Netanyahu and Obama Agree: Global Warming Is a Huge Threat
“Climate change is no less menacing than the security threats that we face,” says the Israeli prime minister.
Gili Yaari/ZUMA
Today Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, at the invitation of House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). The speech has caused a considerable flap, with Democrats criticizing it as an unprecedented affront to President Barack Obama.
But while the president and Netanyahu might have vastly different visions for how to deal with the threat posed by Iran, they do seem to agree on one thing: the threat posed by climate change. Over the past few months Obama has repeatedly emphasized the dangers associated with global warming. In his State of the Union address in January, he said that “no challenge poses a greater threat to future generations” than climate change. And in a recent national security document, Obama called climate change an “urgent and growing threat.” Despite GOP protestations to the contrary, Obama’s concerns are legitimate: New research released yesterday, for example, found that man-made climate change was a key factor in the Syrian civil war.
It seems Bibi had the same thought as early as 2010, when his cabinet approved a wide-reaching plan to reduce Israel’s carbon footprint. At the time, the prime minister said that “the threat of climate change is no less menacing than the security threats that we face.” From the Jerusalem Post:
At the UN Copenhagen Climate Summit in December 2009, Israel pledged to reduce emissions by 20 percent from a “business as usual” scenario by 2020.
“The recent dry months, including the driest November in the history of the state, are a warning light to us all that the threat of climate change is no less menacing than the security threats that we face. I intend to act determinedly in this field. In a country that suffers from a severe water shortage, this is an existential struggle,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said at the cabinet meeting.
Israel doesn’t face the kind of political resistance from climate change deniers that is all too common in the United States, said Gidon Bromberg, Israel director of EcoPeace Middle East. But the country is struggling to meet its carbon emission and renewable energy targets because government spending is so heavily concentrated on defense, he said.
“They’ve given the issue a great deal of lip service,” he said, “but in practice none of these [targets] have been met.”
Still, Israel has been at the forefront of developing seawater desalination technology to confront drought. The country has the biggest desal plant in the world, and last year Netanyahu signed a deal with California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) to share research and technology for dealing with water scarcity.
from Climate Desk http://ift.tt/1EKQVAe
“Climate change is no less menacing than the security threats that we face,” says the Israeli prime minister.
Gili Yaari/ZUMA
Today Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, at the invitation of House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). The speech has caused a considerable flap, with Democrats criticizing it as an unprecedented affront to President Barack Obama.
But while the president and Netanyahu might have vastly different visions for how to deal with the threat posed by Iran, they do seem to agree on one thing: the threat posed by climate change. Over the past few months Obama has repeatedly emphasized the dangers associated with global warming. In his State of the Union address in January, he said that “no challenge poses a greater threat to future generations” than climate change. And in a recent national security document, Obama called climate change an “urgent and growing threat.” Despite GOP protestations to the contrary, Obama’s concerns are legitimate: New research released yesterday, for example, found that man-made climate change was a key factor in the Syrian civil war.
It seems Bibi had the same thought as early as 2010, when his cabinet approved a wide-reaching plan to reduce Israel’s carbon footprint. At the time, the prime minister said that “the threat of climate change is no less menacing than the security threats that we face.” From the Jerusalem Post:
At the UN Copenhagen Climate Summit in December 2009, Israel pledged to reduce emissions by 20 percent from a “business as usual” scenario by 2020.
“The recent dry months, including the driest November in the history of the state, are a warning light to us all that the threat of climate change is no less menacing than the security threats that we face. I intend to act determinedly in this field. In a country that suffers from a severe water shortage, this is an existential struggle,” Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said at the cabinet meeting.
Israel doesn’t face the kind of political resistance from climate change deniers that is all too common in the United States, said Gidon Bromberg, Israel director of EcoPeace Middle East. But the country is struggling to meet its carbon emission and renewable energy targets because government spending is so heavily concentrated on defense, he said.
“They’ve given the issue a great deal of lip service,” he said, “but in practice none of these [targets] have been met.”
