In 2024, the European Physical Society released a calendar of inspiring physicists. Gina Gunaratnam, EPS communication coordinator and initator of this project, interviewed Gražina Tautvaišienė, president of the Lithuanian Physical Society. Professor Tautvaišienė works as an astrophysicist at the Vilnius University (VU) and is also vice-president of the International Union of Astronomy since December 2024. The European Physical Society is a well-known organisation for all physicists. It cooperates with national physical societies to promote physics, to support physicists worldwide, and to foster international collaboration. My first encounter with EPS activities probably occurred in 2000 when the EGAS 32 conference was organised at our Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy in Lithuania. I started to follow EPS activities more closely when I became a vice-president of the Lithuanian Physical Society in 2007. International collaboration is very important for such a small country as Lithuania. EPS has divisions covering all main fields of physics. As EPS unites scientists from 42 National Physical Societies, it is an essential platform for developing international collaboration. Lithuanian scientists often need collaboration to access large international infrastructures like CERN, ESO, ITER, etc. Collaboration is also important in order to prepare large groundbreaking research projects, networking, and mobility. We are very glad that quite many international conferences of EPS have been organised in Lithuania. We had the 14th European Conference on Atoms, Molecules, and Photons (ECAMP) in 2022. This conference brought together atomic, molecular, and optical physics experts to discuss recent developments and research in the field. In 2024, we held the 11th EPS-QEOD Conference “Europhoton”, where the latest developments in solid-state physics, optical cables and waveguides were presented. In 2025, we will host the 51st EPS Conference on Plasma Physics. An outstanding example of a close relationship with EPS was the inauguration of the Grotthuss Laboratory as the EPS Historic Site in Žeimelis, Lithuania. This is the first EPS Historic Site in the Baltic states. The Lithuanian Physical Society was established in 1963. The main goal of our society is to unite Lithuanian physicists, coordinate and support their activities in order to contribute to the development of physics research in Lithuania and take care of physics teaching in universities and other educational institutions. We organise the National Conferences on Physics every two years, which attract about 600 participants. Every year, we support the physics olympiad and summer school “Fotonas” of schoolchildren. We organise annual public events dedicated to e.g. Quantum Day and European Researchers Night. Various recent events marked the UNESCO International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development. Now we prepare for the UNESCO International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. I liked sciences that required logical thinking. Physics is exactly like that. However, physics is a very broad science, and I had to decide which field to turn to. And here, the decisive role was played by the meeting of the Lithuanian Astronomical Union at the Molėtai Astronomical Observatory, which I attended after finishing the 10th grade. There, I won a place on the Lithuanian team for the meeting of young astronomers of the Soviet Union. Then my path to astronomy began. All summer, I studied astronomy at the Kaunas Public Library, studied constellations, and read various books. By the way, being a schoolchild, I really liked reading books, especially about scientists, politicians, and artists and how they lived and worked. The story of Marie Curie was very memorable. She was an inspiring role model for me. Currently, together with my colleagues, I am working on improving methods for determining the age of stars. Knowing the age of stars is very important in many aspects. It is very important to know it in order to clarify the evolution of our and other galaxies, the evolution of stars, the characterization of exoplanets, etc. The period for such investigations is very favourable because NASA’s TESS telescope is now orbiting in space and is providing important asteroseismic information for determining the stellar age. If robust seismic pulsations could be detected in all stars, there would be no problems in stellar age determinations. However, it is not possible to reliably record the pulsations of many stars, and other methods must be sought. Among these are the so-called chemical clocks – the abundance ratios of various chemical elements. The Science Council of Lithuania is funding our research “Chemical elements as clocks for determining the age of stars”. We are analysing the use of the abundance ratios of carbon and nitrogen and yttrium and magnesium chemical elements in order to determine the age of stars. Several other projects also are on the way, including the one on the investigation of planet-hosting stars. There are many challenges. As Lithuanian folk experience says – the deeper into the forest, the more trees… Much is expected in the field of exoplanet search and research. This is a relatively new field of research. Incredible planets are being discovered around other stars which are not found in our solar system. The question arises of how planets form and what their characteristics depend on. Several space telescopes have