[02/04/2026]
The Latin American Center for Physics (CLAF) has just released a promotional brochure presenting the historical context of its creation, its origins, and its pioneers. The material also details the institution’s organizational structure and presents a list of actions planned for this decade.
In electronic format (PDF), the brochure —which can be downloaded and distributed free of charge— is available on the CLAF website in Portuguese, Spanish, and English. Printed versions in the three languages will soon also be available for distribution, for example, at meetings and events organized by the institution.
Given the breadth of its content, the brochure —conceived and promoted by the current CLAF leadership— is part of the work of two of the institution’s thematic units: ‘Education and Outreach’ and ‘History of Physics’.
Greater visibility
According to the current CLAF director, experimental physicist Ulisses Barres de Almeida, a researcher at the Brazilian Center for Research in Physics (CBPF) in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), “the release of this brochure is an important step toward increasing the visibility of CLAF’s activities and mission in Latin America.”
According to Barres, CLAF has played a fundamental role in promoting regional scientific cooperation and training new generations of physicists. “We hope this material contributes to strengthening our networks and expanding the reach of CLAF’s initiatives throughout the region. This brochure is therefore an invitation to the scientific community to learn more about our work and to engage in our activities.”
The historical content of the brochure was supervised by Antonio Augusto Passos Videira, professor at the Department of Philosophy of the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) and a collaborating researcher at CBPF. With extensive academic experience in the field of history of science, Videira is the current coordinator of CLAF’s ‘History of Physics’ unit.
“The publication of the brochures in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, with information about CLAF’s history, organization, purpose, and structure, is a welcome decision that deserves to be known by the general public,” he said.
According to Videira, since its creation in 1962, CLAF has contributed to the development of physics in our region “primarily through the circulation of people, ideas, texts, and scientific equipment. From the outset, it also sought to publicize its activities and goals through bulletins. With these brochures, the aim is to restore CLAF’s communication capacity, expanding the reach of its actions.”