Association Briefs

Optimizing A New Journal A sure sign that a realm of science or mathematics is gaining recognition is an increase in the number of journals devoted to the field. And that kind of growth is what optimization - the study of the mathematical procedures involved in making something as functional and effective as possible - is getting now, thanks to the Philadelphia-based Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. John E. Dennis, Jr., chairman of the mathematical sciences department at Rice University and the journal's managing editor, originally opposed the idea of a new journal on optimization because he wasn't sure the field was large enough. To successfully compete with the several other journals on the subject, Dennis says, the SIAM Journal on Optimization will include papers on the physical applications to science and engineering, in addition to the management science articles other optimization journals offer. However, Dennis says he looks forward to publishing both theoretic and practical articles. "I do want this to be a broad-based journal [to include topics] from discrete optimization to continuous optimization with everything in between." Dennis hopes the journal will be of benefit to managers and engineering designers in private enterprise as well as numerical analysts and algorithm developers in universities. The new publication, whose first issue will appear in February 1991, becomes SIAM's 10th journal. Physicists Relish Media Role Shake oh shake the ketchup bottle None will come, and then a lottle Cornell food science professor Malcome Bourne says to avoid the sudden gush of ketchup, one should shake the bottle gently. This allows ketchup, a plastic solid, to reach the yield stress point at which it begins to flow, and prevents it from flowing too much. A forceful shake before opening the bottle and then some patience produce the best results, says Bourne. This lesson and others like it, which are more examples of scientists trying to increase public understanding of their work, are being presented as part of the American Institute of Physics' Science Report, a radio program designed to demystify science in an entertaining way. AIP's Steven Sester says the goal of the program is to "stimulate public interest in science" and to demonstrate that "science is a part of their lives." Every other week, AIP sends out a recorded disk of Science Report, containing 20 two-minute stories, to radio stations all over the country. Other topics have included the relationship between tree sounds and insect infestations along with where to find cover in a lightning storm. Sester says that stations find these stories to be nice fillers. He adds that about 900 radio stations, via the recorded disk or by satellite, use at least one of their stories per week, which, along with feature stories it sends to newspapers, gives AIP an annual audience of 286 million per year. AIP hopes to reach even more people in the future with a video program it plans to begin this month. IDEAS For Indian Scientists Indian scientists working in the U.S. have formed an organization to promote interaction with their counterparts in India. Indian-Descendent Engineers and Scientists is a nonprofit association eligible to all professionals who are either Indian-born or of Indian origin and who want to help advance science in that country, says IDEAS president K.M. Nair, an electronics research associate for Du Pont Electronics in Niagara Falls, N.Y. He says IDEAS' purpose is threefold: to initiate interaction between Indian institutions and those in the U.S., Canada, and other countries; develop, assist, and coordinate the scientific and technical needs of Indian professionals; and provide guidance to professionals as they change institutions and countries. Nair says individual membership is free, but the organization will solicit contributions from its members. He says that until IDEAS finds a permanent base, possibly in Ohio, those interested in joining the organization can contact him at E.I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co., Niagara Falls, N.Y. 14302; (716) 278-5355.

Association Briefs

The Scientist Staff

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