Still, Israel has been at the forefront of developing seawater desalination technology to confront drought. The country has the biggest desal plant in the world, and last year Netanyahu signed a deal with California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) to share research and technology for dealing with water scarcity.
from Climate Desk http://ift.tt/1EKQVAe
How often does a solar eclipse happen on the March equinox?
There’s a total eclipse of the sun coming up on March 20, 2015 – the day of the vernal equinox! EarthSky reader Billy asked:
Does the vernal equinox and the solar eclipse ‘just happen’ to occur on the same day? How often does this happen?
A total eclipse of the sun and the March equinox do fall on the same date this year: March 20, 2015. The greatest eclipse occurs at 9:46 Universal Time, while the March equinox comes to pass some 13 hours later at 22:45 Universal Time.
After the 2014 equinox eclipse, the next total solar eclipse at the March equinox will be on March 20, 2034. Then there will be two more in this century: 2053 and 2072.
Does that mean there are four total solar eclipses at an equinox every century? No. If you know anything about astronomy, you might have guessed that – here as in most sky-related phenomena – there are cycles acting within cycles. Want to know more? Keep reading …
Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!
A total solar eclipse is nature’s grandest spectacle. This composite image is the total solar eclipse of August 1999 by eclipse master Fred Espenak.
A solar eclipse can only happen at new moon. For an eclipse to take place at the vernal equinox, therefore, the new moon must come on the equinox date. Of course, a March equinox new moon doesn’t always necessarily guarantee a solar eclipse. Here’s why.
New moons recur on (or near) the same calendar dates every 19 years. This 19-year lunar period is known as the Metonic cycle. Amazingly, you can project this 19-year cycle for centuries into the future (or past) to figure out when the new moon will occur on the March equinox.
For example, 11 Metonic cycles equal 209 years (19 years x 11 = 209 years).
Therefore, 209 years after March 20, 2015, the new moon and the March equinox will both take place on March 20, 2224. However, there won’t be a solar eclipse on March 20, 2224! As we just mentioned … a new moon on an equinox doesn’t guarantee an eclipse.
Why aren’t there eclipses at every full and new moon?
A total solar eclipse can be seen only along a narrow pathway across Earth’s surface. In the case of the March 20, 2015 eclipse that pathway cuts east of Iceland, across the North Atlantic. Click here to learn more about the total eclipse. Map via Fred Espenak
Contrasting a total solar eclipse (A) annular eclipse (B) and partial solar eclipse (C). Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
On the other hand, given any year that does have a solar eclipse on the March equinox – such as the year 2015 – it’s inevitable that this March equinox solar eclipse must belong to a series of four to five March equinox solar eclipses.
In other words, a solar eclipse is destined to fall on the March equinox every 19 years for four or five straight Metonic cycles.
Sure enough, the March equinox solar eclipse on March 20, 2015, initiates a series March equinox solar eclipses that will conclude on March 19, 2072! (In 2072, the solar eclipse and March equinox will actually fall on March 19).
Series of March equinox solar eclipses:
March 20, 2015: Total solar eclipse
March 20, 2034: Total solar eclipse
March 20, 2053: Annular solar eclipse
March 19, 2072: Partial solar eclipse
So, Billy, that how we find four years of the 21st century (2001-2100) featuring a March equinox solar eclipse: 2015, 2034, 2053 and 2072.
From the best of our reckoning, there will be no solar eclipses taking place on the March equinox during the 22nd century (2101-2200) and 23rd century (2201-2300). However, there is an eclipse cycle whereby we can expect the recurrence of March equinox solar eclipses in cycles of 372 years. It happens because, in a period of 372 years, the phases of the moon recur on the same calendar dates. If an eclipse is involved, the eclipse will fall on the same date as well.
