Author: Anne Pawsey

Nominations are now open for the EPS distinctions and awards to be remitted at Council in March 2024. These distinctions and awards recognise scientific excellence in the form of EPS Honorary Membership, Fellowships and Early Career awards and they seek to recognise  service to the Scientific and EPS community with the Gero Thomas Medal and the EPS Achievement Award.  To ensure we reward the excellence we need to attract nominations from right across the physics community and we encourage you to propose physicists from a diverse range of backgrounds.

EPS Fellows

EPS Members are invited to nominate EPS Individual Members as EPS Fellows. Individuals whose achievements in physics, whether in research, industry or education and/or through commitment to the EPS warrant specific recognition are eligible to become EPS Fellows.

More information about EPS Fellows, including the list of current EPS Fellows and the rules for nomination, is available on the EPS website.

Honorary Members

EPS Members are invited to nominate outstanding individuals as Honorary Members of the EPS.
Distinguished persons whose outstanding achievements in physics or a related science whom the European Physical Society especially desires to honour can be elected EPS Honorary Members. In addition, distinguished individuals whom the EPS may desire to honour for exceptional service to the Society in furtherance of its aims and objectives shall also be eligible to become Honorary Members.

More information, including the list of current EPS Honorary Members and the rules for nomination, is available on the EPS website.

Gero Thomas medal

The Gero Thomas Commemorative Medal was created in 2000 to honour the memory of G. Thomas, who was the Secretary General of the EPS from 1973 to 1997 and played an essential role in the growth and the development of the Society. The Commemorative Medal is awarded to individuals for their outstanding service to the Society. More information about the award, and a list of recipients can be found here: http://www.eps.org/?page=distinction_prize_gt 

EPS Members (Member Societies, Individual Members, and Associate members) are invited to make nominations for the 2023 Gero Thomas Commemorative Medal. 

Please note that The Medal may not be awarded to any person currently member or having been member of the Executive Committee in the past three years.  To complete the nomination, the nominator is asked to provide the following documents:
(i) The references of the nominee (Name, first name, full postal address, email address, phone and fax numbers)
(ii) A description of the services of the individual to the Society (maximum & A4 page)
(iii) A suggested citation (maximum 250 words)
(iv) Nominee's academic and professional background, and professional honours
(v) Three supporters statements 

All proposals will be treated in confidence. Although they will be acknowledged there will be no further communication.

EPS Achievement Award

The EPS Achievement Award is given annually by the European Physical Society for excellent contributions to the promotion and development of: EPS Divisions or their Sections; EPS Groups; EPS Committees. This award recognises activities, and achievements, which have favoured EPS internal collaboration and effectively promoted the image and the impact of the EPS within the scientific community, policy makers and other stakeholders

More information about the award can be found here: https://www.eps.org/page/distinction_prize_AA

EPS Early Career Prizes

The EPS has two Early Career prizes to be awarded each year – one each for achievements of a mainly theoretical or experimental nature. Those eligible for these awards should have made a substantial contribution to the development or reputation of physics in Europe.

"Early Career" is defined as those individuals in the first 12 years of their career in physics following their first degree or equivalent, with allowance for any career breaks.
Terms and conditions can be found at: https://www.eps.org/page/distinction_prize_ec

EPS Emmy Noether Distinction

The European Physical Society launched the Emmy Noether Distinction to recognize noteworthy women physicists who have a strong connection to Europe through their nationality or work.

Emmy Noether, with her fundamental and revolutionary work in the abstract algebra and on conservation laws in theoretical physics, is an exceptional historical figure for all generations - past, present and future - of physicists.

The laureates of the Emmy Noether Distinction are chosen for their capacity to inspire the next generation of scientists, and especially encourage women to pursue a career in physics. Attribution criteria therefore focus on the candidate’s: 

• research achievements
• endeavours to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women in physics
• coordination of projects and management activity
• service to the scientific community and research administration

Nominators are encouraged to address these four points in their proposal.

Commencing 2022, the EPS Emmy Noether Distinction for Women in Physics is to be awarded once a year, to two distinguished women physicists. Namely, the Emmy Noether Distinction will be awarded to an early- and mid–career laureate, as well as to a more advanced candidate, as a Distinction for her full career.

