Cutting-edge laser science, the role of research in industry, and the use of technology to fight terrorism were some of the topics of discussion for attendees at the 2002 Industrial Physics Forum and its academic-industrial workshop, held 27–29 October in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Hosted by the Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, the annual meeting was sponsored by the Corporate Associates of the American Institute of Physics, the Industrial Physicist , the American Physical Society’s Forum on Industrial and Applied Physics, and the Southeastern Universities Research Association. Participants in the pre-conference workshop focused on identifying the differences between academic, industrial, and government laboratories.

The workshop opened with an address by NIST Director Arden Bement on the differences in cultures among private, governmental, and academic labs. Researchers from all three sectors explored questions about how different labs are funded, how research priorities are set, how scientists are recruited, and the...

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