News Bulletin: Spring 2001 |
Letter from IUPAP President, Burton Richter
This seems to have been a particularly busy year for IUPAP which has kept the members of the Executive Council traveling perhaps more than we would like. Here I want to report to you on some of the highlights.
Council and Chairs Meeting
The Annual Meeting of the Executive Council and Commission Chairs took place in Beijing, China, last October. This system of bringing together the Commission Chairs with the Council began after the 1996 General Assembly in Sweden, and it has proved to be an effective method of bringing people together to discuss problems that cross the boundaries between the sub-disciplinary commissions. At this meeting we also had an opportunity to meet with senior Chinese officials and discuss China’s situation with respect to support of physics research. Various subgroups visited some of the Chinese scientific institutes and universities to get a first-hand view of physics in China. China has been restructuring its research program to improve its focus and effectiveness, and I have seen an impressive change since I first began to visit China regularly in the early 1980’s.
A major agenda item for the meeting was a review of the draft of the revised Statutes and By Laws of IUPAP. We are trying to bring these up to date and, with the input from the Commission Chairs, a new draft is in preparation that will soon be sent to the national liaison committees for their comments. The new version will be brought to the 2002 General Assembly in Berlin for final approval.
The Working Group on Women in Physics set up at the 1999 Atlanta General Assembly
has been very active. The Council approved the proposed International Conference
on Women in Physics which is reported on in greater detail below. We are now
seeking funding so
that there can be broad participation in this meeting by delegations from developing
countries.
World Conference of Physical Societies
The third in a series of World Conferences of Physical Societies took place
in Berlin on December 15 and 16, 2000, in conjunction with the celebration of
hundredth anniversary of Planck’s quantum hypothesis. The meeting was organized
by the European Physical Society and was attended by representatives from physical
societies from every continent, together with some representatives of governments.
The situation of all of science in many of the poorest parts of the world is
bad. Many governments do not recognize the role science has to play in their
economic development, and have no coherent policy for science, little funding
available and little opportunity for their scientists to interact with the world
scientific community. IUPAP’s travel grants that go to the organizers of
all of our major conferences are an important means of connection for some of
the scientists from these countries. IUPAP needs to think more about these issues.
The Internet is an obvious answer to some of the problems but in many countries
funding is lacking for linking scientists to the world through the Internet
with sufficient bandwidth.
There was an extensive discussion on the brain drain, but no conclusions on
how to reverse it. Many of the best scientists from the developing world leave
their home countries, never to return, because of a lack of opportunity to do
science at home. This is a problem that organizations like IUPAP can do little
about other than establishing real collaborations with scientists in the developing
world that would allow them to do serious work at home.
ICSU
The International Council for Science (formerly the International Council of Scientific Unions) is an organization whose membership includes 26 scientific unions from all disciplines, and 75 national members. Its function is to bring to bear the expertise of different areas of science on problems that are fundamentally interdisciplinary in nature. The ICSU national members have come to feel that ICSU has lost its focus and is spread much too thinly over far too many problems. ICSU has begun a review of its large collection of interdisciplinary programs, is reorganizing its grant program to give applications serious peer review, and is bringing the scientific unions together to discuss ICSU’s future (the purpose of this meeting). ICSU’s scientific union members include the physical sciences, the biomedical sciences, and the social sciences. Thus, at least in theory, the resources are present to put some serious science behind such notions as sustainable development, energy resources for the future, etc. This meeting was only a beginning.
I was struck by how little the ICSU Executive Board knew about the activities of the scientific unions. The meeting gave the presidents of the unions an opportunity to get to know each other as well. One particular theme discussed was that of "emerging issues." The scientific community can, and does, recognize problems that will affect the world long before governments are really aware of them; global warming is an example. It is to be hoped that ICSU can develop a mechanism to bring the perspective of the broad scientific community to bear on such issues and make governments aware of them long before they reach the crisis point.
Second ICSU-UNESCO International Conference on Electronic Publishing in Science
In February 1996, ICSU and UNESCO convened a conference of experts to discuss the problems and opportunities presented by a move from the traditional publication medium of print to the electronic distribution of scientific information. Five years later, almost to the day, a second conference was convened by the same organizers, again at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, which was attended by 175 scientists, science publishing professionals, librarians and lawyers.
The speed of development over five years is quite remarkable. The first conference was at the start of a revolution and one recalls statements like: "Many publishers in Europe are largely unaware of the dramatic changes in the information industry, of new opportunities and threats" or "All our journals will be available on-line within five years". Today, essentially all primary publications have an on-line version, peer reviewed journals which only have an electronic version have been established by leading physics publishers, hyperlinking between articles from the journals of different publishers has started, multimedia attachments to articles or links to databases are appearing.