been launched into space and are planned for exoplanet research. As Vice President of the International Astronomical Union, I am entrusted with the coordination of space and ground-based research. Here, my experience in coordinating the Europlanet telescope network, which currently unites 17 observatories with medium-sized and small telescopes, will come in handy. Ground-based observations for space missions require a lot of time, and smaller telescopes are very suitable for this. I plan to significantly expand the Europlanet telescope network, which also includes the Molėtai Astronomical Observatory in Lithuania. Lithuania, as a country with strong traditions in astronomy, opens up very wide opportunities for research and international cooperation. The first observatory in Lithuania was established back in 1753. The Vilnius University Astronomical Observatory is one of the oldest in Europe. At that time it had over 100 different instruments. Currently, the VU Molėtai Astronomical Observatory is also no less known. It operates the largest telescope in Northern
2024 EPS Emmy Noether Distinction: Call for nominations
Emmy Noether, with her fundamental and revolutionary work in the abstract algebra and on conservation laws in theoretical physics, is an exceptional historical figure for all generations – past, present and future – of physicists. The laureates of the Emmy Noether Distinction are chosen for their capacity to inspire the next generation of scientists, and especially encourage women to pursue a career in physics. Attribution criteria therefore focus on the candidate’s: • research achievements• endeavours to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women in physics• coordination of projects and management activity• service to the scientific community and research administration Nominators are encouraged to address these four points in their proposal. Commencing 2022, the EPS Emmy Noether Distinction for Women in Physics is to be awarded once a year, to two distinguished women in physics. Namely, the Emmy Noether Distinction will be awarded to an early- and mid–career laureate, as well as to a more advanced candidate, as a Distinction for her full career. The selection committee, appointed by the EPS Equal Opportunities Committee, will consider nominations of women in physics working in Europe for the 2024 Edition of the Emmy Noether Distinction as of the nomination deadline of 31st March 2025. To make a nomination, apply via this site or submit the following documents to the EPS Secretariat: Download the distinction charterRead more about the EPS Emmy Noether Distinction
News from MPL
10,000 times faster than traditional methods: new computational framework automatically discovers experimental designs in microscopy Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) framework which autonomously discovers new experimental designs in microscopy. Read the complete press release here. The MPL is an EPS Associate Member.
News from INFN
Possible clues about the history of the universe from Mediterranean minerals. Ancient minerals, formed six million years ago, during the drying up of the Mediterranean Sea, and known as “evaporites”, could hold precious traces of the interaction with cosmic rays, and reveal important information about the history of our universe. Read the full article here. INFN is an EPS Associate Member.
The CTAO becomes an ERIC
Bologna, Italy, 7 January 2025 – On January 7, 2025, the European Commission established the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC), furthering its mission to become the world’s largest and most powerful observatory for gamma-ray astronomy. The creation of the CTAO ERIC will enable the Observatory’s construction to advance rapidly and provide a framework for distributing its data worldwide, significantly accelerating its progress toward scientific discovery. “The ERIC will streamline the construction and operation of the Observatory in a way that will undoubtedly help the CTAO attract new talent and investment as it continues to grow,” stated Dr. Aldo Covello, Chair of the Board of Governmental Representatives (BGR). “The ERIC status provides the CTAO with the legal stability and administrative advantages it needs to be sustainable in its worldwide operations and impact.” The CTAO ERIC was established with the international support of 11 countries and one intergovernmental organisation that contribute to the technological development, construction and operation of the Observatory. The BGR represents this group and has been responsible for the preparation of the ERIC. “We are grateful to our founding members for their support and to the European Commission for reaffirming their confidence in the CTAO as a world-class research infrastructure,” said Dr. Stuart McMuldroch, CTAO Managing Director. “This milestone represents the culmination of years of dedicated planning by the diverse teams contributing to the success of the Observatory. With the CTAO ERIC, we now have a powerful instrument to consolidate our efforts and drive the project forward.” The ERIC not only provides the Central Organisation with a formal framework to accept and operate the current telescope prototypes, but it also allows for the immediate start of construction for the full array of more than 60 telescopes across both telescope sites in Spain and Chile. On the CTAO-North site, where the Large-Sized Telescope prototype (LST-1) is under commissioning, three additional LSTs and one