site.btaProf. Alexander Dreischuh: Achievements of Bulgarian Physicists Are Visible Globally

Bulgarian physicists are active, their achievements are visible not only at national and European level, but also worldwide, according to Prof. Alexander Dreischuh, President of the Union of Physicists in Bulgaria (UPB). In a BTA interview, he outlined the conclusion of the Fourth Congress of Physical Sciences, which continues until October 9.

The Fourth National Congress of Physical Sciences is being organized after an eight-year gap after the Third National Congress due to the COVID-19 pandemic and all its consequences. This is the largest national forum on physical sciences and reports are divided into 12 sections, which range from astronomy and astrophysics, to atomic physics, solid state physics, history of physics, photonics, or cover a wide area in which fellow physicists of the country are active, Dreischuh explained.

He said there were also online papers by prominent Bulgarian specialists who work abroad and for various reasons could not attend the congress - from Portugal, the US, Germany. 

The organizers of the forum are the Union of Physicists in Bulgaria (UBP), the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia University, the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) and the Union of Scientists in Bulgaria (USB).

Speaking about students' motivation to study physics, he said that only 0.1% of graduates pass the state matriculation exam in the subject. "Out of about 50,000 graduating students - only 50-60 of them take the matriculation examination in physics," he said. 

He cited data from the Ministry of Education and Science, which said the unemployment rate among professionals in the field is "practically zero". 

Alexander Dreischuh is a leading scientist in the field of photonics (nonlinear optics, singular optics and ultrashort femtosecond pulse optics). He founded the first scientific group in singular optics and a school of singular and femtosecond photonics.