The International Nathiagali Summer College on Physics and Contemporary Needs (INSC), was founded by

Nobel laureate The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make o ...

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...

Dr.

Abdus Salam Mohammad Abdus Salam Salam adopted the forename "Mohammad" in 1974 in response to the anti-Ahmadiyya decrees in Pakistan, similarly he grew his beard. (; ; 29 January 192621 November 1996) was a Punjabis, Punjabi Pakistani theoretical physici ...

(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 ( ur, ; 20 May 1926 – 22 April 1999), , was a Pakistani nuclear reactor physicist who is credited, among others, with being the "father of the atomic bomb program" of Pakistan for their leading role in developing their nati ...

. An annual college based summer camp, it is organised 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 centre, 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 co-operation 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 College Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

, 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 Zulfikar (or Zulfiqar) Ali Bhutto ( ur, , sd, ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو; 5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979), also known as Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader"), was a Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the fourt ...

to established the annual college to promote the scientific activities in the country.

, then-chairman of

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) (Urdu: ) is a federally funded independent governmental agency, concerned with research and development of nuclear power, promotion of nuclear science, energy conservation and the peaceful usage of nuclea ...

(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 Sir George Edward Raven Deacon CBE FRS FRSE (21 March 1906 – 16 November 1984) was a British oceanographer and chemist. Life He was born in Leicester, the son of George Raven Deacon and his wife Emma (née Drinkwater). He was educated ( ...

(Chemistry), Professor

Roger Penrose Sir Roger Penrose (born 8 August 1931) is an English mathematician, mathematical physicist, philosopher of science and Nobel Laureate in Physics. He is Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics in the University of Oxford, an emeritus f ...

(Mathematical Physics), Oliver Penrose (Mathematics), Alice Hanson Cook (Cornell University), Benjamin Whiso Lee (physics),

Mujaddid Ahmed Ijaz Mujaddid Ahmed Ijaz, Ph.D. (Urdu: ; June 12, 1937— July 9, 1992), was a Pakistani-American experimental physicist noted for his role in discovering new isotopes that expanded the neutron-deficient side of the Periodic table, atomic chart. Some ...

(physics),

Remo Ruffini Remo Ruffini (born May 17, 1942, La Brigue, Alpes-Maritimes, at that time, Briga Marittima, Italy). He is the Director of ICRANet, International Centre for Relativistic Astrophysics Network and the President of the International Centre for Rela ...

(Physics) and others had attended the college. Professor Riazuddin, who was at the time Chief Scientist (CS) at the PAEC, was overall in charge of organising 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

The institution is noted for its high-powered research in

particle physics Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) an ...

nuclear physics Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies t ...

theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experim ...

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal ...

nuclear technology Nuclear technology is technology that involves the nuclear reactions of atomic nuclei. Among the notable nuclear technologies are nuclear reactors, nuclear medicine and nuclear weapons. It is also used, among other things, in smoke detectors a ...

Semiconductor physics A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a conductor, such as copper, and an insulator, such as glass. Its resistivity falls as its temperature rises; metals behave in the opposite way. ...

, superconductor,

general relativity General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity and Einstein's theory of gravity, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1915 and is the current description of gravitation in modern 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.P. Flory, ''Principles of ...

experimental physics Experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines in the field of physics that are concerned with the observation of physical phenomena and experiments. Methods vary from discipline to discipline, from simple experiments and ...

, molecular physics,

atomic physics Atomic physics is the field of physics that studies atoms as an isolated system of electrons and an atomic nucleus. Atomic physics typically refers to the study of atomic structure and the interaction between atoms. It is primarily concerned wit ...

, laser physics,

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...

and research on nuclear and particle detectors. The institution also host lectures in different fields of science and mathematics The scientific organisations, 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.

References

External links

ncp.edu.pk/insc
{{DEFAULTSORT:International Nathiagali Summer College On Physics Physics laboratories Research institutes in Pakistan Science and technology in Pakistan Nuclear research institutes Particle physics facilities Physics institutes Constituent institutions of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Laboratories in Pakistan 1976 establishments in Pakistan Abdus Salam