Medium-Sized Telescope (MST) are expected to be built in the next 1-2 years. Meanwhile, on the CTAO-South site, the first five Small-Sized Telescopes (SSTs) and two MSTs are expected to be delivered by early 2026. Thus, with the aid of the ERIC, the Observatory is expected to be able to operate intermediate array configurations as early as 2026. These sub-sets of the final arrays will already be more sensitive than any existing instrument, bringing the Observatory’s early science within reach. The impact of the ERIC will extend beyond hardware, influencing several other key areas. In the coming months, the Observatory will prepare to integrate and operate advanced software designed to control the telescopes and their supporting devices on-site, as well as to manage data processing. Additionally, the ongoing recruitment campaign will continue across all CTAO facilities, including the CTAO Headquarters in Italy and the CTAO Science Data Management Centre in Germany, ensuring robust support for these developments. The CTAO was promoted to a “Landmark” on the European Forum on Research Infrastructure (ESFRI) Roadmap 2018 and was ranked as the main priority among the new ground-based infrastructures in the ASTRONET Roadmap 2022-2035. Now, after years of extensive preparatory work, and with the final legal entity in place, the CTAO solidifies its standing in the global research community, facilitating synergies with other international organisations and observatories. “The ERIC status strengthens the presence of the CTAO in Europe and its role as a key player in the European Research Area, but the support we have received and the scope of the CTAO ERIC’s influence goes far beyond European borders,” explained Prof. Federico Ferrini, co-Managing Director. “To build and operate the world’s largest gamma-ray observatory that serves the ambitious needs of the global scientific community, we are counting on an increasing number of partners from around the world.” The CTAO ERIC Members are Austria, Czech Republic, European Southern Observatory (ESO), France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and Spain. Additionally, Switzerland is an Observer, Japan is a Strategic Partner and Australia is a Third Party.
Moniek Tromp becomes new President of ISE
19th December 2024, ISE, press release. Prof. Dr. Moniek Tromp, Director of the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Chair of Materials Chemistry at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands), was elected by the ISE General Assembly on 26 April 2024 as the new President of Initiative for Science in Europe (ISE). Prof. Tromp took office on 1st January 2025. She succeeds Prof. emeritus Dr. Martin Andler, Laboratoire de Mathématiques, Université de Versailles-Saint Quentin, the current ISE President, whose mandate ran until 31 December 2024. He was elected President on 24 mars 2017. ISE members wish to jointly welcome Moniek Tromp and look forward to working under her leadership. Moniek Tromp is currently the chair of Materials Chemistry and her research focusses on the development and application of operando spectroscopy techniques in catalysis and materials research, incl. fuel cells, batteries, photochemistry, etc…, with a focus on X-ray spectroscopy techniques. Application of the techniques to fundamentally or industrially interesting processes and materials have provided unprecedented insights in properties and mechanisms. She has had many important national and international roles, e.g. board member of the Dutch Funding Agency (Science Domain), chair of the Dutch Network for Female Professors (LNVH), chair of the Young Academy Europe (YAE), and president and board member of the Young Academies Science Advice Structure (YASAS) and Science Advice for Policy by European Academies (SAPEA) (the science advice mechanism of the European Commission) respectively. She is therefore very well embedded in management and policy at national and international level. Her leadership is further exemplified by her current positions as Engineering director of the Faculty of Science and Engineering and Research director of the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials (40 principle investigators, ~300 staff in total). As Captain of Science of the Topsector Chemistry, she advises the Dutch government, esp. on innovation and industry policy. ISE members want to warmly thank Martin Andler for his dedication, enthusiasm and commitment during his more than seven years of presidency at ISE. “I am delighted that ISE has chosen Moniek Tromp as my successor. She is an outstanding scientist, with a broad spectrum of expertise, ranging from fundamental research to industrial applications. She also has extensive experience in science policy. Moniek was the Chair of the Young Academy of Europe (YAE), a member of ISE, and as such was a member of ISE’s Executive Committee between 2020 and 2022. Open science, researchers’ careers and scientific advice are some of the important topics that she has been involved in. She is very committed to European research and innovation.” says Martin Andler, outgoing ISE President.
IDL 2025: Register your event now!
The International Day of Light (IDL) is now welcoming registrations for 2025 events on their global calendar. The registration form has been simplified in the case you are organising multiple events. Here are also useful information about all aspects of event organisation.
Take part in the Physics World Championship in Lund!
