Scaling Theory of Localization: Absence of Quantum Diffusion in Two Dimensions

Katepalli Sreenivasan, a distinguished university professor of physics and mechanical engineer-has been appointed as the new director for the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. He succeeds retiring director Miguel Virasoro, who has held the post since 1993. Founded in 1964 by Pakistani physicist Abdus Salam, the ICTP' s mission is to provide opportunities for physicists from developing countries to interact with those from developed countries, while encouraging them to remain in their home countries. Its contributions to the international physics enterprise include visiting programs for international scholars, scientific workshops and conferences , remedial courses in science education, and distribution to developing countries of scientific journals, conference proceedings, and electronic databases. The Center houses a small but excellent permanent scientific staff in high energy physics, mathematics, condensed matter and statistical physics, and physics of weather and climate. Known as " Sreeni " to friends and colleagues, Sreenivasan received his education in India, first at the University of Bangalore and then at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, where he earned a doctorate in aerospace engineering in 1975. After two years of postdoctoral study in Sydney and Newcastle, Australia, he came to See SREENIVASAN on page 2 the U.S. as a researcher at Johns Hopkins University. Later he became the Harold W. Cheel professor of mechanical engineering and professor of physics, applied physics and mathematics at Yale University. He moved to Maryland in January 2001, where he directs the university' s Institute for Physical Science and Technology. His primary fields of research are fluid dynamics and turbulence , and he has published extensively on these and other related subjects. " Sreeni is a world renowned experimental physicist with an appreciation for theory and has a deep understanding of both the frontier research enterprise and the potential of intellectual talent in developing countries, " said Irv-ing Lerch, APS director of international scientific affairs of Sreenivasan's appointment. It comes at a particularly critical time in the Center' s 30-year history. Originally the operation of the institute was the responsibility of the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA), with additional support provided by UNESCO and the Italian government. Since 1992, governing authority has been transferred to UNESCO, and according to Lerch, with Virasoro' s retirement, UNESCO is considering the tightening of the ICTP management. The implications of the new policy remain to be seen, but as the new director, …