During the April 2018 APS meeting in Columbus OH, we also held our annual meeting of the FIP Executive Committee (ExComm). For those of you who are not familiar with FIP operations, this body is responsible for the overall well-being and detailed operations of our Forum. Members include the five elected officers, the FIP Councilor (a member of the APS council), the Editor of the FIP Newsletter, and six members-at-large. These members of the ExComm were all elected by the FIP members.
We had 9 of the 13 ExComm members present in person participating to the meeting. Our first step was to congratulate the new FIP officers:
Our FIP operates through several committees for our yearly tasks. For 2018, preparing for 2019, our committees are:
For the 2017, the new APS Fellows selected from FIP nominations, and awarded at the APS meetings, are:
Ahmed Ali/ Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
Sushanta Mitra/ York University - Ontario
Chilakamarri Rangacharyulu / University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
Surjalal Sharma/ University of Maryland
Bernardo Spagnolo/ University of Palermo
Shining Zhu/ Nanjing University
Sushanta Mitra and Chilakamarri Rangacharyulu were both receives certificate and the pin from Jerry Peterson and the APS CEO, Kate Kirby during FIP executive committee meeting (see photo).
Our Forum was responsible for the creation of the International Research Travel Award Program (IRTAP), which provides up to $2000 for travel to visit an international collaborator, either way between a developing and a developed nation. Our ExComm is part of the review process to consider IRTAP proposals. See the details at https://www.aps.org/programs/international/programs/travel-grants.cfm
This program is running out of funds, which are currently provided year-by-year from other APS units, enabling their members to benefit from the travel support. Efforts are underway to make this a sustainable program, not relying on begging. We heard that the first round of the 2018 IRTAP had 36 proposals, reviewed by 12 reviewers from 8 units of the APS, with 10 winners, each of $2000 for travel support. The second round now has 30 proposals.
Distinguished Student Program awards provide travel support for overseas students to attend APS meetings, where they present a talk or a poster. In 2018 we supported seven such students for March and four for April, as selected from the 2017 DSP applications; details on that past competition are found at aps.org/units/fip/awards/student-seminar.cfm
Surajit Sen and Jason Gardner have led this effort. Jason’s term on the ExComm has ended in mid 2018, and Surajit’s term is ending after 2018. This program will need another champion. In April, our Executive Committee approved $5000 to support this program. We also decided to ask the APS for a more secure basis of funding for this program.
The ExComm was asked by the APS to amend our FIP bylaws to accord with those of the APS. The resulting amended Bylaws will be voted upon by the FIP membership as part of our fall 2018 election, if all goes well.
New FIP Fellow Chilakamarri Rangacharyulu receives certificate and the pin from Jerry Peterson and the APS CEO, Kate Kirby (during FIP executive committee meeting, 15 April 2018)
Toyoko Orimoto, Sheakha Aldaihan (DS winner Student), Jason Gardner, Riccardo Barbieri (DS winner student), Cherrill Spencer at the April Meeting 2018
New FIP Fellow A. Surjalal Sharma receives certificate and the pin from Jerry Peterson and the APS CEO, Kate Kirby (during FIP executive committee meeting, 15 April 2018)
FIP executive committee (partial) and Amy Flatten & Kate Kirby at the ExComm 2018