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Posted By Administration,
Tuesday 4 October 2022
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Author: Duarte Esteves
On the evening of 1st July 2022, the Lisbon EPS Young Minds section
organised the second edition of the “Young Minds Movie Night”. Just like
the previous edition, this event took place in the cloister of the
Lisbon Museum of Natural History and Science. This outreach activity
targeted a broad and general audience, and the main goal was teaching
Physics to everyone in a fun and relaxed way.
In the spirit of the
previous edition, this activity consisted of two parts: the screening
of a film and a light talk on the subject. This time, the 1981 BBC
documentary The Pleasure of Finding Things Out, starring the
famous physicist Richard Feynman, was exhibited. The participants were
invited to bring their own blankets and watch the documentary with their
friends and family while enjoying the complimentary popcorn and
beverages we provided.
Afterwards, Prof. Mário Pinheiro, from our
home institute, Instituto Superior Técnico of the University of Lisbon,
gave an exciting lecture titled “Off the Beaten Path: Celebrating
Feynman — the Great Explainer”. After briefly introducing some important
aspects of Feynman’s childhood, including some that were also mentioned
in the documentary itself, Prof. Pinheiro shared some anecdotes that
conveyed Feynman’s particular views on what it means to really learn and
understand something, including, for instance, the famous Feynman
technique for learning. Subsequently, Prof. Pinheiro highlighted some of
Feynman’s main contributions to Physics, such as his role in the
development of Quantum Electrodynamics, for which he won the Nobel Prize
in Physics in 1965.
Thus, with this event, it was possible to
introduce our audience to an inspiring physicist from both a personal
and a professional point of view. In the end, the feedback was very much
positive, confirming once again that this event model, combining the
screening of a film and a lecture by an expert, is a very effective way
to promote Physics to the general public and certainly warrants a third
edition in the near future!
image: Daniela Pereira
Tags:
EPS Young Minds
Feynman
Lisbon
outreach
young physicists
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Posted By Administration,
Tuesday 4 October 2022
Updated: Thursday 13 October 2022
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Posted By Administration,
Monday 3 October 2022
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Author: Rogerio Rosenfeld, Sónia Semedo and Graça Silveira
The 4th Physics Conference of Portuguese Speaking Countries (4a
Conferência de Física dos Países de Língua Portuguesa - CFPLP) was held
in Cidade da Praia, Cabo Verde, from 14 through 16 September 2022. The
Conference was hosted by the Universidade de Cabo Verde (UniCV) and took
place on its new beautiful campus.
The
4th CFPLP was organized by the Union of Physicists from Portuguese
Speaking Countries (União de Físicos dos Países de Língua Portuguesa - UFPLP)
and UniCV with institutional support from the CPLP (Comunidade de
Países de Língua Portuguesa) with financial and infrastructure support
from the Portuguese and Brazilian Physical Societies, EPS and IUPAP,
among others. Professor Sónia Semedo from UniCV chaired the Organizing
Committee. The main theme of the Conference was “Physics for sustainable
development” in the framework of the “International Year of Basic
Sciences for Sustainable Development”.
Professor
Ricardo Galvão from Brazil chaired the Scientific Advisory Committee,
and the program highlighted the following topics: Dissemination and
teaching of Physics (including digital teaching and applications);
Environment and climate change; Ocean pollution and disaster
prevention; Sustainable energy sources; Contributions from Physics to
engineering; Physics for life; Space technology, in particular, the use
of nanosatellites; Complex systems; Artificial intelligence;
Nanotechnologies.
The 4th CFPLP was a
hybrid event with around 81 participants from Angola, Brasil, Cabo
Verde, Moçambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Principe, and the USA , with
30% participating remotely via Zoom. Among them there were 23 students
and 25 high-school teachers. Professor Teresa Pena from Portugal gave a
welcome talk in the opening ceremony on behalf of the EPS.
Previous
to the Conference, there were two days of training activities for 25
Cabo-Verdean high school teachers. The workshops were: Introduction to
Python with Physics applications and Elab- remote physics labs; Optics
and “Show da Física”; Applications of nuclear energy in health,
industry, environment, agriculture, and cultural goods; and
Masterclasses in Particle Physics.
This
series of Conferences are highly valuable for the dissemination of
Physics in Portuguese Speaking Countries that can lead to the
development of this and related fields in these countries.
This post has not been tagged.
