A Paradigm Shift? by Dr. Harold Morowitz, George Mason University

The recent discovery from DNA sequences that genes are rather promiscuously horizontally transferred among prokaryotes refocuses the already difficult question of what we mean by a "species" within this taxon. This species problem may extend to eukaryotic taxa. We are simultaneously discovering that the core of the chart of intermediary metabolism is very old, ubiquitous and extremely robust to change. This results in a phenotype (the chart of intermediary metabolism) that is stable to a fluctuating noisy genetic background. The stability forces a reexamination of the dogma of molecular biology and asks in which way the information flows. This possible shift of paradigm has implications for evolutionary theory, biogenesis, Lamarkianism and our general philosophic view of biology.

Engineering is a bridge for pre-college students to play and tinker with mathematics and science concepts. Experiences that allow pre-college students to design and build projects that illustrate principles learned in a classroom can strengthen a child's understanding of abstract concepts. However, before children can learn, their teachers need to understand the connections between engineering and the mathematics and science learning goals that are taught in classrooms. The National Science Foundation has funded programs at higher education institutions, such as Johns Hopkins University, to support in service programs for teachers that focus on engineering and research. This program couples research faculty and secondary school educators. These educators become engaged in real research and engineering experiences that can be applied to classrooms. The presentation will describe the JHU program, its partnership with AAAS, and practices transferred into classrooms across the country.

Underwater Sound from the Whale's Point of View. by Dr. Paul Arveson, The Balanced Scorecard Institute

There have been numerous reports in the recent literature of apparently stressful effects on marine mammals due to sonar experiments. But another man-made source -- the radiated noise from ships -- contributes significantly to the ocean ambient, nearly everywhere and all the time. The technical basis for this talk is a set of accurate and detailed measurements of the radiated noise of a typical cargo ship ["Radiated Noise Characteristics of a Large Cargo Ship", P. Arveson and D. Vendittis, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Jan. 2000]. However, the talk will be a popular-level demonstration and a (necessarily) fictitious narrative of acoustical experiences from a humpback whale's point of view. Room acoustics permitting, the audience should be able to gain an experiential insight into the environmental impact of shipping noise on the life and habits of these creatures.

Nuclear Explosion Monitoring: An Overview with a Focus on Acoustics. by Zachary Upton, BBN Technologies

The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was adopted by the United Nations on September 10, 1996. The treaty bans all nuclear weapons testing by its member countries. Statistics of signature and ratification include:

• 169 countries have signed the treaty.
• 106 countries have ratified it.
• Thirty-one of the required forty-four countries with nuclear capability have ratified it.
• The United States has signed but not ratified it.

Once the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban treaty enters into force, there will need to be a system in place to verify treaty compliance. Research and development of this system has been underway since the early nineties. The International Monitoring System (IMS) will be a continuously active system that will be able to detect and localize a nuclear explosion anywhere on the globe. It will include seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide sensors. This presentation will give a brief overview of the Treaty and the International Monitoring System (IMS). It will then focus on the current research in the acoustics-related areas of the IMS. From theory and modeling to signal processing, the challenges of nuclear explosion monitoring using acoustics will be discussed at a level suitable for a general audience. Facilities permitting, the audience will be able to experience some of the sounds received on IMS hydroacoustic sensors.

We have surveyed three groups on what they believe the appropriate goals should be for a college-level (algebara-based) physics course for nonmajors. These groups include: (a) physics faculty at George Mason (a more or less conventional department), (b) a group of physics faculty who make use of physics education reform curricular materials, and (c) the students taking the algebra based physics at George Mason. We compare the results of the goals survey for these three groups, and various subgroups.

The year 2005 marks the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein's "miraculous year" in which he published three important papers describing ideas that have since influenced all of modern physics. This year provides the opportunity to celebrate Einstein, his great ideas, and his influence on life in the 21st century. The World Year of Physics (WYP 2005) is a worldwide celebration of physics and its importance in our everyday lives. Physics not only plays an important role in the development of science and technology but also has a tremendous impact on our society. The goal of the WYP is to raise the public awareness of physics and physical science and this presentation will discuss ways in which everyone in the physics community can help achieve this goal.

PhysTEC (Physics Teacher Education Coalition) is an NSF FIPSE sponsored collaborative effort between the American Physical Society, the American Association of Physics Teachers, and the American Institute of Physics to get physics departments in collaboration with their colleagues in education to create more and better prepared science teachers, K-12. We are in our third year of operation and a report of our progress and aspirations will be provided.

Many scholars have rightly examined and celebrated the scientific interests and activities of Franklin and Jefferson. In this presentation, we examine James Madison's scientific and technological interests during his long life. By doing so, we hope to illuminate the role and progress of science in a young and rapidly expanding nation.

Working with Lynchburg College senior Benjamin Hannas, we modeled the 2003 Tour de France bicycle race using stage profile data for which elevations at various points in each stage are known. Each stage is modeled as a series of inclined planes and we accounted for aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance on the bicycle-rider combination. Our calculated total of the stage-winning times differed from the actual total by just 0.03%.

Scanning probe microscopy has become an established tool for performing nanoscale research in industry and academia. These instruments have also proven to be excellent instruments for undergraduate instruction. This presentation will focus on applications of scanning probe microscopy for nanolithography studies and their applications.

The Universal Product Code (UPC) printed on containers and packages of commercial products is a barcode identifying the contents. The code is represented by black and white stripes of varying widths. When the bars are scanned with a laser beam the code is translated into a serial number, which gives relevant information about the product, its description, price, etc. This talk describes a demonstration with physics laboratory equipment that mimics a commercial laser UPC reader and illustrates the application of simple physics to a modern technology used in everyday life.

In 2002 the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia (SCHEV), requested all state institutions of higher education to submit institutional plans for assessing scientific and quantitative reasoning competency of students. These institutional plans or proposals must include the institution's definition of competency and a description of how the institution will assess it. I will address the approach being taken at George Mason University, including the primary goals in the definition of scientific reasoning competency, and the implementation plans being considered to meet the SCHEV requirements.

Radford University has worked with the town of Saltville, Virginia, to help understand and publicize their role in US history, including the Civil War. As a major producer of salt in the 1700s and 1800s, Saltville built a number of 'saltworks' to remove salt from the high-salt-content groundwater found in certain locations in the area. Much of this involved large iron vats and other iron artifacts that today are either buried or are rusting out in the open. We are using a simple electrolysis process--the same as that used on the Monitor submarine--to remove the years of encrustation as well as to reconstitute the iron structure of the artifacts themselves. The equipment for this procedure is easy to assemble and can be used on iron artifacts of various sizes and ages. Calculations involving this reaction will show why these processes take such a long time to complete.

