From the Editor

When in early March I wrote this item for the April issue, I did not expect the COVID-19 pandemic to have significant scientific consequences beyond the cancellation of a possibly large number of meetings. Instead, it has led to the closure of most University research labs, worldwide, for several months.

Many young people have seen the start of their research delayed, some have moved on to other pursuits and may never return. Others that were planning to work in a different country are now unable to travel or even get visas, and have to alter their plans.

All of these will have negative long term consequences. Even worse of course was the hasty and mistaken decision to interrupt the schooling of small children and teenagers. Only a few countries escaped the panic.

From the science and society point of view it was sad to see all the hasty decisions made by University officials. These are too often untrained in science and tend to be, by and large, timid and easily scared people, afraid to make the wrong decision and sheltering behind bloated committees of unqualified people. Not understanding what was involved they were too easily swayed into believing worst case scenarios, however unrealistic. There has lately been somewhat of a reaction, which I hope continues. Among the Big Ten schools, the President of Purdue, a person of non-academic background, has recently given a good example of leadership.

Paradoxically, the closure of so many institutions, accompanied by an improvised switch to second rate online instruction, has produced a considerable amount of overwork, arising from inefficiencies. This has made it difficult to obtain contributions to this issue. However, several members of the Board of Editors have stepped up and provided timely contributions to this issue. I am extremely grateful to them.

But for the future, contributions from you, the readers, are needed. There should be no lack of pertinent and timely topics. Articles and suggestions for articles should be sent to me, and also letters to the editor. Book reviews should go to the reviews editor directly (ahobson@uark.edu). Content is not peer reviewed and opinions given are the author’s only, not necessarily mine, nor the Forum’s or, a fortiori, not the APS’s either.

Oriol

Oriol T. Valls
University of Minnesota
otvalls@umn.edu