The week in physics: Ocean sciences decadal report; Portraits of dismissed scientists; Nuclear fission rockets

The week in physics: 14–18 April Portraits of dismissed scientists personalize US government cuts to science Thousands of positions at federal science agencies have been eliminated; grants in health, environmental science, and other research areas have been canceled; and funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives has been rescinded. Jenessa Duncombe Graduate assistantship pay often falls short of a living wage The graduate student stipends offered by many US physics departments are insufficient to live on, even for students who split housing costs. Tonya Gary From the vault: April 2020 Hubble's 30-year legacy A data visualization charts the positions in the sky of the Hubble Space Telescope's plethora of cosmic targets. Nadieh Bremer and Andrew Grant Nuclear fission technologies for space exploration NASA is developing multiple technologies for space nuclear power and propulsion to enable a sustained lunar presence and to propel a crewed mission to Mars. Anthony M. Calomino, Kurt Polzin, Venkateswara Rao Dasari, and Lindsey Holmes US ocean sciences decadal report calls for regaining leadership Worried about brain drain and national security, US ocean scientists say that the antidote is reinvigorating basic research and the country's research vessels. Jenessa Duncombe ADVERTISEMENT Transform High School Physics Education Apply for the William F. and Edith R. Meggers Project Award to receive up to $25,000 to enhance high school physics education. This award supports high school–level projects aimed at increasing interest in physics and improving the quality of physics education. The deadline to apply is June 15. Learn More From the April issue Not all quantum jobs require quantum skills To go commercial, quantum science needs a sizable workforce. Jenessa Duncome Post a Job Get Job Alerts Browse All Jobs Postdoctoral Research Associate Iowa State University (Ames, IA) View Job Postdoctoral Researcher - JR2145 University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH) View Job Lecturer—Physics The College of New Jersey (Ewing, NJ) View Job W2 Professorship with tenure track to W3 in Experimental Solid State Physics Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (Göttingen, Germany) View Job Professor/Meiere Chair Indiana University Indianapolis (Indianapolis, IN) View Job High-Altitude Nuclear Environments (HANE) Computational Physicist Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, CA) View Job Physics Today is published by the American Institute of Physics. To manage your AIP email preferences and newsletter subscriptions, click here. Or unsubscribe from all AIP emails. © 2025 American Institute of Physics. Physics Today 1 Physics Ellipse College Park, MD 20740-3842 +1 301 209 3100