VietNam 2006
The 6th Rencontres du Vietnam Nanophysics: From Fundamentals to Applications
August 6-12, 2006, Hanoi, Vietnam
http://vietnam2006.lpa.ens.fr/

The Rencontres du Vietnam began with a meeting in Hanoi on Particle Physics and Astrophysics in December 1993; a second one was held in Saigon in October 1995. The third Rencontres du Vietnam, devoted to Condensed Matter Physics was held in Hanoi in January 1999. The fourth Rencontres du Vietnam, entitled Physics at Extreme Energies, was also held in Hanoi in July 2000. Lately astrophysicists and particle physicists gathered in August 2004 for the fifth Rencontres focused on New Views in Particle Physics and New Views on the Universe.

    The aim of the Rencontres has been to extend the successful international collaboration of Europe, Russia, Japan and the United States in these rapidly evolving fields to the emerging Pacific rim countries. The number of countries represented and the presence of leading scientists has emphasised the importance which the international community places on scientific links with Vietnam. As a natural continuation of this series, two parallel conferences, one on nanophysics and the other on astroparticle physics, will be organised in 2006.

    This conference is an external activity of the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics (Pohang, Korea).

    This site is kindly hosted by the Laboratoire Pierre Aigrain de l'ENS.

Conference Chairmen
Nguyen Van Hieu (Hanoi), J. Tran Thanh Van (Orsay).

Conference Secretary
Mrs. Elizabeth Hautefeuille,
Rencontres du Vietnam, BP33
E-mail: elizabeth.hautefeuille@th.u-psud.fr

 

Forum Physics and Society
April 19-22, 2006
Graz, Austria

The World Year of Physics 2005 has had a tremendous impact. Thousands of events in more than 80 countries have brought physics to the public, with widespread media coverage. However, many of the activities during WYP2005 were targeted at young people and the "person in the street" not overly familiar with the sciences. And in many countries the focus was more on Einstein than about physics. When physics was the main topic, historical overviews were presented rather than pointing out the importance of current research in physics in our modern society. Since, therefore, there is some danger that the year of physics may not be of long-lasting sustainability, the European Physical Society and the WYP International Steering Committee have decided to think about necessary actions to carry on the momentum.

    One action is to bring together physicists and decision makers from policy and economics for an information exchange and in-depth debate to reach an agreement on the role of physics in modern society and on the necessary social and political conditions to allow physicists to fulfil this role in the most productive way.

    The first "Forum Physics and Society" which will be held in Graz, Austria, from April 19 to 22 should serve to discuss the commitment of physics to a better society and to learn what politics, economy and the physics community can expect from each other. The forum should also provide an opportunity to improve the relations between physicists and decision makers and to communicate to the latter the lessons learned from the intensive dialogue with the public during the World Year of Physics 2005. The meeting addresses top-level representatives of national physical societies and the international physics community. The outcome of the Forum should be a resolution, conveying to decision makers what is needed in order to enable the physics community to provide excellence for a better society.

    The Forum is an officially approved event of the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and will proceed in parallel to an Informal Competitiveness Council (see http://www.eu2006.at/en /Meetings_Calendar/Dates/April/2104inf_Wettbewerb.html)  bringing together Ministers of all 25 EU member states in Graz. The event will benefit from the media presence at this meeting, and provision is made for presenting a declaration with the results of the Forum to the Ministers. The Forum has, however, no exclusive orientation to EU topics, but is intended to work out statements pertaining to physics worldwide.

    All members of the international physics community are invited to contribute to the content of the Forum. So far the following topics have been suggested, and further proposals will be appreciated:
• The role of physics in the context of society, culture, and the sciences.
• The importance of physics for competitiveness in a technology-based world economy.
• Needs in research policy and funding.
• Standards and quality control in physics education and comparability in international physics curricula, at
   all levels of education.
• Ethical issues in physics.

