Author: Gina Gunaratnam
The beginning of 2023 was marked by the opening ceremony of the 150th
anniversary year of the French Physical Society (SFP). The event took
place on 16th January in the prestigious Grand Amphithéâtre de la
Sorbonne, located in the heart of Paris.
Guy Wormser, current president
of the SFP, introduced the course of the afternoon, starting with the
patrons of the event: Françoise Combes, laureate of the CNRS Gold Medal
in 2020, and Serge Haroche, laureate of the Nobel Prize in physics in
2012. They were followed by numerous and illustrious speakers, among
whom Sylvie Retailleau (French minister of high education and research),
David Elbaz (research director at the CEA, French centre for nuclear
research), Caroline Collard (director of the Hubert Curien Institute)
and Valérie Masson-Delmotte, palaeontologist and co-president of the
GIEC (Groupement d’Information et d’Etude sur le Climat/International
Panel on Climate Change). All through the afternoon, various topics such
as the history of the French Physical Society, the scientific and
societal challenges for the future of physics and our warming planet
were addressed by historians and researchers in presentations and
round-table discussions.
From these exchanges, it was revealed
that the Society has always been dynamic and at the cutting edge of
physics, it has gathered together members from different backgrounds
like scientists, philosophers and teachers since its inception. Its
history was detailed in a video and presented by Olivier Darrigol
(Université Paris Cité) and Denis Gutleben (CNRS), both historians of
science. Famous scientists including Jean Perrin, Hubert Curien and
Irène Joliot-Curie were referenced having influenced and developed the
Society through the ages.
The SFP evolved with the international spread
of knowledge and now represents all the fields of physics. Professor
Combes, astrophysicist and laureate of numerous international awards,
underlined this relevance. In her specialised field, the diversity of
physics is needed for her research: condensed matter, plasma physics,
vacuum, to name but a few. As for Professor Haroche, he spoke about the
importance of the SFP in the internationalisation of physics by its
involvement in the main physical societies throughout the world
(American Physical Society, Chinese Physical Society, European Physical
Society, etc.)
The French Physical Society was also mentioned as
essential to science communication. Several speakers underlined the need
to address challenges such as inspiring the younger generation, in
particular girls. They also emphasised encouraging and supporting young
women in their work. In a context of mistrust in science and success of
dystopias, societies such as the SFP should play a key role to
disseminate scientific knowledge.
The discussions were followed by
a panel of representatives of several physical societies, who spoke of
their fruitful collaborations with the SFP. Guy Wormser closed the day
by inviting the participants to share a cocktail in the Réfectoire de la
Sorbonne and discover the exhibition « 15 physiciennes » showing 15
female scientists. He concluded by detailing the numerous events
organised all through 2023 to celebrate physics and the 150 years.
The next rendezvous is given in person in July for the SFP congress and any time online to discover all the SFP activities.
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