As speaker after speaker observed at last November's Abdus Salam Memorial Meeting, Salam was an extraordinary man living during an extraordinary time.

The post-World War II era was a golden age for scientists, particularly physicists. In the eyes of many, research on the atomic bomb helped end the war. Then, in the war's aftermath, science and technology promised unprecedented progress and prosperity.

The war's end also marked the beginning of the end for European colonialism. As a result, vigorous independence movements were launched throughout the developing world.

Beyond all of these sweeping historical trends it didn't hurt to have Albert Einstein touted as the world's most intelligent person-a scientist-celebrity who made the dishevelled appearance of theoretical physicists seem stylish and appealing.

Salam brilliantly took advantage of all these trends: the unquestioned status of scientists, particularly physicists; the willingness of the global community to aid developing countries in their quest for independence; and the public's unwavering belief that scientific research would improve their lives.

Today, the Centre confronts new challenges created by a global community that barely resembles Salam's. Scientists, and particularly theoretical physicists, are no longer held in unquestioned esteem. The willingness to help the developing world has diminished. And the public's absolute faith in science has faded.

In the face of these changes, many theoretical physicists have been compelled to apply their knowledge beyond the traditional boundaries set by teaching, research, and science administration. Some have achieved considerable success. Javier Solana, a Spanish-born solid-state physicist, now heads the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and Rexhep Meidani, a professor of theoretical physics and frequent visitor to the ICTP, recently became president of Albania.

As for the ICTP, a changed world has nudged it into new disciplines even as it continues to fulfil its traditional mandate in theoretical physics and mathematics. The summer conference on the "dynamics of complexities" and fall meeting on the "chemical origins of life" represent two examples of the ICTP's broadening fields of interest.

Next August, the ICTP takes an even more dramatic step into the future when it offers its first-ever School on the Mathematics of Economics. The month-long program is designed to introduce scientists to a subject beyond their immediate fields of interest and to explore how the principles of theoretical physics can be applied to the world of economics.

ICTP's efforts to reposition itself in the face of these historic changes is the greatest tribute it can pay to its founder, Abdus Salam. Such efforts will help ensure that the Centre remains relevant for both scientists and society as we approach the dawn of the next century.

Daniel Schaffer

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