Centre européen de calcul atomique et moléculaire
Encyclopedia
CECAM - Centre européen de calcul atomique et moléculaire is a European Association founded in 1969. The aims of the association are to promote cooperation amongst European research organisations and their scientific communities in furthering research involving computationally intensive methods. It began as a laboratory in Orsay, a campus of the University of Paris, and moved to Lyon
in the early 1990s.
Since the beginning of 2008, CECAM is hosted by the Swiss Institute of Technology near Lausanne, Switzerland. Its director is Wanda Andreoni.
Maroc to the Orsay campus, Université de Paris XI and established a laboratory which served to connect the rather isolated community of french computational physicists, chemists and biologists, with their homologues in the rest of Europe, UK and the USA. At the time the laboratory was set up, large-scale computational facilities were not readily available in most of Europe. Further, the concept of basic simulations was not highly acclaimed as there were many physicists who believed that pencil, paper, and brain-power were all that was needed for scientific creativity. However, Moser's background in quantum chemistry, his familiarity with the work of S. F. Boys, and his stint at Crystallography (at the Institut Pasteur) made him acutely aware of the need for computational approaches. Carl Moser's concept of the laboratory was unique, in that it had basically very few or no permanent members. Instead it ran a series of "workshops", directed by one or two invited scientists who remained at CECAM during the period of the workshop. These workshops could run from three months to a few weks or even a week, with twenty or more participants. This enabled CECAM to cover a kaleidescope of subjects, at a time when the approach of workshops was not well known, unlike today. Many distinguished scientists, like Walter Kohn
, Lars Hedin, Martin Karplus, R. K. Nesbet, Michael Klein, Art Williams, Anees Rahman, Mark Rasolt, Gabor Somorjai and plasma physicists like Hans Griem, Don DuBois, Balaz Rosznyai, James Dufty and others were well known visitors to CECAM. A number of Russian scientists like Ginzburg also visited the laboratory. Many French scientists like Madam Marguerite Cornille, Michele Gupta, Francois Grimaldi, Francois Perrot, Madam Lebfevre and other friends of Moser were often seen at the laboratory. A few scientists like Prof. Chandre Dharma-wardana
(NRCC
), Drs. Gianni Jacucci, and Girolamo Ramuni (CNAM) and Charles Sommers were longer-term members, at various times in the mid-1970s. Wanda Andreoni was a post-doctoral fellow at the time, directed by Walter Kohn. But almost any one who was important in simulation physics in the USA or UK and Europe had visited the laboratory at some time or other. All such visitors were greeted by Marylise Calvie, the secretary of CECAM, and Carl Moser's three pet dogs (pugs) who also came to the laboratory everyday, at Bâtiment 506, 4èm etage, Campus d'Orsay.
the status of the laboratory with CNRS came to be reviewed. Thus the laboratory was moved to Lyon where Jean-Pierre Hansen, a
well known simulation physicist and professor at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon in Lyon, facilitated the moved, with Ciccotti as the first director in Lyon. Since the move to Lyon, the laboratory has continued its role of supporting computationally oriented scientific research by its well attended workshop programs.
CECAM is currently supported by
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
in the early 1990s.
Since the beginning of 2008, CECAM is hosted by the Swiss Institute of Technology near Lausanne, Switzerland. Its director is Wanda Andreoni.
The Early years of CECAM in Orsay
The laboratory was initiated in 1968 by Dr. Carl Moser, an American scientist naturalized in France. Moser was an associate of the well known French theoretical chemist Daudel, who was the Director of Centre Mechanique Ondulatoire in Rue de Maroc. Moser moved from Rue deMaroc to the Orsay campus, Université de Paris XI and established a laboratory which served to connect the rather isolated community of french computational physicists, chemists and biologists, with their homologues in the rest of Europe, UK and the USA. At the time the laboratory was set up, large-scale computational facilities were not readily available in most of Europe. Further, the concept of basic simulations was not highly acclaimed as there were many physicists who believed that pencil, paper, and brain-power were all that was needed for scientific creativity. However, Moser's background in quantum chemistry, his familiarity with the work of S. F. Boys, and his stint at Crystallography (at the Institut Pasteur) made him acutely aware of the need for computational approaches. Carl Moser's concept of the laboratory was unique, in that it had basically very few or no permanent members. Instead it ran a series of "workshops", directed by one or two invited scientists who remained at CECAM during the period of the workshop. These workshops could run from three months to a few weks or even a week, with twenty or more participants. This enabled CECAM to cover a kaleidescope of subjects, at a time when the approach of workshops was not well known, unlike today. Many distinguished scientists, like Walter Kohn
Walter Kohn
Walter Kohn is an Austrian-born American theoretical physicist.He was awarded, with John Pople, the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1998. The award recognized their contributions to the understandings of the electronic properties of materials...
