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Physics under Trump

USA 2017 Special Report

Physics World

 
Editorial Physics World  October 2017

Physics under Trump

Welcome to the first ever Physics World special report about physics in the US.

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory is changing our view of the universe. (Tushna Commissariat)

From China and Brazil to India and Mexico, Physics World has for many years published special reports about the state of physics in different countries. The US, however, was a glaring omission from that list, partly because so much exciting physics goes on in the world’s scientific powerhouse that coverage of US physics is a staple part of our website and monthly magazine. The US physics community has its ups and downs for sure, but the overall picture was one of relative stability and continuity. Quite simply, we saw no need for a special report.

That all changed earlier this year with the election of Donald Trump as US president. Whereas Barack Obama was an enthusiastic supporter of science, Trump has been virtually silent on the subject and, at the time of writing, had still not even appointed a presidential science adviser. The president has also pulled out of the Paris climate-change agreement, and imposed travel bans that have hampered the free movement of scientists to and from the US.

What’s more, Trump’s seeming unwillingness to deal with scientific evidence in formulating policy lies at odds with everything the US physics community stands for. And while the 2017 budget for science came through relatively unscathed, the administration’s request for 2018 would – if it gets through Congress – result in a 13% fall in overall government research spending and cuts to the National Science Foundation. Such cuts could severely damage US physics.

It is safe to say that science saw better times under Obama, as made clear in our interview with John Holdren – the physicist who served as Obama’s science adviser for eight years. Worryingly, voices for physics are few and far between in Congress, with Bill Foster now the only physicist in the House of Representatives. Writing in this issue, he explains how scientists should get more involved with politics – a theme reflected in our round-table interview with the current and future presidents of the American Physical Society, Laura Greene and Roger Falcone.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. Many early-career scientists we spoke to are optimistic about the future, while philanthropic support for US research is also thriving. And, as particle physicist Daniel Whiteson and cartoonist Jorge Cham make clear, a sense of humour will be just the thing to get through what promises to be a bumpy road ahead.

I hope you enjoy this Physics World USA special report and if you have any feedback or comments please do get in touch.