Simon Moss

M. D. Anderson Professor of Physics

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

24 August 2001

Marc Brodsky (via e-mail)

CEO and Executive Director

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse

College Park, Maryland 20740

Dear Marc,

I received today the e-mail from professors Talat Rahman, George Reiter and Michael Lee regarding the dismissal of Jeff Schmidt from Physics Today. If what they write is correct, including the material below their letter describing the circumstances surrounding both his firing and the subsequent legal proceedings that are in process, it places our Society in a very unfavorable light. Given that we as a profession are taught to challenge authority, this is the worst publicity I can imagine us getting. I always tell my students to "think for themselves," shun received wisdom, and in general treat the known as provisional. Otherwise, why bother being physicists?

I also have fought for many years to remove the qualifying exam from our graduate requirements; it favors a certain mode of scientific rearing that is prejudicial against those who come from other backgrounds or think slowly (but very well, indeed), etc., etc. Finally we have eliminated them at the University of Houston, at least in physics, and require only that the students perform well in their graduate courses. There are many styles in education, but in the end we are all trying to train independent thinkers. If Jeff's book steps on a lot of toes, so what? Where's the harm? In fact, I believe that the harm to us all will come with a lawsuit that focuses on the independence that lost him his job.

I hope that as a Society we do not come out of this sad event with a reputation as suppressors of unpopular views.

With my regards (it has been a while since we met),

Simon Moss