ICTP in Brief March-April 2006

[sci_info]

    ICTP IN BRIEF

Bi-monthly unabridged listing of news published on http://news.ictp.it/ 
<http://news.ictp.it>


*3/3/2006*


      Fellowship Opportunities <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=142>

Applications are now available for fellowships to earn a /Laurea 
Magistralis in Fisica/ and /Laurea Magistralis in Astrofisica e Fisica 
Spaziale/, under a joint programme sponsored by ICTP and the University 
of Trieste. A limited number of fellowships are being offered to 
students from the developing world. For additional information and 
application forms, please see this page 
<http://www.ictp.trieste.it/www_users/ItaLab/joint-programme.html>.


*14/3/2006*


      Dirac Medallists Honoured <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=143>

ICTP Dirac Medallists 
<http://news.ictp.it/php/linkout/o.php?out=http://www.ictp.trieste.it/%7Esci_info/awards/Dirac/DiracMedal.html> 
Sergio Ferrara, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), 
Daniel Freedman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Peter 
van Nieuwenhuizen, State University of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook, 
have been awarded the Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics 
<http://www.aps.org/praw/heineman/index.cfm> "For constructing 
supergravity, the first supersymmetric extension of Einstein's theory of 
general relativity, and for their central role in its subsequent 
development." The Dannie Heineman Prize is awarded jointly by the 
American Physical Society (APS) and the American Institute of Physics 
(AIP). Eighteen ICTP Dirac Medallists have now received this prestigious 
award, including the three winners this year.


*21/3/2006*


      ICTP Director at APS March Meeting
      <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=144>

ICTP Director, K.R. Sreenivasan participated in the "March Meeting of 
the American Physical Society" in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, where, on 13 
March, he chaired and spoke at the session, "Scientists from Developing 
Countries: Is There an Effective Way to Support Meaningful Research?" 
ICTP Associate Zohra Ben Lakhdar also spoke at this session.
On the following day, Sreenivasan participated in the ACIPA (American 
Chapter of the Indian Physics Association) Meeting. Other participants 
were Shobo Bhattacharya, Director, Tata Institute of Fundamental 
Research (TIFR), India, and Michael Cheetham, Study Director of the 
Smithsonian Institution, USA.


*22/3/2006*


      Scoles Awarded Franklin Medal <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=145>

Giacinto Scoles, Donner Professor of Science at Princeton University, 
and Professor at the Departments of Biophysics and Condensed Matter 
Physics at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in 
Trieste, has been awarded the 2006 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics 
<http://www.fi.edu/tfi/exhibits/bower/06/physics.html>. He shares the 
Medal with J. Peter Toennies, Associate Professor, Department of Physics 
University of Göttingen, Germany, and Former Director of the 
/Max-Planck-Institut für Dynamik und Selbstorganisation/, Göttingen, 
Germany.
The award is being given to Scoles and Toennies for their development of 
new techniques for studying molecules, by embedding them in extremely 
small and ultra-cold droplets of helium. Their work has led to a better 
understanding of the extraordinary properties of superfluid helium, 
including its ability to flow without friction.
Scoles has lectured at ICTP on numerous occasions since 1988 and has 
been course director of the Stig Lundqvist Conferences. The Medal is 
awarded by the Franklin Institute.


      Earthquake Prediction Center in Pakistan
      <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=146>

Shaukat Aziz, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, has given his approval to 
a plan to establish a research centre for earthquake risk assessment and 
management. The centre, which will cater to the needs of South Asia, 
Central Asia and Middle East, will be located at the National Center for 
Physics, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad. ICTP is among the 
international organizations that the new centre will work with. Other 
organizations include the International Institute of Earthquake 
Prediction Theory and Mathematical Geophysics, the University of 
California at Los Angeles, and the Russian Academy of Sciences. Vladimir 
Keilis-Borok and Inessa Vorobieva, two well-known seismologists who have 
collaborated with ICTP's Structure and Non-Linear Dynamics of the Earth 
(SAND) group for more than 20 years, were part of a select group who 
served as consultants during discussions that led to the creation of the 
new centre.


*29/3/2006*


      Mathematics Conference <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=147>

The National Centre for Physics (NCP) has organized the 12th Regional 
Conference in Mathematical Physics 
<http://www.ncp.edu.pk/12th_regional.htm>, in cooperation with the 
Higher Education Commission (HEC) and ICTP. The Conference is taking 
place from 27 March to 1 April at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, 
Pakistan. Regional conferences on mathematical physics have been held 
for the past 20 years on a rotating basis in Iran, Pakistan and Turkey. 
The fields covered in this year's conference include superstring theory, 
particle physics, relativity, astrophysics, cosmology, plasma physics 
and the formal aspects of mathematical physics, including 
non-commutative geometry. About 40 foreigners and 20 Pakistanis will 
lecture at the event.


      Minister from South Africa <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=148>

Mosibudi Mangena, Minister of Science and Technology in South Africa, 
met with ICTP Director K.R. Sreenivasan, on Friday, 24 March, to discuss 
future avenues of cooperation. The Minister also met with other 
representatives of Trieste's international scientific community during 
his brief visit.
Mosibudi Mangena at ICTP with K.R. Sreenivasan.
/Mosibudi Mangena at ICTP with K.R. Sreenivasan/


*11/4/2006*


      String Theory and Black Holes <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=149>

More than 200 scientists attended ICTP's annual Spring School on 
Superstring Theories and Related Topics 
<http://cdsagenda5.ictp.trieste.it/full_display.php?smr=0&ida=a05197>, 
held from 27 March to 4 April. The School was created some 20 years ago 
to explore the most recent advances in the field of string theory 
related to high energy physics and cosmology. Among this year's 
lecturers were renowned scientists Ignatios Antoniadis (CERN, Geneva, 
Switzerland), Hiroshi Ooguri (Caltech, Pasadena, USA), and Andrew 
Strominger (Harvard University, USA). Topics discussed included 
phenomenological aspects of string theory and black hole attractors.


