{"product_id":"the-leak-isbn-9780262047180","title":"The Leak","description":"\u003cb\u003eHow the discovery of a harmless leak of radiation sparked a media firestorm, political grandstanding, and fearmongering that closed a vital scientific facility.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1997, scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory found a small leak of radioactive water near their research reactor. Brookhaven was—and is—a world-class, Nobel Prize–winning lab, and its reactor was the cornerstone of US materials science and one of the world’s finest research facilities. The leak, harmless to health, came from a storage pool rather than the reactor. But its discovery triggered a media and political firestorm that resulted in the reactor’s shutdown, and even attempts to close the entire laboratory.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA quarter century later, the episode reveals the dynamics of today’s controversies in which fears and the dismissal of science disrupt serious discussion and research of vital issues such as vaccines, climate change, and toxic chemicals. This story has all the elements of a thriller, with vivid characters and dramatic twists and turns. Key players include congressmen and scientists; journalists and university presidents; actors, supermodels, and anti-nuclear activists, all interacting and teaming up in surprising ways. The authors, each with insider knowledge of and access to confidential documents and the key players, reveal how a fact of no health significance could be portrayed as a Chernobyl-like disaster. This compelling exposé reveals the gaps between scientists, politicians, media, and the public that have only gotten more dangerous since 1997.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003ePeter Bond is a retired physicist who worked at Brookhaven National Laboratory for 43 years in a wide variety of roles, including interim laboratory director during much of the period covered by this book.Prologue 1\u003cbr\u003e1 The Leak Discovered 3\u003cbr\u003e2 Sacked 37\u003cbr\u003e3 Chaotic Summer 85\u003cbr\u003e4 Blowin' in the Wind 127\u003cbr\u003e5 Competition for the New Contract 147\u003cbr\u003e6 End of a Turbulent Year 169\u003cbr\u003e7 No Respite 201\u003cbr\u003e8 Scrammed 225\u003cbr\u003eRetrospectives 243\u003cbr\u003eAftermath 249\u003cbr\u003eGlossary of Acronyms 253\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments 255\u003cbr\u003eNotes 259\u003cbr\u003eIndex 299\"This is a must read especially for science writers, public relations people, and laboratory bureaucrats.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—CHOICE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"Seven Nobel prizes have been awarded for work at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. Yet a leak of radioactive water from the facility turned its 50th anniversary in 1997 into a year of “chaos rather than celebration”, write philosopher of science Robert Crease — author of a history of the lab — and former Brookhaven physicist Peter Bond. Although the incident posed no health hazard, according to federal, state and local officials, it sparked a “firestorm” of activism and politics, captured in this vivid first-hand account.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Nature\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A fascinating, thought-provoking, and relevant study given the continuing ill-informed attacks on science and the resultant resistance to the use of science in determining public policy.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e— Midwest Book Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“The book is well documented, with more than 500 references. If you have an open mind and an interest in science and public affairs, I'd say read it and draw your own conclusions.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e— The East Hampton Star\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Anyone who wants to understand why more than 1,000,000 Americans have died of Covid should read this brilliant book. It dramatically describes a titanic clash between world class science, dishonest activists and celebrities, amoral politicians, and the federal bureaucracy.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Robert Birgeneau, former Chancellor, University of California, Berkeley\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“This true story illustrates how science (and society) lose out when misdirected activism mixes with misguided politics. If you think that social media is necessary for misinformation to win the day, think again.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Marcia McNutt, President, National Academy of Sciences\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Leak\u003c\/i\u003e is a fascinating first-hand account—and ominous warning—of how an innocuous event can be exploited by politicians, environmental activists, and celebrities to frighten the public and kill science.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Neal Lane, Science Advisor to President Bill Clinton\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“I found \u003ci\u003eThe Leak\u003c\/i\u003e gripping reading—a sober reminder of how badly some government decisions can go.”   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Cherry Murray, Professor of Physics, University of Arizona\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Leak\u003c\/i\u003e recounts popular outrage, political intrigue, science misinformation, abused officials, and more. This great read reveals events that presaged the contested boundaries of science and civil society today.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—S. James Gates, Jr, 2021 American Physical Society President; Clark Leadership Chair in Science, University of Maryland\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“The success of our national laboratories relies on trust between the public, politicians, government agencies, scientists and the laboratories. The authors carefully document how ‘the leak’ and its aftermath undermined that delicate partnership.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Barry C. Barish, Ronald and Maxine Linde Professor of Physics, Emeritus, Caltech; 2017 Nobel Laureate\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“This is an extraordinary book describing the precarious relations of science, politics, media, and the public.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Alan Schriesheim, former director, Argonne National Laboratory\u003c\/b\u003eRobert P. Crease is Professor in and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Stony Brook University, where he has taught for more than three decades. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Great Equations\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Prism and the Pendulum\u003c\/i\u003e, and other books. A contributor of op-eds, articles, and reviews to publications including the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal,\u003c\/i\u003e he writes a monthly column for \u003ci\u003ePhysics World\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003ePeter Bond is a retired physicist who worked at Brookhaven National Laboratory for 43 years in a wide variety of roles, including interim laboratory director during much of the period covered by this book.\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300193259749,"sku":"NP9780262047180","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262047180.jpg?v=1767740185","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-leak-isbn-9780262047180","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}