Editorial – A word of farewell
At the forthcoming 2019 EPS Council Meeting, in the magnificent city of Split on the Adriatic, my term as President of the European Physical Society will come to an end. These two short years have been a rich and rewarding experience, and it has been a privilege to serve the EPS and the European physics community in this unique position. I am often asked, “what were the challenges, and what were the highlights?”, and there is no easy answer to this simple question.
After a career of more than 40 years in particle physics, perhaps the biggest challenge from a personal perspective has been to get out of my comfort zone, to look beyond the particle physics horizon, and to appreciate better the excellence and the incredible diversity of the European physics landscape at large. More important, of course, are the challenges which the EPS is facing on the whole, and there are many – especially in the realm of science policy. The Split meeting will be an opportunity to discuss, to draw some conclusions, and to develop new ideas and a vision for the future.
And of course there have been many highlights, such as the 50th anniversary celebration in Geneva in September 2018, or the inauguration of more than a dozen new EPS Historic Sites. These are widely visible events which contribute to raising the profile of the EPS, both in the scientific community and with the general public. But, returning to a more personal perspective, perhaps the greatest reward has been to experience the competence and dedication of the many people who devote their time and their skills to advancing the good cause of the EPS, mostly on a volunteer basis, such that we can jointly fulfil our mission of serving physics and the physics community. Along the way, I have met many outstanding people and made many new friends, from Young Minds to Nobel Prize winners, and I am grateful for their confidence and support. There is no room here for an exhaustive list, but I wish to say a special “thank you” to past and present members of the Executive Committee; to the chairs of Divisions and Groups, which form our scientific backbone; to the editors of EPS publications; to my predecessor Chris Rossel and my successor Petra Rudolf; and, last not least, to David Lee and all his colleagues at the Mulhouse headquarters for a wonderful collaboration.
On April 6, I will pass the baton to my successor Petra Rudolf from the University of Groningen. Under her presidency, the European Physical Society will be in safe and capable hands, and will continue to flourish. I wish her good luck, and look forward to working with Petra for another year as Vice President. I invite all Members of the EPS to support her in the same generous spirit in which you have supported me during the past two years.
Rüdiger Voss
EPS President
