Author : Gina Gunaratnam
The European Physical Society aims at promoting physics, especially among a young audience. In 2020, the Society published a calendar called "Inspiring Physicists".
The idea of this calendar obviously came to me as a way to put forward the laureates of the EPS Emmy Noether Distinction and to provide examples of living and committed scientists. It shows the variety of research fields in physics and wishes to inspire the young generations in their choice of studies. The calendar also presents some famous female figures.
Furthermore, the EPS regularly publishes interviews of inspiring young female physicists. Lucia Di Ciaccio, former chair of the EPS Equal Opportunities Committee, launched the idea in 2015. These interviews can be read online.
Every month of this year, a new physicist can be discovered in the calendar. The first version puts forward ladies only, because they are often under-represented in various areas of physics (scientific school books, history books, conference speakers, scientific reference).
Our calendar was distributed to our members in Europe and worldwide. Due to the SARS-CoV-2 crisis, the development of the actions started in schools or conferences was suddenly reduced and the follow-up made less easy. However, very positive feedback already came from our members before lockdowns : distribution to physics teachers at conferences, use as educational medium to raise interest in sciences in classrooms or training schools and in an exhibition of famous women.
We hope that with the help of enthusiastic teachers and scientists, our calendar will inspire young pupils to study physics and to give them the taste of science in 2020 and beyond.
Left: the calendar cover with the names of the physicists presented inside - Right: the EPS Distinction for Women Physics is named after the mathematician Emmy Noether
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