Helmut Kohl Receives Erice Peace Prize for His Promotion of Science
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FACES AND PLACES Antonino Zichichi, left, hands the Science for Peace Erice Prize to the former federal chancellor of Germany, Helmut Kohl, right, with the president of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, centre. The ceremony was held in Strasbourg on 23 October. (Courtesy Photo Service European Parliament.) AWARDS Helmut Kohl receives Erice peace prize for his promotion of science Helmut Kohl, Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev Kohl, the former federal chancellor of collaboration following the fall of the Berlin and Pope John Paul II are the 2007 laureates Germany, received his prize on 23 October Wall, which allowed the countries of Central of the Science for Peace Erice Prize. at a ceremony at the European Parliament Europe to join CERN. This prize was instituted in 1988 by the in Strasbourg, organized by the parliament’s In his speech, Kohl reviewed the long Sicilian parliament at the request of the president, Hans-Gert Pöttering. Zichichi journey from 1945 to German reunification World Federation of Scientists (WFS) on the praised the value of scientific and cultural and to the present. He underlined the role occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Ettore activities in an address at the ceremony, of Pope John Paul II, and that of Gorbachev Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific entitled: “Neither science nor civilisation and other political leaders, in overcoming Culture (EMFCSC). The prize is awarded could exist without memory”. He outlined barriers to allow Europe to become free to world leaders in science and scientific the role of the WFS in analysing global and enlarged. He encouraged the European culture, and to those who have played an emergencies and emphasized the parliamentarians to continue their efforts to essential role in promoting and implementing importance of political leaders to promote progress steadily in building a democratic the goals outlined in the Erice Statement: science for peace and progress. He also Europe and to promote international scientific Science for Peace, written in 1982 by Paul described the roles of the Erice Centre and collaboration worldwide. Dirac, Pyotr Kapitza and Antonino Zichichi, CERN. In the spirit of the Erice Statement, ● For more information about the WFS, see the current president of the EMFCSC. Kohl helped promote international scientific www.federationofscientists.org/WFSHist.asp. 38 CERN Courier January/February 2008 CCJanFaces.indd 38 15/1/08 11:41:15 FACES AND PLACES Italian Physical Society honours discoveries on weak interactions Milla Baldo-Ceolin, Ettore Fiorini and Italo Mannelli have won the 2007 Enrico Fermi prize from the Italian Physical Society. The award is for their fundamental contributions to the experimental study of weak interactions, in particular at CERN. Baldo-Ceolin, of the University of Padua, receives the prize for her early studies on K-mesons, in particular for her experimental evidence of K0 as a mixture of K0 and – L K0, and for the measurement of the mass 0 0 difference KS–KL. In addition, her further Left to right: Italo Mannelli, Franco Bassani studies on neutrino physics (e.g. on neutral (president of the Italian Physical Society), Milla Fiorini, absent from the ceremony, receives the current interactions in muon-neutrino and Baldo-Ceolin and theoretician Luigi Radicati prize for contributions to the discovery of weak antineutrino scattering off electrons with di Brozolo at the ceremony. (Courtesy André Martin.) neutral currents. (Courtesy CUORE Collaboration.) the NUE experiment at the PS) provided an essential step towards the initial confirmation Standard Model. The prize also recognizes violation in K-meson weak decays in the of electroweak unification. other work by Fiorini, including early studies NA31 and NA48 experiments at the SPS. Fiorini, of the University of Milan Bicocca, on atmospheric and solar neutrinos with This almost imperceptible but basic effect receives the prize for contributing to the the underground experiments NUSEX at of symmetry violation has enormous discovery of weak neutral currents using Mont Blanc and GALLEX at Gran Sasso. consequences for particle physics and the Gargamelle bubble chamber exposed Mannelli, of the Scuola Normale cosmology. The foundations of Mannelli’s to neutrino and antineutrino beams from Superiore, Pisa, receives his share of the work on CP violation extends back to his the PS. This finding paved the way for the prize for his outstanding contribution to first experimental studies on parity violation unconfutable success of the electroweak the demonstration of direct CP symmetry in Λ0 weak decays. LABORATORIES develop a new Nuclotron-based Ion Collider JINR looks to its Facility