> Such comments might help me to turn the item #114
> into a compilation of interesting quotes. Please write
> about your evolving attitudes toward cold fusion.
> Samples of representative "voices from teachers"
> are worth collecting; future historians of science might
> benefit from their existence. Next year I plan to attend
> the 11th International Cold Fusion conference (in
> Marseilles, France) and item #114 might become an
> interesting poster presentation.
1) If you want your authorship to be known then please
indicate so in your message to me. Otherwise you will
be Teacher 5, Teacher 6, etc.; as in the poster I showed
at the 10th conference. That poster, by the way, will
appear in the book form (usual conference proceedings)
at some times next year. They are working on it.
2) Feel free to focus on any aspect of cold fusion, either
scientific or social. But try to be brief; emphasize what
you think is original, new or highly significant.
3) Connections with teaching (questions students ask,
projects they work on, comment they make, etc.) would
be highly valuable. Also short descriptions of discussions
you had with other teachers or parents (in the last ten
years or so), etc.
4) No matter what the final verdict (perhaps in 50 yeas
or so) cold fusion will be viewed as a strange event in
the history of science, something comparable with what
happened in Europe at Galileo's time. Help to document
this event in the way that might be of some interest to
future generations.
Ludwik Kowalski The P.S. follows.
1) Let me share an episode with you. The 10th conference
had the open evening for the public. Not too many people
came. One high student asked: "what and where should
I study if I want to become a cold fusion scientist?" In trying
to answer I said something like this. "Do not focus on this
right now. Learn physics, chemistry and mathematics; this
will be useful to you no matter what you decide in four or
five years. Cold fusion does not exist as a study track.
Perhaps it is in the same stage at which aviation was 100
years ago. Or it may turn out to be a false alarm. Nothing
would prevent you from being a cold fusion scientist if you
decide to do so after establishing yourself in another
technical or scientific field. Keep your eyes open and
learn things which prepare you to be good in any field.
2) And here is something else. A conference organizer
told me that he personally invited Robert Park, the APS
spokesman and the author of the 2000 "Voodoo Science"
book, to come to the conference. The author had a "time
conflict" excuse. A golden opportunity of learning about
what is going on, or arguing that it does not make any
sense, was missed. How does this differ from cases
in which people refused to look at Galileo's telescope?
3) The conference was at a short walking distance from
MIT. All professors (including experts in thermonuclear
technology) were invited but they did not show up. What
does this illustrate? But the conference chairman,
Peter Hagelstein, was the MIT professor.