The light of discovery
Ukrainian scientists forge connections through Summit satellite events
In Kyiv, where air raid sirens are a regular presence and power outages disrupt daily life, Sergiy Perepelytsya, director of the renowned Bogolyubov Institute for Theoretical Physics, continues to keep the light of discovery alive.
“Hosting this event in Ukraine carried an important symbolic and practical message,” said Perepelytsya, organizer of the satellite site in Kyiv for APS’ Global Physics Summit.
In a world where conflict often isolates, the APS satellite sites affirm the solidarity of the global physics community. The Kyiv satellite site, now in its second consecutive year, stood as a powerful demonstration of international scientific collaboration, said Perepelytsya, to allow Ukrainian researchers to "remain actively connected to the global scientific community" by providing an opportunity to share research, exchange ideas, and gain new inspiration.
“For many Ukrainian scientists, international travel is currently restricted due to martial law,” he said. “This makes local access to international-level scientific events critically important. For students and early-career researchers in particular, participation in such events is essential for their professional development.”
Khrystyna Gnatenko, professor at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Ukraine, said participating in the satellite site was special for many reasons.
“For me, continuing research and presenting scientific results at the international level was especially meaningful at this time, not only from a professional perspective and in terms of opportunities for international collaboration, which are of course very valuable to me,” she said.
APS organized four satellite sites in 2022, drawing 270 attendees, to better connect the global physics community to its meetings. That number jumped to 17 sites last year with 1,189 attendees. The 2026 summit featured 23 sites, including 11 virtual ones, representing 18 countries and four continents.
To support the success of the satellite sites, APS partners with its fellow members of Purpose Led Publishing – a coalition that includes AIP Publishing and IOP Publishing. With the organizations’ support, researchers engage with summit programming, contribute to discussions, and participate in locally organized workshops and presentations. Collectively, the publishers have committed to putting purpose over profit, sending funds made from publishing back into the research ecosystem in the form of educational training, mentorship programs, grants, and awards.
Perepelytsya said he was grateful for APS’ support of the satellite events in Ukraine. The 2025 meeting was followed by the opening of a scientific school in Ukraine, and the 2026 event included a workshop on the applied problems of theoretical and computational biophysics. The experiences at the satellite sites have "significantly expanded the impact of the initiative, creating opportunities for Ukrainian researchers, especially students and early-career scientists, to interact closely with colleagues."
Perepelytsya added that this year’s summit theme, "Science for a shared future,” was exciting and defined it as research that "not only advances fundamental knowledge but also contributes to the collective intellectual and technological progress of humanity."
His personal commitment to the vision involves conducting research, fostering collaboration, mentoring younger scientists, and managing complex projects, he said.
“The event not only strengthened collaboration,” says Perepelytsya, “but also affirmed the resilience of Ukrainian scientists, solidarity, and the shared commitment of the global physics community to support science under challenging conditions.”