New Associate Members join European Physical Society
The EPS is proud to announce that the European Gravitational Observatory, the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia and the Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro Studi e Ricerche ‘E. Fermi’, have joined the European Physical Society as Associate Members.
The Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro Studi e Ricerche ‘E. Fermi’ was created in honour of the achievements and vision of Enrico Fermi. It provides a centre for studies and research at the frontiers of science, along with providing scholarships for young scientists to undertake research in Italy…
SciTech Europe 2011 conference
The third annual SciTech Europe conference will be held at The Square, Brussels Meeting Centre, in Brussels, on 24 November this year.
The event, which will focus on how European science and technology policy could benefit knowledge, prosperity and society, will also act as a networking opportunity between academic experts, industry stakeholders and major policy-makers…
Symposium in honour of Luciano Maiani
A symposium in honor of Luciano Maiani, on the occasion of his 70th birthday, is being held in the physics department of Sapienza – Università di Roma, Italy, on 21-22 September, 2011.
The event, in which a number of distinguished scientists will present their research, will celebrate Maiani’s contributions to the field of particle physics. The symposium is being sponsored by Alitalia and the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare.
For more information – and to view the event poster – please visit the symposium website.
Horizon 2020 voted name of new EC research programme
‘Horizon 2020 – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation’ will be the name of the new European Commission Research Programme, following a ballot on three shortlisted choices last month. Over 8,300 votes were received in the ECs ‘You Name It’ competition, which was launched on 28 March this year.
“The new name marks another step in our endeavour to establish research and innovation where it belongs, at the centre of EU policy making,” said Research, Innovation and Science Commissioner, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn…
Nominations open for Historic Sites initiative
The Historic Sites Initiative has been launched by the EPS to commemorate important places in the development and history of physics across Europe.
Sites with a national, or broader, significance to physics and its history may be considered for the distinction of becoming an EPS Historic Site. Commemorated locales will be recognised with a plaque, and an unveiling ceremony, organised between the EPS and the site nominators..
Consultation on Research, Innovation & Gender
EPS members have been invited to take part in a Public Consultation on the Future of Gender and Innovation in Europe. The consultation, which is intended to complement the EC Green Paper ‘From Challenges to Opportunities: Towards a Common Strategic Framework for EU Research and Innovation Funding’, will be published and discussed during the first European Gender Summit in Brussels on 8-9 November this year.
The consultation – which is being coordinated by genSET and the organisers of the European Gender Summit – is hoped will create a better understanding of how Europe might benefit from a more effective mainstreaming of the gender…
2011 France-Asia Particle Physics School
The 2011 France-Asia Particle Physics School will be held at the Ecole de physique des Houches on 9-21 October this year.
The focus of the school – which aims to teach Asian and French pre-doctoral students practical and theoretical tools – will be on data analysis; and accelerator and detector development at the International Linear Collider and the Large Hadron Collider. The school is to be held in English…
EPS and SIF launch school on energy
The first session of a new EPS-SIF joint International School on Energy will be held on 30 July – 4 August next year, at the Villa Monastero, Varenna, Italy. The school, which was recently approved by the EPS Executive Committee and the Council of Presidency of the Società Italiana di Fisica (SIF), will promote European research and technology competence in the field of energy.
The directors of this year’s school will be Luisa Cifarelli, of the University of Bologna, Italy; Friedrich Wagner, of the Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Germany; and Diederik Wiersma, of the European Laboratory for Non-linear…
Cosmic honour for former EPS president
Sir Arnold Wolfendale has been awarded the first IUPAP-TIFR Homi Bhabha Medal and Prize, for his work in the field of cosmic ray astrophysics. The prize will be presented at the 2011 International Cosmic Ray Conference in Beijing, China, in August this year.
The Homi Bhabha Medal and Prize – which consists of a certificate, medal, $5000 cheque and an invitation to give a public lecture at the TIFR in Mumbai – is awarded to active scientists who have made distinguished contributions to the fields of high-energy cosmic ray physics and astroparticle physics, across an extended academic career…
EPS proposes study into physics and the economy
The EPS is investigating the feasibility of launching a study into physics and the economy, on a European scale. Research will go ahead if it is deemed that such can be done in a timely and cost effective manner.
In 2007, the UK Institute of Physics (IoP) commissioned a similar study entitled ‘Physics and the UK Economy’ – which can be read on the IoP website. The report – which examined the role of physics-based sectors in generating employment – added value and support to other sectors of the economy.
ESFRI releases new report on research infrastructures
The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) have released their Strategy Report and Roadmap Update 2010. The chair of ESFRI, Beatrix Vierkorn-Rudolph presented the roadmap to the European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, in Brussels on 3 May this year.
“Pooling national and EU resources to build pan-European research infrastructures – rather than each Member State simply going it alone – is common sense and a key part of the EU’s Innovation Union plan,” said Geoghegan-Quinn. “These collaborative efforts create economies of scale, boost EU competitiveness and deliver better value for money for…
EPS Energy Group October Meeting
The next EPS Energy Group meeting will be held on 6-7 October this year in Oslo. The exact venue is to be confirmed.
Four main items will be on the agenda: the general business of the Energy Group; information on the energy situation in Norway; a discussion of the national nuclear waste disposal issues, including concepts, technical matters, solutions, political situation and approval; and a study of the challenges and possibilities of an European Union-wide electricity grid, and the compatibility of national planning.