In physics publishing at least, pre-print servers have, over the five years, become respectable and links to servers like the Los Alamos ArXve server, are permitted and even encouraged in journals from publishers like the American Physical Society or the Institute of Physics. ( Both find that the existence of freely available copies of articles has little negative effect on journal sales).
Yet many of the concerns expressed at the time of the first conference remain, and some of the recommendations adopted by the participants at the second conference essentially reiterate those from five years ago. Thus, they again called for quality to be assured by peer review. However, it was felt that there should be further study of more open variants of peer review and that experimentation should be undertaken to improve the peer review process. There is no reason to seek standardised approaches to peer review across all disciplines.
The use of pre-print servers or the posting of copies of articles on the authors' home-pages can lead to different versions of an article being available on the Web. The participants were agreed that version identification was essential; the publication history of any article ought to be evident and whether or not the peer review is complete. ( In practice, it is authors who can readily identify different versions of an article, and they should be encouraged by the scientific community to provide the means for doing that).
Cross-linking of cited references from one article to another is of major use to the reader, and fortunately a number of publishers have recognised that it enhances the value of their journals and have started to provide links to the journals of other publishers. That is very much to be encouraged. It is desirable that reference linking should be bi-directional and interoperable.
Some were concerned that electronic technologies were increasing the gap between the info-rich and the info-poor. The participants called for improved electronic infrastructure in developing and transitional countries and encouraged differential pricing of publications so that scientific journals remain readily available in poorer countries. (Some publishers, both commercial and non-profit, are offering sharply reduced prices for low income countries, but more can be done). They felt that ICSU and UNESCO should encourage institutions with the appropriate knowledge to help small journals in developing countries to enter the Web.
Another subject of recurrent concern was the long-term archiving of scientific information in digital form, whether in publications or in databases. The need to preserve the appropriate hardware and software to access archived material has to be recognised. Archiving has economic consequences and it is not clear that this aspect of electronic publishing is properly understood. Those at the Conference recommended that if the rights holder cannot assure long-term archiving then archiving by a trusted third party should be arranged. There is still much to be done in this area and IUPAP is organizing a Conference on the Long Term Archiving of Physics Publications in November of this year. (See below).
Limitations of access to information is a problem not only for the developing world, but for us all. Participants were concerned about access to scientific databases where there is often a sole supplier with a potential to block entry. Science advances through access to and unfettered use of factual information, and non-commercial use should not be constrained by legal restrictions on the use of data bases. It was recommended that national and intergovernmental organizations promote a policy to ensure the availability of database information at reasonable cost; that ICSU establish a policy of prompt, full and open access to scientific information and data acquired within ICSU-sponsored programmes; and that ICSU and UNESCO endorse a policy recommending prompt, full and open availability of publically funded data. It was argued that this would not merely enhance research effectiveness and output, but would also benefit society as a whole, through a better-informed public and economic growth.
A very large amount of scientific material of very variable quality exists on the Web and the general public, or those without the relevant expertise, have difficulty in assessing such material. It was recommended that within their particular domains, ICSU, UNESCO and learned societies should, through their publications, assume greater responsibility for designing ways to help readers distinguish credible from questionable scientific information on the Web.
Ethical issues were the subject of considerable discussion at the conference, though primarily in connection with subjects other than physics. It was recommended that when the code of conduct of scientific and professional societies is apparently violated, it is incumbent on the journal's editors to follow up the case, even if referral to the author's institutions must be made. In the medical area there is a need to protect patient privacy now that case studies and photographs are available on-line. The editor of the British Medical Journal warned of a serious backlash bringing draconian legal restrictions on scientific publication unless scientific publishing was seen to be respectful of patient's rights and sensitivities.
It was generally felt, by those who were there, that the Conference had been very useful, so it was recommended that ICSU and UNESCO should recognise the meeting as having been valuable and should organise future meetings on electronic publishing in science. Given the rapid changes in technology the next should take place in not more than three years.
Submitted by Ian Butterworth of the Physics Department of Imperial College, London and Secretary of the IUPAP Working Group on Communications in Physics represented IUPAP at the Conference.
Working Groups Update
Working Group on Women in Physics
The IUPAP Working Group on Women in Physics is planning a three-day International Conference on Women in Physics to be held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France on March 7 to 9, 2002. It is hoped that 250 participants from over 60 countires will attend. For more information see www.if.ufrgs.br/~barbosa/conference.html. The results of the conference will be presented at the IUPAP General Assembly in October 2002.
Internationally, women are seriously under-represented in physics and in other fields, such as engineering, for which physics knowledge is an essential prerequisite. The nature and magnitude of the problem varies from country to country, however, there is a remarkable consistency in one sobering pattern: the percentage of women in physics in all countries decreases markedly with each step up the academic ladder and with each level of promotion in industrial and government laboratories.
