Iowa State President Martin Jischke will lead a delegation to Paris to celebrate the 50th anniversary celebration of UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Thursday.

“I am delighted to lead this delegation to a ceremony marking a very important milestone in the life of UNESCO,” Jischke said in a prepared statement.

The delegation was requested by UNESCO Director General Federico Mayor. UNESCO and ISU jointly sponsored the creation of the International Institute of Theoretical and Applied Physics (IITAP), located at ISU, in 1994. The goal of IITAP is to promote peace through the sharing of scientific advances.

Members of the delegation include Harlan Cleveland, president of the World Academy of Art and Science; Walter Truett Anderson, president of the American section of the World Academy; Harriet Fulbright, president of the Center for Arts in the Basic Curriculum; Lee Huebner, president of the American University of Paris; and Mary Ellen Lane, executive director of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers at the Smithsonian Institution.

James Vary, director of IITAP and ISU physics professor, said he thinks this event could help Jischke “pave the way for future international cooperation projects between ISU and other universities around the world.”