Superconductivity: The Sequel
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Superconductivity: The Sequel Kevin D. Ott One sure-fire Hollywood technique to exploit the success of a popular film or show is the sequel or the spin-off. The physics community has been a party to its own media sequel of the late 1980s, a blockbuster I'll refer to as "Son of Superconductivity," or perhaps "Woodstock of Physics II." That event is, of course, the recent media blitz surrounding the announcement of cold fusion.
Wherever your desktop fusion believability quotient lies at this point, two things are quite evident: one, "cold fusion" has become a scientific media darling of late, much like superconductivity was in 1987; and two, cold fusion's potential to alter the evolution of America's energy policies are astounding, especially in light of the Exxon tanker mishap and the 10-year anniversary of the Three-Mile Island fiasco.
The federal commitment at this stage in the development of commercial superconductivity is a critical ingredient to the ultimate chances of its commercial success. The promise of cold fusion holds great appeal for Washington policymakers—it's perceived as the instant panacea, the "quick fix" for nuclear power paranoia and fouled Alaskan beaches. After all, we're talking about boundless clean energy in an ecological era characterized by growing "greenhouse effect" concerns, acid rain precursors, and atmospheric ozone holes. If all the fusion attention and controversy gives you flashbacks to the heyday of warm superconductors, a scant two years ago, you are in good company—the parallels are certainly striking. Scientific sniping matches, media blitzes, congressional hearings, and establishment of federal agency working groups to "evaluate" this latest "miracle" are as plentiful as the
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spring tulips around the Capitol. The only thing missing are the newsletters. Our challenge, and the unique continuing challenge of the organization I represent, CSAC, is to ensure that superconductivity, a proven phenomenon with definable commercial potential, continues on center stage in the minds of our policymakers, scientists, academics and entrepreneurs. So before we all drop our oxides and take the heavy water plunge, let's look at opportunities and key players in the context of the Bush administration. For the federal commitment at this stage in the development of commercial superconductivity is a critical ingredient to the ultimate chances of its commercial success. And it will be up to our diverse superconductivity "constituency" to ensure sound federal programs are carried forward in the long term.
The President's Science Adviser The President's Science Adviser will be a key player in our efforts over the course of the new administration. The new Assistant to the President for Science and Technology is Dr. D. Allan Bromley from Yale University. This job has a new title and status, as President Bush has followed through on a campaign promise to elevate the position of the Science Adviser to that of the National Security Adviserproviding direct access to the Oval Office. Dr. Bromley is a r
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