Natural resource managers need to know when an alien species is introduced to their region and where they can get information to help formulate response strategies. Although there are many nuggets to be gleaned from the literature and answers can be found within a myriad of databases and websites, currently there is no comprehensive website that integrates the data, synthesizes it in a usable format, and makes it readily available. For that reason, the National Ocean Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Smithsonian Museum, and many other partners initiated in FY02 a project that will result in a credible inventory of U.S. and Canadian aquatic species, a reporting and verification system for species not on the inventory, timely warnings for species new to aquatic ecosystems, risk assessments, and other information on alien species. Implemented as a Hawaiian Pilot Inventory and Warning System, the Pilot is now being tested. Data is already being added from other regions of the United States and Canada to those databases to enhance the effort. A draft U.S. and Canadian inventory and warning system could be ready as early as FY08. Visitors to the Pilot website can ‘ground truth’ new collections against an inventory of existing U.S. and Canadian species, map distributions, and get in-depth information on invasive species. If a species not on the inventory is confirmed as alien, a warning will be posted automatically to managers. With such warnings and information, managers will be better prepared to prevent alien species and mitigate impacts. Reducing the potential for a species becoming established in aquatic ecosystems should also help maintain habitat structure, function, and diversity for critical fisheries habitats.

Multiple oligonucleotide microarray hybridization is a relatively new technology that has shown potential in genotyping and characterizing pathogenic bacteria. C. perfringens, a pathogenic bacteria found in soil and the intestinal tract of vertebrates, was characterized by the microarray technology here in 17 isolated strains. The strains produce many toxins, six of which were genotyped by the multiple oligonucleotide microarray technology; iA (iota toxin), cpa (alpha toxin), cpe (enterotoxin), etxD (epsilon toxin), cpb1 (beta toxin 1), and cpb2 (beta toxin 2). Three oligonucleotide probes (oligoprobes) were developed for each toxin from complementary sequences and were immobilized on a glass slide. Multiplex PCR was performed to provide amplified regions of ssDNA from each virulence gene and fluorescently labeled (Cy5 or Cy3) DNA was hybridized to its complementary oligoprobe on the microarray chip. Fluorescence on the chip was analyzed in order to determine the presence or absence of toxins in each strain of C. perfringens. Results of the study, verified by single PCR amplification shown in gel electrophoresis, indicate the reliability and potential usefulness and efficiency of the multiple microarray-based technology in the genotyping of microorganisms.

The system we are studying focuses on use of “host” gene responses to various biological threat agents in order to obtain early assessment of exposure. Our aim is to identify signature genes that will identify exposure to each one of these threat agents even soon after exposure. Already we have demonstrated with B. anthracis exposure in non-human primates (NHP) that using gene response profiles, there is a unique signature of exposure within 24 h and are moving back to 6 h post exposure. Classical methods have been unable to detect such exposure until 3 days post exposure. Obtaining patient samples for HIV, flu, malaria is not difficult and is a critical part of designing new detection and therapeutic approaches. Human samples from exposure to biothreat and emerging pathogenic agents are rare to non-existent. For many, the only animal models that exist are non-human primates (monkeys) and there are enormous problems in their use especially since they are in such short supply, are quite expensive and they retain their wild characteristics, hiding signs of illness. The efforts of our program are to determine how we can use mathematical predictive modeling from data obtained with in vitro exposures to human white blood cells. In this in vitro system, we can investigate dose, exposure times and other variables in order to thoroughly understand the host responses. We have NHP studies with which to model these predictive algorithms. Obviously, those animal studies are impractical for the range of studies that we carry out in vitro. Mathematical and bioinformatics approaches are providing the means to identify gene patterns that have been identified in vitro that predict in vivo progression of illness/exposure.

Influenza pneumonitis causes severe systemic symptoms in mice, including hypothermia, anorexia and excess slow wave sleep. The association of extrapulmonary virus, particularly virus in the brain, with the onset of such disease symptoms has not been investigated. C57BL/6 male mice were infected intranasally with high doses of purified mouse-adapted influenza virus (strains PR8 or X-31) under inhalation anesthesia. Core body temperatures were monitored continuously by radio-telemetry, and tissues (whole blood, spleens, brains and upper lung lobes) were harvested at the time of onset of hypothermia (13-24 hr post infection). In some experiments brains were dissected into cortex, hypothalamus and brainstem. All tissues were examined either by single-step reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), two-step nested RT-PCR (nRT-PCR), or quantitative real-time RT-PCR (RT2-PCR) for negative polarity (genomic) or positive polarity (replication intermediates, cRNA or mRNA) strands of PR8 or X-31 nucleoprotein. RT-PCR detected viral genomic RNA and viral replication intermediates only in the lung. However, nRT-PCR and RT2-PCR detected both viral genomic RNA and viral replication intermediates in all tissues examined except brain cortex. RT2-PCR also revealed increased mRNA for proinflammatory cytokines in lung, and the same brain regions expressing viral replication intermediates also expressed interleukin-1? mRNA. Controls receiving completely heat-inactivated virus expressed only viral genomic RNA, and that only in lung. Therefore the onset of virus-induced hypothermia is associated with possible viral replication in selected brain regions. In addition, hypothermia onset is associated with increased inflammatory mediator mRNAs in lung and in the same brain regions expressing viral replication intermediates. We propose that viral symptoms may result from rapid transport of the virus or viral RNA into the central nervous system from the respiratory tract.

Estuaries are known to be very productive ecosystems. Aspects of both grazer and detrital food webs play a major role in various estuarine trophodynamics. While bacteria are major catalysts driving detrital food webs, evidence from the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac River and the Chao Phraya River estuary in Thailand indicate that the roles of microbially labile dissolved organic matter produced in situ (autochthonous) and the bacterioplankton community, as a consumer of that dissolved organic matter, have been very seriously underestimated. The magnitude of the misunderstanding is such that on average more than 50% of the organics fuelling community respiration are not accounted for in many predictive ecosystem models. These three estuaries were studied because each is highly enriched with inorganic nutrients (N and P), each exhibits severe, long-term seasonal hypoxia and anoxia, but none develop unusually high phytoplankton abundances. How is it then that severe oxygen depletion occurs? Data from these estuaries indicate that high concentrations of functionally dissolved, microbially labile organic matter (DiMLOC), composed largely of dissolved carbohydrates and dissolved amino acids, occur in the water column. Experimental (inhibition of bacteria activity with antibiotics) and microscopic evidence indicate that in situ phytoplankton production is the source of this DiMLOC. Dissolved carbohydrates and amino acids were significantly correlated with phytoplankton biomass, bacterial abundance and bacterial production. In the absence of bacterial metabolism high concentrations of these dissolved organics accumulated in experimental microcosms. However, while unprecedented bacterial abundances occur in the Chesapeake and the Potomac (often > 30 x 106 cells/ml) ecosystems, abundances in the Chao Phraya estuary do not exceed 7 x 106 cells/ml. It seems clear that microbially-labile, dissolved organic matter in these ecosystems must be accounted for directly in order to develop realistic models of their function.

