International Nathiagali Summer College on Physics and Contemporary Needs
Encyclopedia
The International Nathiagali Summer College on Physics and Contemporary Needs (INSC), was founded by Nobel laureate in Physics
Dr. Abdus Salam
(then-Science Advisor to the Prime minister) to promote physics and scientific research activities in Pakistan. Having suggested by Professor Abdus Salam to the Government of Pakistan, it was established by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission's chairman Mr. Munir Ahmad Khan
.
An annual college based summer camp, it is organized by Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and National Center For Physics while it is sponsored by International Center for Theoretical Physics and the Minister of Science and Technology of Pakistan. A Physics research center, it is located in Nathiagali city of Pakistan, and its current director is dr. Riazuddin, a pupil student of professor Salam.
, United Kingdom. Half of these students were Pakistanis in which the majority of students had returned to Pakistan to join Abdus Salam.
To promote scientific activities in the country, professor Abdus Salam had done the ground breaking work in establishing the research facilities throughout the country. In 1976, Abdus Salam had suggested to Prime minister
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
to established the annual college in order to promote the scientific activities in the country. Munir Ahmad Khan
, then-chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
(PAEC), took the task as he had strongly advocated for the program. In 1976, the first Summer college was established and 14 scientists from all over the world had attended the college for the first time. Professor George Deacon
(Chemistry), Professor Roger Penrose
(Mathematical Physics), Oliver Penrose
(Mathematics), Alice Hanson Cook (Cornell University), Benjamin Whiso Lee
(physics), and Remo Ruffini
(Physics) and others had attended the college.
Professor Riazuddin, who was at the time Chief Scientist (CS) at the PAEC, was overall incharge of organizing the college both administratively and academically. He also was the co-director of the college with alongside of prof. Abdus Salam. After the departure of Professor Salam, Riazuddin has been director of the INSC since then.
The institution is noted for its high-powered research in particle physics
, nuclear physics
, theoretical physics
, astrophysics
, nanotechnology
, nuclear technology
, Semiconductor physics, superconductor, general relativity
, polymer physics
, experimental physics
, molecular physics
, atomic physics
, laser physics
, cosmology
and research on nuclear and particle detectors. The institution also host lectures in different fields of science and mathematics
The scientific organizations, such as PAEC
, KRL
, NCP, PCSIR and PEC
, had delegated and invited hundreds of scientists from Asia
, Africa
, Europe
, and Americas
to participate in the annual event. During the last 32 years of INSC, nearly 950 foreign scientists from as many as 72 countries have participated in the proceedings of the College. INSC has served as a forum for people of different countries whose main problem is scientific isolation.
In 2010, approximately 6200 Pakistani scientists, engineers, and mathematicians had attended the college. The vast interaction among Pakistani scientists who have been drawn not only from research institutes but also from universities and colleges.
As of today, the college hosts post graduate students are invited to participate in this discourse of a high level. This link with universities and college is important since the ultimate source of technical manpower in any country is none other than the educational institutions.
Nobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
Dr. Abdus Salam
Abdus Salam
Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk (Urdu: محمد عبد السلام, pronounced , (January 29, 1926– November 21, 1996) was a Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate in Physics for his work on the electroweak unification of the...
(then-Science Advisor to the Prime minister) to promote physics and scientific research activities in Pakistan. Having suggested by Professor Abdus Salam to the Government of Pakistan, it was established by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission's chairman Mr. Munir Ahmad Khan
Munir Ahmad Khan
Munir Ahmad Khan , HI, was a Pakistani nuclear engineer and a scientist who served as the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission from 1972 to 1991...
.
An annual college based summer camp, it is organized by Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and National Center For Physics while it is sponsored by International Center for Theoretical Physics and the Minister of Science and Technology of Pakistan. A Physics research center, it is located in Nathiagali city of Pakistan, and its current director is dr. Riazuddin, a pupil student of professor Salam.
Objectives
- Breaking the intellectual isolation of the scientist in the developing countries.
- Keeping pace with the rapid progress in science and contemporary needs by promoting higher science education.
- Placing due emphasis on the interaction of modern trends in physics and their applications in current technological development with special reference to the needs of the countries of the third world.
- Promoting a scientific dialogue and provide opportunity and opening avenues for cooperation and joint research programs.
- Broaden the outlook of the participants, to re-orient their scientific activities
- Indicate the areas where research could be carried out with limited facilities of developing countries.
History
Professor Abdus Salam had played a major and an integral role in Pakistan's science policy. Professor Salam had supervised more than 21 PhD during his teaching career at the Imperial CollegeImperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
, United Kingdom. Half of these students were Pakistanis in which the majority of students had returned to Pakistan to join Abdus Salam.