To make a nomination,  apply via this site or submit the following documents to the EPS Secretariat:

• A cover letter, detailing (in no more than 3 paragraphs) the motivation for awarding the EPS Emmy Noether Distinction to the nominee;

• The nominee’s name, institution and email

• The nominee’s CV

• The nominator’s name, institution, and email

• Optional: No more than 3 support letters 

Download the distinction charter

Read more about the EPS Emmy Noether Distinction on the EPS website

In honour of the International Year of Basic Science for Sustainable Development in 2022 (IYBSSD 2022), the American Physical Society (APS), the European Physical Society (EPS) and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) initiated the joint APS-EPS-ICTP Travel Award Fellowship Programme (ATAP). Since 2023, ATAP has been joined by the APS Forum on Early Career Scientists (FECS).

ATAP is aimed at active early career scientists from developing countries, supporting short-term research visits to laboratories in Europe and North America. The goal of the programme is to enable selected recipients to strengthen opportunities to conduct world-class research, and establish collaborations to enhance their scientific careers. The recipients may return to the laboratories of their alma mater to use laboratory facilities they are familiar with and re-connect with colleagues.

Details on how to apply can be found here.
The deadline for applications is 31^st March 2024.

The XXIX Davydov Lectures in Theoretical Physics will take place at the Bogolyubov Institute for Theoretical Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv

On 21 December 2023 at the Bogolyubov Institute for Theoretical Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv, Ukraine will be held the XXIX Davydov Lectures in Theoretical Physics, dedicated to 50 years of the Davydov soliton. On this occasion, three members of the Board of the 'Nonlinear and Statistical Physics' Division of the European Physical Society will take part in the conference, holding a seminar: Prof. Erik Aurell of the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, Prof. Irene Giardina of the Department of Physics, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy and Prof. Massimo Vergassola, from LPENS, Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris, CNRS, France.

This participation is part of the initiatives dedicated by the EPS to strengthening scientific ties with the Ukrainian physics community.

Link to the conference webpage: http://bitp.kiev.ua/news

Author: Local organizing committee

The 48th Congress of Polish Physicists was held in Gdańsk from September 1 to 7, 2023. The congress was organized by the Polish Physical Society Main Board, the Gdańsk Branch of the PSS, the Faculty of Technical Physics and Applied Mathematics of the Gdańsk University of Technology and the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science of the University of Gdańsk. This year's PSS Congress had a special character, as it was held on the 100th anniversary of the first Congress, which took place in April 1923 in Warsaw. The purpose of the event, in accordance with the formula adopted at previous congresses, was to promote physics, highlighting the scientific and didactic achievements in this field to date. The event was aimed at the broadly understood community of physicists, both well-established in the community and young scientists, enthusiasts, as well as physics teachers and their students. The Congress was attended by approximately 480 participants. The first two lecture days - Saturday and Sunday (September 2 and 3) were largely devoted to the didactics of physics in primary and secondary schools, as well as to the popularization of physics.

A few months before the Congress, an extensive information campaign was carried out in various related to the sciences magazines, as well as on social media. The aim of this campaign was to attract the attention of as many physicists as possible, especially teachers, and to encourage them, along with their students, to participate in this important event. The organizers, in cooperation with the Elementary School No. 86 of Gdansk and the  Gdańsk Educational Publishing House, announced a number of competitions for elementary school pupils: a contest for the mascot of the 48th Congress of Polish Physicists, a poster contest for the 48th Congress of Polish Physicists, a "Physics Festivals" contest, a "Snapshots from Physics" contest and an educational project "Together we will discover physics." A total of more than 1,700 children and young people from all over the country participated in all these activities. The ceremonial presentation of most of the prizes and awards was held at a separate session, on September 2.  A calendar for 2024 was created from the awarded artworks ("Portraits of physicists through the eyes of children"), and an exhibition was organized from the mascots submitted to the competition. In addition, during the event, the awards and prizes of the Gdańsk Department of PPS for the popularization of physics - the Ignacy Adamczewski medals - were ceremoniously presented. The medals went to Maria Alicka, Beata Bochentyn, Aleksandra Mielewczyk-Gryń and Joanna Gondek. As part of the didactics days at the 48^th Congress, it was possible to take part in the Physics Fair, i.e. to present one's own original ideas for interesting physics experiments and methodological aids, improving teaching or making the didactic process more attractive. There was also a meeting of the National Demonstrators Club. For the first time, a panel discussion "The condition of physics teaching in Polish schools - opportunities and risks" was held as part of the plenary session, due to the importance of the problem. The situation, or rather the collapse in the training of physics teachers in Poland - one of the reasons for the poor perception of physics as a subject at school and the lack of those willing to study the subject - was critically assessed. It was assessed that without top-down, structural changes in the teaching of physics in elementary and secondary school, this crisis will worsen, despite attempts to introduce various original curricula. The problems of preparing and implementing such programs were discussed at a special session entitled "Teaching Physics."

