BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Memento EPFL// BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:CECAM MARVEL Mary Ann Mansigh Series: "Science and Diplomacy" DTSTART:20250228T150000 DTEND:20250228T173000 DTSTAMP:20260429T121554Z UID:a927af18a004ee7403a3ed36e56c4e0071d9ff1f49100f26a1a9988b CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars DESCRIPTION:Roland Bouffanais - University of Geneva\, Switzerland\nAtish Dabholkar - International Center for Theoretical Physics\, Italy\nGihan Ka mel - SESAME Facility\, Jordan\nTatsujiro Suzuki - Nagasaki University (RE CNA)\, Japan\nThe Mary Ann Mansigh Conversation series focuses of non-stri ctly technical topics of cultural interest for the simulation and modellin g community. The format reflects the informative and informal nature of th ese sessions\, with talks introducing the subject followed by a conversati on between the speakers and the audience.\nThis series is jointly organise d by CECAM and MARVEL. \n\nJoin us on February 28th\, between 15:00 and 17:30\, in room BCH2103 or online (Zoom webinar)\, for the next instalment in the series\, titled "Science and Diplomacy". Following the talks and t he discussions\, an aperitif will be served in BCH3113 for all in-person p articipants. \n\nIn these complex times\, we believe that the theme of Sc ience and Diplomacy is of utmost relevance. We plan to address it from poi nts of view that include education and scientific exchange in developing c ountries\, the potential of computational science as a facilitator for dip lomacy\, actions of international institutions promoting peace and disarma ment\, and the management of cooperative research infrastructures in probl ematic areas.\n\nMeet our speakers:\n\nComputational Diplomacy: Understand ing and Analyzing International Relations in the Digital Age\nRoland Bouff anais\, University of Geneva\nAs technology rapidly evolves\, computationa l diplomacy is emerging as a transformative field\, offering new insights into the analysis and understanding of international relations. This talk delves into the role of artificial intelligence\, big data\, and machine l earning in examining multilateral governance and decision-making processes . By harnessing computational tools\, we can uncover hidden patterns in gl obal diplomatic dynamics\, particularly in addressing challenges such as g lobal health crises and climate diplomacy. Additionally\, we will highligh t key research initiatives from the SiDLab (Science in Diplomacy Lab)\, a collaborative effort between the University of Geneva and ETH Zürich.\n\n Roland Bouffanais is an Associate Professor at the Global Studies Institu te and the Department of Computer Science (Faculty of Science) of the Univ ersity of Geneva. He holds the Chair in Computational Diplomacy and is Co- Director of the SiDLab (Science Diplomacy Lab) at the University of Geneva . His research on complex systems involves a synergistic combination of co mputational and theoretical developments with real-life experimental valid ations. Specifically\, he focuses on interdisciplinary research at the int ersection of complexity science\, the social sciences\, and AI. He receive d his Ph.D. from EPFL (Lausanne\, Switzerland) in computational science\, for which he was awarded the prestigious IBM Research Prize in Computation al Sciences (2008) and the ERCOFTAC Da Vinci Award Silver Medal (2007).\n\ n\nAtish Dabholkar is the director of the Abdus Salam International Cent er for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste\, Italy. He is a theoretical physicist from India working in the field of string theory\, black holes\ , and holography. Atish Dabholkar received his PhD in theoretical physics from Princeton University under the supervision of Jeffrey Harvey. He did his Masters in Physics from the Indian Institute of Technology\, Kanpur. D abholkar is the recipient of the 2006 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize\, the highest Indian science prize awarded by the Prime Minister of India. He wa s awarded the Chaire d'Excellence of the Agence Nationale de la Recherche in France in 2007. He is an elected Fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences a nd The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) for the advancement of science in developing countries. Dabholkar was the Head of ICTP's High Energy\, Cosmo logy and Astroparticle Physics section prior to taking up the directorship . He has been Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Tata Institute of Fu ndamental Research\, Directeur