EC communication to reinforce ERA
The European Commission adopted a communication on the European Research Area [ERA], entitled ‘A Reinforced European Research Area Partnership for Excellence and Growth’, on 17 July this year. The communication answered calls by the European Council to complete the ERA by 2014.
The ERA Communication focuses on key areas for future improvement, such as more effective national research systems, optimal transnational co-operation and competition, an open labour market…
ICAN launches newsletter
The International Coherent Amplification Network [ICAN] project has launched a newsletter. The first issue – published earlier this year – provides news and information on the ICAN project and its events.
ICAN aims to bring together the laser, fibre and high-energy physics communities, with the aim of collaborating on a novel laser concept: one which will use fibre lasers to produce high energy and repetition rate pulse sources. Such technology would be needed to increase the electron acceleration rate…
Öktem elected first female Balkan Physical Union president
Yeşim Öktem was voted President of the Balkan Physical Union during an election, held in Constanta, Romania, on 6 July this year. Öktem, an associate professor of Physics at Istanbul University, will be the first female president of the Balkan Physical Union. Her term will last three years.
Öktem, is also the Deputy Chair of the Turkish Physical Society, Vice-Dean of the Istanbul University Science Faculty, a member of the Advisory Board of the Turkey Atomic Energy Agency…
European Commission measures improve access to research
New measures to improve access to European scientific knowledge were outlined by the European Commission last month. It is hoped that this greater access will make it easier for businesses and researchers to build on the results of publically funded research, boosting Europe’s innovation potential.
The communication, entitled “Communication Towards better access to scientific information: Boosting the benefits of public investments in research”, establishes open access objectives for research…
Cold and Ultra Cold Molecules conference
The “Cold and Ultra Cold Molecules” research conference is being held in Obergurgl, Austria, on 18-23 November this year. The conference will cover topics within this emerging field, such as the production of cold and ultracold molecules; applications for precision spectroscopy; few-body and many-body quantum physics; chemical physics; and quantum chemistry.
The event is being organised by the European Science Foundation and the University of Innsbruck…
Second European Gender Summit
The Second European Gender Summit is being held at the European Parliament, in Brussels on 29-30 November this year. The summit – which will bring together around 400 participants and 30 top-level international speakers – will provide an arena for the discussion of how gender is viewed in the culture of research and innovation, what potential changes could be made in this field and to begin consultation for the creation of a Joint Gender Quality Standard…
Science education training receives funds from EC
Science View is organising three training courses for science teachers in 2013, funded by European Commission Comenius Grundtvig Grants. The training courses are as follows:
“Teacher’s new role in the Classroom of the future (e-design, e-tutoring, e-Assessment)”
11-16 March 2013 in Thessaloniki, Greece; 18 23 March 2013 in Athens, Greece.
Reference No.: GR-2013-209-002…
Physics for Development Conference
The first Physics for Development Conference is being held at the Palais des Académies, in Brussels, on 11-12 October this year. The meeting – which will look at research and teaching in those countries with a low overall standard of physics funding – aims to create innovative approaches in this area to benefit the global physics community.
The event – which is being organised by the Physics for Development group of the European Physical Society – is sponsored by the CEA and Horiba Jobin Yvon…
World’s largest Cherenkov telescope begins operation
The High Energy Stereoscopic System [HESS] II began operation on 26 July this year. The Namibia-based Cherenkov telescope will, in conjunction with the four smaller telescopes which make up the HESS observatory, study high-energy gamma ray sources such as pulsars, supermassive black holes and supernovae.
Weighing in at around 600 tons, with its 28 meter mirror – the size of two adjacent tennis courts – HESS II is now the world’s largest Cherenkov telescope…
Space science themed student contest lifts off
Odysseus – the pan-European space-science contest for 14-18 year olds – has officially launched. Participants- in teams of up to five students and one teacher – are invited to design and demonstrate a space-themed project under one of the following three topics: “the solar system”, “spaceship – global cooperation” and “the co-evolution of life”.
The project aims to engage European students with the excitement of “the final frontier”, by combining creativity, innovation and intelligence…
Institute of Physics announces award winners
The winners of this year’s Institute of Physics [IoP] awards have been announced. Among the recipients were Martin Rees, who receives the IoP’s flagship international prize – the Isaac Newton Medal – for his outstanding contributions to relativistic astrophysics and cosmology.
“Lord Rees is a hugely important figure in astrophysics and cosmology. While our capability to observe the peculiarities of our Universe has grown at an unprecedented rate, his insights have provided us…
ICFA appoints Lyn Evans Linear Collider Director
Lyn Evans has been appointed as the Linear Collider Director, the International Committee for Future Accelerators [ICFA] announced late last month. Evans, the first to hold this position, will bring together the governance of two existing accelerator programs: the Compact Linear Collider [CLIC] and the International Linear Collider [ILC].
“The international particle physics community is fortunate to have Lyn at the helm of this new organization,” says Pier Oddone, ICFA chair and Fermilab Director…