, Lars Hedin, Martin Karplus, R. K. Nesbet, Michael Klein, Art Williams, Anees Rahman, Mark Rasolt, Gabor Somorjai and plasma physicists like Hans Griem, Don DuBois, Balaz Rosznyai, James Dufty and others were well known visitors to CECAM. A number of Russian scientists like Ginzburg also visited the laboratory. Many French scientists like Madam Marguerite Cornille, Michele Gupta, Francois Grimaldi, Francois Perrot, Madam Lebfevre and other friends of Moser were often seen at the laboratory. A few scientists like Prof. Chandre Dharma-wardana
Chandre Dharma-wardana
Chandre Dharma-wardana is a Sri Lankan-born academic and scientist. A former President of Vidyodaya Campus , he is currently a Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Université de Montréal.-Education:...
(NRCC
National Research Council of Canada
The National Research Council is an agency of the Government of Canada which conducts scientific research and development.- History :...
), Drs. Gianni Jacucci, and Girolamo Ramuni (CNAM) and Charles Sommers were longer-term members, at various times in the mid-1970s. Wanda Andreoni was a post-doctoral fellow at the time, directed by Walter Kohn. But almost any one who was important in simulation physics in the USA or UK and Europe had visited the laboratory at some time or other. All such visitors were greeted by Marylise Calvie, the secretary of CECAM, and Carl Moser's three pet dogs (pugs) who also came to the laboratory everyday, at Bâtiment 506, 4èm etage, Campus d'Orsay.
Transfer to Lyon
Carl Moser had retired by 1992, and Giovanni Ciccotti, a computational physicist from Rome had become the Director. Also, by thenthe status of the laboratory with CNRS came to be reviewed. Thus the laboratory was moved to Lyon where Jean-Pierre Hansen, a
well known simulation physicist and professor at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon in Lyon, facilitated the moved, with Ciccotti as the first director in Lyon. Since the move to Lyon, the laboratory has continued its role of supporting computationally oriented scientific research by its well attended workshop programs.
CECAM Today
More details about CECAM, its scientific programs etc., may be found at the CECAM website..CECAM is currently supported by
- Belgium: FNRSNFWOThe National Fund for Scientific Research is a government institution in Belgium for supporting scientific research...
and FWONFWOThe National Fund for Scientific Research is a government institution in Belgium for supporting scientific research... - France: CEACommissariat à l'Énergie AtomiqueThe Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives or CEA, is a French “public establishment related to industrial and commercial activities” whose mission is to develop all applications of nuclear power, both civilian and military...
, CNRS, and ENSÉcole Normale SupérieureThe École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles... - Germany: DFGDeutsche ForschungsgemeinschaftThe Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is an important German research funding organization and the largest such organization in Europe.-Function:...
, FZJ - Ireland: IUAIrish Universities AssociationThe Irish Universities’ Association is the representative body of the heads of the seven Irish universities and is based at NUI offices in Merrion Square, Dublin...
- Italy: CNRConsiglio Nazionale delle RicercheThe Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche or National Research Council, is an Italian public organization set up to support scientific and technological research. Its headquarters are in Rome.-History:The institution was founded in 1923...
- The Netherlands: NWONederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk OnderzoekThe Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek is a scientific research organization in the Netherlands....
, University of Amsterdam - Spain: CSICCSICThe Spanish National Research Council is the largest public institution dedicated to research in Spain and the third largest in Europe...
- Switzerland: FNSFNSFNS may stand for:*Federated Naming Service, a system for uniting various name services under a single interface for the basic naming operations* Finnish Navy Ship, the designator given to all ships in the Finnish Navy...
- United Kingdom: EPSRC, Daresbury Laboratory