Overview of IUPAP
IUPAP is an international physics organization that was founded in Brussels in 1922 with 13 member countries including Japan and now counts more than 60 national and regional academies among its members. Dedicated to the worldwide development of physics, IUPAP aims to promote international collaboration on physics and support the application of physics to resolve problems of concern to humanity. Dr. Hantaro Nagaoka made an enormous contribution to the founding of IUPAP. In subsequent years, Yoshio Yamaguchi (1993-1996) and Sukekatsu Ushioda (2005-2008) served as President, and Hidetoshi Fukuyama (2002-2005), Sadamichi Maekawa (2008-2011), Kimitoshi Kono (2011-2014), Toshiyuki Azuma (2014-2017) and currently Takaaki Kajita (President of SCJ) as Vice-President. Between 2017 and 2021, 15 people from Japan served as members of field-specific committees (Commissions), including two as vice-chairs and three as secretaries of Commissions. Thus, IUPAP is an international union that has had a very close relationship with Japan since its founding.
Structure and organization of IUPAP
IUPAP has 60 member countries (as of 2022), with national physics societies and science academies serving as points of contact (liaisons). The liaison in Japan is SCJ (Minutes from SCJ's IUPAP Sub-committee meeting are now available１)). It is well known that IUPAP played an important role in the exchange of physicists between East and West during the Cold War years2). Today, it is responsible for promoting international dialogue and joint research, and is engaged in discussions on standardizing physical constants and units, developing young researchers, creating equal opportunities for women and men, encouraging cooperation between industry and academia, and promoting physics education..
IUPAP consists of an Executive Council (President, Immediate Past President, President-Designate, and other directors), as well as Commissions, Affiliated Commissions, and Working Groups that come under the Executive Council.
Until 2021, the entire organization was governed by its General Assembly that met every three years. A decision was made at the General Assembly in October 2021 to move the organization's base to Switzerland. Triggered by the pandemic and the process of incorporating the organization under Swiss law, IUPAP has decided to hold the General Assembly online annually, although face-to-face meetings are held every three years.
There are 19 Commissions responsible for each of the fields of physics: Statistical Physics (C3), Astroparticle Physics (C4), Low Temperature Physics (C5), Biological Physics (C6), Semiconductors (C8), Magnetism (C9), Structure and Dynamics of Condensed Matter (C10), Particles and Fields (C11), Nuclear Physics (C12), Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (C15), Plasma Physics (C16), Laser Physics and Photonics (C17), Mathematical Physics (C18), Astrophysics (C19), and Computational Physics (C20), as well as Commissions on Policy and Finance (C1), Symbols, Units, Nomenclature, Atomic Masses and Fundamental Constants (C2), Physics for Development (C13), and Physics Education (C14) 3). The Commissions organize and co-organize international meetings, honor young researchers with awards, and promote exchange in the field of physics through newsletters and websites. Each Commission is made up of 14 members, including a Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary. The next group of members are selected based on a list of candidates submitted by the liaisons of each member country. Discussions are held at the Executive Council & Commission Chairs meeting and take the opinions of each Commission, gender balance and country balance into consideration. Decisions on Commission members are made at the General Assembly meeting that is attended by the liaison representatives. Commission members serve one 3-year term, but it is common for them to serve for two terms.
Affiliated Commissions include AC1: International Commission of Optics (ICO), AC2: International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation (ISGRG), AC3: International Commission for Acoustics (ICA), and AC4: International Organization on Medical Physics). In addition, AC5: International Association of Physics Students (IAPS) and AC6: International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology/Division of History of Science and Technology (IUHPST/DHST) have been incorporated into IUPAP's activities since the General Assembly held last year.
Working Groups are established periodically to resolve issues from time to time. Currently, 15 Working Groups (WGs) are in place. These groups discuss issues related to the development of society, such as gender equality (W5), energy (W12), and linkages between physics and industries. New working groups on ethics (WG18) and quantum science and technology (W19) were established at last year's General Assembly. WG17 (IUPAP's Centenary) was established to mark IUPAP's 100 years of history, with Mihoko Nojiri, Chair of the SCJ Physics Commission, taking part from Japan.
