S&D’s 10th Anniversary is also an exciting time for ITER, with many of its goals coming to fruition. Todd K. Harding explores how this scientific facility overcame barriers and now serves as a great example of international cooperation.
Currently, more than 50 percent of the world’s large telescopes are located in Chile, and by 2022 Chile that proportion could rise to 70 percent of the world’s optic and radio-astronomical observation capacity.
International research institutions like CERN and ICTP play a unique role in bringing scientists together at politically neutral sites to address the most ambitious scientific questions while bridging cultural, developmental, and political gaps.
SESAME, the only synchrotron in the Middle East, seeks to achieve scientific excellence, attract and retain scientists, and foster regional cooperation, while overcoming sometimes tense political relationships.
ITER provides lessons for negotiating large-scale, capital-intensive international projects. Success depends on political goodwill, compromise, and a common understanding of project management.
