Gražina Tautvaišienė - image credit: Gražina Tautvaišienė

In 2024, the European Physical Society released a calendar of inspiring physicists. Gina Gunaratnam, EPS communication coordinator and initator of the project, interviewed Gražina Tautvaišienė, president of the Lithuanian Physical Society. Professor Tautvaišienė works as an astrophysicist at the Vilnius University (VU) and is also vice-president of the International Union of Astronomy since December 2024.

How did you get to know the European Physical Society?

The European Physical Society is a well-known organisation  for all physicists. It cooperates with national physical societies to promote physics, to support physicists worldwide, and to foster international collaboration. My first encounter with EPS activities probably occurred in 2000 when the EGAS 32 conference was organised at our Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy in Lithuania.  I started to follow EPS activities more closely when I became a vice-president of the Lithuanian Physical Society in 2007.

Why is it important for you to be an EPS member and to participate in its activities?

International collaboration is very important for such a small country as Lithuania. EPS has divisions covering all main fields of physics. As EPS unites scientists from 42 National Physical Societies, it is an essential platform for developing international collaboration. Lithuanian scientists often need collaboration to access large international infrastructures like CERN, ESO, ITER, etc. Collaboration is also important in order to prepare large groundbreaking research projects, networking, and mobility.

We are very glad that quite many international conferences of EPS have been organised in Lithuania. We had the 14^th European Conference on Atoms, Molecules, and Photons (ECAMP) in 2022. This conference brought together atomic, molecular, and optical physics experts to discuss recent developments and research in the field. In 2024, we held the 11^th EPS-QEOD Conference “Europhoton”, where the latest developments in solid-state physics, optical cables and waveguides were presented. In 2025, we will host the 51^st EPS Conference on Plasma Physics.

An outstanding example of a close relationship with EPS was the inauguration of the Grotthuss Laboratory as the EPS Historic Site in Žeimelis, Lithuania. This is the first EPS Historic Site in the Baltic states.

What is the aim of the Lithuanian Physical Society and its main activities?

The Lithuanian Physical Society was established in 1963. The main goal of our society is to unite Lithuanian physicists, coordinate and support their activities in order to contribute to the development of physics research in Lithuania and take care of physics teaching in universities and other educational institutions. We organise the National Conferences on Physics every two years, which attract about 600 participants. Every year, we support the physics olympiad and summer school “Fotonas” of schoolchildren. We organise annual public events dedicated to e.g. Quantum Day and European Researchers Night. Various recent events marked the UNESCO International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development. Now we prepare for the UNESCO International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.     

Why did you study physics and become an astrophysicist?

I liked sciences that required logical thinking. Physics is exactly like that. However, physics is a very broad science, and I had to decide which field to turn to. And here, the decisive role was played by the meeting of the Lithuanian Astronomical Union at the Molėtai Astronomical Observatory, which I attended after finishing the 10th grade. There, I won a place on the Lithuanian team for the meeting of young astronomers of the Soviet Union. Then my path to astronomy began. All summer, I studied astronomy at the Kaunas Public Library, studied constellations, and read various books. By the way, being a schoolchild, I really liked reading books, especially about scientists, politicians, and artists and how they lived and worked. The story of Marie Curie was very memorable. She was an inspiring role model for me.

Could you describe your current field of research?

Currently, together with my colleagues, I am working on improving methods for determining the age of stars. Knowing the age of stars is very important in many aspects. It is very important to know it in order to clarify the evolution of our and other galaxies, the evolution of stars, the characterization of exoplanets, etc. The period for such investigations is very favorable because NASA's TESS telescope is now orbiting in space and is providing important asteroseismic information for determining the stellar age. If robust seismic pulsations could be detected in all stars, there would be no problems in stellar age determinations. However, it is not possible to reliably record the pulsations of many stars, and other methods must be sought. Among these are the so-called chemical clocks - the abundance ratios of various chemical elements. The Science Council of Lithuania is funding our research “Chemical elements as clocks for determining the age of stars”. We are analysing the use of the abundance ratios of carbon and nitrogen and yttrium and magnesium chemical elements in order to determine the age of stars. Several other projects also are on the way, including the one on the investigation of planet-hosting stars.

What are the challenges of your field?

There are many challenges. As Lithuanian folk experience says - the deeper into the forest, the more trees... Much is expected in the field of exoplanet search and research. This is a relatively new field of research. Incredible planets are being discovered around other stars which are not found in our solar system. The question arises of how planets form and what their characteristics depend on. Several space telescopes have been launched into space and are planned for exoplanet research. As Vice President of the International Astronomical Union, I am entrusted with the coordination of space and ground-based research. Here, my experience in coordinating the Europlanet telescope network, which currently unites 17 observatories with medium-sized and small telescopes, will come in handy. Ground-based observations for space missions require a lot of time, and smaller telescopes are very suitable for this. I plan to significantly expand the Europlanet telescope network, which also includes the Molėtai Astronomical Observatory in Lithuania.

