Maureen McCann

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called the Sixth Assessment Report, released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in August, a “code red for humanity” (IPCC, 2021). With improved knowledge of climate processes, paleoclimate evidence, and increasing radiative forcing (change in the energy flux in the atmosphere caused by climate change), some uncertainties in … Read more

A Difficult Decision A major focus of ASPB is science policy and how it impacts research funding, the pipeline of talent into our labs, and regulatory practices. In the United States, our Science Policy Committee engages on our behalf with federal funding agencies and legislators from both parties to raise awareness of, and advocate for, … Read more

All Together Now BY MAUREEN McCANN, ASPB President, National Renewable Energy Laboratory It’s a rare experience to sit for an hour on the second level of a parking garage with a growing sense of elation. This morning, I drove my husband Nick for his first shot of vaccine against SARS-CoV2. We sat in the queue … Read more

There’s a carving of a crocodile on the walls of the old Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge in honor of Ernest Rutherford, the father of nuclear physics. It was commissioned by Peter Kapitza, a Soviet Nobel laureate, and various legends attach to its significance. “The Crocodile” was Kapitza’s pet name for Rutherford, and it is a … Read more

This year has lasted a decade. As we pivoted from crammed lecture halls to online teaching, and from bustling, energized labs to working shifts and eating lunch on our own, we adapted to a new normal that still feels anything but normal. I’m nostalgic for holding lab meetings and grant review panels in person, talking … Read more