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…