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Leon Lederman
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Today's young scientists will be launching their careers at a time "pregnant with possibilities" for new discoveries, according to Dr. Leon Lederman, one of two Nobel Laureates in Physics who spoke with Intel STS finalists during a special event hosted by the University of Maryland Department of Physics. "Not knowing all the answers is one of the most exciting things there is," added Dr. William Phillips, who won the Nobel Prize in 1997 and is a distinguished professor at the University of Maryland.
The forum was part of the University of Maryland's celebration of the World Year of Physics, recognizing the centennial of Einstein's "Miraculous Year," when he published three of his most significant papers.
Fittingly, Lederman traced the spark of his interest in science to Einstein. At about age 10, Lederman was recovering from the measles when his father brought home a children's book written by the great physicist. "Einstein compared science and a detective story. At the end, the detective puts together clues that lead to one logical explanation for the events." Einstein explained that in science, seemingly disconnected facts also come together into a logical explanation, "and the simpler the explanation, the better. That impressed me," Lederman said. As he learned more about physics, he said, "it became more beautiful and wonderful." He won the Nobel Prize in 1988.
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William Phillips
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Exercising Curiosity
Phillips asked the Intel STS finalists whether modern technology makes it harder for a child to grow up curious about how the world works. As a boy, for example, he took apart clocks to see how the gears worked. "Today, you take apart a clock and find integrated circuits," he said. He reminisced fondly about his own youthful pursuits, such as "making things that blew up. Do you have the scope to exercise your curiosity?"
One finalist reassured him that young people still find opportunities to mix chemicals for dramatic effect. Another explained how he has solved the challenge of hands-on discovery in an era of impenetrable electronics. "I take apart old stuff," said Aaron Goldin, who designed his Intel STS project in his home workshop.
What We Don't Know
The physicists, both experimentalists, gave some insights into the great unknowns that today's students may one day help to solve. Lederman explained that 20th century physics was dominated by two theories: quantum mechanics and relativity. "If you try to put them together, they're incompatible. Something is wrong with this combination," he said, suggesting an area ripe for future research. Phillips added that students are arriving at "an astounding place in the history of science. Most of the universe is dark energy. Most of the rest is dark matter. And we don't have a clue what any of it is."
Communicate the Value
The physicists encouraged students to not only pursue scientific research, but to communicate the value of their work with those who will make decisions about funding. "We're spending half of what we used to on research," Phillips said, "and that makes it harder to get an idea funded. We need to communicate in a way the public and politicians can connect with, so they understand the excitement in science and see how important it is."
After their morning session with the esteemed scientists, the students toured the science labs at the University of Maryland, then headed back to Washington, D.C., for the last night of their whirlwind week together.
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