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Posted By Administration,
Monday 26 September 2022
Updated: Tuesday 27 September 2022
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The European and international scientific community is working together to take appropriate actions to support the Ukrainian scientific community that are facing exceptional challenges due to the current war situation in the country.
Several measures to support the Ukrainian scientists are being taken to try to mitigate the damage caused by the conflict in their professional activities. Below, the EPS Brussels office presents the list of initiatives that, to the best of our knowledge,
are currently supporting the Ukrainian scientific community:
- #ScienceForUkraine collects and disseminates information for students and researchers directly affected by the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
You can find them using the hashtag #ScienceForUkraine in Twitter or in the website: https://scienceforukraine.eu/
- ERC for Ukraine: the European Research Council (ERC) has appealed to its grantees to provide temporary employment to refugee researchers and support
staff, such as technician and lab managers fleeing the war, from Ukraine. See the current open opportunities here: https://erc.europa.eu/funding/additional-opportunities/ERC-for-Ukraine-research-jobs
- European Innovation Council (EIC) initiative. The European
Commission has launched an ambitious €20 million action to support the Ukrainian innovation community. The new initiative will support at least 200 Ukrainian deep tech start-ups with up to €60,000 each. In addition, the EIC will offer non-financial
support, such as business advisory services and matchmaking.
- European Research Area for Ukraine (ERA4Ukraine) portal. One-stop-shop for information and support services to Ukraine-based researchers and researchers fleeing Ukraine. The portal brings together initiatives at the EU level, per country and from non-governmental groups. It aims to help affected researchers
find housing and job opportunities, facilitate the recognition of their diplomas, and offer other services.
- The European Commission (DG RTD), Eklipse, Science for Ukraine and
Chance for Science
are collaborating to explore ways to reconnect and network the scientists and researchers of Ukraine who are either dispersed all over Europe/world or struggling to keep doing their research and teaching in Ukraine. The main idea behind this common initiative
is to support the Ukrainian Scientific community to keep Ukrainian science strong, connected and well networked with the rest of the European Scientific community.
- The European Plant Science Organisation (EPSO) offers direct help and provides a link to an xls file where people can add their lab taking up UKR scientists/students
- The European Association of Social Psychology (EASP) has re-activated their scientist-at-risk program to support individuals: https://www.easp.eu/news/itm/easp_statement_of_support__ukrai-1424.html.
- The European Chemical Society (EuChemS) has launched a group to share opportunities for Ukrainian colleagues https://www.euchems.eu/chemists-for-ukraine/.
- The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) has set up labs, office work places and also accommodation for Ukrainian colleagues: https://www.embo.org/solidarity-with-ukraine/.
- The Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) provides a platform for peer-to-peer support
https://www.mariecuriealumni.eu/groups/ukrainian-members-support-group,
and a list of labs supporting Ukrainian scientists as well as a fundraising campaign:
- European Fund for Displaced Scientists (EFDS). An ALLEA-Breakthrough Prize Foundation Partnership to
Support Scholars Impacted by the War in Ukraine. The EFDS programme has two separate funding lines:
- Funding Line 1 provides funds to academic institutions in Europe that are willing and able to host scholars who have been displaced by the war in Ukraine.
- Funding Line 2 provides funds to affected Ukrainian universities, academies, and research institutes to help them maintain their operations and rebuild their scientific facilities and research collaborations. Its aim is also to support the reintegration process of researchers after their return to a post-war Ukraine.
- daad-ukraine.org: the German National Academic Contact Point Ukraine implements this initiative which offers a first
orientation in Germany and especially in the German higher education and research system. They also provide an overview of different help offers in academia.
- German Research Foundation (DFG) offers support via special funding programs - offers assistance by
providing accommodation. The Helmholtz Research Association promotes
an initiative enabling refugees to enter scientific or science-related employment and National Research Data Infrastructure – NFDI collects links, contact addresses and services that can help affected scientists from Ukraine.
- science4people – S4P is an international initiative of scientists and those aware of the role of science and innovation for the future of
our civilization. From which this future will grow is education, which is severely impaired in conflict-torn countries. S4P supports these communities to care for the vulnerable and foster education, to open prospects for the future.
Tags:
Ukraine
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Posted By Administration,
Thursday 15 September 2022
Updated: Thursday 15 September 2022
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Author: Andrius Juodagalvis, Lithuanian Physical Society
On 2nd July 2022, Lithuanian enthusiasts of history of physics
gathered in Žeimelis, Lithuania, where the first EPS Historic Site in
the three Baltic states was inaugurated. Having reviewed contributions
of Theodor von Grotthuss (1785-1822), a scientist who lived in the
region in the beginning of the XIX century, the EPS Historic Sites
committee agreed that his laboratory in Gedučiai, near a small town of
Žeimelis, has influenced the development of physics to a comparable
extent as other scientific centres in Europe.
