I am returning from the American Physical Society (APS) Global Summit in Anaheim, California, which billed itself as the largest physics conference in the world.
In addition to physics talks, I attended a town hall that was interesting. The society leadership seems to be pretty active in doing what it can to counter US Executive actions that harm members, including filing amicus briefs in court cases. They say they are not changing their messaging or their programs, which include several that are designed to underrepresented groups in physics.
The audience questions and comments were pushing them to do more, though, and at times the leadership seemed a bit defensive. I had the impression they felt they were already doing better than their peer academic societies and were working overtime to keep it that way. LGBTQ+ members were visibly agitated, for obvious reasons, and lobbying for more official action on their behalf.
Several senior members, including French Nobel Laureate Serge Haroche, urged them to think outside their disciplinary box and engage with civil society more broadly, on behalf of scientific values. There was a palpable sense that people were seeking solidarity.
I also heard lots of stories of how people’s lives were being disrupted at critical moments in their lives and careers; some were losing funding, others were losing their jobs, and everyone was anxious and worried. It was sad and frustrating, but also good to see people and share experiences.
Steve Dodge /
npub1pz…sxpg4
2025-03-22 02:55:03
Author Public Key
npub1pzfusvxl87t8sledv8j6fz5m0hprcdlatek5lnqs54hfd29hxs2sgsxpg4Published at
2025-03-22 02:55:03Event JSON
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