de Recherche of the Centre National de la R echerche Scientifique (CNRS) at Sorbonne Université and a Visiting Profes sor at Stanford University and CERN. He was a post-doctoral associate at R utgers University and Harvard University\, and a senior research fellow at California Institute of Technology. \n\n\nSESAME: a beacon of hope in th e Middle East\, shining through even in times of wars\nGihan Kamel\, SESAM E Facility\, Jordan\nSynchrotron-light sources are particle accelerators u sed across a wide range of scientific and technological fields\, from basi c to applied sciences like physics\, chemistry\, biology\, and geology\, t o materials science\, biomedicine\, and environmental studies. They have a lso garnered significant interest in cultural heritage\, archaeology\, and paleontology.\nFunctioning democratically based on scientific merit\, the se sources have a well-recognized societal impact on education\, advancing science and technology\, and building human capacity.\nThe Synchrotron-li ght for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East\, SESAME\ , is the only synchrotron light facility in the Middle East and its neighb oring regions. An intergovernmental organization at the service of its Mem bers and the whole world. Its current Members are Cyprus\, Egypt\, Iran\, Israel\, Jordan\, Pakistan\, Palestine and Türkiye. With Brazil\, Canada\ , China (People’s Republic of)\, the European Organization for Nuclear R esearch (CERN)\, the European Union (EU)\, France\, Germany\, Greece\, Ita ly\, Japan\, Kuwait\, Portugal\, Russian Federation\, Spain\, Sweden\, Swi tzerland\, the United Arab Emirates\, the United Kingdom\, and the United States of America are observers.\nSESAME aims for excellence in science an d technology\, human capacity building\, reversing brain drain\, enhancing gender balance\, and fostering peace and understanding in a turbulent reg ion. It is celebrated as a prime example of science diplomacy in action.\n SESAME provides an inclusive platform for scientists worldwide to pursue t heir ambitions in an unbiased\, supportive\, and tolerant environment that upholds human rights and promotes gender equality. It represents a concer ted effort to strengthen self-determination\, and ensure justice. The pres entation highlights SESAME's role in the Middle East\, showcasing its mile stones\, success stories\, and ongoing challenges across various fronts.\n \nGihan Kamel is the SESAME (Synchrotron Light for Experimental Science a nd Applications in the Middle East) Infrared Beamline Principal Scientist\ , on leave from the Physics Department\, Faculty of Science\, Helwan Unive rsity\, Cairo\, Egypt. Dr Kamel obtained her Ph.D. in Physics in 2011 from the University of Rome\, La Sapienza\, Italy\, and was beamline researche r at Daɸne-light at the Italian Institute for Nuclear Physics (LNF-INFN) before moving to SESAME in 2015. At SESAME\, she focuses on using infrared light for various scientific studies\, ranging from biology\, medicine\, archaeology\, material science among many others. Her work has had a signi ficant impact on expanding research opportunities and fostering scientific exchange across borders in a region with a complex political landscape. T hrough her efforts\, Kamel has become an advocate for the role of science in building bridges and fostering peaceful collaboration. She is also exte nsively involved in the establishment of the first African Light Source. I n 2015\, she earned recognition for her presentation at a TEDxCERN | TED c onference on the theme of "Breaking the Rules.". Dr. Kamel was honored wit h a recognition of the President of the Italian Republic at the Internatio nal Day of Women in 2017. In 2020\, she was awarded the Eureka South Shore Prize ex-aequo Laureate of Eureka Prize of the French organization amcsti (The professional network of scientific\, technical and industrial cultur es) for her role at SESAME that brings together scientists from the eight founding states of this unique experiment in this region. In 2021\, as par t of the ‘Championing the Decade of Action’ - an initiative being impl emented by ECA and other UN agencies\, Dr Kamel was selected by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) as one of twenty-five Africa n Women scientists featured within the African and global research and dev elopment (R&D) communities in the publication titled “Earth\, Oceans and Skies: Insights from selected\, outstanding African women scientists”. In 2023\, she was chosen by Nature to comment on the challenges facing wom en scientists in the Middle East. Gihan Kamel received the John Wheatley A ward from the American Physical Society (APS) in 2024.