Members in the Media

“What you do in school that’s called a lab experiment is not really an experiment, because you already know the answer. When you listen to a driver and his crew chief trying to figure out how to give the car more grip in Turn 2, that’s the scientific method in action. They’re asking questions about load transfer and downforce, and they don’t know the answers until they’ve done the experiment.”
Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, University of Nebraska, (NE-1st), on the physics of NASCAR, The New York Times, February 12, 2008

“The women started coming up to us, holding their babies, and said, ‘Please help us build a school.’ I was just amazed that in this remote village with no electricity, no plumbing, no toilets, they were talking about education. . . I was overwhelmed by their courage and their ability to think in the long term.”
Alan Lightman, MIT, (MA-8th), on building a dormitory for Cambodian university women, Boston Globe,
November 19, 2007

“It’s like rebuilding your car with pieces and after you think you’ve put it together, there’s a giant piece still sitting on the curb, and it’s about the size of the car itself.”
Adam Riess, Johns Hopkins University, (MD-7th), on dark energy, Baltimore Sun, December 2, 2007

“The support of physical science throughout the United States has been falling victim to the latest congressional action in which the American competitiveness has not been supported.”
Maury Tigner, Cornell University, (NY-22nd), on cuts at Cornell University’s Laboratory of Elementary-Particle Physics, Ithaca Journal, February 8, 2008

“What many people don’t realize is how easy conservation is.”
Arthur Rosenfeld, California Energy Commission, (CA-9th), on energy conservation, Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, November 18, 2007

“We would probably support any competent scientist that wants to run for Congress.”
Leon Lederman, (IL-14th), on getting scientists to run for office, U.S. News and World Report, December 6, 2007