OpenLab: a specific action targeting developing countries
The OpenLab was initiated by the International Union of Crystallography and UNESCO. It is on of the most successful recent initiatives in the development of physics in developing countries.
This initiative was launched in the frame mark of the International Year of Crystallography. It was made possible due to the strong involvement of Claude LECOMTE, deputy chairman of the International Union of Crystallography [IUCr] and the partnership of dedicated sponsors, generally manufacturers of equipment for crystallography such Agilent, Antonpaar, Brucker, Dectris, Incoatec, Oxford Cryosystems, PANalytical, Rigoku, STOE, Xenocs.
3D Printing for development an initiative of the EPS Physics for Development Group
The latest initiative of the Physics for Development group was to launch a program on 3D printing for science with the Cameroon Physical Society in cooperation with Paul Woafo (head of the physics department at Yaoundé 1 University), the founder of the Cameroon Physical Society and its first president. The main goal of this project was to improve the availability of laboratory equipment for use in university, especially for optics accessories. Nowadays taking advantage of the open source availability of 3D design of laboratory equipment it is possible to improve the situation in many universities in which workshops are scarce or not available at all. Through a close cooperation with the Scientific Fab Lab of ICTP (Trieste) a physicist of Yaoundé University Mr Nana Bonaventure was trained for three months and two 3D printer kits with spare parts were sent to him. He was able to build the two 3D printers and to print different objects.
New chair for the EPS Physics for Development Group
The group has a new chairman, Ernst van Groningen. He is the director of the physics program at the International Science Program [ISP] located in Uppsala, Sweden. He is a renowned scientist and an expert in the scientific cooperation with developing countries.
The group needs to better define its positioning and to think and design new action types by particularly promoting the application of new methods or/and new technologies to create a better situation for physics in developing countries.
Report from ‘Low cost high physics…’ conference
The ‘Low cost high physics and appropriate solutions to real life for developing countries’ conference was held in Yaounde, Cameroon, on 8-9 December last year.
The scope of the conference was to:
- find solutions for building experiments, enabling results to be compared with applied mathematical calculations…
Light for Development
A central goal of the EPS International Year of Light project will be to promote optical technologies and optics education to improve the quality of life in the developing world – under the theme of ‘Light for Development’.
Light plays a central role in human activities in science, technology and culture. On a fundamental scientific level, light is necessary for the existence of life itself; whilst on a more technical level, light-based technologies will underpin the future development of human society…
Advance notice of call for proposals in nanotechnology
The 7th Framework Programme for EU Research’s (FP7) Industrial Technologies programme – commonly referred to as NMP – promotes excellence, across all industrial sectors, in both new and existing technologies. The draft work programme for the 2012 call for proposals is now available on the European Commission website.
It should be noted that this is only a draft programme; potential applications should wait for the final call for 2012 to be published on the European Commission website at the end of July…