Hence, the next series of March equinox solar eclipses:
March 20, 2387: Partial solar eclipse
March 20, 2406: Total solar eclipse
March 20, 2425: Annular solar eclipse
March 19, 2444: Annular solar eclipse
March 20, 2463 Partial solar eclipse
Parts of the world will see a partial eclipse on March 20, 2015. Click here to learn more about the partial eclipse. Map via Fred Espenak
Bottom line: We find four years of the 21st century (2001-2100) featuring a March equinox solar eclipse: 2015, 2034, 2053 and 2072. But that doesn’t mean that four equinox eclipses happen in every century.
Resources:
Phases of the moon: 2001 to 2100
Solstices and equinoxes: 2001 to 2100
Equinox and solstice calculator
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1EdqmEL
There’s a total eclipse of the sun coming up on March 20, 2015 – the day of the vernal equinox! EarthSky reader Billy asked:
Does the vernal equinox and the solar eclipse ‘just happen’ to occur on the same day? How often does this happen?
A total eclipse of the sun and the March equinox do fall on the same date this year: March 20, 2015. The greatest eclipse occurs at 9:46 Universal Time, while the March equinox comes to pass some 13 hours later at 22:45 Universal Time.
After the 2014 equinox eclipse, the next total solar eclipse at the March equinox will be on March 20, 2034. Then there will be two more in this century: 2053 and 2072.
Does that mean there are four total solar eclipses at an equinox every century? No. If you know anything about astronomy, you might have guessed that – here as in most sky-related phenomena – there are cycles acting within cycles. Want to know more? Keep reading …
Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!
A total solar eclipse is nature’s grandest spectacle. This composite image is the total solar eclipse of August 1999 by eclipse master Fred Espenak.
A solar eclipse can only happen at new moon. For an eclipse to take place at the vernal equinox, therefore, the new moon must come on the equinox date. Of course, a March equinox new moon doesn’t always necessarily guarantee a solar eclipse. Here’s why.
New moons recur on (or near) the same calendar dates every 19 years. This 19-year lunar period is known as the Metonic cycle. Amazingly, you can project this 19-year cycle for centuries into the future (or past) to figure out when the new moon will occur on the March equinox.
For example, 11 Metonic cycles equal 209 years (19 years x 11 = 209 years).
Therefore, 209 years after March 20, 2015, the new moon and the March equinox will both take place on March 20, 2224. However, there won’t be a solar eclipse on March 20, 2224! As we just mentioned … a new moon on an equinox doesn’t guarantee an eclipse.
Why aren’t there eclipses at every full and new moon?
A total solar eclipse can be seen only along a narrow pathway across Earth’s surface. In the case of the March 20, 2015 eclipse that pathway cuts east of Iceland, across the North Atlantic. Click here to learn more about the total eclipse. Map via Fred Espenak
Contrasting a total solar eclipse (A) annular eclipse (B) and partial solar eclipse (C). Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
On the other hand, given any year that does have a solar eclipse on the March equinox – such as the year 2015 – it’s inevitable that this March equinox solar eclipse must belong to a series of four to five March equinox solar eclipses.
In other words, a solar eclipse is destined to fall on the March equinox every 19 years for four or five straight Metonic cycles.
Sure enough, the March equinox solar eclipse on March 20, 2015, initiates a series March equinox solar eclipses that will conclude on March 19, 2072! (In 2072, the solar eclipse and March equinox will actually fall on March 19).
Series of March equinox solar eclipses:
March 20, 2015: Total solar eclipse
March 20, 2034: Total solar eclipse
March 20, 2053: Annular solar eclipse
March 19, 2072: Partial solar eclipse
So, Billy, that how we find four years of the 21st century (2001-2100) featuring a March equinox solar eclipse: 2015, 2034, 2053 and 2072.
From the best of our reckoning, there will be no solar eclipses taking place on the March equinox during the 22nd century (2101-2200) and 23rd century (2201-2300). However, there is an eclipse cycle whereby we can expect the recurrence of March equinox solar eclipses in cycles of 372 years. It happens because, in a period of 372 years, the phases of the moon recur on the same calendar dates. If an eclipse is involved, the eclipse will fall on the same date as well.
