Science is not a mere collection of facts. It is the correlation of facts, the interpretative synthesis of the available knowledge and its application that excite the imagination of a scientist. Even in these days of modern technology, the need for quick and accurate dissemination of new information and current concepts still exists. Conferences and Symposia offer one direct method of communication. The Summer Schools are another approach. The success of a Summer School is mainly due to that human factor and under standing that goes with it and allows for extensive and often time-unrestricted...

"Meditationis est perscrutari occulta; contemplationis est admirari perspicua ...Admiratio generat qurestionem, qurestio investigationem, investigatio inventionem" once wrote HUGO DE S. VICTORE and possibly described best the life span of the rare earths since the Swedish Army Lieutenant, C. A. ARRHENIDS' discovery of an unusual black mineral at Ytterby in 1787. Since then the rare earths have passed through the machinery of various phases of physical science. Europium as a member of the rare earth family shows characteristics of the series as a whole as well as some typical behaviour of its...