Editorial – Is there a by-product of fundamental physics?
What is the aim of fundamental science? We have all asked ourselves this question, and however naive it may seem, we often have to provide an answer. When the question comes from policy makers and funding agencies, we suspect ulterior motives. Therefore, rather than explain that the purpose is to gain knowledge and understanding, which is the essence of fundamental science, it is easier to raise an equally important aspect: most of the greatest technological advances are the direct or indirect consequence of not politically oriented research. One example that is often mentioned is the invention of the laser.
SESAME moves towards commissioning
Report on the 26th SESAME Council meeting held on 26-27 May 2015 and hosted by UNESCO in Paris. In order for commissioning to start in mid-2016, and for the first stage of Phase 1 to be completed in 2017, some additional capital funding is still needed. Egypt will join Iran, Israel, Jordan, and Turkey (which are each providing $5 million) in making a voluntary contribution, which will partly fill the gap.
The Council was updated on progress in fabricating the magnets for the main storage ring, which is being managed by CERN, in collaboration with SESAME, using funds provided by the European Union…
G7 sends powerful message on climate change
In their declaration following the G7 summit that took place on 7-8 june 2015 in Schloss Elmau, Germany, leaders stressed their determination to adopt a legal instrument to ensure global warming is limited to 2 degrees Celsius – ”The agreement should enhance transparency and accountability including thorough binding rules at its core to track progress towards achieving targets, which should promote increased ambition over time. This should enable all countries to follow a low-carbon and resilient development pathway in line with the global goal to hold the increase in global average temperature below 2 °C”.
EPS Executive and Staff activity for May 2015
The EPS works to support its members. Find below the list of activities of the EPS Executive Committee and staff for May 2015.
4 May: L. Di Ciaccio, EPS Executive Committee Honorary Secretary, presented the Emmy Noether award to prof. A. L’Huillier in Freiburg im Breisgau, DE.
5 May: D. Lee, EPS Secretary General and J. Rivero attended the CSA-PPP Meeting in Brussels (BE).
6 May: Christophe Rossel, EPS president, represented EPS at the EPS Historic Site ceremony for the celebrated …
A new platform dedicated to photonics in Europe
Leti is an institute of the CEA (Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), a French research-and-technology organization with activities in energy, IT, healthcare, defence and security. Leti is focused on creating value and innovation through technology transfer to its industrial partners. It specializes in nanotechnologies and their applications, from wireless devices and systems, to biology, healthcare and photonics.
EPS Executive and Staff activity for April 2015
The EPS works to support its members. Find below the list of activities of the EPS Executive Committee and staff for April 2015:
7-9 April: John Dudley, EPS vice-president, attended an International Year of Light Ceremony in Warsaw (PL) and met with the Presidents of OSA and SPIE (PL).
8 April: Christophe Rossel, EPS president, participated in the board meeting of the Swiss Physical Society in Bern (CH) in his position of delegate to the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences.
EPS Executive and Staff activity for March 2015
The EPS works to support its members. Click here for the list of the activities of EPS Executive Committee and staff for the last month.
3 March : James Hough, member of the EPS Executive Committee, represented the IOP and the EPS at an honorary degree ceremony in Edinburgh for Professor Peter Higgs. The honorary degree was conferred by the University of North Carolina where Professor Higgs had spent …
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EPS Executive and Staff activity for February 2015
The EPS works to support its members. Click here for the list of the activities of EPS Executive Committee and staff for the last month.
2 February: The Executive Committee meeting was organised by Elisabeth Rachlewmember of the EPS Executive Committee, and took place in Stockholm at KTH Physics – AlbaNova.
International Year of Light news
2nd Art, Science, City International Conference 2015 – Barcelona, Spain
Opening Ceremony of the International Year of Light in Munich, Germany
ARTE Future – a TV series on tomorrow’s light technologies
Read about light!
A selection of publications on light by Physics World, EPL, Journal of Optics, the Amercian Physical Society, Springer and Elsevier.
OpenAIRE2020 – a new horizon for open science
OpenAIRE (Open Access Infrastructure for Research in Europe) is a three-year project funded under the Seventh Framework Programme [FP7] of the European Commission that ran from 2009 to 2012. It is a collaborative European effort working towards a common goal to bring a change in implementing open access for the benefit of innovation, industry and society. All partners welcomed the effort to make open access a truly global reality during this pivotal phase in scholarly communication.
OpenAIRE currently maintains an interoperable and validated network of more than 520 repositories and Open …