Hence, the next series of March equinox solar eclipses:
March 20, 2387: Partial solar eclipse
March 20, 2406: Total solar eclipse
March 20, 2425: Annular solar eclipse
March 19, 2444: Annular solar eclipse
March 20, 2463 Partial solar eclipse
Parts of the world will see a partial eclipse on March 20, 2015. Click here to learn more about the partial eclipse. Map via Fred Espenak
Bottom line: We find four years of the 21st century (2001-2100) featuring a March equinox solar eclipse: 2015, 2034, 2053 and 2072. But that doesn’t mean that four equinox eclipses happen in every century.
Resources:
Phases of the moon: 2001 to 2100
Solstices and equinoxes: 2001 to 2100
Equinox and solstice calculator
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1EdqmEL
Methane-based lifeforms possible on Saturn’s moon?
A representation of a 9-nanometer azotosome, about the size of a virus, with a piece of the membrane cut away to show the hollow interior. Image credit: James Stevenson
Scientists at Cornell University have created a theorized cell membrane based not on water, but on methane. They offer a template for how life how might exists in much colder worlds than Earth, specifically Titan, the giant moon of Saturn. The researchers suggest that Titan, a world awash with seas of liquid methane, could harbor methane-based, oxygen-free cells that metabolize, reproduce and do everything life on Earth does.
Their theorized cell membrane, composed of small organic nitrogen compounds and capable of functioning in liquid methane temperatures of 292 degrees below zero, was published in Science Advances, February 27, 2015.
Cassini captured this image of Saturn with it’s largest moon, Titan, in the foreground on August 29, 2012. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI
Here on Earth, life is based on the phospholipid bilayer membrane, the strong, permeable, water-based vesicle that houses the organic matter of every cell. A vesicle made from such a membrane is called a liposome. Thus, many astronomers seek extraterrestrial life in what’s called the circumstellar habitable zone, the narrow band around the sun in which liquid water can exist. But what if cells weren’t based on water, but on methane, which has a much lower freezing point?
The work was led by Paulette Clancy, the Samuel W. and Diane M. Bodman Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell. She said:
We just worked with the compounds that we knew were there and asked, ‘If this was your palette, what can you make out of that?’
The scientists named their theorized cell membrane an “azotosome,” “azote” being the French word for nitrogen. “Liposome” comes from the Greek “lipos” and “soma” to mean “lipid body;” by analogy, “azotosome” means “nitrogen body.”
The azotosome is made from nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen molecules known to exist in the cryogenic seas of Titan, but shows the same stability and flexibility that Earth’s analogous liposome does.
The researchers said the next step is to try and demonstrate how these cells would behave in the methane environment – what might be the analogue to reproduction and metabolism in oxygen-free, methane-based cells.
Cornell astronomer Jonathan Lunine is the paper’s co-author. Lunine is an expert on Saturn’s moons and an interdisciplinary scientist on the Cassini-Huygens mission that discovered methane-ethane seas on Titan. Lunine looks forward to the long-term prospect of testing these ideas on Titan itself, as he put it, by
…someday sending a probe to float on the seas of this amazing moon and directly sampling the organics.
First author James Stevenson, Cornell graduate student in chemical engineering, said he was in part inspired by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who wrote about the concept of non-water-based life in a 1962 essay, “Not as We Know I.” Stevenson said:
Ours is the first concrete blueprint of life not as we know it.
Bottom line: A Cornell University study, published in Science Advances, February 27, 2015, describes a theorized cell membrane based not on water, but on methane, a template for how life how might exists on the giant moon of Saturn.
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1zEYAcz
A representation of a 9-nanometer azotosome, about the size of a virus, with a piece of the membrane cut away to show the hollow interior. Image credit: James Stevenson
Scientists at Cornell University have created a theorized cell membrane based not on water, but on methane. They offer a template for how life how might exists in much colder worlds than Earth, specifically Titan, the giant moon of Saturn. The researchers suggest that Titan, a world awash with seas of liquid methane, could harbor methane-based, oxygen-free cells that metabolize, reproduce and do everything life on Earth does.