The Chesapeake Bay ecosystem has changed drastically in the past 50 years, mostly due to anthropogenic causes. The Bay, the largest estuary in the United States and once considered the nation’s most productive, has become less biologically diverse and more susceptible and less resilient to disturbances. Data from the mainstem and Potomac River show unprecedentedly high bacterial abundances and rapid metabolism. In situ produced microbially labile dissolved organic matter fuels this bacterial dominated ecosystem. Elucidating bacterial community structure and dynamics is vital to understanding this ecosystem and to developing management models of overall function. The goal of this work was to investigate bacterial composition of that community and its temporal and spatial dynamics. The mesohaline Potomac River estuary was selected for this work because it is a physical, hydrodynamic and biological model of the mainstem Chesapeake Bay. Water samples were collected between March and November 2002 from the top, middle, and bottom depths of one mid-river station and two near shore sites located along a cross river transect near Ragged Point. The Length Heterogeneity Polymerase Chain Reaction (LH-PCR), which interogates mixed bacterial communities based on amplicon length of variable regions of the 16S rDNA gene, was used to investigate the biocomplexity of the bacterial community on temporal and spatial scales. The results suggest that there is only limited spatial variation in bacterial community composition within this ecosystem and that there is more variability on a temporal scale. However, community composition was clearly quite different in zones of anoxic, deep water in mesohaline Potomac as compared with both oxic and hypoxic areas. This finding may be important in understanding how the Chesapeake functions under the anoxic conditions which develop each summer. Amplicons from the bacterial genomic DNA were cloned and sequenced. Comparison of these cloned sequences with known bacterial rDNA sequences (at 90% identity) indicated that most of the bacteria in these samples appear to be novel, uncharacterized species.

Carotenoid-binding proteins function in light-harvesting and in photoprotection. The structure of the orange carotenoid-binding protein (OCP) isolated from the cyanobacterium Arthrospira maxima has been determined at a resolution of 2.1A. OCP is the first structural example of a protein that binds exclusively carotenoids. The OCP appears to be involved in photoprotection; microarray analysis indicates that levels of the OCP transcript increase more than 600-fold when cells are transferred from low to high light. Data from our lab also indicates the OCP is an avid quencher of singlet oxygen. The structure of OCP is a novel composite of two domains. A proteolytic product of OCP, isolated in the laboratory, appears red instead of orange. OCP can also be converted into a red protein by exposure to low pH. Our data suggests that low pH changes the structure of the protein. Details of the interaction between the pigment and protein will also be discussed in the context of OCP's putative function in photoprotection. We have also transformed Arabidopsis with the OCP. The potential for using OCP to enhance photoprotection in plants will also be discussed.

Dr. Etzioni's talk will be based on an extension of his latest book, My Brother's Keeper: A Memoir and a Message. Dr. Etzioni launched the communitarian movement in the 1990's and he is the Founder and Director of George Washington University's Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies. The book is more than a summation of his life; like most of his writing, it engages two major themes: rights and responsibilities, and how we get a new moral infrastructure.

Government funded space science and exploration programs provide an opportunity to initiate large-scale space development. To accomplish a lasting effect on humanity, the new NASA Moon and Mars programs must be implemented in ways that stimulate more activity in space, rather than becoming the only activity. If we can implement the appropriate role for the government in the exploration program, even current NASA funding levels can be used to initiate the large-scale economic development of space. Taking the appropriate steps now can complete "the giant leap" for humanity, and fulfill the promise of Apollo.

The carbon fuel cell's impact on the future global energy equation, including climate change, matches or exceeds that of the nuclear reactor because of its extraordinary end-to-end efficiency (65% to 80%=), its electrochemical simplicity and its enormous fuel diversity. Using NO hydrogen, these fuel cells run DIRECTLY on carbon from diverse sources: coal, carbon black (e.g., from recycled tires), oil-refining chars and petroleum coke, and chars from fast-pyrolysis conversion of waste wood and high-cellulose organics (garbage) into liquid fuels and chemicals. Automotive CFCs using graphitized carbon have 4x the range of internal-combustion cars for the same tank volume. A CFC-powered Navy warship with electric propulsion would have 4-6 times the range of current gas-turbine ships with their costly engines and propeller shafts. CFC repowering of steam-cycle coal-fired generating plants could double or triple their efficiency while eliminating air toxics, carcinogenic particles and tens of millions of now-lagooned coal ash and wet-scrubber sludges. CFC-repowered turboprop aircraft and helicopters could radically boost range and payload while replacing costly, massive gas turbines, gearboxes and shafting with mechanically simple electric motors. CFCs let poor nations power themselves with carbon waste (including fast-growing fuel-biomass crops) without importing costly conventional plants. A CFC-ization of US baseload power generation, cars and trucks, locomotives and diesel generators could turn a low-tech 'commodity steam coal' industry into very profitable producers of carbon electrodes and low-ash coal slurries.

An overview of TRIZ and its potential impact on our technology, our new products, our new ventures, the development of our economy. The Russians have something that is not only world-class, it is world-leading, and they are considerably in advance of the United States when it comes to innovation. They have a practical problem-solving discipline named TRIZ (Russian acronym for "The Theory of Inventive Problem Solving") with 60 years of development behind it. Various countries with developed economies are ahead of the US in the adoption of TRIZ. Although the approach is starting to take hold in Corporate America, it has yet to be adopted to the extent that it merits. In the Capital region TRIZ is practically unknown. TRIZ makes it possible to maximize the ability of the inventor or product developer to achieve an optimum new product. It allows the orderly solving of problems by using techniques to: · understand problems;
· make use of existing resources;
· establish practical objectives;
· perceive the direction that improvements must take;
· identify constraints and use generic approaches to resolve them;
· apply standard solutions;
· access many thousands of patent claims and scientific principles to provide solutions. At ASTI we see the potential usefulness of TRIZ in business development to help optimize innovative products and services, determine the feasibility of new ventures and plan them effectively. In these days of globalization
it is important for the United States to marshal its resources to be competitive. Hopefully, TRIZ will help us to do this.

This paper presents the results of a recently completed National Materials Advisory Board study that examined the Department of Defense materials needs and research and development(R&D) priorities in the five classes of materials: Structural and Multifunctional Materials, Energy and Power Materials, Electronic and Photonic Materials, Functional, Organic and Hybrid Materials, and Bioderived and Bioinspired Materials. This paper integrates the R&D priorities from all five materials areas and presents the study's R&D ecommendations. The study committee recognized that realizing the revolutionary new defense capabilities that materials science and engineering offer will depend on more than just R&D; innovative management will also be needed to reduce risks in translating fundamental research into practical materials, and to promote cross-fertilization of scientific fields. This paper also discusses these issues and presents the study's recommendation for needed innovations in management.

No one disputes that the speed of gravitational waves must be the speed of light. However, the speed of propagation of the gravitational force is apparently very much faster than light according to all six available experiments that bear on the subject. We will discuss those experiments, their physical interpretation, and how this can be reconciled with the propagation speed of gravitational waves and with special and general relativity. Although nothing we will discuss implies the need for any changes in the math of relativity, we will see that the physical interpretation is not unique. The currently popular geometric interpretation may no longer be the best available way to understand the nature of gravitation. Meanwhile, the Le Sage model for the field interpretation has answered all challenges and provides an intuitive understanding of the phenomenon and distinguishing predictions. Naturally, this choice has implications for everything from quantum physics to Galactic exploration. This talk will use multimedia elements, and will be based in part on: "The speed of gravity What the experiments say" , T, Van Flandern, Phys.Lett.A 250, 1-11 (1998); and "Experimental Repeal of the Speed Limit for Gravitational, Electrodynamic, and Quantum Field Interactions" , T. Van Flandern and J.P. Vigier, Found.Phys. 32(#7), 1031-1068 (2002).

