Features
The Hydrogen Economy 
If the fuel cell is to become the modern steam engine, basic research must provide breakthroughs in understanding, materials, and design to make a hydrogen−based energy system a vibrant and competitive force — George W. Crabtree, Mildred S. Dresselhaus, and Michelle V. Buchanan
Transforming the Electric Infrastructure
If the electric power grid is to meet 21st−century demands, society will need to invest in extensive modernization — Clark W. Gellings and Kurt E. Yeager
The German Physical Society Under National Socialism
The history of the German Physical Society from 1933 to 1945 is not the same as a comprehensive history of physics under Adolf Hitler, but it does reflect important aspects of physicists' work and life during the Third Reich — Dieter Hoffmann and Mark Walker
Departments
Issues & Events
Debate Over Optics in Early Art Is Focus at OSA Gathering 
The controversy over the use of optical aids by early Renaissance painters is cross−disciplinary and emotionally charged.
Van Allen, at 90, Sifting Data, Writing Papers, and Enjoying Icon Status
Growing up on a small Iowa farm, James Van Allen enjoyed a "closely knit family which had a strong resemblance to that of earlier pioneer families." It was that solid beginning that spurred him on to a life of scholarship.
Publishers Experiment With Open−Access Journals
Proponents of open-access publishing, in which research papers become freely available on the Web after appearing in a peer-reviewed journal, have scored another victory.
Industrial Physics Forum Spotlights the Information Technology Revolution
Quantum computing, the evolution of microelectronics, and the interface of nanotechnology with supramolecular chemistry and biology were just a few of the issues discussed over three days at the 2004 Industrial Physics Forum and its academic-industrial workshop, held 24-26 October at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York.
Physics Fellows Bring Science to Policymaking
Congressional fellows take a break from—or make a change in—their careers to bring science to policymaking.
Scientists at State
Steve Fetter, this year's American Institute of Physics (AIP) State Department fellow
News Notes
Canadian academies
Web Watch
Smolin vs. Susskind: The Anthropic Principle; National Geomagnetism Program; Hadley Pendulum
Books
A Century of Innovation: Twenty Engineering Achievements that Transformed Our Lives, G. Constable and B. Somerville (reviewed by J. Lienhard)
Lightning: Physics and Effects>, V. A. Rakov and M. A. Uman (reviewed by Y. P. Raizer)
Once Upon a Universe: Not−so−Grimm Tales of Cosmology, R. Gilmore (reviewed by D. Goldsmith)
Capillarity and Wetting Phenomena: Drops, Bubbles, Pearls, Waves, P.−G. de Gennes, F. Brochard−Wyart, and D. Quéré (reviewed by B. Widom)
Particle Astrophysics, D. Perkins (reviewed by G. Raffelt)
Rotational Spectroscopy of Diatomic Molecules, J. M. Brown and A. Carrington (reviewed by J. K. G. Watson)
Stellar Alchemy: The Celestial Origin of Atoms, M. Cassé (reviewed by J. M. Pasachoff)
Principles of Surface Physics, F. Bechstedt (reviewed by G. A. Somorjai)
The Physics of Solar Cells, J. Nelson, and
Third Generation Photovoltaics: Advanced Solar Energy Conversion, M. A. Green (reviewed by M. Ratner)
New Books
