Sergio E. Ulloa

Welcome to the Fall 2013 Newsletter!!

Let me start by thanking our Editor, Ernie Malamud, who once again has prepared a great issue with articles from many contributors on many interesting topics. The level of effort and great quality of the Newsletter he edits is self evident and has impressed us all at FIP. The Newsletter serves the important role of communicating activities to the FIP membership, of initiating discussions on topics of interest, and providing a medium to hear from the members. We thank Ernie for doing a great job!

Participate!!
Over the last few months as FIP Chair, I have witnessed first hand a few of the many great programs that APS has developed to assist the membership in a variety of ways, and to recognize and honor those who have made important contributions. Of particular interest to the members of FIP, and as you would read in this issue of the Newsletter, APS offers (through the Office of International Affairs) two region-specific programs: the India-US Travel Grants, and the Brazil-US Exchange programs. They facilitate interactions of US scientists with those regions of the world, and have upcoming deadlines in November 2013.

I am particularly fond of the ITGAP (International Travel Grant Award Program). This program, which FIP was instrumental in establishing and helps administering, has typically two competitions per year, and has assisted colleagues all over the world. ITGAP was established to foster physics collaborations among APS members wherever their home institutions are, with emphasis in supporting science in developing countries. Although the funds available are modest, the program has been very successful in furthering research exchanges of APS members. I invite you to go to the program website for more information, and especially to read about past awards. Every competition has identified highly meritorious proposals.

Fellowships and Prizes
Another important opportunity for us to participate is in helping recognize important achievements among our colleagues. I consider it is our duty as APS members to actively participate in nominating our fellow colleagues to one of the APS Prizes and/or for APS Fellowship through one of the units of the society, and most certainly through FIP. I believe this is a wonderful recognition for those you consider exceptional, and may include your former advisors, colleagues around you, and even those far away that you consider meritorious.

APS Fellowship. As you may know, each division, topical group and forum in APS is eligible to nominate APS members in the US and elsewhere for this recognition by the society. The units have a Fellowship selection committee that inspects in detail the nomination packages submitted by the membership and then selects a slate of nominees to forward to the central APS Fellowship Committee. The nomination process is relatively simple, with different deadlines for the different units, but the consequences are most important. To quote from the APS site, “Fellowship is a distinct honor signifying recognition by one's professional peers.” I encourage you to participate and nominate the individual you believe deserves this recognition.

Prizes. APS also awards a variety of prizes for outstanding achievements in different aspects of the physics profession, on research, education and public service. FIP in particular is closely involved in the John Wheatley Award, given biennially (in odd-numbered years), to recognize an individual who “…working in a developing country has made an outstanding contribution to the development of physics in that region by working with local physicists in physics research or teaching.” Although the next Wheatley Award nomination cycle will not be here for little more than a year, I invite you to participate and consider nominating fellow members that would fit the criteria of the prize.

There are many more programs under APS that require the participation from us all. It is not only our right but also our duty. Do contact me (ulloa@ohio.edu) if you have any questions about these or any other topics. Have a great Fall/Winter, and see you in one of the APS meetings in 2014!

Sergio UIloa is Professor in condensed matter theory at Ohio University. His interests, apart from international affairs, include electronic transport and spintronics in nanometer scale structures. He has just returned from a sabbatical leave at the Dahlem Center for Complex Quantum Systems at the Freie Universität in Berlin, where he had a wonderful time.

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Disclaimer - The articles and opinion pieces found in this issue of the APS Forum on International Physics Newsletter are not peer refereed and represent solely the views of the authors and not necessarily the views of the APS.