Jean Trân Thânh Vân (Photo courtesy of Chris Quigg)
In July, the APS Division of Particles and Fields presented a certificate of appreciation to Jean Trân Thânh Vân of the Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Hautes Energies de l'Université de Paris XI in Orsay France, in recognition of his many valuable contributions, both to particle physics and to international understanding. Presented to Vân during a ceremony in Paris, the citation praised the physicist for "35 years of the Rencontres de Moriond, which since 1966 have promoted lively discourse and warm friendship among scientists from the entire world;" recognized "the intellectual and human values that animate the Recontres de Blois, founded in 1989;" and expressed the DPF's admiration for "the visionary devotion that inspired the Recontres du Vietnam in 1995." The citation concluded, "Our congratulations and heartfelt thanks for his creative and sustained service to particle physics, international understanding and the humane aspects of science."