24th General Assembly

24th General Assembly

IUPAP 24th General Assembly, Berlin, Germany, 7-12 October 2002

Resolutions Approved by the 24th General Assembly (2002)

 Resolution No. 1:

IUPAP membership dues will be denominated in Euros henceforth. The change over will take place on November 1, 2002 using the ICSU exchange rate in the month of September 2002. Dues of 2500 CHF become 1700 Euros per share.

 Resolution No. 2:

The revised Statutes and By-Laws presented by the Council are adopted.

 Resolution No. 3:

As a condition for IUPAP endorsement of a conference, the maximum registration fee may not exceed US $400. Conference organizers should give special financial consideration to unsupported young scientists and scientists from developing countries. For the purpose of this resolution, “developing countries” are defined by the World Bank’s most recent list of “low income” and “lower middle income” countries. (Website to be provided).

The Executive Council is directed to review this upper limit at its annual meeting, and to adjust it as required to take into account the international value of the US dollar and the effects of inflation.

 Resolution No. 4:

The mandate of the Working Group on Women in Physics is extended to the 2005 General Assembly.

 Resolution No. 5:

Summary Resolution on Enhancing the Role of Women in Physics

Preamble

Physics plays a key role in understanding the world we live in, and physicists contribute strongly to the welfare and economic development of nations. The knowledge and problem-solving skills of physicists are essential in many professions and industries and to society at large. To thrive in today’s fast-changing, technological world, every country must achieve a highly educated population of women and men, fully engaged in making decisions important to their well being. Knowledge of physics is thus an important part of general literacy for every citizen. In addition, advancing physics understanding is an exciting intellectual challenge that benefits from the diverse and complementary approaches taken by both women and men from many cultures.

Women can and do contribute to this quest and, through physics, to the welfare of humankind, but only in small numbers: women are an underutilized intellectual reserve. Only when women participate fully as researchers in the laboratory, as scientific leaders and teachers, and as policy makers will they be equal partners in a technological society. Studies by Governments, Academies, major Universities, and many Physical Societies have shown that this is not the case today.

To examine the problem, and make recommendations on its amelioration, IUPAP convened an International Conference on Women in Physics. It took place in Paris, France, 7-9 March 2002, and was attended by over 300 physicists from 65 countries. The conferees examined the issues in depth and generated a set of resolutions aimed at establishing fully equal opportunity for success in physics independent of gender.

Resolution

The members of IUPAP, believing that it is important to physics to bring more women into its mainstream and leadership, endorse the resolutions adopted unanimously by the first International Conference on Women in Physics. Specifically, IUPAP urges that:

  1. Primary and Secondary Schoolsshould have policies and procedures that give the same opportunities and encouragement to the study of physics by girls and boys
  2. Colleges and Universities should:
    1. ensure that their policies and procedures give female and male students equal opportunities for success, and
    2. ensure that their policies and procedures are such that female and male faculty and staff are, through transparent policies, treated with equity with respect to recruitment, promotion, teaching schedules, research facilities, and roles in governance.
  3. Research Institutes and Industryshould ensure that policies are adopted and enforced regarding gender equity in recruitment and promotion to all levels.
  4. Scientific and Professional Societiesshould foster gender equity by having an identified group examining policies and procedures, making available statistics on the participation of women in physics at all levels, identifying leading women physicists and promoting them as role models, including women on program committees and as speakers at meetings and conferences, and including women in society governance.
  5. National Governmentsshould ensure that women have the same access and opportunity as men in research and advanced teaching, that women are included on national planning and review committees, and that funds are awarded only to organizations that have policies of gender equity.
  6. Funding Agenciesshould ensure that there is no gender bias in the broad based general grant funding process, that competitions are open and widely publicized, that criteria for funding are clear, and that women are included on review and decision making committees. Limits on age of eligibility or grant duration that seriously disadvantage applicants taking family leave should be reconsidered. Statistics should be made available giving by gender the proportion of successful applicants.
  7. All Institutionsshould note that family oriented policies and practices such as flexible work schedules, opportunities for dual career families, and the availability of child care facilities have been demonstrated to increase the opportunities for Women in all fields of science and technology. All institutions should reexamine their practices in this area.

It is further resolved that IUPAP’s Liaison Committees will transmit the report of the Conference on Women in Physics and the above resolution to their Adhering Bodies, and that the Secretariat will transmit it to other Scientific Unions and International Organizations. Further, the proceedings of the International Conference on Women in Physics should be made known and widely available.

The General Assembly recommends that Adhering Bodies appoint women to Liaison Committees, that gender be a consideration in nominations to Commissions and the Council, and expects that IUPAP sponsored conferences have women as members of their program committees.

 Resolution No. 6:

The mandate of the Working Group on Communications is extended to the 2005 General Assembly.

 Resolution No. 7:

7a: The mandate of the Working Group on Facilities for Condensed Matter Physics is extended to the 2005 General Assembly.

The General Assembly suggests that the Working Group conduct a study to review the status of neutron sources in Europe and the scientific need for facilities in the next decade.

7b: Neutron beams are major tools for studies in physics, chemistry and biology. The IUPAP General Assembly expresses its concern that the closure, earlier than anticipated, of certain neutron sources may lead to a shortage of available neutron beams if the start of new facilities should be unduly delayed.

 Resolution No. 8:

Member dues per unit shall be 1750 Euros (SF 2575) for the year 2003, 1800 Euros (SF 2650) for the year 2004, and 1850 Euros (SF 2730) for the years 2005 and beyond (converted to Euros as in Resolution No. 1).

 Resolution No. 9:

Whereas Physics has been the basis of a developing understanding of the physical world and nature as a whole,

Whereas Physics and its application are the basis of much of today’s technology,

Whereas an education in Physics is essential for the nations of the developing world to develop their scientific infrastructure, and

Whereas the year 2005 marks the 100th anniversary of a series of great scientific advances of Albert Einstein,

Therefore, at the suggestion of the European Physical Society, the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics declares that 2005 should be the World Year of Physics and will seek support from appropriate national and international organizations.

 Resolution No. 10:

The mandate of PaNAGIC is extended to the 2005 General Assembly

 Resolution No, 11:

The General Assembly notes that the International Council for Science (ICSU) has identified Energy as a priority area for interdisciplinary activities. The General Assembly endorses this action and directs the Executive Council to establish an appropriate working group.

 Resolution 12:

Resolution of Appreciation

The General Assembly of IUPAP wishes to take note of and express its appreciation for the efforts of:

  1. The German Physical Society for the outstanding performance as our host,
  2. Professor Juergen Sahm, his associates, and the staff of the Washington Office, for their excellent organizational work that so facilitated our activities,
  3. The retiring Commission Chairs for their work in furthering the goals of IUPAP,
  4. The retiring Vice-Presidents whose efforts have contributed to the guidance of our Union,
  5. The retiring Secretary-General, Dr. Rene Turlay, for his work in managing the affairs of the Union,
  6. The retiring Past President, Dr. Jan Nilsson, for his extraordinary 30 years of service to IUPAP as Associate Secretary-General (1972-1984), Secretary-General (1984-1993), and in the Presidential line (1993-2002).

As a small token of our appreciation, the General Assembly awards all of the above the IUPAP cube. We also particularly express our best wishes to Dr. Turlay for a speedy return to health.

 Resolution 13:

The General Assembly approves the membership of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

 Resolution 14:

The General Assembly approves the membership of Cyprus upon payment of the dues for one year.