How would you encourage students to work in this field?

Lithuania, as a country with strong traditions in astronomy, opens up very wide opportunities for research and international cooperation. The first observatory in Lithuania was established back in 1753. The Vilnius University Astronomical Observatory is one of the oldest in Europe. At that time it had over 100 different instruments. Currently, the VU Molėtai Astronomical Observatory is also no less known. It operates the largest telescope in Northern Europe with modern instruments, and is recognized as a place for organising international schools for young astronomers.

International collaboration opens possibilities to accomplish indeed a very high level of research. E.g., the research team I am leading participated in the Gaia-ESO Public Survey, uniting more than 300 researchers. We obtained more than 300 observing nights on the 8,2-metre telescope of the European Southern Observatory (ESO).  Presently, we participate in several other large spectroscopic survey projects (4MOST on the 4.1-metre ESO VISTA telescope and WEAVE on the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope in the Canary Islands).

Education in physics and astrophysics also opens many other opportunities for a future professional career. Lithuania is nurturing an innovative ecosystem, particularly in deep-tech and quantum computing, giving physics graduates opportunities to be part of groundbreaking projects including space research. The Research Council of Lithuania is organising enjoyable student training visits to NASA science centers in the United States.

Do you think it is important to encourage girls to study physics? What would you tell them?

I think that girls have been underrepresented in physics due to societal biases. More and more amazing women are thriving in physics today. It is important to show them as role models to girls.  The EPS calendar of inspiring female physicists is playing this role perfectly.

The European Physical Society (EPS) is at the forefront of integrating innovative technologies into education with Discovery Space teacher training including AIMLOW: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Online Workshops. These initiatives aim to inspire educators, equip them with modern pedagogical tools, and provide students with engaging learning experiences rooted in inquiry and critical thinking.

Discovery Space: A Gateway to Exploratory Learning

Discovery Space is an ambitious EU-funded project designed to facilitate students’ inquiry-based learning using an online Enhanced Learning Environment. Students are guided through differentiated pathways tailored to students’ progress.  Learning scenarios engage learners in a variety of physics and non-physics topics, from genetics to astrophysics and everything in between. Discovery Space seeks to transform traditional education by placing students in active problem-solving roles while leveraging AI as a guiding tool.

EPS project officer Michael Gregory is in charge of the Discovery Space Teacher Training Academy, providing professional development online and across Europe.  In-person workshops have already taken place in Bulgaria and Spain, with more planned for 2025 there, in France and across Europe.  Keep an eye on the Discovery Space website: https://discoveryspace.eu/ or contact the author to be informed of when there are upcoming workshops near you!

Training sessions are planned and executed in collaboration with local partners, and the specific contents adapted to local needs and requests.  Workshops last anywhere between 1.5 hours and a whole day, and either focus exclusively on Discovery Space or often include more general sessions on AI in the classroom and low-cost experiments.  These sessions introduce educators to the platform’s features, and differentiated learning scenarios like “The Magic of Refraction” and "Zookeepers of the Galaxy."

Discovery Space Learning Scenarios

“The Magic of Refraction” is a learning scenario that kicks off with live demonstrations inspired by the popular Science on Stage webinar series “It’s not magic, it’s science you don’t see”, (https://www.science-on-stage.eu/event/webinar-its-not-magic-its-science-you-dont-see-part-7) followed by guided experimentation with simulations, collaborative data collection, and differentiated analysis to explore Snell’s Law and refraction. The scenario’s emphasis on whole-class data fosters a collaborative learning environment. Students analyze results with varying levels of complexity, from reviewing individual data points, to taking averages, to linearizing data to plot trend lines - the experience is adapted to the learning needs of each student.  This differentiated approach to analysing whole-class generated data was met with considerable enthusiasm - when piloted at the National Science and Mathematics Gimnazija in Sofia, Bulgaria, students asked to stay late on Friday  evening to continue their analysis and discussions.

Michael presenting Discovery Space scenario “The Magic of Refraction” at National Science and Mathematics Gimnazija, Sofia, Bulgaria.
(Photo taken by Nasko Stamenov)

“Zookeepers of the Galaxy” is a versatile learning scenario that blends astrophysics and artificial intelligence, offering teachers a novel way to make complex topics engaging and interactive. First piloted during the final session of AIMLOW, then further developed for various workshops across Spain - in Cuenca, Burgos and Espinosa de los Monteros. Its dual focus—covering key curriculum concepts like the known universe while introducing machine learning—has been enthusiastically received and highlights the growing need for resources that bridge 21st-century skills with traditional science education.