Their theorized cell membrane, composed of small organic nitrogen compounds and capable of functioning in liquid methane temperatures of 292 degrees below zero, was published in Science Advances, February 27, 2015.
Cassini captured this image of Saturn with it’s largest moon, Titan, in the foreground on August 29, 2012. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI
Here on Earth, life is based on the phospholipid bilayer membrane, the strong, permeable, water-based vesicle that houses the organic matter of every cell. A vesicle made from such a membrane is called a liposome. Thus, many astronomers seek extraterrestrial life in what’s called the circumstellar habitable zone, the narrow band around the sun in which liquid water can exist. But what if cells weren’t based on water, but on methane, which has a much lower freezing point?
The work was led by Paulette Clancy, the Samuel W. and Diane M. Bodman Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell. She said:
We just worked with the compounds that we knew were there and asked, ‘If this was your palette, what can you make out of that?’
The scientists named their theorized cell membrane an “azotosome,” “azote” being the French word for nitrogen. “Liposome” comes from the Greek “lipos” and “soma” to mean “lipid body;” by analogy, “azotosome” means “nitrogen body.”
The azotosome is made from nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen molecules known to exist in the cryogenic seas of Titan, but shows the same stability and flexibility that Earth’s analogous liposome does.
The researchers said the next step is to try and demonstrate how these cells would behave in the methane environment – what might be the analogue to reproduction and metabolism in oxygen-free, methane-based cells.
Cornell astronomer Jonathan Lunine is the paper’s co-author. Lunine is an expert on Saturn’s moons and an interdisciplinary scientist on the Cassini-Huygens mission that discovered methane-ethane seas on Titan. Lunine looks forward to the long-term prospect of testing these ideas on Titan itself, as he put it, by
…someday sending a probe to float on the seas of this amazing moon and directly sampling the organics.
First author James Stevenson, Cornell graduate student in chemical engineering, said he was in part inspired by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who wrote about the concept of non-water-based life in a 1962 essay, “Not as We Know I.” Stevenson said:
Ours is the first concrete blueprint of life not as we know it.
Bottom line: A Cornell University study, published in Science Advances, February 27, 2015, describes a theorized cell membrane based not on water, but on methane, a template for how life how might exists on the giant moon of Saturn.
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1zEYAcz
Rosetta spacecraft glimpses its own shadow
The dark spot at the bottom of the frame is the Rosetta spacecraft’s shadow on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which it has been orbiting since last August. The spacecraft was only 4 miles (6 km) from the comet when this image was acquired on February 14, 2015. Image via ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
On February 14, 2015, the Rosetta spacecraft made a close flyby of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The spacecraft not only passed closer to a comet than any spacecraft had before, but it also became part of a unique space geometry. For a short time during the maneuver – as the spacecraft swept in closest to 67P – the sun, the spacecraft and the comet were almost perfectly aligned. Thus – although the resulting images are of high scientific value – they don’t appear as dramatic as some earlier Rosetta images of the comet, because few shadows can be seen. But there is one exception: as a side-effect of this exceptional geometry, we can see Rosetta’s shadow on the surface of the comet, surrounded by a bright halo-like region.
The images were acquired by OSIRIS, the scientific imaging system on board the Rosetta spacecraft. They have a resolution of 11 centimeters per pixel.
Cool, yes?
Read more about Rosetta’s shadow from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
The shadow seen on the comet’s surface is Rosetta’s penumbra. Such penumbras occur when an object is illuminated by an extended light source like the sun. Image via ESA
Bottom line: The Rosetta spacecrft caught its own shadow encircled in a wreath of light, on the icy surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, on February 14, 2015.
