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(Courtesy: Shutterstock)"> <img src="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Oxford-Bodleian-Library-9067522-Shutterstock-635x431.jpg" srcset=" https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Oxford-Bodleian-Library-9067522-Shutterstock.jpg 1200w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Oxford-Bodleian-Library-9067522-Shutterstock-635x431.jpg 635w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 635w" alt="Bodleian Library at Oxford" title="Oxford-Bodleian-Library-9067522-Shutterstock" width="635" height="431" /> </a> <script type="application/json"> "The St Cross Centre for the History and Philosophy of Physics at Oxford University was founded in 2014. (Courtesy: Shutterstock)" </script> <figcaption>The St Cross Centre for the History and Philosophy of Physics at Oxford University was founded in 2014. (Courtesy: Shutterstock)</figcaption> </figure> <p>If you want to read about <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/2877/1/012095">controversies in physics</a>, <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/2877/1/012067">a (brief) history of the speed of light</a> or the<a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/2877/1/012044"> quest for dark matter</a>, then make sure to check out this collection of papers to mark the 10th anniversary of the <a href="https://www.stx.ox.ac.uk/the-happ-centre">St Cross Centre for the History and Philosophy of Physics</a> (HAPP).</p> <p>HAPP was co-founded in 2014 by <a href="https://www.stx.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-joanna-ashbourn">Jo Ashbourn</a> and James Dodd and since then the centre has run a series of one-day conferences as well as standalone lectures and seminars about big topics in physics and philosophy.</p> <span class="mpu align-right" aria-hidden="true"><div id='div-gpt-ad-3759129-1'class="advert" > <script> googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-3759129-1'); }); </script> </div></span> <p>Based on these contributions, HAPP has now published a <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/issue/1742-6596/2877/1">10th anniversary commemorative volume</a> in the open-access <em>Journal of Physics: Conference Series</em>, which is published by IOP Publishing.</p> <p>The volume is structured around four themes: physicists across history; space and astronomy; philosophical perspectives; and concepts in physics.</p> <p>The big names in physics to write for the volume include Martin Rees <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/2877/1/012050">on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence across a century</a>; Carlo Rovelli <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/2877/1/012084">on scientific thinking across the centuries</a>; and the late Steven Weinberg <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/2877/1/012114">on the greatest physics discoveries of the 20th century</a>.</p> <p>I was delighted <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/2877/1/012109">to also contribute</a> to the volume based on a talk I gave in February 2020 for <a href="https://www.stx.ox.ac.uk/event/the-rise-of-big-science-in-physics">a one-day HAPP meeting about big science in physics</a>.<article class='editors-pick'> <a href='https://physicsworld.com/a/the-10-most-important-future-big-science-facilities-in-physics/'> <div class='editors-pick__image'> <div class='editors-pick__more'>Read more</div> <img decoding="async" width="120" height="90" src="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PWMay18NEWS-jwst_1200-120x90.jpg" class="attachment-list-image size-list-image wp-post-image" alt="James Webb Space Telescope" srcset="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PWMay18NEWS-jwst_1200-120x90.jpg 120w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PWMay18NEWS-jwst_1200-317x238.jpg 317w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PWMay18NEWS-jwst_1200-211x158.jpg 211w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PWMay18NEWS-jwst_1200-768x576.jpg 768w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PWMay18NEWS-jwst_1200-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PWMay18NEWS-jwst_1200-533x400.jpg 533w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PWMay18NEWS-jwst_1200-547x410.jpg 547w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PWMay18NEWS-jwst_1200-635x476.jpg 635w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PWMay18NEWS-jwst_1200-263x197.jpg 263w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PWMay18NEWS-jwst_1200-300x225.jpg 300w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PWMay18NEWS-jwst_1200-257x193.jpg 257w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PWMay18NEWS-jwst_1200-128x96.jpg 128w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PWMay18NEWS-jwst_1200-261x196.jpg 261w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PWMay18NEWS-jwst_1200-549x412.jpg 549w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PWMay18NEWS-jwst_1200.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 120px) 100vw, 120px" /> </div> <h4 class='editors-pick__title'><p>The 10 most important future big-science facilities in physics</p> </h4> </a> </article></p> <p>The conference covered the past, present and future of big science and I spoke about the coming decade of new facilities in physics and the possible science that may result. I also <a href="https://physicsworld.com/a/the-10-most-important-future-big-science-facilities-in-physics/">included my “top 10 facilities to watch” for the coming decade</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/2877/1/011002">In a preface to the volume, Ashbourn writes</a> that HAPP was founded to provide “a forum in which the philosophy and methodologies that inform how current research in physics is undertaken would be included alongside the history of the discipline in an accessible way that could engage the general public as well as scientists, historians and philosophers,” adding that she is “looking forward” to HAPP’s second decade.</p> <div class="wrapper clearfix"> <div class="ajax__container fullwidth-newsletter-sign-up events-register-sign-up" style="border-color: #ca991b"> <form method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data" data-ajax="register" data-dest=".fullwidth-newsletter-sign-up"> <input type="hidden" name="signup" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="shortform" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="url" value="https://physicsworld.com/a/martin-rees-carlo-rovelli-and-steven-weinberg-tackle-big-questions-to-mark-oxford-anniversary"> <div class="fullwidth-newsletter-sign-up__email"> <div class="gf_browser_chrome gform_wrapper" id="gform_wrapper_1"> <div class="gform_heading"> <h3 class="gform_title">Want to read more?</h3> <span class="gform_description">Registration is free, quick and easy</span> <p><strong>Note:</strong> The verification e-mail to complete your account registration should arrive immediately. 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