Denis G. Rancourt

Professor of Physics

University of Ottawa

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

26 November 2001

 

 

Marc Brodsky (via e-mail)

CEO and Executive Director

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse

College Park, Maryland 20740

 

Hello Mr. Brodsky,

 

Thank you for this reply to my web request and comment.

 

Now I am more concerned than initially.  It seems that AIP has interpreted a sentence from a non-AIP sponsored book in the narrowest possible sense and that AIP does not have independent evidence of the accusation against Jeff Schmidt.  Is there a documented history of inadequate or sub-standard performance at work?  If the employee was actually doing this and the AIP did not notice or act to correct it, is there not a serious problem with the AIP management?  After all, producing such a book is no small task.

 

Have you, Mr. Brodsky, read the book?  I have and it seems clear to me that that sentence from the introduction should not be taken literally.  In the context of the book as a whole, it should be interpreted in the broad sense that the employee (author) has not put all of his creative energy into his work as our society often demands but that he has, instead, tried to find space in his life for independent creative activity.  I believe that most readers have and will interpret this tongue in cheek statement of the introduction for what it is clearly intended to be: a clever and humorous attention grabber.

 

Your note has convinced me more than anything that the AIP is wrong in this affair.  I am going to make a professional point of staying away from AIP and its publications until clear evidence of correction of this wrong by the AIP is put forth.

 

I am really stunned!  The AIP's position flies in the face of common sense.

 

Sincerely,

 

Denis G. Rancourt