History and Status of Cold Fusion Research
Speaker:  Dr. Scott R. Chubb
Time/Date: 7:30 pm., Thursday evening, February 17, 2005
Place:  James Bates Hall , Ascension Catholic Church, 12700 Lanham-            Severn Road, Bowie, Maryland 20720   Tel: 301 262 2227

Abstract
Unforeseen factors so seriously disrupted initial discussions of "Cold Fusion" that within 6 weeks of the initial announcements, meaningful debate about the subject, effectively ended. In fact, not only have key aspects of the initial "debate" (or "lack of debate") and subsequent events been questioned by scientists, the events, scientific dynamic (or lack of it) and subsequent history have become a topic for mainstream journals of Ethics in Science, dealing with questions related to the adjudication of science, and the dissemination of scientific information. Despite the serious breakdown in the scientific process, work in replicating the effects observed by Pons and Fleischmann and by Jones not only continued, but with time, new effects were observed. We now know that the effects observed by Pons and Fleischmann and by Jones were quite real. We also know that in both cases, the associated phenomena were triggered by nuclear reactions. However, Pons and Fleischmann did not observe a "Colder Version" of conventional fusion. They found something else: a new form of nuclear fusion that does not create high energy particles or radiation. In fact, with time, it has become apparent that other forms of nuclear reactions can take place in solids, in which the only by-products appear to be new elements and heat. As a consequence, as opposed to "Cold Fusion", Pons and Fleischmann actually discovered a form of Low Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR). In the talk, I will provide an overview of the "Cold Fusion" controversy, and I will summarize recent work, related not only to the initial claims by Pons and Fleischmann, but to the more general LENR field.

Biographical Sketch of Scott Chubb
Since 1989, Scott Chubb has been a research Physicist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), in Washington, DC. He has been an author of more than 60 refereed publications in scientific journals in areas related to physics, geophysics, and oceanography, and he has one patent. In areas related to Low Energy Nuclear Reactions, he serves as a technical editor of Infinite Energy Magazine, was a guest editor of a special two issue edition of the Taylor and Francis Ethics in Science journal, Accountability in Research, dealing with the Cold Fusion controversy and is one of the authors of the report, prepared for the Office of Naval Research that documents the 10 year effort by the Naval Air Warfare Center, the Space Warfare Systems Center, and the Naval Research Laboratory to reproduce and understand the Excess Heat effect, observed by Pons and Fleischmann.

Note:  The talk will be preceded by a recitation of the rosary.  Light refreshments will be provided.
Catholic Association of Scientists and Engineers, Fatima Chapter
For more information, call Dr. Francis J. Kelly, 301-464-0486
or email: KellyFjp@msn.com or write to CAS+E, Box 72, Glenn Dale, MD 20769

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