To promote scientific activities in the country, professor Abdus Salam had done the ground breaking work in establishing the research facilities throughout the country. In 1976, Abdus Salam had suggested to Prime minister
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...
to established the annual college in order to promote the scientific activities in the country. Munir Ahmad Khan
Munir Ahmad Khan
Munir Ahmad Khan , HI, was a Pakistani nuclear engineer and a scientist who served as the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission from 1972 to 1991...
, then-chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, , is an administrative governmental and autonomous science and technology governmental department of Pakistan, responsible for development of nuclear energy and development of nuclear power sector in Pakistan...
(PAEC), took the task as he had strongly advocated for the program. In 1976, the first Summer college was established and 14 scientists from all over the world had attended the college for the first time. Professor George Deacon
George Deacon
Sir George Edward Raven Deacon was a British oceanographer and chemist.He was born in Leicester, the son of George Raven and Emma Deacon and educated at the Newarke school, Leicester...
(Chemistry), Professor Roger Penrose
Roger Penrose
Sir Roger Penrose OM FRS is an English mathematical physicist and Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford and Emeritus Fellow of Wadham College...
(Mathematical Physics), Oliver Penrose
Oliver Penrose
Oliver Penrose FRS, FRSE is a British theoretical physicist.He is the son of the scientist Lionel Penrose, brother of the mathematical physicist Roger Penrose, and brother of chess master Jonathan Penrose...
(Mathematics), Alice Hanson Cook (Cornell University), Benjamin Whiso Lee
Benjamin W. Lee
Benjamin Whisoh Lee or Ben Lee, was a Korean-American theoretical physicist...
(physics), and Remo Ruffini
Remo Ruffini
Remo Ruffini is Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Rome "Sapienza", since 1978...
(Physics) and others had attended the college.
Professor Riazuddin, who was at the time Chief Scientist (CS) at the PAEC, was overall incharge of organizing the college both administratively and academically. He also was the co-director of the college with alongside of prof. Abdus Salam. After the departure of Professor Salam, Riazuddin has been director of the INSC since then.
Research and program emphasis
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
, nuclear physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
, theoretical physics
Theoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
, astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
, nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
, nuclear technology
Nuclear technology
Nuclear technology is technology that involves the reactions of atomic nuclei. Among the notable nuclear technologies are nuclear power, nuclear medicine, and nuclear weapons...
, Semiconductor physics, superconductor, general relativity
General relativity
General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
, polymer physics
Polymer physics
Polymer physics is the field of physics that studies polymers, their fluctuations, mechanical properties, as well as the kinetics of reactions involving degradation and polymerisation of polymers and monomers respectively....
, experimental physics
Experimental physics
Within the field of physics, experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines concerned with the observation of physical phenomena in order to gather data about the universe...
, molecular physics
Molecular physics
Molecular physics is the study of the physical properties of molecules, the chemical bonds between atoms as well as the molecular dynamics. Its most important experimental techniques are the various types of spectroscopy...
, atomic physics
Atomic physics
Atomic physics is the field of physics that studies atoms as an isolated system of electrons and an atomic nucleus. It is primarily concerned with the arrangement of electrons around the nucleus and...
, laser physics
Laser Physics
Laser Physics is an international scientific journal published by Nauka/Interperiodica. It is distributed through the Springer.-Topics covered:The journal specializes in laser physics, but also publishes papers about:...
, cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
and research on nuclear and particle detectors. The institution also host lectures in different fields of science and mathematics
The scientific organizations, such as PAEC
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, , is an administrative governmental and autonomous science and technology governmental department of Pakistan, responsible for development of nuclear energy and development of nuclear power sector in Pakistan...
, KRL
Kahuta Research Laboratories
The Khan Research Laboratories ,, formerly known as Engineering Research Laboratories , is a multi-program Pakistan's weapons science and engineering research and development institute and nuclear research facility...
, NCP, PCSIR and PEC
Pakistan Engineering Council
The Pakistan Engineering Council is an executive and administrative premier engineering regulatory authority for professional and registered engineers, and technicians in Pakistan. It is located at Islamabad, Pakistan. As a statutory authority it regulates the education and accreditation of...
, had delegated and invited hundreds of scientists from Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
to participate in the annual event. During the last 32 years of INSC, nearly 950 foreign scientists from as many as 72 countries have participated in the proceedings of the College. INSC has served as a forum for people of different countries whose main problem is scientific isolation.
In 2010, approximately 6200 Pakistani scientists, engineers, and mathematicians had attended the college. The vast interaction among Pakistani scientists who have been drawn not only from research institutes but also from universities and colleges.
As of today, the college hosts post graduate students are invited to participate in this discourse of a high level. This link with universities and college is important since the ultimate source of technical manpower in any country is none other than the educational institutions.