New insights in accelerator-driven systems
As part of EUCARD2 activities, and co-sponsored by EPS Technology and Innovation Group (TIG), a workshop on the status of new developments in Accelerator-Driven Systems or ADS was held at CERN on February 7-9.
Informal Physical Societies Exchange Conference
The Informal Physical Societies Exchange Conference [IPSEC] is organized every two years, in the framework of the Meeting of Polish Physicists by the Polish Physical Society.
The first of such was held during the XXXIVth Meeting of Polish Physicists, in 1997, at Katowice. This event gathered the representatives of seven national societies – from the Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine – and the European Physical Society…
Dutch Physical Society hosts Physics and Politics discussion
A discussion session on ‘Physics and Politics’ – with a focus on the importance of physics to the European economy – was organised by the Dutch Physical Society [NNV] earlier this year. This event was part of the annual Physics@FOM conference, held in Veldhoven, the Netherlands, on 17-18 January.
The opinion of physicists is often publically sought in relation to events in which the application of physics is at stake; for example, in regards to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. On a different level, funding organisations actively…
Morning on Open Access Gold model
A half-day session on the Open Access Gold model was organised on 19 January this year, at the Institut Henri Poincaré, Paris. The meeting, an initiative of the French Physical Society [SFP], was the first step in launching a discussion on the changing business models of French physics publications.
The event opened with an introduction to an innovative business model, SCOAP3, by CERN’s Jens Vigen; this was followed by a presentation on the current situation at the European Commission [EC], by the EC Open Access Policy…
Call for Young Scientist Prize in Computational Physics
Nominations are now open for the 2012 Young Scientist Prize in Computational Physics, of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics [IUPAP] Commission on Computational Physics [C20].
The prize, which consists of 1,000 euros, a medal and a certificate, will be given at the commission’s next Conference on Computational Physics [CCP2012], which is being held in Kobe, Japan, on 14-18 October. The winner will also be invited to present a paper at this meeting…
EPS launches new Technology and Innovation Group
The European Physical Society [EPS] is launching a new Technology and Innovation Group [TIG], in accordance with the EPS Strategy Plan 2010+. This initiative, fostered by the EPS Executive Committee last year, confirms the longstanding role of the EPS in establishing links between industry, research institutes, society and universities within Europe.
The Technology and Innovation Group is hoping to build a close collaboration with the newly created Technology Transfer Offices [TTO] Circle, by means of CERN, which is both a founding EPS member as well as a major player in the TTO…
Bekenstein receives Wolf Prize in Physics
Jacob Bekenstein has been announced as the recipient of the 2012 Wolf Prize in Physics, in honour of his work in formulating the thermodynamics of black holes.
Bekenstein will be presented with the award – which consists of a certificate and prize money to the sum of 100,000 USD – by Israel President Shimon Peres, at a special ceremony at the Knesset on 13 May.
Bekenstein, who hails from Mexico City, received his PhD at Princeton University in 1972. Since then, he has worked…
Results of EC consultation on scientific publishing
The European Commission has published the results of its ‘Consultation on scientific information in the digital age’. The survey generated much interest, with 1,140 responses received from 42 different countries. The European Physical Society provided input into the consultation in September last year.
The survey noted a general desire for better access to scientific publications; the vast majority of respondents believing that publications and data resulting from publically funded research should be made open access. In addition…
January 2012 EPS Executive Committee Meeting
The European Physical Society [EPS] Executive Committee met at the EPS headquarters, in Mulhouse, on 27-28 January 2012. One of the central tasks of this meeting was to make preparations for the upcoming EPS council, and the preceding Forum Physics and Society, which are scheduled to be held at CERN at the end of March this year.
As the first meeting of the new year, the 2011 accounts were discussed, and a budget for 2012 was drawn up. In addition, the committee will prepare a brief statement on the study “Physics and the EU economy”, to be presented…
Institute of Physics appoints Palmer temporary CEO
The Institute of Physics Council has appointed Stuart Palmer as temporary CEO, following the vacation of the position by Bob Kirby-Harris, who has stepped down due to health issues. A full-time replacement will be appointed by the council – which is headed by current president Peter Knight – in the summer.
Palmer, who has been honorary secretary since October 2009, has a long standing relationship with the institute. In addition, Palmer was also the pro-vice-chancellor for research at Warwick University, from 1995 to 2001…
J-PARC: recovering from earthquake
The European Physical Society sends its heartfelt congratulations to the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex [J-PARC], for their progress in recovering from the heavy damage suffered during the tragic earthquake of March last year.
“In May 2011, we planned to restore beams at J-PARC by the end of December 2011. Since then, all the J-PARC people have worked day and night, and even weekends. Finally, on 9 December, the switch of the Linac was turned on…
EPS & PPA to launch journal platform
The Physics Publishing Alliance [PPA], in a joint initiative under the aegis of the European Physical Society [EPS], is bringing together a number of physics journals which have strong scientific and editorial links with European learned societies.
Regular selections of the best articles from the core journals will be made free to access, through the Physics Publishing Alliance Portal for Electronic Review [PPA PER], which will be embedded in the new EPS website…