Four primary information processing systems have been identified in the human body by utilizing primitive Darwinist principles for the analysis. All four of these systems have evolved to provide an animal system increasingly effective mastery over the environment, but each of these systems operationalizes the principles of natural selection in vastly different ways. All four of these systems will be outlined, but this presentation will emphasize the relationship between the system which produces complex emotional signaling and the system which supports symbol-based abstraction. Practical implications of this interplay will be discussed briefly toward the end of the presentation.

With President Bush establishing a new vision for NASA in the midst of the election-year focus on the national economy and a post-recession boom in global entrepreneurship, the stage is set to critically quantify the economic justifications for continued public investment in space programs. However, in order to conduct a comprehensive evaluation, a new analytical paradigm must be implemented to accurately capture the significant role of technological innovation and space business entrepreneurs. Traditional analytical methods amount to nothing more than a tracing of the lineal diffusion of public funds throughout the supply chain or the expanded impact of this diffusion at each link in the supply chain. However, only by exploring the unique level of exponential innovation associated with space initiatives can one gain a complete and accurate assessment of the economic stimulus return on a public sector space investment.

The modern era of technology transfer is usually dated from the Stevenson -Wydler act of 1980. By the early 1990's, a series of legislative actions had significantly formalized the activity. This paper examines the maturation of technology transfer thinking over the past decade and quantifies evolving trends; these trends include changing attitudes towards metrics and a shift in corporate strategies.

Mr. Allen will be providing background on a new engineering analyses process being used that takes advantage recent advances in computer capabilities. The process incorporates the natural variability and uncertainty that exists in reality into computer simulations. The process, referred to as stochastic simulation, uses advanced Monte Carlo techniques. The results of a stochastic simulation are displayed in a cloud of points that represents the reality of the physics being modeled, with each point representing a possible situation. Design improvements can be realized by using the Stochastic Design Improvement (SDI) process to move the cloud towards design targets. Some companies are using stochastic simulation in product design with significant success. EADS-CASA has reduced weight of a satellite launch dispenser was reduced from 500 to 337 lbs by changing the composite layup. Application of this process in the auto industry has resulted in improved crash worthiness with weight reduction. BMW reduced weight in a car model by 33 pounds, Nissan - 35 pounds, other cars at other companies had weight reductions of 55, 40, and 13 pounds.

Artificial intelligence is often portrayed in mass media as machines being able to reason and sense their surroundings. While this long-term vision will continue to evolve, there is much greater need and opportunity for systems that proactively ingest, digest, and personalize great quantities of information into succinct and targeted knowledge for humans to use confidently and in real time. This capability is not provided by current technologies, however sophisticated and powerful. A new breed of intelligent systems is being developed that melds humans and computers into a single system where each complements the other. This design uses both state-of-the-art science and technology methods, like bio-MEMS and ontological reasoning engines, as well as the critical success factors that are most often overlooked in information systems, namely the reality of organizational dynamics and business process states. This talk will describe the components and architecture of this type of intelligent system, and show examples of early attempts and successes to use this in an operational environment.

Graduate schools have faced attrition rates of approximately 50 percent for at least the last half century. This study focuses on the social-structural factors that cause so many people to leave their programs without obtaining the Ph.D. The study involved surveying individuals who enrolled in doctoral programs in 1982-84 (both completers and noncompleters). The sample was drawn from two universities that are among the top Ph.D.-granting universities in the United States and, within each university, from nine departments. Telephone interviews were held with 30 noncompleters, approximately two from each department, in order to explore issues that could not be addressed adequately by the survey instrument. Telephone interviews were conducted with the Directors of Graduate Study from each participating department in order to obtain background information on the departments’ formal and informal structures and processes for educating graduate students. In addition, site visits were made to each university, and two senior faculty members from each participating department—one who had produced many Ph.D.s and one who had produced few or none—participated in face-to-face interviews in order to discern systematic differences in attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of those most responsible for training graduate students. Differences between completers and noncompleters, and at-risk completers (completers who seriously considered leaving without completing their degrees) and on-track completers (completers who never considered leaving) were found to lie in the differential distribution of structures and opportunities for integration and cognitive map development within departments.

A crucial factor in building and sustaining strong undergraduate STEM programs is the quality of leadership within the faculty and administrators taking responsibility for tackling this work. Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) has spent more than a decade fostering such leadership within the undergraduate STEM community, taking a multifaceted approach through which the range of leadership opportunities for the STEM community have been explored. PKAL has spotlighted the work of leaders who understand the "why" and the "how" of transformation of undergraduate STEM, distilled lessons learned from these experiences, and drawn out promising practices that can inform the work of emerging generations of leaders. Considering the "why" calls for attention to the external context that affects the work of leaders: changing student demographics, new directions in science and technology, emerging societal demands and opportunities for the scientific and technological communities. Considering the "how" calls for understanding about the politics of institutional renewal, how-to: build informed collaborating communities; keep connected to larger institutional visions; provide requisite resources of people, time, and space to support such efforts. Finally, the fundamental dimension of PKAL's focus on leadership is that individuals take personal responsibility for making a difference. This presentation will highlight PKAL activities and approaches that have been particularly successful and could be adapted by other organizations and used in other environments.

Research on scientific disciplines suggests that academic careers are based on male breadwinner models. In order to promote gender diversity in these disciplines, work/.family policies such as stopping the tenure clock, family leave, or modified teaching and service loads have been instituted at many universities. These policies tend to be underutilized by academic parents because they are afraid that they will not be considered to be serious scholars if they use these policies. This paper examines access to other sorts of institutional resources, resource-based, or family-based strategies (such as child spacing strategies) and the effect on the early career success of a cohort of new PhDs, especially those that become mothers. The research is based on data from a longitudinal study of a cohort of sociologists who received their degrees from U.S. universities between July 1996 and August 1997. The results show that access to institutional resources and the ability to use institutional resources in professional activities increase the odds of early career success. Child spacing strategies are significant for women who want careers at research universities.

PROGRESS is an American Chemical Society three-year pilot project designed to support the advancement, participation, and leadership of women chemists and chemical engineers in the workplace. Its goals are to assist entry-level professionals find employment and support early- and mid-career professionals seeking advancement. Seven programs make up the PROGRESS Project: 1) Corporate Recognition; 2) Web-based Resource Center; 3) Be Visible: Funding Speaker Opportunities; 4) ACS Course on Business & Leadership Skills for Women in the Chemical Workforce; 5) Thriving in the Workplace Road Shows: An Awareness Program; 6) GROW: Grants for Renewal Opportunities for Women; and 7) Academic Awareness/Site Visits. Each program addresses the following issues in facilitating women’s participation and advancement in chemistry: Partnerships: Cooperative interaction with other organizations to share success stories and best practices for advancing women’s careers; Reflection: Use of data to monitor the level of involvement of women in the activities of the Society and the percentage of women in senior-level positions as it reflects their general representation in the graduate school population; Openness: Communication about success strategies critical to career advancement and the challenges faced at career transitions; Grants: Funding for new opportunities and experiences that can increase visibility and enhance scientific reputation; Resources: Career development information, statistical information, development tools, etc.; Education: Structured career development; Site Visits: Advisory teams to assist in identifying and addressing barriers to the attraction and retention of women; Successes: Recognition of successes and best practices. The talk will focus on the activities and expected results of each PROGRESS program.

