Purpose:

With the endorsement of the international physics community and at the request of the 2003 UNESCO General Conference, 2005 was proclaimed International Year of Physics (IYP) by the 58^th General Assembly of the United Nations.  Organized as the IYP2005 launching conference, “Physics for Tomorrow“ will be open to the general public and will aim to attract the interest of the international media so as to focus attention on the events and celebrations organized around the world throughout the Year.

Highlights of the Conference: 

The Conference will include an opening ceremony launching the International Year of Physics 2005, public lectures and round-table discussions by Nobel laureates and other renowned scientists. The opening ceremony will attended by representatives of UNESCO, other UN agencies and the European Commission, Heads of States, Ministers, UNESCO Permanent Delegates and science academicians.  The public lectures and round-table discussions will focus on the role of physics in society and its impact on everyday life, the influence of Einstein on the science of the 20^th and 21^st centuries, the teaching of physics, and its links with other disciplines.  Five hundred students (aged 16-18) from physics Olympiad teams from different countries will be invited to participate in the Conference.

Web site:  http://www.wyp2005.org/unesco

Invited lecturers : 

Zhores Alferov (Russia, Physics Nobel laureate 2000) ^(*)

“Physics and Information Technology”

Georges Charpak (France, Physics Nobel laureate 1992) ^(*)

“Teaching/Education in Physics”

Claude Cohen-Tannoudji (France, Physics Nobel laureate 1997) ^(*)

“Quantum physics and its impact on daily life”

Gerard ’t Hooft (Netherlands, Physics Nobel laureate 1999) ^(*)

“Unified theories for all elementary particles and forces of nature - the great challenge for tomorrow's physicists”

Masatoshi Koshiba (Japan, Physics Nobel laureate 2002) ^(*)

“Cosmology and Astrophysics in the 21^st Century”

Harold Kroto (United Kingdom, Chemistry Nobel laureate 1996) ^(*)

“The prospects  in nanoscience”

Denis Le Bihan (France) ^(*)

“Physics and the Life Sciences”

C. N. R. Rao (India) ^(*)

“Physics for development/ Physics in developing countries”

Myriam Sarachik (USA) ^(*)

“Nanophysics and nanotechnologies, and their impact in the real world”

Claus Weyrich (Germany) ^(*)

“Physics and Industry”

Ahmed Zewail (Egypt/ USA, Chemistry Nobel laureate 1999)

“The realm of ultra-fast atomic and molecular processes: Femtosecond physics and chemistry”

Round-table discussions: (to be led by French journalists)
Ø Public image of science and physics 

Invited discussants:   Chen Jia-er (China), Marvin Cohen (USA)(*), José Luis Moran-Lopez(Mexico)(*), Pierre Lena (France)

Ø Physics and the challenges of the 21^st Century 

Invited discussants:  Ayse Erzam (Turkey, L’Oreal-UNESCO awardee)(*), Ana Maria Cetto (IAEA, Mexico)(*), Sylvie Joussaume (INSU)(*), B. Richter (USA, Physics Nobel laureate)(*), Sergio Rezende (Brazil).

(*) confirmed

International Steering Committee: 

Marcia Barbosa, IUPAP, Brazil

Edouard Brézin, Société Française de Physique (SFP) et Académie des Sciences

Martial Ducloy, Société Européenne de Physique – EPS, France

Walter Erdelen, UNESCO

Judy Franz, American Physical Society (USA)

Martin Huber, EPS, Switzerland

Chen Jia-er, National Science Foundation of China, China

José Luis Morán-López, IUPAP, Mexico

Yves Petroff, IUPAP, France

Katepalli Sreenivasan, ICTP

Sukekatsu Ushioda, Japanese Physical Society, Japan

Organizing committee: 

Minella Alarcon, UNESCO

Martial Ducloy, EPS (Chair)

Daniel Iagolnitzer, CEA

Michèle Leduc, SFP

David Lee, EPS

Johannes Orphal, SFP (Secrétaire)

Chris Rossel, EPS

UN International Year of Physics 2005

Launching Conference "Physics for Tomorrow"

13-15 January 2005, Paris, France