Optics leaders from around the world had the privilege to be invited to present the aims and organization of the International Year of Light to representatives from United Nations Member States and UNESCO at an Information Meeting at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 16 May. The meeting was hosted by the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations. It was Mexico, along with Ghana, New Zealand and the Russian Federation that submitted the International Year of Light proposal to the UNESCO Executive board in 2012 which led to its adoption with over 30 more countries as cosignatories.

The delegation of senior researchers consisted of Ana María Cetto from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Yanne Chembo Kouomou from the African Physical Society, John Dudley, President of the European Physical Society, Anthony M. Johnson, Past-President of OSA and representative of ICTP, and H. Philip Stahl, President-Elect of SPIE. During the Information Meeting, the delegation members described in detail the goals and activities of the International Year of Light, focusing especially on the role that optics and photonics can play in addressing issues of sustainable development and in promoting science education. They also considered emerging applications in archaeology and cultural heritage, and described the cross-cutting nature of the Year of Light themes in diverse other areas from art to philosophy.

An important outcome of the meeting was the decision to ensure that the International Year of Light highlights both the science and the technological applications of light, emphasizing the key role of photonics as an enabling technology to solve problems of global concern. As Delegation member John Dudley explained "An International Year of Light is a tremendous opportunity to ensure that international policymakers and stakeholders are made aware of the problem-solving potential of light technology. Photonics provides practical and cost-effective solutions to challenges in so many different areas: energy, sustainable development, climate change, health and agriculture.” The International Year of Light already has UNESCO endorsement, and this Information Meeting has now set in place the procedure towards adoption by the United Nations General Assembly.

Contacts :
John Dudley
Ana María Cetto
David Lee

More info...
EPS web page of the International Year of Light

Image:
Left: Delegation members Yanne Chembo Kouomou, Anthony M. Johnson and John M. Dudley in committee with Ambassador Yanerit Morgan, Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the UN.  Right: The delegation during their visit to the UN General Assembly Chamber (H. Philip Stahl, John M. Dudley, Anthony M. Johnson, Ana María Cetto, Yanne Chembo Kouomou). © EPS - J. Dudley

During the Spring Meetings of the German Physical Society (DPG), Kirsten Von Bergmann, EPS Individual Member, won the Gaede Prize 2013. This prize is awarded yearly since 1986 by the German Vacuum Society (Deutsche Vakuumgesellschaft e.V.) to young researchers for outstanding research in vacuum and surface science.

Dr. Von Bergmann studied Chemistry at the University of Bonn and is currently working at the Institute of Applied Physics at the University of Hamburg.

The European Physical Society announces the publication of a ground-breaking report "The importance of physics to the economies of Europe" which reveals the large and significantly growing contribution of physics-based industries to the European economy. Since its establishment in 1968, the European Physical Society (EPS) has had a dual role as a learned society and as a federation of national member societies. The EPS has 41 member societies, and represents a large and varied community of physicists. One of the main objectives of the EPS is to give them a coherent voice in Europe. Physics is vital to European culture. The new European research program Horizon 2020 is being launched to reinforce the intimate link between basic science and technological applications in order to stimulate Europe's progress in research and innovation, a major challenge for the future. In this context, many key questions arise. How important is physics to the economies of European countries? How worthwhile is it to maintain and increase investment in physics? To inform debate on these crucial questions, the EPS commissioned in 2012 an independent economic analysis from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), using public domain Eurostat data. This is the first time that such a study has been performed on this scale and it covers 29 European countries, EU27 countries, plus Norway and Switzerland. Under examination is the 4-year period 2007-2010, 2010 being the most recent year for which official data are simultaneously available for all these countries. The 4-year snapshot of the European economy shows that the physics-based industrial sector generated around 14% of total European turnover, exceeding the combined contribution of the construction and retail sectors, and over 15 million jobs per year, corresponding to over 13% of overall employment within Europe. Our hope is that the message conveyed by the EPS through the comprehensive and fact-filled study performed by Cebr will be inspiring for the future, both at the European and national levels. We also hope that the study makes a convincing case for the support for physics in all of its facets, from education to research, to business and industry. The thorough analysis of European data, contained in the full Cebr report, can provide us with a deeper understanding of the many achievements and drawbacks within the physics-based sector in a recent past. More information: The most relevant results, highlighted in an Executive Summary, and the complete Cebr analysis, are available at: http://www.eps.org/physicsandeconomy. The European Physical Society: www.eps.org. The Centre for Economics and Business Research: www.cebr.com. Contact: David Lee EPS Secretary General d.lee@eps.org Tel: +33 389 329 440

The report from the Messina Young Minds Section by Cristiano D’Andrea was released in the latest e-EPS issue here.
The report below from the Strathclyde EPS Young Minds section was written by Brynmor Jones, president of the section.

SCOPE – company visit activity report

The Universities of Strathclyde and Glasgow EPS and OSA student community for optics and photonics engineering organised a company visit to Thales Optronics UK in Glasgow for its members. A company visit gives members a view outside the academic world into industry to get an idea of opportunities available in the local area, and what kind of work it entails. Companies are eager to facilitate these visits with the view to attracting future employees.

In contrast to recent visits which have been to smaller companies, Thales Optronics is a division of the multinational Thales Group, working on mainly on military optics, infra-red cameras, laser range finders and designators, and stabilised optics such as submarine periscopes. Its headquarters and factory are in Glasgow and this was the destination for the visit, providing a contrast for the participants to the single facility operations visited over the previous year.

13 SCOPE graduate student members were able to participate in the visit. After a presentation introducing the Thales Group and Thales Optronics specifically, the party was split and shown the production facility and products, including demonstrations. Following that, a discussion between the SCOPE members and several of the Thales staff provided interesting insight on a career path in a large company such as Thales, and some of the challenges faced when considering extreme operating conditions, when compared to the controlled environment of a lab.

 

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