Unions are already working for sustainable development.
Since 1981, IUPAP, the referent organization for IYBSSD 2022, has created a “Physics for development” commission (aka C13). Its aim is to promote the exchange of information and views among the members of the international scientific community in the general field of Physics for development.
What do these people actually do? Let’s have a look at some points in the latest report they produced.
Conferences and summer schools
For 2020, they planned to support three conferences in developing countries:
- The 6th Biennial African School of Fundamental Physics and Applications, ASP2020; Marrakech, Morroco
- Advanced African School & Workshop on Multifunctional Ferroic Materials, Carthage, Tunisia
- 6th African School on Electronic Structure Methods and Applications, ASESMA-2020, Kigali, Rwanda
Overview of Lightsources for Africa, the Americas, Asia and Middle East Project (LAAAMP)
We already talked about LAAAMP, lead by both IUPAP and IUCr, and which has been sponsored by ISC for the first three years. We will certainly talk again about it, as it is a very good example of how basic sciences can be supported worldwide.
Work on affordable scientific equipment
A specific working group is dedicated to this topic. They aim to collect and share information about affordable scientific equipment for research and training around the world: microscopes, stethoscope, measurement euipment, etc. They share it mainly through attending the sponsored conferences, and proposing special sessions there.
Support the enrollments of PhD candidates from developing countries
The membrers of C13 work in collaboration with ICTP and also SISSA, both based in Trieste, Italy, to recruit students from developing countries in order to increase the human ressources in these countries.
Support the development of physics in all parts of the world
Especially, C13 members collaborate with TWAS, or ISP, and several other organizations to help physicists from the Global South to develop therir activities, through networking, conferences and so forth.
International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development 2022
The members of C13 proposed that the IYBSSD 2022 Steering Committee study the need for, and the feasibility of, making Internet access to all isolated schools in the developing world through the use of Low Earth Orbit Satellites a project of the IYBSSD.
