Editorial — The Complexities of Inter-societal Cooperation

The planning for the International Year of Light 2015 has brought to the fore the complexities of inter-societal cooperation. Each learned society has a geographically defined membership base. For example, the European Physical Society attracts mainly physicists from Europe. And while the American Physical Society has many international members, the majority of members are based in the USA. Moreover, each learned society defines its membership by scientific discipline, which can be more or less broad. The Optical Society of America…

Editorial: Lights, Camera, Action!

Dear Readers,

Since its creation, the European Physical Society [EPS] and its members have been at the forefront of physics research and international collaboration. Our reputation is built, first and foremost, on our credibility as physicists. While many EPS initiatives have spurred European, and international, activities and policy initiatives (such as WYP2005, EPL and EMSPS, to cite some examples) the EPS has remained an actor behind the scenes…