I checked my usual news sources, the Google and Yahoo! news aggregators, after the release of the EPP2010 report. Nothing. I was shocked. Plenty of bad news about this or that, but nothing about a diverse panel of scientists and non-scientists, chaired by an economist, calling on the nation to support particle physics in order to save the future of its own “national life”.
I noticed that the “New York Times has written a piece about EPP2010 – finally!”:http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/30/us/30physics.html?ex=1304049600&en=6bd8de53821acf8d&ei=5089&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss.
Some notable quotes from the piece:
“The blow to American physics would erode the base of science and technology that has fueled innovation, provided intellectual and cultural inspiration and bolstered national security over the last century.”
It’s good to see the writer, Dennis Overbye, hit the main themes: science and technology are important to the nation, not just as inspiration but for innovation and security. These are definitely the most important connections the nation needs to make to the physical sciences, even a science like particle physics.