Theodor von
Grotthuss work gained world-wide recognition in 1806, after he published
an article on his theory of electrolysis of water, proposing to base
the electrolysis process interpretation on physical-chemical phenomena.
In his view, the electric field was polarizing molecules in a solution,
and continuous dissociation and recombination of molecules resulted in
the electrolysis effects visible only at the electrodes, where the chain
of pairs was broken. Since 1808 he worked in a laboratory at his
mother's estate in Gedučiai, which is currently a small village close to
Žeimelis in Pakruojis municipality district, Lithuania. Electrolysis
research was supplemented by various studies of interaction of light
with matter, which included phosphorescence and photochemical reactions.
Around 1817 he discovered regularities, that were later called the
Grotthuss-Draper first and second laws of photochemistry. Attempting to
create a unified concept of physical and chemical phenomena based on
charge and molecular constituents, in 1818-1819 Teodor von Grotthuss
concluded that interaction of opposite charges (positive and negative),
depending on conditions, manifests as light, heat, and electricity. The
same publication also proposed that water liquid contains molecules and
their elementary parts even in the absence of an external electric
field. The collective action of molecules that leads to the electric
conductivity of solutions due to proton jumping from one molecule to
another is still called the Grotthuss mechanism.
The EPS Historic
Site sign was placed in a central square of Žeimelis, where the statue
of Teodor von Grotthuss by a sculptor Kęstutis Balčiūnas was erected
earlier this year, in March. The recognition ceremony in Žeimelis was
opened by the chair of the EPS Historic Sites Committee, Karl Grandin.
His speech was translated into Lithuanian by a scientific secretary of
the Lithuanian Physical Society, Andrius Juodagalvis. The chairman of
the EPS selection committee for historic sites congratulated the
participants who witnessed inauguration of the first EPS historic site
in the three Baltic states. He also explained the meaning of distinction
as "a historic site," and highlighted Teodor von Grotthuss'
achievements that contributed towards his recognition by physicists, and
challenged chemists to weigh his influence, since his research topics
are on the borderline between physics and chemistry. Had the Nobel
Prizes been awarded when Grotthuss lived, he might have been awarded
one. Karl Grandin also gifted the local museum with a copy of the last
Theodor von Grotthuss' letter to his colleague in Sweden, Jacob
Berzelius. The president of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, Jūras
Banys cherished that a small town of Žeimelis joined the league of other
famous places in Europe, where the foundations of modern physics were
laid. Other speakers of the official ceremony were the president of the
Grotthuss' Foundation at the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, Aivaras
Kareiva, the initiator of the EPS historic site application and a former
president of the Lithuanian Physical Society, Juozas Vidmantis Vaitkus,
the president of the Lithuanian Physics Teachers' Asociation, Rigonda
Skorulskienė, the dean of the Faculty of Physics at Vilnius University,
Juozas Šulskus, and the mayor of the Pakruojis municipality district
Saulius Margis. At the end of the ceremony, Karl Grandin declared the
EPS historic site in Žeimelis to be officially inaugurated. The entire
ceremony was started and finalized with live saxophone melodies.
The Lithuanian Physical Society
is grateful to the EPS Historic Site committee for recognition of
Theodor von Grotthuss research results, and the Pakruojis district
municipality for providing local support. Theodor von Grotthuss
scientific contributions are described following the EPS historic site
application written by J. V. Vaitkus and A. Kareiva, and an overview
article by B. Jaselskis et al, Bull. Hist. Chem. 32 (2007) 119-128.
Official participants of the EPS Historic Site inauguration in Žeimelis, Pakruojis municipality district, Lithuania.