1) http://www.scj.go.jp/ja/member/iinkai/bunya/buturi/giji-iupap.html
2) Yoshio Yamaguchi (1993), Nihon Butsuri Gakkaishi (Butsuri) 48, 368-371. DOI: 10.11316/butsuri1946.48.5.368.
3) https://iupap.org/who-we-are/internal-organization/commissions/
IUPAP's activities
IUPAP's mission is to "assist in the worldwide development of physics", to "foster international cooperation in physics", and to "help in the application of physics toward solving problems of concern to humanity". To fulfill this mission, standing Commissions, Affiliated Commissions and Working Groups connected with other international organizations have been established, such as those described above, in response to the times. IUPAP endeavors to develop physics worldwide through growth in each field of physics, by training human resources, and by promoting physics in developing countries, Currently, IUPAP is also focusing on gender equality, research ethics, and the SDGs, as well as issues related to other fields that involve physics, such as cutting-edge medical care. A new definition for the system of units of mass was enacted in 2018, the first time in 130 years. The establishment of such a new system of physical units is an important role of IUPAP. In 2015, the name, nihonium (Nh), was given to a new element (atomic number 113) by a group at RIKEN, for which the review of the naming rights for this element was conducted by a joint effort of IUPAP and IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry).
Support for the development of physics: As one of the activities under this area of focus, IUPAP provides assistance for the organization of international conferences. A number of physics-related international conferences held in Japan have also received support from IUPAP. A few recent examples include international conferences on statistical physics (in two locations) in 2023, and low temperature physics (two locations) and atomic, molecular, and optical physics in 2022, held with schedule changes due to the pandemic, as well as international conferences on low temperature physics and cosmic rays in 2018. The Neutrino Panel, a project that aims to promote neutrino experiments worldwide, was also launched in 2017 in relation to the Nobel Prize-winning field of particle physics experiments. This cross-disciplinary project spans three IUPAP Commissions (C4, C11, and C12) and Working Groups (WG1, WG9, and WG10) and is overseen by Takaaki Kajita (President of SCJ, Nobel laureate) as one of the chairs.
Development of human resources: IUPAP established IAPS (International Association of Physics Students) as an Affiliated Commission at last year's General Assembly to enhance activities related to the development of young researchers. Commissions in each physics field have awarded the IUPAP Young Scientist Prize to outstanding researchers up to eight years after they have received their doctoral degrees. At last year's General Assembly, it was decided to change the name of the award to the IUPAP Early Carrier Prize to clarify the essence of the word "young scientist". Seven researchers from Japan received the IUPAP Young Scientist Prize in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2018. In 2021, the winner was in the field of plasma physics from Japan.
Gender equality: IUPAP has fortified activities for gender equality in science with the establishment of a Working Group (WG5) and contributions to the Standing Committee for Gender Equality in Science (SCGES). SCGES is a coalition of international organizations that was launched in September 2020 to examine the gender balance in mathematics, computer science and the natural sciences and achieve gender equality. IUPAP is a key global academic player in this project. The IUPAP Working Group proposed the Waterloo Charter for Gender Inclusion and Diversity in Physics, and IUPAP is also collaborating with ISC to produce basic data on women's participation in the sciences.
Ethics in science: Research misconduct and other issues related to ethics in science have recently become an international problem. With the establishment of IUHPST (International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology) as an Affiliated Commission, IUPAP is focusing on correcting the course of trends that are generating a sense of mistrust in the sciences (e.g., rise of predatory journals).
Social contributions: IUPAP examines hydrogen, biomass, and other forms of energy and releases outlines on these areas of study, in addition to discussing how to enhance collaboration between physics and industry. In relation to the SDGs, UNESCO designated 2022/2023 as the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD2022) as one of the scenarios for "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development". IUPAP is playing a leading role in promoting IYBSSD2022 in collaboration with other academies around the world, in addition to its activities for the IUPAP Centenary. IUPAP has a strong track record of support for the SDGs, taking part in international science-related events over the past years, such as the International Year of Light (IYL 2015), International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (IYPT 2019) and others.