Italy's President Visits Trieste

ICTP director Miguel Virasoro gave a brief presentation before Italy's President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (third from right) at Area Science Park on 24 February. The director was invited to speak about the role of international scientific institutions in Trieste and the surrounding area, noting that the historic roots of the city's thriving scientific network lie with the creation of ICTP in 1964. That network now includes Elettra (the synchrotron light source), International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), International Centre for Science and High Technology (ICS), International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), University of Trieste, and field offices of the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN) and Italian National Institute for the Physics of Matter (INFM). During his talk, the director paid tribute to the inspired and dedicated work of Abdus Salam and Paolo Budinich and the generosity of the Italian government.

Plaster Surgery

The Adriatico Guesthouse's Lower Level 1 has received a major facelift that not only puts the area in compliance with all safety regulations but makes better use of the floor space. The Main Lecture Room has a new improved look and a small room has been built behind it for additional classroom and meeting space. Computer jacks have been added to all meeting rooms for direct access to the Centre's electronic resources and world wide web. The first research activity to take place in the refurbished surroundings was the Workshop on Nuclear Reaction Data and Nuclear Reactors: Physics, Design and Safety, which began in early March. Meanwhile, the Galileo Guesthouse has been re-wired. Computer connections are now available in each room.

TRIBUTE

Sigvard Eklund 1911-2000

Sigvard Eklund, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from 1961 to 1981, died in Vienna, Austria, on 30 January 2000. He was 89. Among his many accomplishments, Eklund played a decisive role in the creation of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and the choice of Trieste as its headquarters.

Swedish-born Eklund was appointed director general just one year after IAEA received the first formal proposal for the creation of an international centre for theoretical physics.

Despite opposition from several member states and a critical assessment by the Agency's scientific advisory committee, Eklund cleverly exploited one of the committee's 'alternative' recommendations--to sponsor summer seminars at existing institutions--by agreeing to organise a seminar on theoretical physics under the guidance of Abdus Salam and Paolo Budinich. The seminar took place at the Scuderie (horse stables) of Miramare Castle in Trieste in 1962, in co-operation with the University of Trieste.

Thanks to Eklund's persistent yet low-keyed pressure, in February 1963 IAEA's board of governors agreed to turn the concept into reality. Trieste, however, was not the only city hoping to host the new centre. Ankara, Turkey; Copenhagen, Denmark; Lahore, Pakistan; and Vienna, Austria, were also in the running. Trieste won the competition thanks to the Italian government's generosity and the advice of Eklund and members of the site selection committee.

Before the official launching of the Centre, Eklund visited Trieste to inspect its temporary offices at Piazza Oberdan in the heart of the city and to help select the land on which a permanent structure would be built (what became the Miramare campus just north of the Scuderie). Once the Centre was operational, Eklund attended many annual meetings of ICTP's scientific council to gain first-hand knowledge of the Centre's training and research activities.

Without Eklund's support and guidance, it's unlikely that ICTP would have ever been established. Thousands of scientists throughout the world owe a debt of gratitude to this wise and giving man.

André-Marie Hamende
former Senior Administrative and Scientific Information Officer
ICTP

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