50th Festivities

ICTP is hosting a four-day celebration from 6 to 9 October 2014 to celebrate its 50 years of success in international scientific cooperation and the promotion of scientific excellence in the developing world.

More than 250 distinguished scientists, ministers and others will convene at the Centre to mark the anniversary, giving ICTP an opportunity not only to thank its supporters who have helped keep the dream of Abdus Salam alive, but also to look ahead with a new strategy to meet the changing needs of a rapidly developing world.

The festivities begin on Monday 6 October, with representatives from ICTP's main sponsors--the Government of Italy, UNESCO and the IAEA--offering welcome remarks. Representing Italy will be Mario Giro, Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova will also speak, followed by the IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano.

ICTP will soon open a Centre of Excellence in Rwanda, and that country's leader, President Paul Kagame, will address the audience about the development of science in his country. Other dignitaries speaking that morning will include His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, as well as a representative from Abdus Salam's native country of Pakistan, Ansar Parvez, Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.

Other highlights of the anniversary's opening day include lectures by Nobel Laureates Carlo Rubbia and David Gross.

How can ICTP continue to operate as successfully as it has during its first half century? ICTP Director Fernando Quevedo will outline the Centre's new strategy for the future.

The day will end with a tribute to ICTP founder and Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam. Who better to pay their respects to the distinguished scientist than the researchers who knew and worked with him? Among the speakers will be  Steven Weinberg, who shared Salam's 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics, and Italian physicist Antonino Zichichi.

The remaining days of the anniversary event will be dedicated to policy and science, including sessions dedicated to ICTP's new research areas in renewable energy and quantitative life sciences. On Tuesday 7 October, ICTP will host a public lecture (in Italian) by Carlo Rubbia titled "Quale futuro per l'energia?" (What type of energy for the future?) at Teatro Rossetti; the talk starts at 18:30.

The events at ICTP will be available for viewing via live webstream.