2025 In Review: Frequency Control Activities

Written By: Ekkehard Peik

The AdCom meeting on September 15th was an opportunity to review the recent IFCS-EFTF 2025 conference in Queretaro, Mexico. As the first IFCS held in Latin America, the event was a success in building stronger connections with the local community, though attendance from North America and Europe was somewhat lower than anticipated. As a satellite event to the conference, a BIPM-SIM UTC Summer School was held at the Mexican Metrology Institute CENAM, also located in Queretaro. Looking ahead, the committee has confirmed the next two major symposia. IFCS 2026 is set for May 10-13 in Tampa, Florida, and the call for papers is already out. In 2027, the EFTF-IFCS will be held in Munich, Germany, in April. Munich is a center of research institutes and high-tech companies in the fields related to Frequency Control.

One of the standout events at the 2025 conference was the WiE Coaching Session on "Self-Advocacy and Conflict Resolution." The session, facilitated by Dr. Tara Fortier and coordinated by Dr. Sinda Mejri, drew an engaged and diverse crowd of about 30 participants. Feedback was extremely positive, with attendees noting how helpful it was to get "concrete examples and the language" to articulate their professional experiences. New PhD students particularly appreciated the event, stating the networking and coaching made them feel "welcomed and engaged." In other news, UFFC also sponsored two successful summer schools related to Frequency Control this year: the BIPM-SIM UTC Summer School in Mexico mentioned above, and a Summer School in Paris that was held a week before the meeting of the Consultative Committee on Time and Frequency at BIPM in Sevres. This event was particularly aimed at students and new employees from time labs who would like to expand their activities and services.