Guillaume Belanger
Department of Physics
Carleton University
Ottawa, Canada
24 August 2001
Marc Brodsky
(via e-mail)
CEO and
Executive Director
American
Institute of Physics
One Physics
Ellipse
College Park,
Maryland 20740
Dr. Brodsky,
I find this hard to believe...
The efforts
that Jeff Schmidt must have exerted in order to accomplish the task of a full
time, productive and highly qualified editor of Physics Today while
writing a book on important issues that will inevitably help in bringing more
openness and democracy as well as illuminating some of the inadequacies and
injustices that exist at all levels of society and in particular in the Science
community, should be rewarded and encouraged.
Not used as the grounds for dismissal.
If more
people had the intellectual capacity and motivation that allowed Jeff Schmidt
to do what he did, the Science community and the whole of society, would most
likely be functioning in a much more sustainable, democratic and productive
fashion.
I find it
tremendously unfortunate and truly unacceptable that Dr. Jeff Schmidt's
exemplary conduct should be regarded as offensive and be severely reprimanded
when in fact it should be rewarded and encouraged.
Regretfully,
Guillaume Belanger