In preparation for the conference, the Working Group is undertaking an international benchmarking effort to learn about the status and trends relating to women in physics in each of the 46 IUPAP member countires and elsewhere when feasible. Two surveys were developed for this purpose. The first survey assesses the population, demographics, and institutional aspects women in physics in each country. The second survey seeks to characterize the educational and professional experiences of women in physics and to tap their insights regarding expectations, practices, interactions, and feedback loops that tend to welcome or exclude women as physicists. These surveys will be analyzed to look for keys to women’s success as well as barriers they have experienced.
The International Conference will bring together physicists from around the world to review that data, discuss barriers, share success stories, propose ways to improve participation globally, develop resolutions for action by the IUPAP General Assembly, and help teams develop appropriate strategies to improve the status of women in physics in their home countries. Areas to be given special emphasis include:
- attracting girls to study physics in schools and unitersities,
- launching a successful career in physics,
- improving the institutional structure and climate for women in physics,
- getting women into the scientific leadership structure,
- learning from regional differences, and
- balancing family and career.
ICSU Meeting on Capacity Building Held in Paris, February 2001
The meeting of the International Council for Science (ICSU), recently held in Paris, was devoted to the discussion of capacity building in science.
According to ICSU, capacity building in science means "activities that lead to the establishment or strengthening of a corps of qualified scientists with a supporting infrastructure--including facilities and working conditions that enable them to conduct reasearch, education, training and advisory work, particularly in areas of direct societal significance."
Reports by Union representatives showed that although there were a lot of activities promoting capacity building, more coordination of effort between the Unions would be beneficial. The members agreed that capacity building is a long-term effort and that support will be needed for a considerable period of time. Participants agreed that ICSU, because of its expertise, should focus its educational activities at the university level, including education and in-service training of science teachers.
Discussion centered on the most meaningful way to help developing countries build a capacity in science. Participants stressed the importance of looking at the real needs of countries when setting up collaborations and accepting thelocal scientists as partners rather than as people to be educated. In addition, industry should play a major part in capacity building activities.
In determining which activities should be supported by the unions, participants agreed that support should focus on interdisciplinary approaches to solving well- defined problems. The following interdisciplinary problem fields were identified: Food and nutrition; Health and wellfare; and Energy supply and environment.
If a problem arises, ICSU executives should be asked to define the project, look for a project leader, and ask the appropriate Unions to participate.
One of the problems facing developing countries is lack of money for hard copies of, or for Internet access to scientific journals. A solution is to build up regional networks and offering free internet access to scientists. It was suggested that ICSU serve in an advisory capacity to foundations like the "Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation" rather than acting as a sponsor.
The International Centre of Theoretical Physics (ICTP) was lauded for having made a remarkable impact in physics in developing countries. However, several unions reported that establishing Centres of Excellence to promote capacity building for science has not proven satisfactory because the centres became growing bureaucracies and initial sponsors such as UNESCO have withdrawn their support. ICSU is going to gather more information on this subject.
Submitted by Juergen Sahm, of the Technische Universität and Chair of Commission 14 represented IUPAP at the ICSU Meeting
Announcements
October 2002 General Assembly
The next IUPAP General Assembly will be held in Berlin, Germany from October 9-12, 2002. It is not too early for Liaison Committees and Commissions to begin discussing nominations for commission officers and new members. Additional information regarding the General Assembly will be made available on the IUPAP Website as it becomes available.
The IUPAP Working Group on Women in Physics has scheduled an International Conference on Women in Physics to be held at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, March 7-9, 2002. Additional information can be found elsewhere in this newsletter or on the Internet at http://www.if.ufrgs.br/~barbosa/conference.html.
IUPAP Conference on Long Term Archiving of Digital Documents in Physics
A Conference on Long Term Archiving of Digital Documents in Physics will be held in Lyon, France, on November 5 & 6, 2001. More detailed information on the program, venue, and accommodations will be available shortly at the IUPAP Website under Working Groups. (http://www.iupap.org/wg/)
Conference Applications - Submission Information and Deadline
Information regarding submission for IUPAP sponsorship and funding of conferences can be found on the IUPAP website at http://www.iupap.org/policies.html. Potential organizers should be aware that the deadline for applications for conference to be held in 2002 is May 1, 2001 and Commission recommendations for approval should be submitted to Bob Barber no later than August 31, 2001.
Burton Richter, President
Yves Petroff, President Designate
Jan Nilsson, Past President
Rene Turlay, Secretary General
Judy Franz, Associate Secretary General
Contact Information for the IUPAP Secretariat:
Erika Ridgway, IUPAP Administrator
(ridgway@aps.org)
c/o AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY
ONE PHYSICS ELLIPSE
COLLEGE PARK, MD 20740
(301) 209-3269 Phone
(301) 209-0865 Fax
www.iupap.org
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