Abdus Salam center cultivated science, transcended politics

The story by Jermey Matthews (Physics Today, October 2014, page 20 ) about the role of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in the developing world was interesting and informative. It also evoked memories from 20 years ago, when I was a student in the ICTP postgraduate diploma program. I was the first Albanian student accepted into its condensed-matter-physics track, in the 1993–94 school year.

I and probably many other former students will attest that these ICTP programs were an excellent opportunity for students to prepare for graduate school and receive a quick and intensive immersion in frontier topics of research. The ICTP also provided a life-changing experience for many students who were not able to pursue their physics dreams at home. Following the diploma program, I moved on to obtain a PhD in theoretical condensed-matter physics and eventually took a position in academia in the US.

I also want to highlight the important role of the ICTP in bridging the East–West political divisions of the time. Even its location—in Trieste, Italy, close to the Cold War border in Europe—transmitted a sense that the place rose above challenges and brought people together. The institute clearly demonstrated that science transcends politics, and it inspired many physics students and faculty throughout Eastern Europe. That closing of political divisions is an amazing side of the story of the ICTP.