at JINR’s Nuclotron accelerator. Sissakian also informed those at the future programme session about a conference, “Innovation Activity in Special Economic Zones [SEZ]. The latest session of the Committee of Public–Private Partnership Technology”, held Plenipotentiaries of the member-state in Dubna on 15–16 November 2007. This governments of JINR took place in Dubna, was the first event to discuss the SEZ “core”. Russia, on 27–28 November. JINR’s director Sissakian also noted that having established Alexei Sissakian presented his report on an SEZ in Dubna, JINR would have a very “Activities at JINR in 2007 and basic trends profitable scheme for the application of for strategic development of the Institute”. JINR’s director, Alexei Sissakian, left, and the scientific ideas in commodities production. In addition to summing up the results of Russian Federation’s minister of science and Introducing the general discussion, Andrei the institute’s activities in 2007, Sissakian education, Andrei Fursenko, at the exhibition of Fursenko, plenipotentiary of Russia to JINR, took the opportunity to cast a glance JINR’s achievements in innovation. (Courtesy JINR.) said: “All the reports presented today are towards 2008 and beyond in the context of aimed at the process of development, a new the “roadmap” – the strategic programme and condensed-matter physics – he noted gulp of breath for Dubna – the centre that for development at JINR in fundamental the success in the “home” experimental is and will be among leading world centres. science, innovation and education. Speaking programme. He also spoke about the We will, and I say it as a minister, support the about the main scientific trends at the advanced plans for upgrading the basic development of JINR, both in innovation and institute – particle physics, nuclear physics facilities at JINR and the programme to fundamental trends.” CERN Courier January/February 2008 39 CCJanFaces.indd 39 15/1/08 11:41:43 FACES AND PLACES APPOINTMENTS particle astrophysics and cosmology, will Persis Drell takes ensure frontier science from the laboratory for decades to come,” said Drell on her the helm at SLAC appointment. “My goal as director is to position the laboratory to make a smooth transition to Persis Drell has become the fourth director these exciting future scientific programmes of SLAC in the laboratory’s 45-year history, and continue the tradition of outstanding stepping into the shoes of Wolfgang Panofsky, scientific achievement at the lab.” Since Burton Richter and most recently, Jonathan then, she has already had to confront a major Dorfan. She has held a series of senior funding crisis in the US (see p6). positions at SLAC since 2002 and has served Drell has a long association with SLAC, as acting director from September 2007. Stanford and the DoE. As a physics professor Drell’s directorship is the result of an at Cornell for 14 years, she studied the international search by a committee appointed bottom and charm quarks to measure by John Hennessy, president of Stanford the parameters of the weak interaction. University, which operates SLAC on behalf She also served as the deputy director of of the US Department of Energy (DoE). The Drell joined SLAC in 2002. (Courtesy SLAC.) Cornell’s Laboratory of Nuclear Studies committee began its work in March 2007, and as chair of the Synchrotron Radiation when Dorfan announced his plan to step down. injector for the world’s first X-ray free electron Committee. She joined SLAC in 2002 as SLAC’s activities have gradually changed laser, the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), a professor and associate director for the with the times since 1962, when the laboratory currently under construction. “The science research division, becoming a deputy director was built to house the world’s longest electron delivered by LCLS, along with programmes for SLAC and director for particle and particle accelerator. The linac is now to become the in particle physics, photon science and astrophysics in 2005. The cerncourier.com website is here! Your free online resource for articles from the print magazine, covering worldwide developments in particle physics, scientific computing and other related areas. cerncourier.com Image supplied by CERN 40 CERN Courier January/February 2008 CCJanFaces.indd 40 15/1/08 13:59:36 FACES AND PLACES CONFERENCE Slovakia hosts successful unified conference on hadron structure Conference participants pose for the traditional photo. Hadron Structure ’07 attracted around 50 physicists from 13 countries. (Courtesy S Dubnicka.) Around 50 physicists from 13 countries Comenius University in Bratislava, the Model at the Tevatron and ATLAS at the LHC; participated in the latest Middle European P J Safarik University in Kos˘ice, the Institute results on ϕ radiative decays into scalar Hadron Structure Conference, held