http://blogs.nsbp.org/vector A blog of the National Society of Black Physicists on the lastest in physics and astronomy research, news and policy. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:57:07 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A new study reported in the 30 October issue of Science indicates that the United States risks losing its economic competitiveness because of a lack of social and economic incentives to pursue careers in science and technology. The percentage of students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics dropped only ... http://blogs.nsbp.org/vector/2010/03/09/effect-of-stem-pipeline-leakage/ from Charles McGruder TRIBUTE BY PROF. C.M.I. OKOYE, HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA. The news of the death of Prof. S. E. Okoye on 18th November, 2009 was received with shock by the staff of the department, especially by those who passed through him as students ... http://blogs.nsbp.org/vector/2010/02/24/tributes-to-prof-samuel-e-okoye/ by Claude Carignan On February 2nd 2010, the First Announcement for IAU Symposium No, 277 (Tracing the Ancestry of Galaxies – on the Land of our Ancestors) to be held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on December 13-17, 2010, was sent. While enthusiastic responses were received, a message was also suggesting that we ... http://blogs.nsbp.org/vector/2010/02/10/iau-symposium-no-277-%e2%80%93-the-context-for-an-astrophysics-meeting-in-burkina-faso/ As the national demographics project a shift towards a majority minority US population, a 7% minority representation in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) population may be viewed as an indicator of a systemic failure. While gender-equity trends are very encouraging, those for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native ... http://blogs.nsbp.org/vector/2010/01/07/inclusiveness-in-physics-education/ by Dara Norman On Wednesday October 7, 2009, the White House hosted a star party. For those of you unfamiliar with star parties, these are nights when groups of astronomers (often, in fact usually, amateur) plan to take a bunch of telescopes out to a common location and just take ... http://blogs.nsbp.org/vector/2009/10/12/the-first-white-house-star-party/ Each year from June 1st through November 30th, Atlantic hurricanes pose an immediate threat to residents of the Caribbean, Central America and the United States. The majority of Atlantic forming hurricanes evolve from westward propagating African Easterly Waves (AEWs), elongated areas of relatively low atmospheric pressure that are convectively transported ... http://blogs.nsbp.org/vector/2009/09/02/hurricane-season-brings-focus-on-howard-univesity-researchers/ Professor Adrienne Stiff-Roberts wins Presidential Early Career Award Dr. Adrienne Stiff-Roberts was recently awarded one of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The PECASE awards were commissioned by President Clinton to honor and support the extraordinary achievements of young scientists and engineers at the outset of their independent research ... http://blogs.nsbp.org/vector/2009/09/02/two-nsbp-members-win-major-awards/ Last October, the astrophysical community and NSBP lost a shining star, Dr. Beth Brown. The first Black woman to earn a PhD in astronomy from the University of Michigan, Dr. Brown was an expert in high energy astrophysics as well as an ardent advocate for participation in education and outreach. ... http://blogs.nsbp.org/vector/2009/08/13/a-tribute-dr-beth-brown/ The newest addition to the space telescope crew is the Herschel, which is designed, deployed and run by the European Space Agency. Herschel, which can see in the infrared, is joining our much-beloved Hubble (which observes in the visible) and Spitzer (which can see in the infrared). After a month ... http://blogs.nsbp.org/vector/2009/07/10/herschel-space-telescope-opens-eyes/ by Jarita C. Holbrook While visiting Cardiff, I met Dr. Seymour Mauskopf who was visiting a mutual friend. Dr. Mauskopf is a historian of science at Duke University. We had a discussion of the program in the History and Philosophy of Science at Duke. It is a certificate program and a ... http://blogs.nsbp.org/vector/2009/07/07/historian-of-science-the-solstice-hubbles-diverse-universe/