Photo by A. Skorulskas
More info
Tags:
distinction
Electrolysis
EPS Historic Site
EPS Historic Sites
light
Lithuania
Lithuanian Physical Society
Theodor von Grotthuss
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Posted By Administration,
Thursday 15 September 2022
Updated: Thursday 15 September 2022
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Author: Noortje de Graaf
We proudly announce the latest EPS Historic Site in the Netherlands: the
former Zeeman laboratory in Amsterdam. On 25th May, Pieter Zeeman's
birthday, the plaque on the building was unveiled by EPS Vice-President
Petra Rudolf. The Zeeman laboratory was opened in 1923 at Plantage
Muidergracht 4 in Amsterdam, it was specially equipped for experiments
that were carried out in the group of Nobel Prize Laureate Pieter
Zeeman. Pieter Zeeman was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1902 together with
Hendrik Lorentz. Today the building is inhabited, the laboratory has
been converted into several apartments. The unveiling was actually
planned in 2021 in the context of 100 years of Netherlands’ Physical
Society, but had to be postponed until 2022 due to Covid-19. The other
EPS Historic Sites in the Netherlands are Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory in
Leiden, the NatLab in Eindhoven and Sonnenborgh in Utrecht.
Members of the Van der Waals-Zeeman laboratory of the University of Amsterdam made this short movie about the work of Pieter Zeeman and their own work.
photos: NNV
More about the EPS Historic Sites programme
Tags:
distinction
EPS Historic Sites
Netherlands
NNV
Pieter Zeeman
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Posted By Administration,
Thursday 15 September 2022
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Author: Gina Gunaratnam
Mulhouse, 6th September 2022. Today, representatives of
the French research agencies CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche
Scientifique) and ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche) together with
the UHA (Université de Haute-Alsace) and the coordinators of the project
Mat-Light 4.0 held their kick-off meeting at the EPS
headquarters. Among 35 candidates, this project is one of the 15
selected by the ANR programme called "ExcellenceS".
The
project, whose name is inspired from material, light and innovation,
received an envelope of more that 10 million Euros and will run over 10
years, from 2022 to 2032.
The initiators, Vincent Roucoules,
Laurent Simon and Arnaud Spangenberg, aim to promote the research
fields of the university. The three scientists also wished to highlight
the cultural heritage of the city of Mulhouse (textile, chemistry,
colorants) as well as the strong partnership between the local industry
and the institutes, laboratories and faculties on the campus.
The
project will be a driving force for the university to make the range of
its actions more visible. The building of an innovative pole of research
and education around materials and light, especially photopolymers, a
domain of expertise in Mulhouse, will emerge and be followed by the
hiring of staff. A common workplace will be set up in the
current buildings of the Institut de Science des Matériaux de Mulhouse
(IS2M), nearby the EPS headquarters.
The education and the
outreach will also be developed during this long-term project. The local
laboratories, teachers and students will benefit from the development
of unique research tools, specialised courses and new activities around
science.
The project will progress under the governance of three
committees: Research, Promoting & Outreach and Training. The EPS
will be involved in the second committee, bringing its help in
communication campaigns and its expertise in publishing. The
headquarters of our Society will also serve for the meetings of members
of Mat-Light 4.0. It is a challenging project in which the EPS is happy to take part.
More info:
Tags:
ANR
CNRS
EPS
innivation
light
photoploymers
publication
teaching
UHA
Université de Haute-Alsace
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Posted By Administration,
Wednesday 14 September 2022
Updated: Thursday 15 September 2022
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Author: David Lee
The 11th Conference of the Balkan Physical Union (BPU11 Congress) was held in
Belgrade, Serbia, from 28th August to 1st September 2022. Most of the
sessions were held in the beautiful building of the Serbian Academy of
Sciences and Arts – SASA, in downtown Belgrade.
BPU11 was
organised by the Balkan Physical Union, local co-organisers from Serbia
and the European Physical Society. The members of BPU are the National
Physical Societies of Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Montenegro,
Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey.
BPU11 was organised in the tradition of prior conferences, with an international participation addressing all fields of physics.
During
the meeting, there were many high level international talks. Luc Bergé,
the EPS President, gave a plenary talk on THz waves generated by
laser-plasma interactions. David Lee, the EPS Secretary General
participated as a speaker in the Round Table on Careers in Physics
organised by representatives of the EPS Young Minds Programme. Beside the 12 plenary and 20 invited lecturers, more than 100 oral talks and about 200 posters were presented, and 5 Round tables were held. The BPU11 Congress was followed by 4 satellite events, 2 workshops and 2 Schools.
BPU11 was a hybrid event that attracted almost 450 participants from around the world, with around 300 onsite and about 150 online participants. This
conference is a valuable addition to the panoply of physics conferences
in Europe as it highlights the excellent research in Balkan states. It
is a practical measure to address the issue of how to increase
participation of countries that are under-represented in EC funded
research.
