Trevor Owens

Also thrilled to see the book reference AIP oral histories with Vera Rubin, Lise Meitner, and Margaret Burbidge.

Her Space, Her Time Women physicists and astronomers from around the world have transformed science and society, but the critical roles they played in their fields are not alway...

Finished reading Shohini Ghose’s book “Her Space, Her Time: How Trailblazing Women Scientists Decoded the Hidden Universe.” I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in the physical sciences and their histories. -> mitpress.mit.edu/978026204831...

Finished reading @adambecker.bsky.social’s “More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley's Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity.” An amazing resource for understanding how the focus on AI relates to billionaires desires to colonize space and live forever.

September 2025 AIP History September Update

Lots of updates and opportunities in this month's @aip.bsky.social history monthly newsletter! Learn about some new photo collections, grants for archives and historians of science, and articles on a number of major history of science exhibitions and programs www.aip.org/history/aip-...

Five ways the second Trump term is reshaping climate science and policy A review of federal actions on science, data, and policy in the administration’s first eight months shows far-reaching consequences.

Amid today's fast-moving news cycles, it can be hard to keep up with the rapid changes happening to federal climate science in the US. Here's a review of some of the big changes in the US since January.

#physics #standupforscience

Advocating for science gains urgency In response to the US government’s attacks on science, professional societies intensify efforts to prep scientists to lobby effectively.

Great @physicstoday.bsky.social article covering how professional societies are supporting scientists to lobby effectively in response to the attacks on science -> pubs.aip.org/physicstoday...

Always excited to check out a @copystar.bsky.social talk! Don’t miss out on this one on libraries and LLMs.

Sudden policy change from NSF, saying only 1st year PhD students, or earlier, can apply to the GRFP. Second years are out of luck. (I got a GRF as a 2nd-year applicant, and it very much turbocharged my dissertation work; much more valuable than if I'd had it while still doing my coursework.)

Policy primer: A new $100,000 fee on H-1B Visas President Trump has issued a proclamation requiring a $100,000 payment for each new H-1B petition. We examine what it does and does not do, how it is being justified, and what developments to look out...

At AIP we've launched a new policy research program to go deep on current questions and pull together more comprehensive pictures. Leading this work, Lindsay Milliken has produced her first public product, a primer on the new $100,000 fee on H-1B petitions.

The ’80s-era transition in US science project politics AIP History Weekly Edition: September 26, 2025

How do decisions about big science projects get made?

In the 1980s, it was still possible to think that it could be done by finding an influential person who could make it happen. But increasingly, having a formal, consultative process was regarded as necessary to secure buy-in.

#histsci #scipol

How AIP is Giving a Name to Mrs. Scientist Our librarians and archivists are working together to recognize more Faces of the Physical Sciences

"How AIP is Giving a Name to Mrs. Scientist" -> www.aip.org/mrs-scientist Excited to see this overview of some of the reparative description work that AIP's Niels Bohr Library and Archives team is doing with our photo collections.

"After Disruption shares a compelling summary of the problematic notions stemming from the digital age into memory institutions, and it offers hope and inspiration for memory workers to pave the way for a more just culture beyond our current one." Thanks Jaycee Chapman for the review.

Fun to wake up to this thoughtful & positive review of my book, After Disruption: A Future for Cultural Memory in the journal College and Research Libraries.

Read the review here -> crl.acrl.org/index.php/cr...

Open access copy of the book here -> www.fulcrum.org/concern/mono...

Promotional image for an online book talk titled 'After Disruption.' Left side shows portraits of Trevor Owens and Shannon Mattern with text: 'After Disruption Book Talk, with Trevor Owens & Shannon Mattern.' Center panel reads: 'September 25th, 10am PT / 1pm ET, Online. Join us for a book talk with Trevor Owens, author of After Disruption: A Future for Cultural Memory, in conversation with Shannon Mattern, as they explore how libraries, archives, and museums can reclaim their role in shaping a just and sustainable digital present.' Logos of Internet Archive and Authors Alliance appear at the bottom. Right side shows the book cover for 'After Disruption: A Future for Cultural Memory' by Trevor Owens, featuring a photo of a grand library entrance.

We’re not just planning for a digital future: we’re living in a digital present. How do we make a sustainable cultural memory?

@TJOwens.bsky.social & @ShannonMattern.bsky.social discuss in the #booktalk AFTER DISRUPTION.

🗓 Thurs Sept 25
🕖 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET
🎟️ www.eventbrite.com/e/1633230118...

Q&A: Alex Blum on the Final Theory history group AIP History Weekly Edition: September 19, 2025

2025 marks the end of three decades of work in history of physics at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science.

We talked to Alex Blum, who led the 7-year Final Theory history research group there, about what they learned, how they worked, and how it can be a model for future #histsci.

Physical Science Careers Disrupted Documenting the Impact of Federal Funding & Policy Changes

📣 AIP's Niels Bohr Library and Archives is collecting personal stories from scientists, engineers, students & others in the physical sciences whose careers have been impacted by recent U.S. policy & funding changes. Learn more about how to get involved here ->
www.aip.org/library/ex-l...

Political currents The Eisenhower administration dismissed the director of the National Bureau of Standards in 1953. Suspecting political interference with the agency’s research, scientists fought back—and won.

Great new piece on the history of politicization of science through the 1953 AD-X2 battery additive controversy from Joe Martin in Physics Today. A powerful example of the role scientific societies have and continue to play in advocating for scientific integrity. pubs.aip.org/physicstoday...

What a time to be alive.

Out of the Box The People Behind the Niels Bohr Library & Archives

“Out of the Box: The People Behind the Niels Bohr Library & Archives” provides a fun chance to get to know the librarians and archivists working to preserve and support research on the history of the physical sciences -> www.aip.org/library/ex-l...

August 2025 AIP History August Update

The August edition of the AIP History Monthly is out—and it’s packed with exciting updates, new resources, and ways to get involved in preserving and interpreting the history of the physical sciences. -> www.aip.org/history/aip-...

On September 25, at 1pm ET, I'll be talking with @tjowens.bsky.social about his book, After Disruption. I especially want to know how we think about the values informing cultural memory practice amidst such ubiquitous, nefarious disruption — and plan ahead for the aftermath. Hosted by @archive.org.

AI Use Among Physics Degree Recipients Results from the 2023-24 Degree Recipient Follow-Up Survey

How are new physics grads actually using AI tools? Until now, we didn’t really know. 40% of new physics PhDs report routinely using AI tools on the job and nearly 20% report that their work involves developing AI models. Read the full report here -> www.aip.org/statistics/a...

Great read for anyone interested in relationships between big science projects, science policy, and land/landscapes.

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks Ethan!

Thanks Janet!

Trevor Owens ’06 | Wisconsin Alumni Association

Humbled to find myself among this years University of Wisconsin Luminary Award recipients. The award “recognizes alumni who serve as aspirational examples for others through their accomplishments in the areas of leadership, discovery, progress, and service.”

“Indoctrination”? We Call It “Education.” It’s not “divisive” to teach about division. It’s divisive to bury it.

“It’s not “divisive” to teach about division. It’s divisive to bury it.” Great piece from James Grossman.

Lloyd Espenschied's Library of Electrical History The Story of the Espenschied Collection

"Lloyd Espenschied’s Library of Electrical History" great new post from Karina Cooper. Fascinating story of how a set of rare books originally donated to Bell Labs ultimately became the core of the rare book collection at the American Institute of Physics.