The International Young Physicists’ Tournament (IYPT) will take place from 29th June to 6th July 2025 in Lund, Sweden. Sam Edgecombe, chairman of IYPT Sweden, invites you to take part in the event. What is IYPT?The International Young Physicists’ Tournament (IYPT), sometimes referred to as the “Physics World Championship,” is an annual international competition for high school students (pre-university). The purpose of hosting IYPT 2025 in Lund is to showcase Sweden as a knowledge nation, promote education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), especially physics, encourage creativity and independence among youth, and enhance international understanding and collaboration. Every summer, 17 problems of both theoretical and experimental nature are released. These problems can be interpreted in various ways and are sometimes unsolved. Solving them mimics real research, where experiments are conducted to investigate a phenomenon, compared with theory, and then compiled into a proposed solution. Students compete by “fighting” against each other: one student presents their proposed solution to an IYPT problem (published a year in advance), while another student acts as an opponent. An international jury of physicists grades the participants. After five rounds, a final is held among the top three countries. IYPT in LundIYPT is a unique opportunity for high school students to work with physics and present their results in an international setting. By hosting the IYPT final in Lund, we hope to inspire participants to pursue higher education and careers in physics and natural sciences in Sweden and the Skåne region. The Medical Faculty and the Department of Physics have made some teaching facilities available free of charge, for which we are very grateful. We expect teams from approximately 40 countries, including Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Taiwan, Croatia, Czechia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Macau, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Türkiye, Uganda, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the USA. 36 countries are pre-registered at the time of writing. We are looking for more countries to participate in the IYPT. If you are interested in organizing the IYPT in your country, please get in touch with us and we can provide you with more information about how to take part. You could also apply as a visitor to the IYPT 2025 an experience the IYPT for yourself firsthand. The IYPT 2025 is only possible thanks to our partners and sponsors:Skolverket (Swedish National Agency for Education), Jacob Wallenberg Foundation, Jane Street, Visit Skåne, Visit Lund AB, Beijer Foundation, Olle Engkvist Foundation, Wenner-Gren Foundations, Einar Hansen Allhems Foundation, Oscar and Maria Ekman’s Donation Fund, Magnus Bergvall Foundation, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, Sven and Dagmar Salén’s Foundation, Bertil Wollert’s Scholarship Foundation, Lund Municipality, Region Skåne, Carl Tryggers Foundation and Vernier. AboutIYPT Sweden is a nonprofit organization. Its purpose is to motivate youth, promote their research and problem-solving skills, and stimulate their passion for science through the current 17 IYPT problems. Additionally, the organization selects and sends Sweden’s IYPT team to the international competition.Contact: info@iyptsweden.orgWebsite: www.iypt.seInstagram: @iypt_sweden Preliminary Program June 29, 2025: June 30, 2025: July 1, 2025: July 2, 2025: July 3, 2025: July 4, 2025: July 5, 2025: July 6, 2025: July 7, 2025: July 8, 2025:
Discovery Space: Empowering Educators with Cutting-Edge Technology
The European Physical Society (EPS) is at the forefront of integrating innovative technologies into education with Discovery Space teacher training including AIMLOW: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Online Workshops. These initiatives aim to inspire educators, equip them with modern pedagogical tools, and provide students with engaging learning experiences rooted in inquiry and critical thinking. Discovery Space: A Gateway to Exploratory Learning Discovery Space is an ambitious EU-funded project designed to facilitate students’ inquiry-based learning using an online Enhanced Learning Environment. Students are guided through differentiated pathways tailored to students’ progress. Learning scenarios engage learners in a variety of physics and non-physics topics, from genetics to astrophysics and everything in between. Discovery Space seeks to transform traditional education by placing students in active problem-solving roles while leveraging AI as a guiding tool. EPS project officer Michael Gregory is in charge of the Discovery Space Teacher Training Academy, providing professional development online and across Europe. In-person workshops have already taken place in Bulgaria and Spain, with more planned for 2025 there, in France and across Europe. Keep an eye on the Discovery Space website: https://discoveryspace.eu/ or contact the author to be informed of when there are upcoming workshops near you! Training sessions are planned and executed in collaboration with local partners, and the specific contents adapted to local needs and requests. Workshops last anywhere between 1.5 hours and a whole day, and either focus exclusively on Discovery Space or often include more general sessions on AI in the classroom and low-cost experiments. These sessions introduce educators to the platform’s features, and differentiated learning scenarios like “The Magic of Refraction” and “Zookeepers of the Galaxy.” Discovery