60th International Conference for Students of Physics and Natural Sciences “Open Readings 2017” – international academic platform for students, scientists and researchers from all over the world to present their ongoing research results and best practices in fields of Physics and Natural Sciences. “Open Readings 2017” goal was to enable the interactive exchange of knowledge. The conference also served to foster communication among researchers working in a wide variety of scientific areas. This conference gave an opportunity for BSc, MSc, PhD, who are doing their scientific research, to present it to a larger audience, get constructive criticism and useful advice. It was one of the best opportunities for Physicists from Europe, and not only, to disseminate their scientific achievements.
“Open Readings 2017” took place from March 14-17th, in the largest scientific research institution in Lithuania Center for Physical Sciences and Technology. This year this conference gathered above 350 presenters from more than 20 different countries and 9 invited incredible lecturers from the World’s Top Scientists: Bernard Lucas “Ben” Feringa – laureate of 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Jonathan Richard Ellis – one of the most respected scientists in modern-day physics with research interest in particle physics; Philip Russell – world renowned physicist, Director at the Max-Planck Institute for the Science of Light; Michael Grätzel – one of the most renowned material scientists worldwide, who recently received the Millennium Technology Award; Robin Lovell-Badge – Head of the Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Genetics at the Francis Crick Institute; Xi-Cheng Zhang – a Chinese-American Physicist, THz and ultrafast optics specialist; Naomi J. Halas – pioneering nanotechnologist at Rice University, co-founder of Nanospectra Biosciences; Eugenio Coccia – director of the Gran Sasso Science Institute and professor of Physics at the University of Rome Tor Vergata.
OSA and SPIE Student Chapters of Vilnius University played a huge role in the funding of this conference.
European Physical Society Young Minds Section of Vilnius University (EPS YM Vilnius) also has contributed to organization of this conference. EPS YM together with VTeX organized workshop: “What’s hot in the science publishing: the scientists’ approach”, members of EPS YM Vilnius has witten two OR17 popularizing articles.
During the conference EPS together with “Olympus of Physics” organized “10th Lithuanian Π day championship” at Faculty of Physics. We gathered ~100 (students, University workers, managers, etc). This year Lithuania Guinness record was broken – Henrikas Šalūga memorized 5001 decimal places of Pi – this was posted in the social media (http://www.delfi.lt/mokslas/mokslas/naujas-lietuvos-rekordas-net-5001-skaitmuo-is-atminties.d?id=74066314 ) . EPS bought awards for the winners (bluetooth headphones, cups-pins-pens with logo and Π,”Olympus of Physics” – cash prizes. EPS invited special guest from Mathematics and Informatics faculty (Vilnius University) dr. G. Alkauskas, who conducted a lecture: “Periods – transcendental numbers that are arithmetic”.
EPS YM in Vilnius reimbursed the travel expenses for Jonathan Richard Ellis. It payed even more attention to our section and attracted new members. Photos: http://www.openreadings.eu/archive/.