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/18JP8iO
The dark spot at the bottom of the frame is the Rosetta spacecraft’s shadow on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which it has been orbiting since last August. The spacecraft was only 4 miles (6 km) from the comet when this image was acquired on February 14, 2015. Image via ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
On February 14, 2015, the Rosetta spacecraft made a close flyby of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The spacecraft not only passed closer to a comet than any spacecraft had before, but it also became part of a unique space geometry. For a short time during the maneuver – as the spacecraft swept in closest to 67P – the sun, the spacecraft and the comet were almost perfectly aligned. Thus – although the resulting images are of high scientific value – they don’t appear as dramatic as some earlier Rosetta images of the comet, because few shadows can be seen. But there is one exception: as a side-effect of this exceptional geometry, we can see Rosetta’s shadow on the surface of the comet, surrounded by a bright halo-like region.
The images were acquired by OSIRIS, the scientific imaging system on board the Rosetta spacecraft. They have a resolution of 11 centimeters per pixel.
Cool, yes?
Read more about Rosetta’s shadow from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
The shadow seen on the comet’s surface is Rosetta’s penumbra. Such penumbras occur when an object is illuminated by an extended light source like the sun. Image via ESA
Bottom line: The Rosetta spacecrft caught its own shadow encircled in a wreath of light, on the icy surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, on February 14, 2015.
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/18JP8iO
Announcing the Schrödinger Sessions: Science for Science Fiction [Uncertain Principles]
A few years back, I became aware of Mike Brotherton’s Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop, and said “somebody should do this for quantum physics.” At the time, I wasn’t in a position to do that, but in the interim, the APS Outreach program launched the Public Outreach and Informing the Public Grant program, providing smallish grants for new public outreach efforts. So, because I apparently don’t have enough on my plate as it is, I floated the idea with Steve Rolston at Maryland (my immediate supervisor when I was a grad student), who liked it, and we put together a proposal with their Director of Outreach, Emily Edwards. We didn’t get funded last year, but the problems were easily fixed, and this year’s proposal was funded. Woo-hoo!
So, we’re very pleased to announce that this summer we’ll be holding “The Schrödinger Sessions: Science for Science Fiction” a workshop at the Joint Quantum Institute (a combined initiative of the University of Maryland, College Park and NIST in Gaithersburg) to provide a three-day “crash course” in quantum physics for science fiction writers. The workshop will run from Thursday, July 30 through Saturday August 1, 2015, on the Maryland campus in College Park, with housing, breakfast, and lunch included. There’s a fake schedule up on that web page, that we’ll fill once we get JQI scientists signed up, but it gives the basic idea: three days of lectures and discussions with scientists, and visits to JQI’s labs.
The web page is a little sketchy, because we were using a pre-existing template to speed things up, but that’s why I have a blog: to provide much more information. Which we might as well do in semi-traditional Q&A format:
This sounds cool, but what does this have to do with public outreach? The idea is to bring in science fiction writers, and show them some of the latest and greatest in quantum physics, with the goal of inspiring and informing new stories using quantum ideas and quantum technology.
We know that science fiction stories reach and inspire their audience to learn more about science, and even make careers in science– things like this astronaut’s tribute to Leonard Nimoy are a dramatic reminder of the inspirational effect of science fiction. Our hope is that the writers who come to the workshop will learn new and amazing things to include in their fiction, and through that work, they’ll reach a wider audience than we could hope to bring in person to JQI.
But why quantum physics? Well, because we think quantum physics is awesome. And because quantum physics is essential for all sorts of modern technology– you can’t have computers without Schrödinger cats, after all. And most of all because the sort of things they study at JQI– quantum information, quantum teleportation, quantum computing– could have a revolutionary impact on the technology of the future.
Isn’t quantum too small and weird to make good stories, though? Hardly. Quantum physics has figured prominently in stories like Robert Charles Wilson’s “Divided by Infinity”, and Ted Chiang’s “Story of Your Life” (SPOILERS), and Hannu Rajaniemi just completed the trilogy that starts with The Quantum Thief, which you can tell from the title is full of quantum ideas.
