Organization: Penn State University
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 00:39:00 EST
From: <WTU@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: "What's New" Dec-11-1992

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Date:      Fri, 11 Dec 92 12:53:21 PST
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From:      "Janice Smith" <VP.APS@STANFORD.BITNET>
Subject:   What's New for 12-11-92

WHAT'S NEW (in my opinion), Friday, 11 Dec 92      Washington, DC

1. EXTRAORDINARY $100M GIFT TO SCIENTISTS IN FORMER SOVIET UNION!
George Soros, the Hungarian-born founder of the Soros Foundation,
announced Wednesday that he will personally contribute $100M to
an emergency fund to shelter science from economic collapse of
the former Soviet Union; he established the International Science
Foundation for the FSU to administer the gift. The impact of such
a sum is enormous, since the salary of a junior scientist in the
FSU is only $10-12/month at the current exchange rate.  It was
about a year ago that the American Astronomical Society appealed
for contributions to colleagues in the FSU.  That was followed in
March by an appeal from APS President Henley to physicists.  In
April, the Sloan Foundation agreed to match the APS funds up to
$30K; Sloan later raised that to $100K.  In July, the Soros
Foundation contributed $500K.  In August, NSF awarded a grant of
$100K to APS, bringing the APS total to $700K.  Pleased with this
"pilot program," Soros made his grand gift to all FSU science.

2. YOUTH WILL BE SERVED--BUT NOT ON THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE.
Jaime Whitten (D-MS), who has served in the House for a record 51
years, has been ousted by the Democrats from his powerful post as
chair of the Appropriations Committee.  The unneeded Advanced
Solid Rocket Motor, which is built in Whitten's district, has
become a symbol of abuse of the appropriations process.  Whitten,
who held the chair for 14 years, is 82 years old and ailing.  He
will be replaced as chair by William Natcher (D-KY)--who is 83!

3. THE DREAM OF FIELDS: WILL CRAIG FIELDS HEAD A DUAL-USE DARPA?
Fields was fired as director of DARPA in 1990 for pushing such
dual-use technologies as HDTV (WN 4 May 90).  A hero to many on
Capitol Hill, Fields saw that military systems are more likely to
benefit from civilian spin-offs than the other way around.  But
that was too close to a dreaded "technology policy" for the Bush-
whackers.  Today he heads MCC (the Microelectronics & Computer
Technology Corp.) in Texas.  According to a Los Angeles Times
story, Fields is on the short list to run a new "dual-use" DARPA.

4. THE SPIN-DOCTORS ARE WORKING ON THE NSF COMMISSION'S REPORT,
just four days before NSF must submit its FY 93 Operating Plan to
Congress.  The plan must explain how the recommendations of the
Commission on the Future of NSF will be implemented and how those
recommendations address the issue raised by a Senate subcommittee
report. The Senate called for NSF "to take a more activist role
in transferring the results of basic research from the academic
community to the market place." That could be tough.  The report
of the NSF Commission said, "Failures in the market place have
not been the result of slow transfer of academic science to
industry."  A "Dear Colleague" letter from Walter Massey gives
his spin on the Commission report: "A prominent theme stands out.
Linkages, partnerships, and collaboration should be touchstones
for all NSF programs." Others may find that theme hard to detect.

Robert L. Park  (202) 662-8700      The American Physical Society

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