Jose Maria De Teresa served as chair of EPS Condensed Matter Division from 2021-2024. Erich Runge takes over from him, starting in 2025. Thanks Jose Maria De Teresa for your dedicated work in this EPS division! Erich Runge, welcome on board! Read the editorial of the EPS CMD newsletter by Jose Maria de Teresa here.

The European Physical Society aims at promoting physics, especially among a young audience. In 2020, the Society published a calendar called “Inspiring Physicists”. The idea of this calendar obviously came to me as a way to put forward the laureates of the EPS Emmy Noether Distinction and to provide examples of living and committed scientists. It shows the variety of research fields in physics and wishes to inspire the young generations in their choice of studies. The calendar also presents some famous female figures. Furthermore, the EPS regularly publishes interviews of inspiring young female physicists. Lucia Di Ciaccio, former chair of the EPS Equal Opportunities Committee, launched the idea in 2015. These interviews can be read online. Every month of this year, a new physicist can be discovered in the calendar. The first version puts forward ladies only, because they are often under-represented in various areas of physics (scientific school books, history books, conference speakers, scientific reference). Our calendar was distributed to our members in Europe and worldwide. Due to the SARS-CoV-2 crisis, the development of the actions started in schools or conferences was suddenly reduced and the follow-up made less easy. However, very positive feedback already came from our members before lockdowns : distribution to physics teachers at conferences, use as educational medium to raise interest in sciences in classrooms or training schools and in an exhibition of famous women. We hope that with the help of enthusiastic teachers and scientists, our calendar will inspire young pupils to study physics and to give them the taste of science in 2020 and beyond. More info :

The 2024 EPS Calendar of Inspiring Physicists has been released. Featuring EPS Members, Laureates of EPS awards and Nobel Prize Winners this initiative aims at presenting inspiring female physicists who can act as role models for the next generation of scientists. Every month, a new physicist can be discovered in the calendar with a portrait, a short description of her field of research and a sentence to inspire and encourage young people to study physics. The project was led by Gina Gunaratnam, communication coordinator at the EPS secretariat and bought to the page by Xavier de Araujo, the EPS graphic designer. The rationale behind the project is to increase the visibility of women in physics. Although in recent years women have become more visible in fields where historically they were a minority, women are still missing in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). There is therefore a need to attract more youngsters to these fields. Not only to work as researchers but also as technical staff, lab assistants, IT specialists, to name but a few. The panel of professions related to the sciences is wide and requires all talents, girls as much as boys. Society does not always send this message: girls need to be encouraged in their choice of studying science by everyone at every stage of their education: families, teachers, media and government all have a role to play. When girls show interest in sciences, they should not be diverted from their objectives, but helped and stimulated in every possible way to facilitate their aspirations. Our calendar is currently being distributed to our member societies and associate members throughout Europe. We hope that with this initiative and the help of enthusiastic teachers and scientists, it will inspire young pupils in 2024 and beyond. The January Physicist is Dr. Sara Bolognesi, staff researcher in experimental physics and laureate of the 2021 EPS Emmy Noether Distinction. Read her interview here. Stay tuned, more to come!