Thanks to the Local Organising Committee of IAU Symp. 359 – GALFEED

The Local Organising Committee of the IAU Symposium 359 – GALFEED was superb in the preparation of all the materials, planning of social events, ideas for logo’s, the charming havaiana sandals (the Universe at your feet!), besides the coordination of all the activities during the meeting. From left to right in the picture above: Rodrigo Freitas (IF-UFRGS), Dr. Tiago Ricci (UFFS), Hekatelyne Carpes (IF-UFRGS), Dr. Cristina Furlanetto (IF-UFRGS), Dr. Juliana Motter (IF-UFRGS), Dr. Ana Chies Santos (IF-UFRGS), Eduardo Brock (IF-UFRGS), Dr. Marina Trevisan (IF-UFRGS) and Dr. Jaderson Schimoia (UFSM).

Special thanks go also to Dr. Rogério Riffel, who could not be present, but who also worked hard in the last months in the preparations for the meeting.

Thanks to the Scientific Committee of IAU Symp. 359 – GALFEED

Thanks to the Scientific Organising Committee of the IAU Symposium 359 – GALFEED, for the support in the preparation of the proposal, design of the program and selection of IAU grants. From left to right in the photo above: Dr. Sebastian Sanchez (UNAM-Mexico), Dr, William Forman (Harvard/Smithsonian CfA, US), Dr. Françoise Combes (Obs. Paris, France), myself, Dr. Richard Davies (Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Germany), Dr. Roderick Overzier (Observatório Nacional, Brasil), Dr. Keiichi Wada (Kagoshima Univ., Japão) and Dr. Raffaella Morganti (ASTRON, Netherlands). 

Nomeada para o Comitê Científico do Programa de Ciências Básicas da UNESCO

Fui recentemente nomeada para o “Board” do Comitê da UNESCO IBSP – International Basic Sciences Program – e participo dias 27 e 28/11 da sua reunião na sede da UNESCO em Paris para discutir ações para promover a ciência básica como uma alavanca para o desenvolvimento humano.

Textos extraídos do livro de apresentação do IBSP: (1) O papel da ciência básica

The Basic Sciences, namely Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology and their application, are the tools for elucidating our world and the laws that govern it, and are therefore public assets of humanity. They also underwrite technological advances. Today, the need for science-based sustainable development is greater than it has ever been before. An important example of this is taking scientific approaches in developing solutions to the challenges that humanity faces in relation to the environment, health, food, energy, climate, water, and other natural resources.

(2) Desafios atuais no mundo: 

UNESCO Science Reports indicates that large regions of the world, such as Africa, South and Central Asia, South America and the Middle East, produces only about 15- 20% of global scientific knowledge combined (articles, patents). The number of researchers trained or working on the African continent, for example, is relatively low: Africa counts an average 90 scientists per million people, while Brazil counts 660, and the world average is more than a thousand per million inhabitants.