5ICHoP-2025 | Coimbra 5-7 junho | Call for Abstracts - submit by March 2, 2025.

Call for abstracts (1st CfP)

The International Conference on the History of Physics is the fifth in the series following the first four, which were held at Trinity College, Cambridge UK in 2014, Pöllau, Austria in 2016, San Sebastian, Spain in 2018 and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland in 2022. It is formally overseen by an International Advisory Committee which is recognised by the Institute of Physics (IOP) and the European Physical Society (EPS).

The aim of these conferences is to bring together physicists interested in the history of their subject and professional historians of science in the belief that proponents of the two disciplines, with their different perceptions and methodologies, can benefit from interaction and discourse.

Student attendance and participation will be encouraged in the firm belief that a study of the history of the subject can inspire future generations by informing them about the lives and work of past scientists, and also facilitate a better understanding of topics that present conceptual problems today just as they did to their discoverers.

The leading theme of the 5ICHoP-2025 is "PHYSICS OF THE EARLY DECADES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY", aligning with the United Nations General Assembly declaration that 2025 will be the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), celebrating the centenary of the matrix formulation of quantum mechanics developed by Werner Heisenberg, Max Born, and Pascual Jordan and of the wave-mechanics formulation by Erwin Schrödinger.

Presentations on any subject related to the history of physics are also welcome including, but not limited to, the following topics:

• The history of institutions, academies, and scientific societies

• The roads to and from applied physics into technology
• Revisitation of classic or overlooked papers
• Pedagogical and research traditions in physics
• Historic perspectives of gender and physics
• New historiographical approaches in the history of physics
• Digital humanities and the history of physics

Venue

The 5th International Conference on the History of Physics will take place at the Physics Department of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra, Portugal, from 5-7 June 2025 (NEW DATE).

The University of Coimbra, founded in 1290, is the oldest university in Portugal and one of the oldest in Europe. Its campus, which dates back to the 16th century, is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university earned this status for its significant role in knowledge production and the spread of Portuguese language and culture worldwide. The UNESCO-listed campus comprises 32 buildings in two areas, Alta and Sofia, showcasing various architectural styles that reflect different educational reforms. It is currently organized into three university centers.

The Physics Museum is housed in the former Colégio de Jesus, located in Marquês de Pombal square, across from the Chimico Laboratory. It occupies the rooms originally designated for the "Gabinete de Física Experimental," established in 1772. The museum holds a significant collection of scientific instruments from the 18th and 19th centuries, primarily those used in the University of Coimbra's Physics Cabinet. The collection includes over 3,000 objects, including 500 old books. Many instruments are displayed in their original rooms, preserving the 18th-century setting. The museum's role in the history of physics was recognized by the European Physical Society, which designated it a European Historic Site.

The conference programme will include scientific sessions, keynote lectures, the award of the Schuster History of Physics Prize as well as a conference dinner. 

For more information about preparing your submission and the conference presentation, please check the proposal guidelines at the conference website https://5ichop.sci-meet.net.

Proposal guidelines

All proposals must be in English, the language of the conference. Submitted abstracts and session proposals (max. 250 words) will be subject to review by an International / Programme Advisory Committees, that assists the Organising Committee in ensuring the quality of the conference program (see below)

There is a limit of one paper per presenter. All paper proposals must use the templates provided on the conference website_https://5ichop.sci-meet.net and be submitted there by March 2, 2025.

For more information about this conference, please contact 5ichop@spf.pt.

IMPORTANT DATES

- Conference dates: 5-7 June 2025

- Deadline for submitting proposals:  March 2, 2025

- Notification of acceptance: April 16, 2025

- Provisional program: end of April 2025

- Early bird registration: before April 30, 2025

- Late registration: May 31, 2025

- Final program: May 2025

Organising Committee

Isabel Malaquias, Univ. of Aveiro, Portugal (chair)

José António Paixão, Univ. of Coimbra, Portugal

Décio Martins, Univ. of Coimbra, Portugal

Programme Committee

José António Paixão, Univ. of Coimbra, Portugal (chair)

Edward A. Davis, Univ. of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Helge Kragh, Niels Bohr Institute at the Univ, of Copenhagen, Denmark

Karl Grandin, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Sweden

George Vlahakis, Hellenic Open University, Athens, Greece

Cormac O’Raifeartaigh, Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland

Roberto Lalli, Polytechnic Univ. of Turin, Italy 

Jaume Navarro, Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, San Sebastian, Spain

Heinz Krenn, Univ. of Graz, Austria

Henrique Leitão, Univ. of Lisbon, Portugal

Sofia Talas, Museo di Storia della Fisica dell’Università di Padova, Italy 

Carlos Fiolhais, Univ. of Coimbra, Portugal

Malcolm Cooper, United Kingdom

Augusto Fitas, Univ. of Évora, Portugal

Andrew Whitaker, Queens Univ, Ireland

Teresa Peña, IST - Univ. of Lisbon, Portugal

Ana Simões, Univ. of Lisbon, Portugal

International Advisory Committee

Edward A. Davis, Univ. of Cambridge, United Kingdom – Chair

Malcolm Cooper, United Kingdom – Secretary

Helge Kragh, Niels Bohr Institute at the Univ. of Copenhagen, Denmark

Karl Grandin, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Sweden

Cormac O’Raifeartaigh, Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland

Heinz Krenn, Univ. of Graz, Austria

Isabel Malaquias, Univ. of Aveiro, Portugal

Guilia Pancheri, INFN, Rome, Italy