\n\n\nRole of Scien ce (Scientists) in Policy Making - Personal Experiences in Civilian Nuclea r Energy and Nuclear Disarmament Issues\nTatsujiro Suzuki\, Research Cente r for Nuclear Weapons Abolition\, Nagasaki University\n“Science without policy is science\, but policy without science is gamble”—This is a fa mous quote from Dr. David Grey\, former Director of International Institut e for Applied Analysis (IIASA). I was inspired by this statement and have been working mainly on the nexus between civilian nuclear energy and nucle ar weapons and I have also been involved as a member of Pugwash movement s ince late 1990s. I would like to outline my own personal experiences on th e following three subjects:\nFirst\, plutonium issue is the key nexus betw een civilian nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. Scientific rationale to p roduce plutonium (i.e. reprocess spent nuclear fuel) for civilian use has been fading away\, but a few countries\, including Japan\, have been maint aining a policy of reprocessing. As a result\, as of the end of year 2022\ , more than 560 tons of plutonium stockpile exists worldwide1 It is impor tant to provide scientific evidence to change this “unnecessary” repro cessing activities worldwide.\nSecond\, scientific studies on humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons use are major driving force for maintaini ng “nuclear taboo” and pushing nuclear disarmament. Especially\, diplo matic efforts leading to conclusion of Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear We apons(TPNW) are noteworthy. I was personally involved in a project to asse ss humanitarian consequences of possible nuclear weapons use in Northeast Asia2. The study is intended to illustrate risk of “nuclear deterrence ” and suggest alternative security policies not dependent on nuclear det errence.\nThird\, Pugwash movement was originated from the famous Russell- Einstein Manifesto. The Manifesto called for abolition of nuclear weapons and war and there is a famous quote from the Manifesto\; “Remember your humanity and forget the rest”3 Based on this spirit\, Pugwash scientist s contributed to nuclear disarmament through diplomatic efforts through “dialogue across the divides”. Pugwash movement and Dr. Rotblat won th e Nobel Peace prize in 1995 for their efforts on the movements toward abol ition of nuclear weapons. Social responsibility of scientist is even more important\, as new disruptive technologies\, such as cyber\, drones and\, notably\, Artificial Intelligence (AI)\, have been extensively used for bo th civilian and military use.\n1 RECNA\, “World’s Fissile Material Da ta 2024”\, June 2024\n2 RECNA/Nautilus Institute/APLN\, “Project on R educing the risk of Nuclear Weapons Use in Northeast Asia”\, 2021-2024.\ n3 “Statement: The Russell-Einstein Manifesto”\, July 9\, 1955.\n\nTa tsujiro Suzuki is a Professor of Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abol ition at Nagasaki University (RECNA)\, Japan. Before joining RECNA\, he wa s a Vice Chairman of Japan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) of the Cabinet office from January 2010 to March 2014. Until then\, he was an Associate V ice President of the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry in Japan (1996-2009) and Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Pub lic Policy\, University of Tokyo (2005-009)\, an Associate Director of MIT ’s International Program on Enhanced Nuclear Power Safety from 1988-1993 and a Research Associate at MIT’s Center for International Studies (199 3-95). He is now a member of Advisory Board of Parliament’s Special Comm ittee on Nuclear Energy since June 2017. He is also a Council Member of Pu gwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs (2007-09 and from 2014~)\, co-chair of International Panel on Fissile Materials (IPFM) and an Interna tional Advisory Board member of Asia Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclea r Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (APLN). Dr. Suzuki has a PhD in nuclea r engineering from Tokyo University (1988).\n\nPrevious CECAM and MARVEL l ectures can be found at\nhttps://www.materialscloud.org/learn/sections/Btm ngu/marvel-events\nhttps://www.cecam.org/lectures\n\n  LOCATION:BCH 2103 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==BCH%202103 https://epfl.zoom .us/j/61351094064?pwd=BP7qIbEw4DYwqjE7TojKQ8vdB4QvQh.1 STATUS:CONFIRMED END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR