ASSESSMENT OF THE
PHYSICAL SCIENCES
DIRECTORATE AT THE
ARMY RESEARCH OFFICE
Panel on Review of Extramural Basic Research at the Army Research Laboratory
Army Research Laboratory Technical Assessment Board
Laboratory Assessments Board
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
A Consensus Study Report of
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
www.nap.edu
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
This activity was supported by Contract No. W911QX-14-C-0039 from the Army Research Laboratory. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-67879-7
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-67879-X
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25830
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Printed in the United States of America
Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Assessment of the Physical Sciences Directorate at the Army Research Office. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/25830.
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PANEL ON REVIEW OF EXTRAMURAL BASIC RESEARCH AT THE ARMY RESEARCH LABORATORY
DAVID A. WEITZ, NAS1/NAE,2 Harvard University, Chair
RICHARD C. ALKIRE, NAE, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
ROBERT H. AUSTIN, NAS, Princeton University
BART M. BARTLETT, University of Michigan
JEF D. BOEKE, NAS, New York University Langone Health
JAMES R. BROCKMOLE, University of Notre Dame
PAUL M. CHAIKIN, NAS, New York University
CHARLES W. CLARK, National Institute of Standards and Technology
VINCENT P. CONTICELLO, Emory University
BARBARA A. DOSHER, NAS, University of California, Irvine
MIGUEL A. GARCIA-GARIBAY, University of California, Los Angeles
RACHEL S. GOLDMAN, University of Michigan
SUSAN GOTTESMAN, NAS, National Institutes of Health
WILLIAM R. JACOBS, JR., NAS, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
JERRY A. KRILL, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
FRANCES S. LIGLER, NAE, North Carolina State University/University of North Carolina
LAURIE E. LOCASCIO, University of Maryland
WILLIAM S. MARRAS, NAE, Ohio State University
PIERRE MEYSTRE, University of Arizona
PETER B. MOORE, NAS, Yale University
PAUL F. NEALEY, NAE, University of Chicago
C. KUMAR N. PATEL, NAS/NAE, Pranalytica, Inc.
MICHAEL V. ROMALIS, Princeton University
PATRICK H. VACCARO, Yale University
XIAOYANG ZHU, Columbia University
Staff
AZEB GETACHEW, Senior Program Assistant
EVA LABRE, Administrative Coordinator
JAMES P. MCGEE, Director
ARUL MOZHI, Senior Program Officer
___________________
1 Member, National Academy of Sciences.
2 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
ARMY RESEARCH LABORATORY TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT BOARD
JENNIE S. HWANG, NAE,1 Case Western Reserve University; H-Technologies Group, Chair
FREDERICK R. CHANG, NAE, Southern Methodist University
MARK EBERHART, Colorado School of Mines
PRABHAT HAJELA, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
WESLEY L. HARRIS, NAE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
WILLIAM S. MARRAS, NAE, Ohio State University
DANIEL A. REED, University of Utah
LESLIE E. SMITH, National Institute of Standards and Technology (Emeritus)
DAVID A. WEITZ, NAS2/NAE, Harvard University
Staff
AZEB GETACHEW, Senior Program Assistant
EVA LABRE, Administrative Coordinator
JAMES P. MCGEE, Director
ARUL MOZHI, Senior Program Officer
___________________
1 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
2 Member, National Academy of Sciences.
LABORATORY ASSESSMENTS BOARD
ROSS B. COROTIS, NAE,1 University of Colorado, Boulder, Chair
WESLEY L. HARRIS, NAE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
JENNIE S. HWANG, NAE, Case Western Reserve University; H-Technologies Group
W. CARL LINEBERGER, NAS,2 JILA,3 University of Colorado, Boulder
C. KUMAR N. PATEL, NAS/NAE, University of California, Los Angeles; Pranalytica, Inc.
ELSA REICHMANIS, NAE, Georgia Institute of Technology
LYLE H. SCHWARTZ, NAE, University of South Florida, Tampa
Staff
AZEB GETACHEW, Senior Program Assistant
EVA LABRE, Administrative Coordinator
JAMES P. MCGEE, Director
ARUL MOZHI, Senior Program Officer
MARTIN OFFUTT, Senior Program Officer
___________________
1 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
2 Member, National Academy of Sciences.
3 JILA, formerly known as the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, is a physical science research institute located on the University of Colorado, Boulder, campus. JILA is jointly operated by the University of Colorado and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
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Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This Consensus Study Report was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published report as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.
We thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Louis E. Brus, NAS,1 Columbia University,
Robert H. Crabtree, NAS, Yale University,
Dennis E. Discher, NAE2/NAM,3 University of Pennsylvania,
Russell J. Hemley, NAS, University of Illinois, Chicago,
Richard M. Losick, NAS, Harvard University,
Tom C. Lubensky, NAS, University of Pennsylvania, and
John A. Montgomery, NAE, Granite Falls, North Carolina.
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations of this report nor did they see the final draft before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Michael R. Ladisch, NAE, Purdue University. He was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with the standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the authoring committee and the National Academies.
___________________
1 Member, National Academy of Sciences.
2 Member, National Academy of Engineering.
3 Member, National Academy of Medicine.
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Contents
Programs Within the Physical Sciences Directorate
Atomic and Molecular Physics Program
Condensed Matter Physics Program
Quantum Information Science Program
Optical Physics and Fields Program
Overall Assessment of the Physics Division
Reactive Chemical Systems Program
Molecular Structure and Dynamics Program
Overall Assessment of the Chemical Sciences Division
Neurophysiology and Cognition Program
Social and Behavioral Sciences Program
Overall Assessment of the Life Sciences Division
5 CROSSCUTTING RECOMMENDATIONS
A Possible Metrics for Assessment of Program and Project Accomplishments and Plans
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