Students begin by categorizing galaxies based on visual patterns, foreshadowing the creation of a machine learning model in later phases. The scenario progresses with adaptable activities to extract a dataset of images from the Zooinverse dataset (www.zooniverse.org), then guides learners to use their dataset to train Google Teachable Machine to classify galaxy images. Through experimentation, they explore how dataset size and training parameters impact the success of their models. Reflection phases encourage critical thinking, with learners at varying levels discovering the balance between accuracy, training time, and resource use. By combining astrophysics with cutting-edge AI concepts, “Zookeepers of the Galaxy” empowers students and teachers alike, sparking curiosity and building essential skills for the future.

Student view in the “Zookeepers of the Galaxy” Learning Scenario

Several more learning scenarios are already available on the Discovery Space Enhanced Learning Environment, with even more in development, and the possibility for teachers to copy, modify and create their own scenarios adapted for their own classrooms!  Topics currently covered range from evolution, genetics, astrophysics, seasons and electricity.  Topics in the works include taxonomy, microscopy, modern physics and more!

AIMLOW: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Online Workshops

Complementing the Discovery Space initiative is AIMLOW, a six-week online course that introduces educators to the world of artificial intelligence and its practical applications in teaching. Spearheaded by Michael Gregory of EPS and Kalina Dimitrova from Sofia University, AIMLOW is a hands-on course that demystifies complex AI concepts and showcases their relevance to the classroom.

Kalina works on creating AI algorithms for particle physics experiments and takes interest in explainable AI methods.  She used her expertise to create our own simplified language model, image classifier and image generator for AIMLOW to explain how all of these aspects of AI work.  To learn more about these, see the AIMLOW course outline: https://discoveryspace.eu/join-the-aimlow-courses-and-empower-your-teaching-with-ai/ and the recordings of the sessions on the EPS YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@EuroPhysSoc.

Throughout the course, AIMLOW shared the focus on a theoretical foundation of how AI works and applications to classroom practice, with sessions focused on language models, image classification and image generation.  The final two sessions were more focused on classroom applications, with one session on sharing best practices and teacher resources, and the final session took teachers through the Discovery Space learning scenario “Zookeepers of the Galaxy”, which guides students to create an image classifier using Google Teachable Machine, while learning about galaxy classification and Hubble’s Tuning Fork.

Fostering a Community of Innovative Educators

A key outcome of Discovery Space and especially AIMLOW has been the creation of a vibrant community of educators eager to embrace technology as a transformative force in education. Workshops and training sessions often serve as a platform for collaboration, with educators exchanging ideas and sharing best practices.

Feedback from AIMLOW participants has been especially positive, with teachers reporting increased confidence in using AI and a deeper understanding of its potential. With the fast-pace with which AI is becoming increasingly present in society, teachers are hungry to learn more - both to help in their work, and to teach students about this constantly evolving technology.  Following the enthusiasm for “Zookeepers of the Galaxy”, more Discovery Space learning scenarios are being developed to combine areas of the science curriculum with basic AI skills.

Michael presenting Discovery Space at “Un Viaje en el Espacio” teacher training day at Museo de las Ciencias de Castilla la Mancha, Cuenca, Spain.
(Photo by Jose Luis Olmo Risquez)

Discover the future of education with EPS—where curiosity meets innovation.

Discovery Space professional development for teachers will continue to take place online and in-person across Europe.  For information on upcoming workshops, check the Discovery Space website: https://discoveryspace.eu/ or contact the EPS Project Officer Michael Gregory: michael.gregory@eps.org.

image credit: ISE

19th December 2024, ISE, press release. Prof. Dr. Moniek Tromp, Director of the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Chair of Materials Chemistry at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands), was elected by the ISE General Assembly on 26 April 2024 as the new President of Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE). Prof. Tromp took office on 1st January 2025.

She succeeds Prof. emeritus Dr. Martin Andler, Laboratoire de Mathématiques, Université de Versailles-Saint Quentin, the current ISE President, whose mandate ran until 31 December 2024. He was elected President on 24 mars 2017.

ISE members wish to jointly welcome Moniek Tromp and look forward to working under her leadership.