Attendees at the Opening Ceremony of BPU11 - image: David Lee
Tags:
Albania
Balkan Physical Union
BP11
Bulgaria
conferences
congress
Cyprus
EPS Member Societies
Greece
Moldova
Montenegro
National Physical Societies
North Macedonia
Romania
Serbia
Turkey
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Posted By Administration,
Thursday 8 September 2022
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Would you like to participate in Citizen Science projects and win a
trip to CERN or EGO-Virgo? Take part in the EPS Citizen Science
Competition 2022, a unique opportunity fit for every science enthusiast.
Help
us support researchers in the fields of High Energy Physics and
Gravitational Wave Astronomy to optimize their detectors to make
groundbreaking new discoveries!
Deadline is 30th September. Details at: http://reinforce.ea.gr/eps-citizen-science-competition/
Tags:
CERN
citizen science
competition
EGO-Virgo
EU
gravitational waves
high energy physics
ooutreach
Reinforce EU
Surrounded by Science
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Posted By Administration,
Thursday 1 September 2022
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The European Physical Society is happy to announce that the winter 2021 EPS Emmy Noether Distinction is awarded to:
María Pilar López Sancho,
Research
Professor and researcher at the Instituto de Ciencias de Materiales de
Madrid (ICMM) of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones
Científicas (CSIC) on the Cantoblanco Campus near Madrid, Spain, “For
her contributions to the understanding of the electronic structure of
low-dimensional materials and in recognition of her continuous,
tireless and successful actions for the empowerment of women in
physics.”
Pilar López Sancho works in the Department of
Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics at ICMM. She obtained her PhD from
the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 1979, and went on to work for
CSIC at what is today the ICMM, where she remained till today. A
theoretical physicist working in the field of condensed matter systems,
Pilar made her first important contributions by developing a new and
fast method for the calculation of bulk- and surface electronic Green’s
functions and transfer matrices. It is a remarkable feat that this work
remains of high actual value, being used by many groups around the
world, and enjoying higher citations today than ever before, placing
Pilar’s publications solidly in the “evergreen” class, and demonstrating
Pilar’s insight and acuity for choosing relevant problems.
Pilar
López Sancho went on to work to apply her methods to metallic interfaces
and dilute magnetic semiconductors. However, her most significant
contributions are on the electronic structure and transport properties
of low-dimensional carbon systems. Pilar thus performed groundbreaking
work on the effect of the Coulomb- and spin-orbit interaction on
electronic localisation and spin-dependent transport in carbon
nanotubes. Highly noticed and much-cited more recent work by Pilar
concerned the induction of localised states and magnetism by different
types of topological defects in graphene, and the effects of the
spin-orbit interaction on electronic transport in single-layer and
multilayer transition metal dichalcogenides.
Alongside this very
successful scientific career, María Pilar López Sancho has pursued what
can be called an impressive “second career” as a never-tiring advocate
for women in physics. Starting from the mid nineteen-nineties, Pilar has
been continuously active for the defence of women in physics, at all
levels. In 2001, she is the co-founder of the Association of Women in
Research and Technology AMIT[1],
of which she becomes the President from 2009 to 2013. AMIT, a member
organisation of the European Platform of Women Scientists, has grown to
be a powerful association of women in all scientific disciplines and at
all stages of their careers, and has more than 1000 members. Pilar is
also the founder of the Women in Physics Group of the RSEF and was its
Chair from 2002-2018.
In her institution, the CSIC, Pilar was at
the origin of and lent priceless support to the creation of the CSIC
Gender Equality Distinction. She has been delegate president of the
Women and Science Commission of CSIC, the first institutional commission
of this type created in Spain. Pilar has taken responsibilities in the Commission for Equality - launched to implement the plan of the General Spanish State Administration.
Pilar
López Sancho performed large-scale research on position of women in
science, published more than 30 articles, books, and conference papers
on the topic, and presented dozens of lectures. As a recognised
international expert on the matter, she has served on the Evaluation
Committee for projects and grants financed by the European Commission in
the programs "Monitoring Progress Towards Gender Equality (FP6)"
(2005-2007) and "Meta-Analysis of Gender and Science Research" (FP7)
(2008-2010). During the period 2015-2017, she was the Spanish Deputy in
the Helsinki Group for Research and Innovation.
More info:
[1] Asociación de Mujeres Investigadoras y Tecnólogas
Tags:
Emmy Noether
Emmy Noether Distinction
EPS EOC
EPS Equal Opportunities Committee
ICMM
RSFE
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