The weirdness of quantum physics is a bit off-putting, but then that’s the point of the workshop: to bring in writers to learn more about quantum physics, and see how it works in practice. The hope is that this will make writers who come to the workshop more comfortable with the subject, and thus more likely to write stories with a quantum component.
OK, but why Maryland? Well, because the Joint Quantum Institute is one of the world’s leading centers for research in quantum mechanics and its applications. Just check out their collection of news stories about JQI research to get a sense of the range and impact of their work. If you want to see quantum physicists at work, it’s one of the very best places in the world to go.
Yeah, but isn’t the weather awful hot in July and August? Look, you can’t have everything, OK?
OK, let’s get to practical stuff. When you say “writers,” you mean people who do short stories and novels? No, we’re defining “writer” as broadly as we can. We’d love to have people who write for television, or movies, or video games, or online media. Really, anybody who makes up stories about stuff that hasn’t really happened is welcome, regardless of the medium in which that work appears.
How many of these writers are you looking for? The budget in the proposal called for 15, though that depends a bit on how much money we need for food and housing; if more people than we expected are willing to share rooms, we might be able to take one or two more.
So there’s going to be an application process? Yes. I mean, we’d love to have a huge number of people, but we have logistical constraints to deal with. We’ll take applications online starting later this week (my other major task for today is to put together the application web form), continuing for a couple of weeks, and hope to make decisions around April 1, so attendees will have plenty of time to make travel plans.
Speaking of travel, what’s included in this package? We plan to provide housing for attendees in the dorms on Maryland’s campus, and breakfast, lunch, and coffee/snack breaks will be included. We left dinners open, in case people want to explore the DC area a little (great restaurants there, that’s one of the things I miss from grad school…), but might look at doing one group dinner with a fun talk of some sort. The schedule is still being sorted out.
There is a possibility that a limited amount of funding might be available for travel support, but again, it depends on a bunch of other factors that affect the overall budget.
And what will the selection criteria be? Well, the ultimate goal of the workshop is public outreach, so we’ll be trying to invite participant whose work will be able to reach as broad an audience as possible. That means we’ll be looking for a mix of established and up-and-coming writers, and as much diversity as we can manage in terms of audience, subgenre, media, etc. I can’t really be any more specific than that, though.
What if I’m busy on those days, or just can’t afford it this year? Will this happen again? Can’t you at least let us get through one of these before asking that?
If it goes well, we’d certainly be open to that possibility, but it’ll depend on a lot of factors, mostly involving money, but also level of interest, success of the workshop, etc.
———–
And that is the big news I’ve been sitting on for a while now. I’m pretty excited about this, and hope it will be a great program. If you know anybody who might be interested in this, please point them in our direction.
from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1EJypYL
A few years back, I became aware of Mike Brotherton’s Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop, and said “somebody should do this for quantum physics.” At the time, I wasn’t in a position to do that, but in the interim, the APS Outreach program launched the Public Outreach and Informing the Public Grant program, providing smallish grants for new public outreach efforts. So, because I apparently don’t have enough on my plate as it is, I floated the idea with Steve Rolston at Maryland (my immediate supervisor when I was a grad student), who liked it, and we put together a proposal with their Director of Outreach, Emily Edwards. We didn’t get funded last year, but the problems were easily fixed, and this year’s proposal was funded. Woo-hoo!
So, we’re very pleased to announce that this summer we’ll be holding “The Schrödinger Sessions: Science for Science Fiction” a workshop at the Joint Quantum Institute (a combined initiative of the University of Maryland, College Park and NIST in Gaithersburg) to provide a three-day “crash course” in quantum physics for science fiction writers. The workshop will run from Thursday, July 30 through Saturday August 1, 2015, on the Maryland campus in College Park, with housing, breakfast, and lunch included. There’s a fake schedule up on that web page, that we’ll fill once we get JQI scientists signed up, but it gives the basic idea: three days of lectures and discussions with scientists, and visits to JQI’s labs.