    International and national physics societies, universities, research institutions, and companies related to physics are cordially invited to delegate representatives to this conference. To provide maximum significance for the Forum and ensure highest media attention it would be desirable that top-level physicists attend the conference and introduce their thoughts and opinions into the discussion: representatives of physical societies and national and international research organisations from all over the world, important and prestigious physicists, also persons educated in physics but now working in other fields (politicians, managers), all people who have done important work for WYP2005, and representatives of international bodies supporting WYP2005, especially UNO and UNESCO. In any case attendees should have an endorsement from a respected and well-known institution that is also willing to provide the necessary information to fulfil the safety criteria connected with the ministers' meeting.

    The Forum Physics and Society will be held under the auspices of the European Physical Society and the Austrian Physical Society. Detailed information will be provided shortly on the website www.wyp2005.at. Local organization of the Forum will be done by Prof. Max E. Lippitsch, Institute of Physics, Karl-Franzens-Universit, Universit splatz 5, A-8010 Graz Austria, email: max.lippitsch@uni-graz.at, member of the International Steering Committee and Director of the Austrian Physical Society.

    Looking forward to receiving a strong resonance to this invitation,

Martial Ducloy, Chairman, International Steering Committee WYP2005
Ove Poulsen, President, European Physical Society




The 2nd Symposium on Neutrinos and Dark Matter in Nuclear Physics
September 3-9, 2006
Paris, France
http://events.lal.in2p3.fr/conferences/NDM06/


After the first symposium in Nara, Japan, this second symposium on Neutrinos and Dark Matter will be held in Paris to discuss research frontiers and perspectives on currently developing subjects together with younger researchers, who will play major roles in research activities in future.

    Accordingly this symposium will include
• Reviews of present status of research frontiers and future perspectives.
• Presentation of recent research activities.
• Forum on future perspectives.

    The Symposium particularly encourages discussions among participants to help create friendships and to promote collaborations. The program is defined with only main talks in order to let young researchers propose their contribution.

Deadlines of the Symposium
Submission talk or poster: April 30, 2006
Registration: May 31, 2006
Low cost hotel for students (FIAP): May 31, 2006

Secretariat
Nicole Mathieu: mathieu@lal.in2p3.fr
Catherine Bourge: bourge@lal.in2p3.fr




IUPAP Prize in Nuclear Physics


    This prize was established by IUPAP in 2005 at the time of the General Assembly in Capetown, South Africa. The purpose of this prize, which consists of $1,000, a medal, and a certificate citing the recipient's contributions, is:

    To recognize and encourage very promising experimental or theoretical research in nuclear physics, including the advancement of a method, a procedure, a technique, or a device that contributes in a significant way to nuclear physics research, by a scientist within eight years of obtaining the Ph.D. (or equivalent) degree.

    Nominations by one or two nominators (and distinct from the nominee) are open to all experimental and theoretical nuclear physicists. Three prizes will ordinarily be awarded at the time of the tri-annual International Nuclear Physics Conference. However, the selection committee may, given the circumstances, decide to award only two prizes or in a special situation only one prize, in which cases the monetary award will be inversely proportionally larger.

    Nominations are due October 1 of the year preceding the International Nuclear Physics Conference and are valid only until then. It will be extremely helpful to the selection committee to receive at least two additional letters supporting the nomination that detail the expected significance of the contributions of the nominee to nuclear physics. It is also appropriate to submit additional materials such as published articles that underline the expected significance of the nominee's contribution to nuclear physics. It is important that the selection committee has the specific information that allows it to determine what the nominee has contributed and how this contribution is expected to impact the field.

    Nominations are to be sent by the deadline to the Chair of the IUPAP Commission of Nuclear Physics (C12). For particulars please check the IUPAP website: www.iupap.org under "commissions." The next International Nuclear Physics Conference will be held June 3-8, 2007, in Tokyo, Japan.

    Next deadline for nominations: October 1, 2006. Nominations to be sent to: Dr. Walter F. Henning, Chair of the IUPAP Prize Selection Committee, GSI, Planck Strasse 1, D-64291 Darmstadt, Germany.