Space Learning Scenarios “The Magic of Refraction” is a learning scenario that kicks off with live demonstrations inspired by the popular Science on Stage webinar series “It’s not magic, it’s science you don’t see”, (https://www.science-on-stage.eu/event/webinar-its-not-magic-its-science-you-dont-see-part-7) followed by guided experimentation with simulations, collaborative data collection, and differentiated analysis to explore Snell’s Law and refraction. The scenario’s emphasis on whole-class data fosters a collaborative learning environment. Students analyze results with varying levels of complexity, from reviewing individual data points, to taking averages, to linearizing data to plot trend lines – the experience is adapted to the learning needs of each student. This differentiated approach to analysing whole-class generated data was met with considerable enthusiasm – when piloted at the National Science and Mathematics Gimnazija in Sofia, Bulgaria, students asked to stay late on Friday evening to continue their analysis and discussions. Michael presenting Discovery Space scenario “The Magic of Refraction” at National Science and Mathematics Gimnazija, Sofia, Bulgaria. (Photo taken by Nasko Stamenov) “Zookeepers of the Galaxy” is a versatile learning scenario that blends astrophysics and artificial intelligence, offering teachers a novel way to make complex topics engaging and interactive. First piloted during the final session of AIMLOW, then further developed for various workshops across Spain – in Cuenca, Burgos and Espinosa de los Monteros. Its dual focus—covering key curriculum concepts like the known universe while introducing machine learning—has been enthusiastically received and highlights the growing need for resources that bridge 21st-century skills with traditional science education. Students begin by categorizing galaxies based on visual patterns, foreshadowing the creation of a machine learning model in later phases. The scenario progresses with adaptable activities to extract a dataset of images from the Zooinverse dataset (www.zooniverse.org), then guides learners to use their dataset to train Google Teachable Machine to classify galaxy images. Through experimentation, they explore how dataset size and training parameters impact the success of their models. Reflection phases encourage critical thinking, with learners at varying levels discovering the balance between accuracy, training time, and resource use. By combining astrophysics with cutting-edge AI concepts, “Zookeepers of the Galaxy” empowers students and teachers alike, sparking curiosity and building essential skills for the future. Student view in the “Zookeepers of the Galaxy” Learning Scenario Several more learning scenarios are already available on the Discovery Space Enhanced Learning Environment, with even more in development, and the possibility for teachers to copy, modify and create their own scenarios adapted for their own classrooms! Topics currently covered range from evolution, genetics, astrophysics, seasons and electricity. Topics in the works include taxonomy, microscopy, modern physics and more! AIMLOW: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Online Workshops Complementing the Discovery Space initiative is AIMLOW, a six-week online course that introduces educators to the world of artificial intelligence and its practical applications in teaching. Spearheaded by Michael Gregory of EPS and Kalina Dimitrova from Sofia University, AIMLOW is a hands-on course that demystifies complex AI concepts and showcases their relevance to the classroom. Kalina works on creating AI algorithms for particle physics experiments and takes interest in explainable AI methods. She used her expertise to create our own simplified language model, image classifier and image generator for AIMLOW to explain how all of these aspects of AI work. To learn more about these, see the AIMLOW course outline: https://discoveryspace.eu/join-the-aimlow-courses-and-empower-your-teaching-with-ai/ and the recordings of the sessions on the EPS YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@EuroPhysSoc. Throughout the course, AIMLOW shared the focus on a theoretical foundation of how AI works and applications to classroom practice, with sessions focused on language models, image classification and image generation. The final two sessions were more focused on classroom applications, with one session on sharing best practices and teacher resources, and the final session took teachers through the Discovery Space learning scenario “Zookeepers of the Galaxy”, which guides students to create an image classifier using Google Teachable Machine, while learning about galaxy classification and Hubble’s Tuning Fork. Fostering a Community of Innovative Educators A key outcome of Discovery Space and especially AIMLOW has been the creation of a vibrant community of educators eager to embrace technology as a transformative force in education. Workshops and training sessions often serve as a platform for collaboration, with educators exchanging ideas and sharing best practices. Feedback from AIMLOW participants has been especially positive, with teachers reporting increased confidence in using AI and a deeper understanding of its potential. With the
Let’s celebrate quantum science in 2025!
The mission of the International Year of Quantum Science & Technology (IYQ) is to use the occasion of 100 years of quantum mechanics in 2025 to help raise public awareness of the importance and impact of quantum science and applications on all aspects of life.