During the first plenary session of the Congress, a number of PPS awards were presented for outstanding scientific achievements, the best doctoral and master’s thesis, and awards for the best teachers and popularizers of physics. The Marian Smoluchowski Medal, the highest distinction awarded by Polish Physical Society for scientific achievements in the field of physical sciences, was awarded   to Prof. Ryszard Horodecki.

An important theme of this year's Congress was the subject related to last year's Nobel Prize: entangled states of photons and quantum computing. Participants could listen to three very interesting lectures, given by distinguished experts on these topics: Nobel Prize winner Prof. Anton Zeilinger (the lecture was conducted remotely), his colleague Prof. Marek Żukowski and Prof. Ryszard .Horodecki. The topics were also covered in many subsequent lectures during the thematic sessions. Nine plenary sessions and twenty-nine thematic sessions presented an overview of the achievements of Polish scientists, working in Poland and abroad. The lectures did not lack proposals for the further development of research in areas of physics important for the development of the economy, such as: nuclear energy, quantum materials engineering, quantum technologies and support for medicine. However, the most exciting aspect of the Congress was the topics, concerning the development of fundamental research and the search for "new physics."

Noteworthy was the numerous participation of young physicists in the poster session and in the special scientific and teaching session, where selected authors presented their achievements and ideas. A specially appointed commission awarded the most interesting "scientific" and "didactic" posters out of more than a hundred presentations. Young scientists at the meeting with the General Board of the Polish Physical Society had the opportunity to express their comments and expectations, regarding the functioning of the PPS and the financing and development of the physical sciences in Poland.

            The Congress was also an opportunity to learn about the possible research infrastructure offered by the National Center for Synchrotron Radiation SOLARIS, Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI ERIC) and XFEL - X-ray free electron lasers. The participants could also learn about the science offers of  the publishers: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Gdanskie Wydawnictwo Oświatowe, Wydawnictwo Szkolne i Pedagogiczne and Nowa Era.

In addition, the Congress participants had the opportunity to see the accompanying exhibitions and demonstrations: an exhibition of old prints and antique collections, old drafting tools, antique physical instruments or the "Pioneers of Physics at Gdansk University of Technology" exhibition. Of separate note is the interactive exhibition on optics, which is sure to inspire many original ideas and demonstrations to be carried out at school or at home. This exhibition remained open to organized groups and individual guests for 3 more weeks after the Congress. During this period, about 800 people explored the secrets of optics, not only from the Pomeranian Voivodeship. Some of the visitors also participated in lectures with demonstrations, providing an introduction to the topics presented at the exhibition – all in order to make the presented physical issues as close and understandable as possible for the visitors.

The Congress was accompanied by various events, integrating the scientific community, fostering the exchange of ideas and creating collegial relationships: the original Logos & Techne exhibition, presenting works, inspired by science and created using IT tools; the demonstrations of marine physics, presented by physicists who sailed to Gdansk from Lübeck on the schooner STS Kapitan Borchardt; night tours through the charming streets of Old City of Gdansk as part of the "Night of Museums" – these are only some of the events. A concert by the Bonsai String Quartet provided an unforgettable experience, and a cruise on the Gulf of Gdansk, ending the intensive time of the Congress, will certainly remain long in the memory of the participants. Of great interest was the open lecture, entitled "Quantum Cryptography: How to Break Unbreakable Ciphers?", delivered by Professor Marcin Pawłowski of the University of Gdansk. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the Congress of Polish Physicists for the first time had its own musical logo - a fanfare, composed by a young composer from Gdansk, Franciszek Rusek.

