The implementation of the WYP2005

WYP2005 Kicks Off
Representatives of 4 continents and 22 countries met in Graz, Austria for a three day conference to discuss strategies and ideas for implementing WYP2005. Specific ideas and plans were presented in plenary and poster sessions by all participants. Seven working groups also discussed physics in education, international physics competitions, promoting science among young people, events and exhibitions, popularising physics, physics in the media and physics in different cultures. The role of women physics was an integral part of each of the working groups. The conference was organised under the auspices of the Austrian Physical society with the talent and energy of Max Lippitsch, Gero Vogl and Sonja Draxler. The University of Graz and the State of Styria were also instrumental in the organisation. M. Ducloy, EPS past president made the opening presentation. He outlined the history of the initiative and EPS plans for 2005. Through the involvement of EPS member countries, a resolution is currently being discussed at UNESCO to obtain its support for the declaration of 2005 as the World Year of Physics. Mme Tania Friederichs represented the EU research Commissioner P. Busquin. Her message to the delegates stressed that science and society issues, including the WYP2005 initiative were a priority within FP6. The successful implementation of the European Research Area not only requires structured coherent research, but an adequate supply of trained scientists and a broad general culture of science.
Workshops on the following topics were organized:
1) How much physics in secondary education?
2) International physics competitions
3) Women in physics
4) Promoting science among young people,
5) Events and exhibitions,
6) Popularizing contemporary physics,
7) Physics in the media,
8) Physics in different cultures.

The last day was devoted to project development sessions. The participants of the conference laid the ground work and aims for the following specific actions: architecture and science education; couldn't be without it follow up activities; science story writing; a travelling exhibit showing the impact of physics in history, politics, society and culture; light around the world; physics talent search; and a physics calendar.

International Steering Committee 3rd meeting, 7 July 2003, Graz (A)
The meeting was held as part of the plenary session of the 1st WYP2005 Preparatory Conference. A draft resolution for UNESCO support for the declaration of 2005 as the World Year of Physics was prepared and widely distributed for presentation to UNESCO delegations around the world. The Brazilian UNESCO delegation, supported by France and Portugal presented the draft resolution to the Executive Board of UNESCO at its meeting in April 2003. The resolution was well received, and will be formally place on the Executive Board's agenda for the September 2003 meeting, and transmission to the UNESCO General Conference. If the resolution is passed by the UNESCO General Conference, it may then be transmitted to the UN General Conference for eventual discussion and adoption. The draft resolution was presented to the participants at the 1st WYP2005 Preparatory Conference. After some discussion and clarification of the language, the resolution was unanimously supported by the participants at the conference. All participants were urged to contact their UNESCO delegations and request support for the resolution. The wyp2005.org website is online. An electronic form is available to sign up to join the WYP2005 International Advisory Committee. The IAC is open to national committees for WYP2005 activities, and to interested groups of physicists that wish to organise activities. Information about activities will be sent to those who sign up. Once submissions for planned activities are received, an events calendar will be generated. All participants were urged to sign up and place their activities on the site. As the status of the activities in the countries participating in the conference was part of the regular agenda of the conference, no reports were given. The place and date of the next ISC meeting should coincide with the 2nd WYP2005 Preparatory Conference. If such a conference is held, it was felt that it should be piggy backed onto a large physics conference outside of Europe, perhaps in Latin America in early 2004, or the APS March meeting in Montreal.

"Science is physics, everything else is stamp collecting" Rutherford
M. Ducloy and D. Lee met with Professor José Israel Vargas, Brazil's Ambassador to UNESCO to discuss the progress made in obtaining UNESCO support for the declaration of 2005 as the World year of Physics. Below is a summary of Professor Vargas, an intelligent, charming and entertaining person was very positive with regards to UNESCO support. He will step down as Brazil's Ambassador, but will nonetheless continue to represent Brazil on UNESCO's Executive Board. The next step in the process is the formal decision by the Executive board in September 2003 to present the resolution declaring 2005 as the World year of Physics to the UNESCO General Conference this autumn. If adopted by the UNESCO General Conference, then direct action by UNESCO is possible, such as organising conferences, direct appeal to UNESCO member states to take action in 2005 to promote physics, prepare publications, and use UNESCO's media contacts. UNESCO could also organise a large kick-off event early in 2005 at its headquarters in Paris. It is generally accepted that science is important for economic and cultural development. However, governments tend to favour applied science. According to Professor Vargas, a good motto for WYP2005 might be "there is no applied science without science". One important element to gather support for the initiative could be to show the economic impact of Einstein¹s theories and discoveries in modern life, from lasers to GPS. This would be elegant proof that profound theories about the nature of the universe have an impact on everyday life.

WYP Activities in Britain and Ireland, as reported by PIPK to WYP2005 Steering Group on 27 March 2003..
~= Certain or likely ? = Possible ?? = Unlikely

~ Physics 2005. April 2005 (since then fixed to start 4 April) A major international research conference to be held at the University of Warwick. Prof Sir Michael Berry (Committee Chair), Prof Julian Jones, Prof Peter Main.

~ IOP Schools' Lecture. The present suggestion is to have a panel of lecturers, able to give more and different talks than were given by the single lecturers in the past.

~ Rambert Dance Company production. Sponsored by IOPP. The Company will compose a dance (~ 20 minutes), on an Einstein theme, to be performed at Saddlers Wells Theatre. If successful it will then be toured by the Company.

~ William Rowan Hamilton. 2005 is the bicentenary of his birth of, so this will also be celebrated in Ireland (and why not in Britain too?). Are there any other centenaries etc?

~ Existing regular physics events will be branded with the WYP2005 name and logo

? Television co-production by UK and USA TV companies. Programme about Einstein

? National theatre Company developing a play about Einstein

? Nationwide public experiment (see comment on p.3)

? Einstein-related TV drama writing via PAWS ( = Public AWareness of Science, an organisation that encourages drama related to science)

? Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (Five 1-hour lectures shown on TV) These might be given by a physicist in 2005, but in fact there is an open competition where aspiring presenters apply, a short list are asked to give a talk, and a winner is selected. So it will depend on whether the winner is a physicist !

?? Royal Mail postage stamp This is being pursued (I think by IOPP) but the UK record is not good, as the following will show:

1995 Centenary of X-ray discovery. Germany had stamp of Roentgen
1996 Centenary of radioactivity. France had stamp of Becquerel.
1997 Centenary of electron discovery. UK had stamps of Enid Blyton