Fostering APS-EPS collaboration through CISA meetings
The spring meeting of the Committee for International Scientific Affairs [CISA] of the American Physical Society [APS] took place in Washington DC, on 11 May 2013. The meeting was attended by Luisa Cifarelli as EPS representative.
In a very lively and friendly atmosphere, based on “elective affinities” between the two societies, many relevant matters were discussed. The meeting, organized by Amy Flatten, APS Director for Scientific Affairs, was chaired by Alan Hurd and attended, in particular, by the Chairs (past and elect) of the APS Forum on International Physics [FIP], William Barletta (MIT) and Ercan Alp (Argonne National Laboratory).
CISA expressed its special interest in three projects led by the EPS:
- the forthcoming ASEPS 3 meeting in Japan;
- the very recently issued report “The importance of physics to the economies of Europe”;
- the International Year of Light [IYoL] initiative.
In addition to the already established APS-EPS agreement for travel grants relative to the SESAME project, the future possibility to establish a joint APS-EPS prize and to award a joint APS-EPS historic site recognition in other continents was also considered. Finally the idea to jointly organize workshops and/or jointly write statements on issues relevant to both societies across the ocean was discussed.
