The International Union of Radio Science (
abbreviated
An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...
''URSI'', after its French name, french: link=no, Union radio-scientifique internationale) is one of 26 international
scientific unions affiliated to the
International Council for Science (ICSU).
History and objectives
URSI was officially created in 1919, during the Constitutive Assembly of the International Research Council (now ICSU), based on the earlier french: link=no, Commission Internationale de Telegraphie sans Fil (1913–1914) when the only radio communication system was
radiotelegraphy. It has held a general assembly every three years from 1922. Fifty years ago URSI was one of the most important promoters of the
International Geophysical Year. It co-sponsors the ''
Radio Science
One way of outlining the subject of ''radio science'' is listing the topics associated with it by authoritative bodies.
Union of Radio Science International (URSI)
The International Union of Radio Science has several commissions corresponding to ...
'' journal (co-sponsored by the
American Geophysical Union
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's a ...
) as well as the ''
Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics
The ''Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering the atmospheric and solar-terrestrial physics. It was established in 1950 as the ''Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics'', ...
''.
URSI's original objective (to encourage "scientific studies of radiotelegraphy, especially those which require international cooperation") has been broadened to include all
radio science
One way of outlining the subject of ''radio science'' is listing the topics associated with it by authoritative bodies.
Union of Radio Science International (URSI)
The International Union of Radio Science has several commissions corresponding to ...
, from
telecommunications
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...
to
radio astronomy
Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies celestial objects at radio frequencies. The first detection of radio waves from an astronomical object was in 1933, when Karl Jansky at Bell Telephone Laboratories reported radiation comin ...
, acquisition of
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...
information about distant passive objects, studies of the radiation stimulated or spontaneously emitted by these objects, biological effects of electromagnetic radiation and active modification of objects by
radio waves, within the spectrum from
extremely low frequency
Extremely low frequency (ELF) is the ITU designation for electromagnetic radiation (radio waves) with frequencies from 3 to 30 Hz, and corresponding wavelengths of 100,000 to 10,000 kilometers, respectively. In atmospheric scien ...
to the
optical
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultravio ...
domain.
Commissions
* Commission A: Electromagnetic Metrology
* Commission B: Fields and Waves
* Commission C: Radiocommunication Systems and Signal Processing
* Commission D: Electronics and Photonics
* Commission E: Electromagnetic Environment and Interference
* Commission F: Wave Propagation and Remote Sensing
* Commission G: Ionospheric Radio and Propagation
* Commission H: Waves in Plasmas
* Commission J: Radio Astronomy
* Commission K: Electromagnetics in Biology and Medicine
A few Commissions are engaged with international projects in cooperation with other international bodies, for example with the
Committee on Space Research
The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) was established on October 3, 1958 by the International Council for Scientific Unions (ICSU). Among COSPAR's objectives are the promotion of scientific research in space on an international level, wi ...
in the project
International Reference Ionosphere.
Individual Membership
The URSI includes different individual membership grades:
*Corresponding member (CURSI)
*Senior member, awarded to members who have a PhD, 10+ publications, and a history of involvement with the URSI
*Fellow, by invitation or by winning a URSI senior prize
See also
*
Radio science#URSI
References
External links
*
United States National Committee of the International Union of Radio Science
Ghent University
Members of the International Council for Science
Organisations based in East Flanders
Radio organizations
Scientific organizations
Scientific organisations based in Belgium
Scientific organizations established in 1919
Members of the International Science Council
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