      Visitors from Middle East <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=150>

On 6-7 April a delegation from Qatar visited ICTP and other local 
scientific institutions to discuss possible collaborations in the fields 
of biotechnology, telecommunications, space research, and environmental 
modelling. Abdullah Hussain Al-Kubaisi, Minister of Technological 
Sciences, and Savino Selvaggio, Director of the Qatar Science and 
Technology Park, met with ICTP Director K.R. Sreenivasan. AREA Science 
Park President Maria Cristina Pedicchio, who visited Qatar last March, 
organized the visit.
On 5 April, ICTP Director met also Yaqoub Ashhab, Palestine Polytechnic 
University.
Meeting with the delegation from Qatar
/Meeting with the delegation from Qatar/


*13/4/2006*


      Templeton Prize to John Barrow <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=151>

John D. Barrow, professor at the Department of Applied Mathematics and 
Theoretical Physics (DAMTP), University of Cambridge, has won the 2006 
Templeton Prize. He is being honoured "for his writings about the 
relationship between life and the universe, and the nature of human 
understanding," which "have created new perspectives on questions of 
ultimate concern to science and religion." The Templeton Prize 
<http://www.templetonprize.org>, which is designed to encourage and 
honor those who advance religion and spiritual matters, carries a US$1.4 
million cash award.
Barrow has visited ICTP on several occasions, including the Summer 
Workshops in High Energy Physics and Cosmology in 1984 and 1987.


      New science ministry in Rwanda <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=152>

Romain Murenzi, who attended the ICTP Course on Basic Telecommunication 
Science in 1989, has been appointed to the newly created post of 
Minister of Science, Technology and Scientific Research in Rwanda. 
Murenzi, who previously served as Minister of Science, will shoulder 
additional responsibilities for accelerating the integration of science 
and technology into all sectors of the national economy. Last year, 
Rwanda published its first detailed science strategy, which outlined 
plans to apply the findings of scientific research to improve health, 
agriculture and the environment.


*18/4/2006*


      Abel Prize to Lennart Carleson <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=153>

Lennart A.E. Carleson, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, and 
Professor Emeritus at the University of California at Los Angeles, UCLA, 
has been awarded the Abel Prize 2006, <http://www.abelprisen.no/en/> 
"for his profound and seminal contributions to harmonic analysis and the 
theory of smooth dynamical systems." The Abel Prize, inaugurated in 2003 
and designed to honour the world's most accomplished mathematicians, 
carries a US$920,000 cash award. Carleson was a lecturer at the ICTP 
Workshop on Dynamical Systems in 1992.


*24/4/2006*


      ICTP Director Visits Saudi Arabia, Kuwait
      <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=154>

ICTP Director, K.R. Sreenivasan, recently travelled to Saudi Arabia, 
where he visited with professors and officials from King Fahd University 
of Petroleum and Minerals and the King Abdulaziz City for Science & 
Technology (KACST), and Kuwait, where he met with professors and 
officials from the University of Kuwait and the Kuwait Foundation for 
the Advancement of Science (KFAS). Discussions ranged from a general 
exchange of ideas on scientific priorities and reward systems to the 
concrete steps that ICTP and scientific institutions in both countries 
could take to forge stronger ties in the future.


      Total Eclipse of the Sun <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=155>

Claudio Tuniz, ICTP Assistant Director, and Mauro Messerotti, Trieste 
Astronomical Observatory, will provide eyewitness accounts of the total 
eclipse of the sun that took place last month when they speak in ICTP's 
Main Building, Lecture Room C, on 27 April at 15:30. Tuniz travelled to 
Kenya and Messerotti went to Turkey to witness the event, which occurred 
on 29 March. Their talks 
<http://cdsagenda5.ictp.trieste.it/full_display.php?ida=a0688> will be 
accompanied still images, movies and computer simulations of this rare 
occurrence. All are welcome to attend.


*26/4/2006*


      De Gennes to Lecture at ICTP <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=156>

Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, Nobel Laureate for Physics 1991, will lecture 
tomorrow, Thursday, 27 April, in the Kastler Lecture Hall, Adriatico 
Guesthouse during the Workshop on Driven States in Soft and Biological 
Matter 
<http://cdsagenda5.ictp.trieste.it/full_display.php?smr=0&ida=a05198>.. 
The title of his talk is "Some Thoughts on Friction."


*27/4/2006*


      The Friuli Earthquake 30 Years Later
      <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=157>

6 May marks the 30th anniversary of a violent earthquake that struck 
parts of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in northeastern Italy. The 
earthquake killed nearly 1000 people and caused hundreds of million of 
dollars in property damage. To commemorate the event, /Regione 
Friuli-Venezia Giulia/a is organizing several events from 28 April to 6 
May, including a scientific workshop examining a wide range of topics 
such as the region's seismology, civil preparedness and reconstruction 
policies. Giuliano F. Panza, head of ICTP's SAND (Structure and 
Non-Linear Dynamics of the Earth Group), will be among the speakers. He 
will lecture on seismic risk in the region.


      Book by ICTP Public Information Officer
      <http://news.ictp.it/index.php?p=158>

ICTP/TWAS Public Information Officer Daniel Schaffer is the co-editor of 
/Dry: Life Without Water/ 
<http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/MASDRY.html>, published by Harvard 
University Press. The book, which includes more than 80 illustrations, 
describes how people living in arid environments across the developing 
world, have learned to cope---indeed thrive---in water-sparse environments.



©2005 ICTP || *news.ictp.it* <http://news.ictp.it>

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