The Hotel Metropole in Brussels distiguished as EPS Historic Site
On 24 October 2015, the European Physical Society [EPS], the Belgian Physical Society [BPS, short for ‘Belgische Natuurkundige Vereniging – Société Belge de Physique’] and the International Solvay Institutes [ISI] honoured the Hotel Metropole in Brussels as EPS Historic Site. At the initiative of Ernest Solvay, the Hotel Metropole hosted in 1911 the first Solvay Council where the foundations of Quantum Physics where laid. A commemorative plaque was unveiled in the lobby of the hotel by the President of the EPS, Christophe Rossel, and the President of BPS, Jef Ongena, following an academic session attended by 80 participants.
The Ludwig‐Maximilians‐Universität becomes EPS Historic Site
On 6 May 2015, the Ludwig Maximilian University Munich (LMU) has been named a “Historic Site” by the European Physical Society (EPS). After the Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Berlin in 2013, LMU is the second German institution to receive this honour.
The first joint EPS-APS Historic Site: the Einstein House in Bern
Walking through the historic centre of Bern, the curious traveller comes across a sign at Kramgasse 49 indicating the “Einsteinhaus”. Walking up the steep, narrow staircase, it is possible to visit the apartment where Albert Einstein lived from 1903 to 1905.
During his time in Bern, A. Einstein lived with his wife and baby while working a 48 hour week as a clerk in the Patent Office. Despite a busy family and professional life, A. Einstein also published the 4 papers that revolutionised physics at the beginning of the 20th century.
EPS Historic Site: The Residencia de Estudiantes, Madrid, Spain
The ceremony declaring the Residencia de Estudiantes as an EPS Historic Site took place on 13 May 2015. It was presided over by EPS President Dr Christophe Rossel, Prof. J. Adolfo de Azcárraga, President of the Spanish Physical Society [RSEF], Prof. Emilio Lora-Tamayo, President of the Spanish National Research Council [CSIC] and Alicia Gómez-Navarro, Director of the Residencia de Estudiantes.
EPS Historic Site: Institut für Radiumforschung Wien
The Institut Radiumforschung (Institute for Radium Research of the Austrian Academy of Sciences), in Vienna is the first Historic Site of the European Physical Society in Austria. In a ceremony on 28 May 2015, a commemorative plaque was unveiled by Luisa Cifarelli, Chair of the EPS Historic Site Committee and former President of EPS, and Anton Zeilinger, the President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, in front of the building in Boltzmanngasse 3, which was originally constructed for the Institute for Radium Research.
The Fasor Lutheran Secondary School of Budapest distinguished as EPS Historic Site
“The fear of the lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
This is the motto of the Fasor Lutheran Secondary School of Budapest, Hungary, which was recently recognised as an EPS Historic Site. This school has proved to be very successful in finding and encouraging talent: Both Eugene Wigner (Nobel Prize in physics, 1963) and John von Neumann attended the school and learned the basics of science there.
EPS Historic Site – the Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory and the Instituut-Lorentz
On 9 February 2015, the European Physical Society [EPS], the Nederlandse Natuurkundige Vereniging – the Netherlands Physical Society [NNV] and the University of Leiden unveiled a plaque commemorating the former location of the Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory and the Instituut-Lorentz as an EPS Historic Site. A series of talks preceded the unveiling ceremony, preside by Johannes Maria van Ruitenbeek, the President of the NNV.
Dirk van Delft, the Director of the Boerhaave Science Museum in Leiden gave an overview of the life work of Professor Kamerlingh Onnes, as well as the achievements of the University of Leiden. Carlo Beenaker from the Lorentz …
The study of Georgi Nadjakov declared an EPS Historic Site
On the eve of the 24 May 2014, which is the Bulgarian holiday of Culture and Literacy as well as the feast of Cyril and Methodius brothers, the patron saints of Europe, the European Physical Society [EPS] commemorated the distinguished Bulgarian physicist Georgi Nadjakov by declaring his study in Sofia, Bulgaria, an EPS Historic Site as part of the scientific and cultural heritage of the old continent.
The announcement was made during an official ceremony in the Nadjakov Institute of Solid State Physics [ISSP] at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences [BAS] by Prof. Luisa Cifarelli, Chair of EPS Historic Sites Committee, who…
CERN: a jewel in science as part of our heritage
To celebrate CERN’s 60th anniversary, a special ceremony took place at the laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland, on 19 June 2014. The occasion was the declaration as an EPS Historic Site of the first CERN accelerator, the 600 MeV SynchroCyclotron [SC], built in the 1950s when CERN was making its debut as an international particle physics laboratory in Europe.
The SC started up in 1957 and witnessed very important physics achievements over its 33 years of operation. It had a key role in the early stages of our understanding of weak interactions, in particular with…
The Fabra Observatory
The Fabra Observatory in Barcelona, Spain was recognised as an EPS Historic Site during a specific event held on 9 May 2014.
Since 1904 the Fabra Observatory is one of the characteristics of the skyline of Barcelona. It was built by the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona – which 2014 commemorates its 250th anniversary – under the direction of two academicians, Eduard Fontserè (meteorologist) and Josep Comas i Solà (astronomer) with the sponsorship of…
Blackett Laboratory, place of dozen discoveries
The Blackett Laboratory, home of the Department of Physics of the Imperial College based in London, United-Kingdom, was designated as EPS Historic Site on 30 April 2014. The Imperial College physicist Professor Tom Kibble had the privilege to unveil the commemorative plaque in presence of a large audience and EPS President John Dudley. Prof. Antonino Zichichi, past EPS president and member of the Blackett Group was invited to give a talk at the ceremony.
Since its inauguration in 1961, the building has hosted numerous eminent physicists, including…
NPL named birthplace of atomic timekeeping
The National Physical Laboratory [NPL] has been officially declared by the European Physical Society [EPS] Historic Site as the birthplace of atomic timekeeping. The announcement was made during a dedicated event at NPL in Teddington, United-Kingdom, on 31 January 2014 and a plaque commemorating the historic occasion was unveiled.
The EPS Historic Sites Award recognises places in Europe that have made an exceptional contribution to physics. The award recognises NPL as the place where the first practical atomic clock was built, a landmark which has changed global timekeeping and made modern communications and location services possible…
