IUPAP – A Brief Overview
The International Union of Pure and Applied
Physics
Willem T.H.van Oers
University of Manitoba/TRIUMF
The Beginning
• 1919 International Research Council formed,
largely through representatives of the National
Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, and of
the Royal Society of London, UK
• to coordinate efforts in the different branches of
science, toward forming respective international
unions
1922 General Assembly of the
International Research Council
• Brussels
• physicists present decided that the formation of a Physics
Union was imperative
• 13 countries
Belgium
Denmark
Netherlands
Norway
Spain
United Kingdom
Union of South Africa
Canada
France
Japan
Poland
Switzerland
United States of America
Steering Committee (1922)
• Sir William Bragg
(President)
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M. Brillouin
O.M. Corbino
M. Knudsen
M. Leblanc
R.A. Millikan
H. Nagoda
E. Van Aubel
H. Abraham
1st General Assembly
• Paris 1923
• added Italy, Sweden, Czechoslovakia
• confirmed the membership of the Executive, with
one replacement
• expressed concern about the proliferation of
scientific reports!
IUPAP’s Mission
• to assist in the worldwide development of physics
• to foster international cooperation in physics
• to help in the application of physics toward
solving problems of concern to humanity
Activities
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sponsoring international meetings
encouraging research and education
fostering the free circulation of scientists
promoting international agreements on symbols,
units, and nomenclature
• cooperating with other organizations on
disciplinary and interdisciplinary problems
• fostering communications and publications
Members
• originally, Countries were Members
• now members are identified physics communities in a
geographical region
• membership is through a designated “Adhering Body.”
Adhering Body sets up a Liaison Committee
• delegates appointed by the Liaison Committee attend the
General Assembly of the Union
General Assembly
• Governing Body
– delegates from liaison committees
– officers
– chairs or secretaries of the commissions
• held every 3 years (next meeting October 12-18,
2008, at NIMS, Tsukuba, Japan)
• elects the incoming Executive Council and
members of the International Commissions
• appoints physics representatives to other
international bodies
IUPAP Executive Council
2005-2008
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President:
Past President:
President Designate:
Secretary-General:
Associate Secretary-General:
Vice Pres. (elected at large):
Alan Astbury
Yves Petroff
Sukekatsu Ushioda
Judy Franz
Peter Melville
Jia-Er Chen, Carmen Cisneros,
Bruce McKellar
• Vice Pres. (Commissions):
Dan Dahlberg, Pavel Exner,
Pratibha Jolly, Leslie Pendrill, Annick Suzor-Weiner
-Commissions
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Finance
SUNAMCO
Statistical Physics
Cosmic Rays
Low Temperature Physics
Biological Physics
--Semiconductors
Magnetism
Structure and Dynamics of
Condensed Matter
11. Particles and Fields
12. Nuclear Physics
13. Physics for Development
14. Physics Education
15. Atomic, Molecular and
Optical Physics
16. Plasma Physics
17. Quantum Electronics
18. Mathematical Physics
19. Astrophysics
20. Computational Physics
Examples of Commission Activities
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hold conferences in their field
award medals (IUPAP Young Scientist Prizes)
authoritative web sites for their area of expertise
– brief comprehensive reviews of the current activities in
their fields
– links to other authoritative sites, e.g. best values of
fundamental constants, atomic masse
( IUPAC/IUPAP Technical Report on the
‘Discovery of Element 112’ [July 2008] )
representation on related bodies, e.g. C2 has connections to
BIPM, CCU, ISO, IOML, IUPAC
Red Book on standard usage of symbols and nomenclature
Working Groups
WG1 ICFA - International Committee on Future
Accelerators
WG2 Communication in Physics
WG3 Facilities for Condensed Matter Physics
- International Committee on the Future of Neutron
Sources (ICFNS)
- International Committee on High Magnetic Field
Facilities (HMFF)
WG4 PANAGIC - Particle and Nuclear Astrophysics and
Gravitation International Committee
Working Groups - continued
WG5 Women in Physics
WG7 International Committee on Ultrahigh
Intensity Lasers
WG8 Nanoscience
WG9 International Cooperation in Nuclear
Physics (ICNP)
WG1 ICFA
International Committee on Future Accelerators (1976)
Chair: A.Wagner (DESY)
www.fnal.gov/directorate/icfa/
Promote international collaboration in all phases of the
construction and exploitation of very high energy
accelerators
• Organize meetings
– formulate advice on future plans for regional facilities
– formulate advice on joint studies and uses.
• Organize workshops
– problems of super high energy accelerator complexes
and their international exploitation
– foster r&d of necessary technology
ICFA relates to C11
WG.9 Working Group
on International Cooperation in Nuclear Physics
(ICNP)
• Mandate:
1) To provide a description of the landscape of key issues in
Nuclear Physics research for the next 10 to 20 years
2) To produce (maintain) a compendium of facilities existing
or under development worldwide
3) To establish a mapping of these facilities onto the scientific
questions identified above
IUPAP Report 41: ‘Research Facilities in Nuclear
Physics’
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To identify missing components that would have to be developed to provide
an optimized, comprehensive network of international facilities
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To explore mechanisms and opportunities for enhancing international
collaboration in nuclear science
6) To identify R/D projects that could benefit from international joint effort
7) To serve as a source of expert advice for governmental or inter- governmental
organizations in connection with efforts to coordinate and promote nuclear
science at the international level
: OECD Global Science Forum – Report from the Working Group
on Nuclear Physics (May 2008) with formal request to WG.9 for advise on a
continuing basis
8)
To serve as a forum for the discussion of future directions of nuclear science
in the broadest sense
9) To document the cross-disciplinary impact of Nuclear Physics and of nuclear
facilities and to identify mechanisms for expanding (fostering) crossdisciplinary research.
WG.9 relates to C12
Further WG.9 action items:
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Prepare a concise report on what it requires to operate an effective
truly international user facility to include possible solutions to the
difficulties of access for users from the developing nations.
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Develop the access to sources of funding for networking activities
along the lines successfully employed by the European Community.
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Establish sub-committees to coordinate
workshops/white-papers/proposals for facilities likely too large for
a single country or region and in particular for
- a future rare-isotope-beam facility
- a future electron-ion collider
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Pursue the implementation of the OECD recommendations to science
funding administrators and the relevant government representatives.
COMPOSITION OF THE WORKING GROUP
The Executive of the Working Group consists of a Chairperson and
a Secretary. Among its members will be the Chairs of various long
range planning committees, i.e., the Chair of the US Nuclear
Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) or his/her designate, the
Chair of the Nuclear Physics European Collaboration Committee
(NuPECC) or his/her designate, the Chair of the Nuclear Physics
Asian Collaboration Committee (NuPACC), and further
management representatives of nuclear physics research
establishments worldwide. The Chair and Vice-Chair of C12, the
IUPAP Commission on Nuclear Physics, will be ex-officio
members of the Working Group.
Chair of WG.9:
A.W. Thomas [Jefferson Laboratory]
Secretary of WG.9: W.T.H. van Oers [University of Manitoba]