere during flares".

RESEARCH INTERESTS: gamma-ray astrophysics, galactic gamma radiation, the Sun as a star (flares, particle acceleration, and the terrestrial effects of solar radiation), and gamma-ray and neutron instrument development. He is actively involved in the analysis of satellite gamma-ray data (SMM and CGRO) and the development of balloon instruments for cosmic and solar gamma-ray studies.

CANDIDATES STATEMENT: The Division Councillor serves as the liaison between the Council of the Society and the Executive Committee of the Division. The Council meets, at least, twice a year and our Councillor must report to the Executive Committee as early as possible any Council actions which affect the status and operation of the Division. The Councillor should also carry to the Council appropriate Division concerns as requested by the Executive Committee. The Councillor shall report to the entire Executive Committee during their regularly scheduled meetings. Since joining the Division shortly after its formation in 1970 and being elected Fellow in 1975, I have served the Division in many capacities. As a former member of the Executive Committee I have assisted in planning of sessions at the Society's Spring Meetings' and served on the Fellowship Committee several times. Most recently, I have served as Vice-Chair (1991) and Chair (1992). For past-Chair responsibilities I have helped establish, with Alice Harding and Wick Haxton, the Bethe Prize, and helped organize the reviews of a vast number of proposals from colleagues in astrophysics from the former Soviet Union which were sent to the Division by the APS Office of International Scientific Affairs. In my capacity as Councillor, if elected, I would carry out fully the responsibilities as described above. The Division particularly must seek ways to increase its membership, improve the communication of the excitement and importance of astrophysics to the general public and especially to increase general Society participation in the Spring Meetings.' The Councillor as liaison with the Society's Council is in a strong position to help bring Society resources to bear in helping to strengthen the Division.

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Stephen S. Holt
Goddard Space Flight Center

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Stephen S. Holt is the Director of Space Sciences at the Goddard Space Flight Center, where he has been a staff member since receiving his Ph.D. (Physics) from NYU in 1966. He is concurrently a Fellow of the APS, Adjunct Professor of Astronomy at the University of Maryland, X-Ray Astronomy Editor of the journal Experimental Astrophysics, and Vice Chair of the Astrophysics Subdivision of COSPAR.

RESEARCH INTERESTS: High energy astrophysics, X-ray astronomy, X-ray spectroscopic studies of supernova remnants and active galactic nuclei

RELATED EXPERIENCE: Past chair, High Energy Astrophysics Division of the AAS; past member, Executive Committee of the DAP; fellow of the APS

CANDIDATE'S STATEMENT: The Division Councillor serves as representative of the DAP at council (and committee) meetings of the APS. As such, he/she is responsible for effectively advocating the consensus view of the DAP membership. If I were evaluating the qualifications of a candidate for Division Councillor, I would be interested in three things: willingness to take the time to determine the consensus of the DAP executive committee (if not the whole membership) on upcoming issues, commitment to attend the council meetings in order to assure that the DAP opinions are actually delivered, and sufficient experience and good sense to act in the best interests of the DAP spontaneously. I expect to exhibit these characteristics as DAP Division Councillor.