Physics and Contemporary Needs

Even in this age of information explosion, Seminars and Symposia have an importance of their own, particularly in countries which are scientifically and geographically remote from active centres of learning. Our scientists suffer this isolation very acutely; the Cow~ission recognises this problem and has endeavoured to solve it through organisation of meetings and conferences in Pakistan to which international specialists in different fields are invited to share their experience with colleagues in Pakistan. We find that the personal encounter and human touch still remain one of the most effective methods of transferring and sharing scientific knowledge. The International Summer College at Nathiagali held in August, 1976, also grew out of our need to communicate with each other and to identify promising areas of development relevant to the needs of a developing country. In the implementation of this idea, the Pakis tan Atomic Energy Commission received support from the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste and from the Swedish Inter national Development Authority which is gratefully acknowledged.