Professor John O'Connor - President of the AIP

The AIP Congress has many meanings for members. For some it is an opportunity to keep abreast of their field of physics, for others it is a valuable opportunity to hear outstanding international speakers while for others it is an essential networking opportunity.

The 2002 AIP Congress promises to be all this and more. It is an opportunity to remind the broader community that Physics is STILL a core science that is essential to society from fundamental research through to the most applied.

The link on this occasion with industry is a valuable opportunity to showcase just what we can do. It is also an important opportunity to meet with industry in an atmosphere of joint benefit. This in no way diminishes fundamental research but instead offers the opportunity to make new links between fundamental research and applications. We all have an important role to play in the rich fabric of physics research and communication.

I know this will be a valuable opportunity for every participant and I look
forward to all of you having a rich rewarding experience.
John O'Connor

Dr Pal Fekete - Chair, Congress Management Committee

"Physics and Industry Working Together" - what a theme for a Congress! Chosen to illustrate to the public, media and government the link between physics and industry and its role in wealth creation in Australia we have brought together an excellent group of speakers from industry and our scientific community.

With the current emphasis being placed on innovation, and the incentives being made available by government, the conference will provide delegates with an opportunity to develop new links and to strengthen existing links with industry. "Physics in Industry Day", held annually by the NSW branch of the AIP, will be expanded to two days for the Congress and include a two-hour Forum on Industry, talks and posters by people from industry and a poster competition for postgraduate students carrying out research linked to industry. The conference will open with a Welcome from the Federal Minister for Science the Hon Peter McGauran.

For the first time refereed papers, meeting DETYA E1 guidelines, will be produced allowing delegates to use them on their CV's and departments to count them towards their research quantum. To encourage our student members we are holding a poster competition for both the Monday/Tuesday and Wednesday/Thursday poster sessions in addition to the poster competition held in conjunction with the Industry Day activities. Student members of the AIP may obtain support from their state to attend the Congress and are encouraged to approach their state branch.

Physics Education will feature at this Congress, from both the tertiary and secondary sectors. Science education, and physics education in particular, are areas of great concern in Australia at the moment. Most physicists are involved in some physics teaching, and many delegates are likely to attend some of the education sessions. On Monday morning school teachers will join us for the Keynote talks before attending their own workshop run by the Science Teachers Association of NSW.

Sydney is an expensive city to hold a Congress. The management committee has worked very hard to keep the costs to a minimum. To help reduce costs, particularly for people travelling to Sydney, the Congress has been organised to run over four days with registration on Sunday evening and Monday morning. By leaving Thursday evening you may reduce your accommodation expenses and therefore your total expenses while still enjoying all the benefits of our Congress.

With the terrific program and the incorporation of many new innovations you will be provided with more value than ever. I look forward to seeing you there.
Pal (Paul) Fekete

Professor David Neilson - Chair, Congress Program Committee

WELCOME TO THE CONGRESS
In this the 15th Australian Institute of Physics Congress we are attempting to respond to the evolving needs of the Australian Physics community. We continue to record and celebrate the outstanding scholarly achievements of our members, but at the same time we are trying to advance the Congress toward the academic-industrial interface.

A modern society neglects its physics infrastructure at its peril. This is patently self-evident and as physicists we are all well aware of this. We also know that we have to keep on working to publicise this basic economic fact. We have adopted as the Congress theme Physics and Industry Working Together. The theme is intended to highlight the dynamic strength of physics, which is an intellectual discipline that extends far outside academic confines. As an innovation at this Congress we have included an Industry Forum where we will have a structured discussion on the complex problems of commercialisation from physicists and senior representatives of leading technology-based companies in Australia. The Forum will lead into an afternoon session of contributed papers with industrial interests.

In order to more permanently record the quality achievements of the Australian Physics community over the past two years we are, for the first time, publishing the peer reviewed papers as the 15th AIP Congress 2002 Proceedings. Another innovation is the introduction of a small number of keynote talks, selected not on the basis of any higher scientific merit than the other plenary talks but on the basis of their outstanding general public interest. In making the Congress even more accessible to the public we are very fortunate to have as guest speakers both a popular science communicator and the last person to walk on the moon.
Physics is a wonderfully international discipline and we thank and warmly welcome our distinguished international participants from Asia, Europe and North America.

None of this would have been possible without the extraordinary efforts and enthusiasm of your Program Committee, the members of which are listed elsewhere. Their dedication has lead to a Program which is both exciting and which goes deep in its quality. From the research of distinguished Professors to the innovations of brilliant young post-graduate students, the Program sends a signal that the future of Physics in Australia is bright indeed.
David Neilson