The Institute for Women's Policy Research works to improve women's employment outcomes and promote women's leadership capacity through its organizational practice and research portfolio. IWPR's internship and research fellow programs and its networks throughout the women's movement provide leadership development opportunities to the Institute's employees. Strong relationships with grassroots activists offer additional avenues for strengthening and diversifying the research and advocacy communities. The Institute's research supports the development of public and private employment practices to expand women's job opportunities and improve women's employment outcomes, highlighting barriers in job training and education, private-sector practices, and public policies that impede women's professional success and earnings stability. Policies designed to promote low-income women's economic security are a particular focus of the Institute’s work

Historically, women scientists and engineers have been disadvantaged compared to men in similar careers in academia and industry. Recently, industry has taken the lead in recognizing and acting on the need to identify and implement strategies to attract, retain, and advance women scientists and engineers, while academic institutions have been slow to recognize the need for greater diversity, and to adopt initiatives to address the chilly climate for women on science and engineering faculties. The presentation will: (1) contrast the cultures and work environments of academia and industry that impact the retention and advancement of women scientists and engineers; (2) examine possible differences in the motivations of academic and business organizations to undertake cultural transformation to eliminate barriers to the retention and advancement of women scientists and engineers; and (3) review characteristics of best industry practices for recruiting, retaining and advancing women scientists and engineers, along with the potential challenges of importing these practices into academic institutions. The presentation draws on quantitative data on women in engineering and science, as well as qualitative data from individual interviews and focus groups with women engineers and scientists, corporate representatives, and men and women engineering faculty and administrators.

The plants and ecological habitats of the Washington, D.C., region have long been studied by residents and visitors alike. American Indians relied on many native plant species, as well as farm crops such as corn and squash that came from elsewhere in North America. In 1607, Captain John Smith marveled at the Potomac's rich, dense forests with many unfamiliar kinds of trees. Early botanists such as John Clayton, David Warden, and Samuel Rafinesque described many of the Washington area's plants scientifically. More comprehensive views of the local flora emerged by the late 19th Century, and have been refined to the present day. For more than a hundred years, the Botanical Society of Washington has provided a forum for local botanists, addressing both diverse aspects of the local flora as well as the wide-ranging, worldwide interests of many Washington botanists.

The Washington, D.C., region, extending from the High Alleghenies of West Virginia to the ocean shore of New Jersey and the Delmarva Peninsula, offers diverse natural habitats and more than two thousand native plant species. The region's geological and topographic variety, a range of climates and microclimates, and historical factors such as sea-level changes and proximity to the Pleistocene ice-age glaciers all contribute as factors underlying the geographical distributions of the region's native plants. Two areas of particular note are the world-class freshwater-intertidal estuarine shores of Chesapeake Bay, and the Potomac River Gorge (from Great Falls to Georgetown and Rosslyn), one of eastern North America's premier riverbank bedrock floodscour ecosystems

In 1918, W. L. McAtee described the "magnolia bogs" as a distinctive habitat present in a few dozen places on the innermost Coastal Plain (near the Fall Line) in the Washington, D.C., area. Occurring where cool water seeps from hillside gravel deposits, these specialized wetlands are characterized by the presence of the native sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) as well as other distinctive plants, such as peat moss (Sphagnum) and poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix). While many of McAtee's localities have been destroyed or badly degraded by development over the past decades, a few good examples remain (including one within the District of Columbia itself), and several additional high-quality magnolia bogs have been recently located, particularly in Charles Co., Maryland

Most wild plants of the Washington, D.C., region are readily characterized as native (naturally occurring), or as non-native (present only due to direct or indirect human intervention, also called exotic, alien, or non-indigenous), with a few interesting cases such as the black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) still being debated. Many additional kinds of plants from other lands have been grown in the Washington area for gardening and landscaping, agriculture, forestry, and other purposes, and yet others have arrived accidentally as weeds. However, length of cultivation in the local area does not correlate well with invasiveness; some plants grown by George Washington at Mt. Vernon are not known as escapes, while several species only recently introduced horticulturally have quickly spread to natural habitats. Once escaped, wild non-native plants can be further dispersed by wind, animals, and other means, as are native plants. Major floods have further contributed to the spread of non-native (as well as native) plants along the Potomac River

Information resources on the plants of the Washington, D.C., region range from traditional field guides to various Internet web sites. Illustrated field guides (such as Peterson or Newcomb) help with identification of the more common species, and various technical works are more comprehensive. Finding Wildflowers in the Washington-Baltimore Area provides directions to scores of publicly accessible sites, with notes on trees, shrubs, and wildflowers to be expected at each. Nature centers at many regional parks offer local expertise, and the Smithsonian Institution's Naturalist Center provides a regional reference collection of pressed herbarium specimens for consultation. Various web sites provide more depth, including those of NatureServe (with information on classification, distribution, and conservation status); Georgetown University's Biodiversity Database (including many photos); and the Botanical Society of Washington and other organizations sponsoring meetings and field trips.

This symposium will introduce the principles of green chemistry, provide specific examples of greener technologies, and highlight the economic benefits of adopting environmentally friendly processes. Recent advances in green chemistry education will also be discussed.

Green chemistry, the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances, is the most fundamental approach to pollution prevention. Green chemistry addresses the need to produce the goods and services that society depends on in a more environmentally benign manner. Examples of green chemistry approaches include the use of alternative feedstocks, the use of alternative solvents and reaction conditions, and the design of safer chemicals.

Through the design and implementation of one or more of these green chemistry approaches, chemists have found ways to remove millions of pounds of hazardous substances from the products and processes that society needs, without sacrificing scientific innovation and creativity. Pfizer, for example, eliminated 140 metric tons of TiCl4, 150 metric tons of 35% HCl, and 100 metric tons of NaOH in redesigning the synthesis of sertraline, the active ingredient in the antidepressant drug Zoloft®. The implementation of green chemistry technologies has eliminated waste, improved safety, and saved industry money.

Equally important is the incorporation of green chemistry concepts and principles into the curriculum. Providing examples of green chemistry technologies throughout the curriculum is one of the best ways to promote the adoption of green chemistry across the chemical enterprise.

Ilya Prigogine (1917- 2003) had an unusual notion of the relationship of science to the rest of human culture. This non-standard view was made clear in La Nouvelle Alliance (Gallimard, 1979) co-authored by (then) graduate student Isabelle Stengers. The English version of this work, Order Out of Chaos (Bantam, 1984), is probably the best known of Prigogine's many books for general readers. A number of physicists and chemists and have found aspects of Prigogine's work troublesome - even, for some, highly objectionable. This presentation summarizes some points of Prigogine's general outlook and examines objections raised against them.

Prigogine's pursuit of a "New Alliance" indicates just how revolutionary his scientific vision was. Convinced that the classical paradigm--even as modified by relativity and quantum physics--was unsatisfactory, he argued for a historical turn that would enable science to track qualitative change. To do so he introduced the idea of "dissipative structures" that emerged and evolved at symmetry-breaking discontinuities. Describing a nature of processes rather than things, Prigogine hoped his science would be as applicable to human history as to nature. This presentation will explore one way to interpret human history as a succession of self-organizing systems, whose products--conscious, free, and moral individuals--give the process meaning. It will also argue that the purpose of Prigogine's revolution was to establish a "New Rationality" with the potential to reground ethics in science.

This talk will review recent developments and future directions of nano-bio technology, a rapidly developing area of convergence of biotechnology, micro/nano technology and information technology.

Maglev refers to super high-speed transport systems with a non-adhesive drive system that is independent of wheel-and-rail frictional forces. The acronym is derived from Superconducting Magnetic Levitating Vehicles.

Today's competitive business environment requires constant improvement in business processes in order to maintain competitive position. This presentation provides an overview of business process management and compares improvement methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, Design For Six Sigma (DFSS), Business Process Reengineering (BPR), Total Quality Management (TQM), and Kaizen. Techniques for enabling project success through methodology integration will also be covered.

Prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom, the United States Navy (USN) had demonstrated the viability of a mobilization processing and manpower requirement tracking system for the activation of reservists based on a Microsoft Windows client-server system developed for the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The need to immediately deploy a system for use throughout the USN dictated a rapid development effort to migrate the legacy USMC application to a Web-based USN application. The Navy-Marine Corps Mobilization Processing System (NMCMPS) was programmed in four weeks time, and was deployed Nation-wide in less than ten weeks from project start. The development team migrated 80,000 lines of code and added USN-specific functionality while reducing the amount of code to 10,000 lines. This presentation provides an explicit methodology using existing productivity-improvement tools for a rapid development approach to the migration of a legacy application to a web environment. Unlike approaches which simply try to replicate the application in a Web shell, this approach converts the application, providing for efficiencies in processing, database storage and communications. The key to the methodology is the use of the .NET programming tools in concert with a systematic work plan and a formalized decision protocol.

When employees are well trained in ergonomics, businesses can realize economic benefits in less lost time and fewer worker compensation claims. Research demonstrates numerous positive benefits from ergonomics solutions, including increased productivity and work quality, and decreased absenteeism. This presentation talks about the various types of possible and feasible means of ergonomics training, the focus of the training, and the contents of such training.

The goal of this research is to better understand the interactions and relationships between nanoparticle fillers, their surface treatment chemistries, various dental resin matrices, and the resultant properties of these thermoset methacrylate composites. These methacrylate composites are primarily designed for use as restorative and sealant dental materials. For optimal clinical performance, properties such as high strength, facile polymerization, high degrees of vinyl conversion, low polymerization shrinkage, and processable viscosities are desirable. One of the composites of interest was a visible light-curable system containing a 50:50 by mass mixture of 2,2-bis[p-(2'-hydroxy-3'-methacryloxypropoxy)phenyl] propane (Bis-GMA) and tri(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate filled with 40 nm clustered silica particles that were silanized with various blends of two silane agents, 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS - a typical coupling agent for glass-filled, acrylic composites) and n-octyltrimethoxysilane (OTMS). Methacrylate conversion after two minutes of light-irradiation was measured by Near-IR spectrometry. Mechanical properties of these nanocomposites 24 hours after photopolymerization were measured by three-point bend and biaxial flexural strength tests. In general, it was found that increased concentrations of OTMS and decreased concentrations of MPTMS in the surface treatments of the nanosilica particles lowered the moduli and flexural strengths of the cured composite materials. However, the composites containing silica silanized with a 50:50 mixture of MPTMS and OTMS resulted in slightly higher moduli compared to the other composites. A second composite system of interest was a bioactive composite capable of sustained release of calcium and phosphate ions into aqueous environments. It consisted of an ethoxylated bisphenol-A dimethacrylate matrix filled with surface-treated amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) fillers (40% by mass), which are clustered nano-sized fillers analogous to the nanosilica fillers. It was found that adsorption of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), PEG-dimethacrylate, or MPTMS onto ACP particles resulted in small increases in the moduli and flexural strengths compared to composites filled with untreated ACP. Ongoing experiments are investigating conversion and polymerization shrinkage as a function of filler concentration and surface treatment. Also, AFM is being used to probe the microstructure of these composites; fracture surfaces also are being assessed to determine the effect of filler types and surface treatments on fracture behavior. Finally, non-clustered, surface-treated, colloidal silica particles will be investigated as fillers for the purpose of assessing their effects on thermoset methacrylate composites.

A key area in the repair and regeneration of tissues is optimizing the polymeric caffold-tissue response. This study is designed to better understand the relationships between polymer matrix structure and properties to cell response. The current study includes the preparation/characterization of a series of polyethylene glycol (PEG) dimethacrylates and PEG urethane dimethacrylates, their conversions in aqueous solution to hydrogels by photopolymerization, and a preliminary assessment of the correlation of mechanical and cell response to hydrogel structural variations. MALDI-TOF MS confirms the formation of oligomers of high purity and narrow mass distribution (PD < 1.02). Aqueous dimethacrylate solutions were photopolymerized to hydrogels. The gel structures are probed by small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and are correlated to the mechanical properties determined by rheology and uniaxial compression tests. Bovine chrondrocytes, seeded in hydrogels, were used to assess the cell responses to the hydrogels. Preliminary studies showed varied mechanical response but that cells were completely viable in both types of hydrogels after two weeks.

Crystalline hydroxyapatite (HAP) is the structural prototype of the major mineral component of teeth and bones. In contrast to HAP, amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), a postulated precursor to biological HAP, shows high solubility/degradability in aqueous media, readily liberating calcium and phosphate ions, and transforming readily to crystalline apatitic calcium phosphate. These properties suggested its use as a bioactive filler in polymeric dental composites derived from the photopolymerization of dental monomers such as 2,2-bis[p-(2'-hydroxy-3'-methacryloxypropoxy) phenyl] propane (BisGMA), triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of: 1) using acidic comonomers in the resin matrices of ACP composites, especially with regard to the degree of vinyl conversion (DC) and mechanical strength after polymerization, and 2) using small amounts of short polyethylene fibers (2 µm to 3 µm) on the mechanical behavior of ACP composites, especially with regard to their ability to arrest crack propagation. The DC was not significantly affected by the addition of the acidic comonomers. The acidic monomers with relatively hydrophobic chemical structures improved the strength and durability of ACP composites. ACP composites containing polyethylene fibers maintained their strength while exhibiting improved fracture toughness by their ability to resist catastrophic failure.

(Support by NIDCR/NIST Interagency Agreement Y1-DE-1021-04 and NIDCR grant 13169-05).

