Quantum weirdness, parallel worlds, dinosaur poop, and the ultimate fate of the universe...

American Institute of Physics announces awards for best science writing

College Park, MD, February 11, 2008 -- The American Institute of Physics (AIP) announced the winners of its 2007 Science Writing Awards today. The winners -- a scientist, a journalist, a children's book author, and three radio broadcasters -- will receive a prize of $3,000, an engraved Windsor chair, and certificates of recognition.

The winners and their award-winning pieces:

• Tim Folger won the 2007 AIP Science Writing Award in the Journalist category for his Discover Magazine article, "If an Electron can be in Two Places at Once, Why Can’t You"" See: http://discovermagazine.com/2005/jun/cover.
• James Trefil won the 2007 AIP Science Writing Award in the Scientist category for his Astronomy Magazine article, "Where is the Universe Heading"" See: http://www.astronomy.com/trefil.
• Jacob Berkowitz won the 2007 AIP Science Writing Award in the Children’s category for his book "Jurassic Poop," which was published by Kids Can Press. For more information, see: http://www.jacobberkowitz.com/.
• Bob McDonald, Pat Senson, and Jim Handman are the co-winners of the 2007 AIP Science Writing Award in the Broadcast category for their production "Multiple Worlds, Parallel Universes," which aired on the CBC Radio show Quirks & Quarks. A recording of the broadcast can be found at: http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/archives/04-05/apr16.html.

"These outstanding writers and broadcasters have each improved the general public's appreciation of physics, astronomy, and related sciences through their creative endeavors," says James Stith, AIP Vice President, Physics Resources. "We are pleased to be able to recognize such excellent work."

Highlights of the award-winning pieces:

GRAVITY’S EFFECT ON A SPECK OF DUST Tim Folger recalls how he came upon the topic for his article on quantum weirdness. He heard about Roger Penrose's thousand-page tome, "The Road to Reality" and about a space-based experiment Penrose was proposing to measure the effect of gravity on a speck of dust.