Walter Henning, University of Chicago/Argonne National Laboratory, presiding
The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences has conducted decadal surveys of the status of physics research in the United States. The "Bromley Report" and the "Brinkman Report" were earlier surveys, and in the 1990s the Board of Physics and Astronomy of the NRC under the late David Schramm conducted a third such survey: "Physics in a New Era."
In this Plenary Session, reports from the recent survey are presented for several subfields of physics. Looking at status and future prospects of physics research seems particularly appropriate at a time when we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the American Physical Society and are at the verge of entering a new millenium.