We have "One Ocean" shared by the world's community, and no matter what you do as an individual or organization in your involvement with our ocean, your actions influence all other actions that affect our global ocean. The future of our ocean is today at a critical juncture, and the specific action, or inaction, of those throughout our global community in the next very few years will determine our ocean's vitality and value for at least the next several generations of mankind. There are many wonderful programs that are working through key aspects of this global challenge, but it is time for all of us across the entire ocean spectrum - government, industry, academia, researchers, educators, the public, and others - who truly want to make a difference - to engage the future now and come together as colleagues of our global ocean community. We must stress the necessity of maximizing our understanding of our ocean, balancing our use and stewardship, and looking forward with new and exciting science and technology. The role of "ocean" professional societies, such as the Marine Technology Society, in both advancing our knowledge of our ocean and helping work through the science that supports myriad policy issues, has now reached an unprecedented level of critical need. And even the definition of an "ocean" professional society is no longer as expected, because the future of our ocean touches on every aspect of science and technology and affects every member of our global society. We invite you to participate in this interactive session that will examine these challenges, solicit your inputs and recommendations, and outline the planning that will culminate in an international landmark conference in Washington, D.C. in September, 2005 - OCEANS 2005 MTS/IEEE - to share the knowledge that will benefit the world's community and the future of our "ONE OCEAN."

This paper will address the development of a new instrument design laboratory at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Engineering studies for pre-proposal space-science and earth-science instrument designs had taken typically 6 months or more in the past. A rapid design capability was clearly needed in the new competitive arena in which Goddard finds itself today. The Instrument Synthesis & Analysis Laboratory (ISAL) has unprecedented resources and can provide a rapid and sustainable instrument-development environment. Typical studies are complete in two weeks. The ISAL supports instruments at different maturity levels such as direct AO response, trade studies in advance of AO and Instrument Incubator Program projects. The ISAL has been an operational facility since the spring of 1999 and has completed more than 50 studies (X-ray telescopes to microwave radiometers) since its inception. A cadre of highly skilled discipline engineers is put together with the customer science team to develop the customer's instrument concept. Detailed designs are derived with significant analysis of the design performed during the study. In Spring 2001, ISAL management and operations were unified with the Integration Mission Design Center (IMDC) to form the Integrated Design Capability (IDC).

On-orbit calibration of the reflected solar bands on the EOS Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is accomplished by having the instrument view a high reflectance diffuse surface (SD) illuminated by the sun. For some of the spectral bands this signal proves to be much too bright and results in the saturation of detectors designed for measuring low reflectance (ocean) surfaces signals. A mechanical attenuation device in the form of a pin hole screen is used to reduce the signals to calibrate these bands. The sensor response to solar illumination of the SD with and without the attenuation screen in place will be presented. The MODIS detector response to the solar diffuser is smooth when the attenuation screen is absent, but has structures up to a few percent when the attenuation screen is present. This structure corresponds to non-uniform illumination from the solar diffuser. Each pin hole produces a pin-hole image of the sun on the solar diffuser, and there are very many pin hole images of the sun on the solar diffuser for each MODIS detector. Even though there are very many pin-hole images of the sun on the solar diffuser, it is no longer perfectly uniformly illuminated . This non-uniformly illuminated solar diffuser produces intensity variation on the focal planes. The results of a very detailed simulation will be discussed which show how the illumination of the focal plane changes as a result of the attenuation, and the impacts on the calibration will be discussed.

The success of numerous upcoming NASA infrared (IR) missions will rely critically on accurate knowledge of the IR refractive indices of their constituent optical components at design operating temperatures. To satisfy the demand for such data, we have built a Cryogenic, High-Accuracy Refraction Measuring System (CHARMS) which, for typical IR materials, can measure the index of refraction accurate to ±5 x 10^-5. This versatile, one-of-a-kind facility can also measure refractive index over a wide range of wavelengths, from 0.105 µm in the far-ultraviolet to 20 µm in the mid-IR, and over a wide range of temperatures, from 10 K to 100°C, all with comparable accuracies. We first summarize the technical challenges we faced and engineering solutions we developed during the construction of CHARMS. Next we present our "first light," cryogenic, IR index of refraction data for LiF, BaF_-2, and CaF_-2. Finally, we compare our data to previously published results for these materials.

It has been known for about a hundred years that electric and magnetic fields that satisfy Maxwell's equations can be derived from two scalar functions. Scalar potentials have been investigated many times in the hope that analyses that are made in terms of the six interrelated components of the electric and magnetic fields could be simplified by describing fields in terms of two quantities that are relatively simple to compute. This paper reviews investigations of scalar potentials that have been made over the years. It discusses possible definitions of scalar potentials and describes their properties, including a requirement that scalar potentials have a preferred direction, for which their functional form is different from that in the other two directions. It describes applications to boundary value problems and to the computation of electric and magnetic fields generally. Restrictions of coordinate systems in which calculations involving scalar potentials are discussed. These restrictions, combined with the requirement of a preferred direction, limit the use of scalar potentials to specific geometries. The relationship of scalar potentials to charge and current sources of electromagnetic is described. It is shown that scalar potentials cannot always be used in regions where charges or currents are present. The limitations that these restrictions impose are discussed. Some computational examples on the use of electromagnetic scalar potentials are given. It is demonstrated that, when it is possible to describe a problem in terms of scalar potentials, their use can lead to a considerable simplification of the calculations.

This paper presents techniques for efficiently mapping digital signal and image processing (DSP) applications onto processing architectures that are specifically streamlined to accomplish these tasks. These applicationspecific embedded systems provide significant advantages in terms of weight, power, cost, and computational power compared to generalpurpose computers. As VLSI feature sizes shrink, interconnects between processing elements are becoming a limiting factor for high performance systems. One way to solve this problem is to utilize optical interconnects to replace the longest metallic interconnects. Such hybrid optical/electronic designs are particularly promising for systems that have large computational requirements and that must satisfy these requirements in real time. DSP applications often possess a high degree of parallelism, and thus can potentially benefit from parallel processors. However, we show that interprocessor synchronization and communication (IPC) costs can quickly negate these advantages for architectures using electronic interconnects. Because DSP applications are characterized by limited control flow, we have the opportunity to perform extensive compiletime analysis in order to minimize IPC cost. We introduce a class of fiberberbased architectures utilizing wavelength division multiplexing, and an efficient graph theoretic ordered transaction technique for optimizing communication patterns in such architectures. We show that significant performance advantages for DSP applications can be achieved through the combination of

• flexible interconnect topologies enabled by optical interconnects,
• faster interprocessor communication using optical interconnects,
• the elimination of contention for shared communication resources, and
• extensive optimization of communication patterns through efficient graph theoretic techniques.

We compare simulation results for systems utilizing electronic vs. optical interconnects on a suite of benchmark applications.

