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Rector Zenios

Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon.

It's a great pleasure to be here today to share some thoughts about the World Year of Physics 2005. First of all, let me say that I am not a physicist and never pretended to be one. But I have an immense admiration for practitioners of this extremely important discipline.

Physics not only plays an important role in the development of science and technology, but also has a tremendous impact on our society. One hundred years after the publication of Einstein's famous work on the Theory of Relativity that led to visions of time travel, a mathematical description of gravity and much, much more, scientists today study the cosmos, seeking answers to fundamental questions of where the universe came from and where it is headed, studying bright stars and searching for dark matter. On the opposite end of the scale, it is physicists who reveal the mysteries of matter itself, of sub-atomic particles, and quarks. Physicists are not simply scholars toiling away in laboratories or pounding away on their computers. They also imagine, and out of their imagination we are inspired to explore the wide universe with telescopes and rockets and probe the minute world of matter and energy with microscopes and particle accelerators.

At the dawn of the 21st century the contribution of physics to other sciences will be essential in the solution of global problems such as energy production, environmental protection, and public health.

Although Physics is highly appreciated by scientists, very few people understand its value and importance in every day life. Seminars like this will undoubtedly raise public awareness about the importance of physics, and will emphasize its continuing relevance in the coming millennium. They will also allow physicists to share their scientific thinking and enthusiasm with the general public and inspire new generations of scientists.

2005 is the United Nations "World Year of Physics." To honor this Year, many countries will be organizing throughout 2005 events to commemorate Einstein's contributions in 1905, and to project the significance of Physics. I would like to congratulate the University of Cyprus for taking up the initiative in organizing this seminar, which will encourage an international collaboration of physicists, and will increase public interest in and knowledge of this important science.

One of the aims of the Year of Physics 2005 is to encourage more women to study physics. Today it is a fact that women worldwide are under-represented in the field of physics and in technological fields in general. Many American universities are trying to bring more women into physics and the physical sciences. Female students need opportunities and encouragement from their families and teachers if they are going to succeed in these areas. As in every other country, female students in Cyprus and the United States should have the opportunity to participate fully as researchers in the laboratory, as scientific leaders and teachers, and as policy makers, so that they can contribute to the search for knowledge through physics. And I don't think that it is by chance that the main contributors to this seminar are women.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome to Cyprus the important scientists who will participate in this program. The United States Embassy is pleased to have sponsored the lecture by one of America's outstanding physicists, Professor Katharine Gebbie, Director of the Physics Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. I am sure that her contribution to the seminar will prove to be valuable and useful. I hope her example will also encourage more women to get involved in physics.

Thank you very much.