The web page is a little sketchy, because we were using a pre-existing template to speed things up, but that’s why I have a blog: to provide much more information. Which we might as well do in semi-traditional Q&A format:
This sounds cool, but what does this have to do with public outreach? The idea is to bring in science fiction writers, and show them some of the latest and greatest in quantum physics, with the goal of inspiring and informing new stories using quantum ideas and quantum technology.
We know that science fiction stories reach and inspire their audience to learn more about science, and even make careers in science– things like this astronaut’s tribute to Leonard Nimoy are a dramatic reminder of the inspirational effect of science fiction. Our hope is that the writers who come to the workshop will learn new and amazing things to include in their fiction, and through that work, they’ll reach a wider audience than we could hope to bring in person to JQI.
But why quantum physics? Well, because we think quantum physics is awesome. And because quantum physics is essential for all sorts of modern technology– you can’t have computers without Schrödinger cats, after all. And most of all because the sort of things they study at JQI– quantum information, quantum teleportation, quantum computing– could have a revolutionary impact on the technology of the future.
Isn’t quantum too small and weird to make good stories, though? Hardly. Quantum physics has figured prominently in stories like Robert Charles Wilson’s “Divided by Infinity”, and Ted Chiang’s “Story of Your Life” (SPOILERS), and Hannu Rajaniemi just completed the trilogy that starts with The Quantum Thief, which you can tell from the title is full of quantum ideas.
The weirdness of quantum physics is a bit off-putting, but then that’s the point of the workshop: to bring in writers to learn more about quantum physics, and see how it works in practice. The hope is that this will make writers who come to the workshop more comfortable with the subject, and thus more likely to write stories with a quantum component.
OK, but why Maryland? Well, because the Joint Quantum Institute is one of the world’s leading centers for research in quantum mechanics and its applications. Just check out their collection of news stories about JQI research to get a sense of the range and impact of their work. If you want to see quantum physicists at work, it’s one of the very best places in the world to go.
Yeah, but isn’t the weather awful hot in July and August? Look, you can’t have everything, OK?
OK, let’s get to practical stuff. When you say “writers,” you mean people who do short stories and novels? No, we’re defining “writer” as broadly as we can. We’d love to have people who write for television, or movies, or video games, or online media. Really, anybody who makes up stories about stuff that hasn’t really happened is welcome, regardless of the medium in which that work appears.
How many of these writers are you looking for? The budget in the proposal called for 15, though that depends a bit on how much money we need for food and housing; if more people than we expected are willing to share rooms, we might be able to take one or two more.
So there’s going to be an application process? Yes. I mean, we’d love to have a huge number of people, but we have logistical constraints to deal with. We’ll take applications online starting later this week (my other major task for today is to put together the application web form), continuing for a couple of weeks, and hope to make decisions around April 1, so attendees will have plenty of time to make travel plans.
Speaking of travel, what’s included in this package? We plan to provide housing for attendees in the dorms on Maryland’s campus, and breakfast, lunch, and coffee/snack breaks will be included. We left dinners open, in case people want to explore the DC area a little (great restaurants there, that’s one of the things I miss from grad school…), but might look at doing one group dinner with a fun talk of some sort. The schedule is still being sorted out.
There is a possibility that a limited amount of funding might be available for travel support, but again, it depends on a bunch of other factors that affect the overall budget.
And what will the selection criteria be? Well, the ultimate goal of the workshop is public outreach, so we’ll be trying to invite participant whose work will be able to reach as broad an audience as possible. That means we’ll be looking for a mix of established and up-and-coming writers, and as much diversity as we can manage in terms of audience, subgenre, media, etc. I can’t really be any more specific than that, though.
What if I’m busy on those days, or just can’t afford it this year? Will this happen again? Can’t you at least let us get through one of these before asking that?
If it goes well, we’d certainly be open to that possibility, but it’ll depend on a lot of factors, mostly involving money, but also level of interest, success of the workshop, etc.
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And that is the big news I’ve been sitting on for a while now. I’m pretty excited about this, and hope it will be a great program. If you know anybody who might be interested in this, please point them in our direction.
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