This paper reports our results regarding the development of vertical-cavity surface-emitting-laser (VCSEL) 2-D arrays at 850- and 980-nm wavelengths with oxidized-aperture diameters of between 5 and 15 µm. It further reports their incorporation into dense optoelectronic flip-chip (OE) interconnect arrays hybridized onto CMOS drivers along with III-V-detector-CMOS OE receivers. These interconnects are being integrated into experimental OE processing architectures such as a digital-half-tone image compressor. The VCSEL hetero-structures are designed at ARL and grown in our MBE growth facilities. Individual VCSELs incorporate either GaAs quantum wells (850 nm and top-emitting) or InGaAs quantum wells (980 nm and either top- or bottom-emitting). The normal configuration of the VCSEL 2-D array is in an 8x8 geometry with a 125-µm spacing between VCSELs for an interconnect density of 64 interconnects/mm2. The VCSEL arrays are flip-chip mounted onto silicon-based CMOS (980-nm bottom-emitting VCSELs through GaAs substrate) or silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) CMOS (850-nm top-emitting VCSELs through SOS sapphire substrate). Individual VCSELs have been found to have 3-dB bandwidths as high as 6 Gb/s/ch for an array data flux density as high as 384 Gb/s/mm2 with the employment of appropriate CMOS or III-V drivers. The near-term incorporation of carbon p-type dopant and semi-insulating substrates will substantially increase the operational bandwidth of the VCSELs, reduce optical cavity losses, and reduce VCSEL current thresholds. Interconnect coupling is presently achieved with free-space lens optics but could also be accomplished with other media such as fiber image guide. The photo-receivers are based upon GaAs flip-chip PIN detector arrays for 850 nm and InGaAs/InP flip-chip PIN detector arrays for 980 nm. Optical cross-talk between channels is less than -20 dB. These dense optical interconnect arrays will be of interest for the movement of large bandwidths of data on various functional multi-sensor platforms and within OE processing architectures.

Light has taken an important role in both the information age and in the medical field. Not only does it have a dominant role in modern communications and information transmission as well as in information storage such as CDs and DVDs, it is now moving to play an important role modern medical diagnostics and therapeutics. In diagnostics mid-infrared wavelength laser sources and quantum well detectors are beginning to play a role in identifying endogenous trace gas biomarkers that signal abnormal conditions in the body. By non-invasively analyzing human breath, numerous indicators of disease and health status can be identified. Light may also play a role in the therapy needed to heal the body. Although more research needs to be done to determine precise dosage, already nearly one hundred ailments that respond to light therapy have been identified. Light treatment may have few side effects. In addition in some cases it can help heal wounds or relieve pain that will not resolve with the traditional medical practices.

The venerated Fresnel-Kirchhof (FK) diffraction integral gives a different description of Poisson's spot than does the less-familiar Rayleigh-Sommerfeld (RS) formulation. FK is obviously wrong, while RS is obviously right(?). Basically, FK is restricted to small diffraction angles (which is usually not an important limitation). The flaw in the derivation of FK is discussed (the FK solution is well-known not to satisfy the boundary conditions under which it is derived), as is the fact that a derivation using Fourier propagation leads to RS, not to FK. Both FK and RS use the scalar wave approximation, which means that an acoustics experiment could prove which is right, an experiment that could be done by an enthusiastic undergraduate

Through analysis of hyperspectral imaging data collected with the Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) during the late 1980s and early 1990s, it is found that narrow channels located within and around the 0.94-micron water vapor bands are useful for the remote sensing of the columnar amount of atmospheric water vapor. It is also found that narrow channels located within the 1.38-micron and 1.88-micron strong water vapor absorption bands are useful for remote sensing of cirrus clouds. Based on these observations, several narrow channels near 0.94 micron have been selected and implemented on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) instrument for remote sensing of water vapor from space, and a narrow channel centered at 1.375 micron has also been implemented on MODIS for global measurements of cirrus clouds. Sample water vapor images derived from AVIRIS and MODIS data will be presented. Examples of global cirrus cloud reflectance images obtained from the MODIS data will also be presented. It will be shown that if an additional narrow channel near 1.88 micron is implemented on a future multi-channel meteorological satellite sensor, our ability in global remote sensing of cirrus optical depths and effective particle sizes will be improved significantly

Noctilucent clouds (NLCs) have been observed from the ground since 1885 and from satellites since 1969. They occur at high latitudes during a three month period starting about one month before the summer solstice. They form in the upper mesosphere, at altitudes of 80 to 85 km. NLCs are composed of small ice particles, which form during the polar summer when the upper mesosphere reaches temperatures of less than 130 K, so that even the few parts per million of water vapor available at those altitudes becomes highly supersaturated. There are now several sets of satellite measurements of NLCs, each of which cover a decade or longer with the same instrument or multiple copies of the same instrument on different satellites. We will focus on two of these datasets from the Solar Backscatter UltraViolet [SBUV and SBUV/2] instruments on the NOAA polar-orbiting meteorological satellites and from the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment [SAGE II]. While both of these instruments were developed primarily to measure stratospheric ozone, and in the case of SAGE II also measure other trace gases and aerosols in the stratosphere, they have proven sensitive enough to measure NLCs. These measurements show that the number of NLCs observed each season exhibit a strong anti-correlation with the solar Lyman-alpha flux. While there is no clear indication of a long-term trend in the frequency of occurrence of all NLCs, there is evidence that the frequency of brightest NLCs are increasing. There is also clear evidence that the average brightness or albedo of the NLCs observed by the SBUV instruments has increased over the past quarter century. Recent modeling results by Thomas et al. have shown that this increasing brightness is consistent with the increase in mesospheric water vapor over the same period. We will discuss the implications of these findings in terms of our understanding of global change.

Recently, there has been an increased interest in polarization rotation in atomic media immersed in a magnetic field (see, cf. [1]). Due to atomic coherence effects, resonances as narrow as 2 x1Hz [2] and rotation angles as large as 10 radians [3] have been reported in hot rubidium cells. These experiments rely on special wall coatings or buffer gas cells to preserve the coherence by either preserving the polarization as the atoms collide with the cell wall or by keeping the atoms in the coherence-inducing laser fields by non-depolarizing collisions with buffer gas atoms. In this paper, we report on our measurements of polarization rotation in a novel medium that does not rely on either of these techniques. We report on our measurements of both linear and non-linear polarization rotation in ultra-cold sodium and compare to our theory, which includes the effects of atomic recoil.

An experimental, inquiry-based and standards-referenced physical science curriculum for undergraduate, pre-service K-8 teachers is under development at the Catholic University of America in collaboration with the Solar Physics Branch of the Naval Research Laboratory and NASA’s Sun-Earth Connection missions. A feature of this program will be its use of solar data in the form of images and movies from ongoing space missions, to illustrate basic concepts of physics and to inspire student interest and curiosity. Courses will be team-taught by faculty from the University’s Departments of Education and Physics with active participation by researchers from the local solar physics community. Teaching goals will include pedagogical methods appropriate to the physics content. This is a progress report.

Interferometric fiber optic acoustic sensors are based on measuring the phase change of light traveling in an optical fiber due to the strains developed in the fiber by a pressure field. Fiber interferometry is extremely sensitive allowing detection of periodic length variations on the order of a few hundred femtometers (~10^-13 meters). This paper will cover the development of these sensors from 1977 to the present. A brief introduction will describe the operation of interferometric fiber optic sensors including component development and interferometric demodulation techniques. A discussion of the transduction mechanism from the pressure field to phase modulation in the fiber will follow. The mechanical design of various sensor configurations including coated fibers, fiber coils, solid and air-backed mandrels will be reviewed. Recent results measured on the acoustic sensors employing fibers coated with air-included polymers will also be presented. The significance of fiber optic sensor multiplexing for use in multi-element arrays will be discussed. Finally, a photograph of the prototype sensors similar to those deployed on the new Virginia Class submarine will be presented.