Moniek Tromp is currently the chair of Materials Chemistry and her research focusses on the development and application of operando spectroscopy techniques in catalysis and materials research, incl. fuel cells, batteries, photochemistry, etc…, with a focus on X-ray spectroscopy techniques. Application of the techniques to fundamentally or industrially interesting processes and materials have provided unprecedented insights in properties and mechanisms. She has had many important national and international roles, e.g. board member of the Dutch Funding Agency (Science Domain), chair of the Dutch Network for Female Professors  (LNVH), chair of the Young Academy Europe (YAE), and president and board member of the Young Academies Science Advice Structure (YASAS) and Science Advice for Policy by European Academies (SAPEA) (the science advice mechanism of the European Commission) respectively. She is therefore very well embedded in management and policy at national and international level. Her leadership is further exemplified by her current positions as Engineering director of the Faculty of Science and Engineering and Research director of the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials (40 principle investigators, ~300 staff in total). As Captain of Science of the Topsector Chemistry, she advises the Dutch government, esp. on innovation and industry policy.

ISE members want to warmly thank Martin Andler for his dedication, enthusiasm and commitment during his more than seven years of presidency at ISE.

“I am delighted that ISE has chosen Moniek Tromp as my successor. She is an outstanding scientist, with a broad spectrum of expertise, ranging from fundamental research to industrial applications. She also has extensive experience in science policy. Moniek was the Chair of the Young Academy of Europe (YAE), a member of ISE, and as such was a member of ISE’s Executive Committee between 2020 and 2022. Open science, researchers’ careers and scientific advice are some of the important topics that she has been involved in. She is very committed to European research and innovation.” says Martin Andler, outgoing ISE President.

The European Physical Society (EPS) is delighted to announce that the 2023 EPS Emmy Noether Distinction has been awarded to Lavinia Heisenberg and Gloria Platero. Congratulations!

 2023 EPS Emmy Noether Distinction - Mid-career

The EPS has decided to award the 2023 EPS Emmy Noether Distinction (mid-career) to Lavinia Heisenberg, professor at the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, University of Heidelberg, Germany "for her fundamental contributions to gravitational physics and theoretical cosmology, for her engagement for women in science and her outstanding leadership".

Prof. Lavinia Heisenberg has achieved groundbreaking advancements in alternative gravitational theories, particularly in their cosmological applications. Her innovative geometrical studies have redefined the conventional understanding of General Relativity, offering new perspectives. More recently, she has made significant contributions to the study of black holes and gravitational waves.

She has been honoured with the prestigious Latsis Prize of ETH, the Buchalter Cosmology Prize, the Simons Emmy Noether Award of the Perimeter Institute, the Gustav-Hertz Prize of the German Physical Society, and the General Physics Prize of the Swiss Physical Society. She was also a finalist of the Art of Leadership Award (ALEA) 2023 of ETH and she is a recipient of ETH’s Diversity Award and the Empowering Women Award in Switzerland and more.

2023 EPS Emmy Noether Distinction - Full career

The EPS has decided to award the 2023 EPS Emmy Noether Distinction (full career) to Gloria Platero, research professor at the Materials Science Institute of Madrid of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), "in recognition of her remarkable contributions to the theoretical understanding of out-of-equilibrium (Floquet) systems and their impactful application to quantum materials, for her excellent mentorship of young researchers and for tirelessly fostering female talent in physics."

Prof. Gloria Platero studied Physics at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM)  and received her PhD in Condensed Matter Physics there in 1984. After working as assistant professor in Madrid, she did her postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for high magnetic fields in Grenoble and then joined the Materials Science Institute of Madrid first as a postdoc, then as staff researcher. She progressed to Director of the Condensed Matter Theory Department and  she was also Honorary Professor at the UAM.  She was involved in several EU networks and was invited for research stays in different  international research centers. From 2017 till 2021 she was  Mercator Fellow at the University of Regensburg. She is Fellow of the APS (Quantum Information Division) and Secretary of the C8 Commission (Semiconductors) of the IUPAP. She will become Chair on January 2025.

Along the years, she has investigated  time periodic driven systems (a topic known as Floquet Engineering).  Her research, in the field of Quantum Nanotechnologies, focuses on the theory of spin qubits in quantum dot arrays, their manipulation and the transfer of quantum information.

Recently, she also investigates the role of  the topological edge states in low dimensional topological insulators for the transfer of quantum information with high fidelity.

More info:

Author: Anne Pawsey

Nominations are now open for the following  EPS central prizes.

These prizes are open to nomination from EPS members including chairs of divisions or groups, representatives of member societies, and EPS individual members.  All EPS members (with the exception of the executive committee)  are eligible for the awards. Early Career scientists should be EPS members or members of member societies. 

Nominations are open for the following distinctions, awards and medals. 
• EPS Early Career Award
• Gero Thomas Medal
Nominations may also be submitted for EPS fellows and EPS honorary members.

The EPS encourages nominations from the entire community, especially for members of underrepresented groups and which reflect the geographical diversity of the EPS

For consideration during Council 2025, nominations must be received by 31st March 2025. 
Nominations should be submitted via this website.