The Congress was held under the patronage of the Rector of the Gdansk University of Technology, the Rector of the University of Gdansk, the Daniel Fahrenheit Association of Universities in Gdansk, the Pomeranian Superintendent of Education, the President of the City of Gdansk, and the Governor of Pomerania and the Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, as well as the media: TVP Nauka, TVP Gdańsk, Radio Gdańsk, Pulsar, and the magazines Wiedza i Życie and Świat Nauki.

The event was sponsored by: funding from the State Budget under the Excellent Science program, "Supporting Science Conferences" module, funding under the IDUB Carbonium Supporting Conferences program of the Gdansk University of Technology, ELI ERIC, LABSOFT sp. z o.o., NETZSCH, Grupa Zibi S.A., Profi Competence, Gdańskie Wydawnictwo Oświatowe, Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN and Nowa Era.

A detailed schedule of the 48th Congress of Polish Physicists and a photo gallery of the event can be found on the website: https://ftims.pg.edu.pl/48zfp

image credit: WikiMedia Commons

Author: Nicola Savic

As a part of the celebration of its 215^th anniversary, the University of Belgrade has placed a commemorative plaque on the Mansion of Misa Anastasijevic, which has been named as a “Historic Site” by the European Physical Society (EPS). Professor Milutin Milankovic had his office in this building which houses today the Rectorate of the University, where he performed his work dedicated to climate research. The University of Belgrade together with Association Milutin Milankovic (AMM), which was the main institutional proponent of this Historic Site, the EPS and the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA) organized a small ceremony dedicated to the memory of this famous scientist. 

The plaque declaring the Mansion of Misa Anastasijevic as an “EPS Historic Site” was unveiled in the courtyard of the Mansion on 15th September by Dr. Luc Bergé, EPS President, and Mr. Slavko Maksimovic, President of the AMM.  

During his opening speech, Dr. Bergé underlined that “…since 2011 the selection committee has received about 130 proposals, and around70 sites in 22 countries have been approved. Thus, theEPS Historic Sites program is very successful because it is very attractive. Our selection criteria perfectly apply to Milankovic’ office at the University of Belgrad, which today will become the first EPS Historic Site in Serbia.” 

The event was well received by the media, since there were five TV teams and several journalists present for the unveiling. The ceremony was moderated by Prof. Ratko Ristic, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation of the University of Belgrade, and Prof. Zoran Knezevic, President of SASA, who gave an overview of Milankovic’ work. Prof. Goran Djordjevic, a current member of the EPS Historic Site committee and the initiator of the proposal for the Milutin Milankovic Historic Site, as well as members of the SASA, many well-known physicists and mathematicians from Serbia and renowned university professors were present at the event, including prof. Ivan Belca, Dean of the Faculty of Physics, and Aleksandar Bogojevic, PhD, Director of the Institute of Physics.   

Milutin Milankovic (1879-1958) was a doctor of civil engineering, climatologist, geophysicist, astronomer and promoter of science, who taught at the University of Belgrade rational mechanics, celestial mechanics and theoretical physics (1909-1955). He founded an astronomical theory of climate change on Earth and applied it to the problem of the ice ages. Milankovic developed his theory of climate change to solve the problem of the Earth's ice ages during his time at the Mansion of Misa Anastasijevic. He was the first to accurately compute the climate response to insolation forcing, providing convincing evidence that astronomical mechanisms giving rise to the changes of insolation are three: the secular variations of the eccentricity of the Earth’s orbit, the precession of the Earth’s axis of rotation, and the variations of the obliquity of the rotation axis. A convincing proof of Milankovic’s theory came only after his death, with the results of CLIMAP project in the mid 1970’s. This brought a well-deserved recognition to Milankovic‘s achievements. Craters on the Moon and Mars bear his name, as well as an asteroid (1605 Milankovitch). In addition, the European Geosciences Union established the Milutin Milankovic Medal for for outstanding research in the field of long-term climate change and modeling.

Ratko Ristić, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation of the University of Belgrade and Luc Bergé, President of the European Physical Society
image credit: Nicola Savic