TWAS Newsletter Vol. 12 No. 3 (Jul-Sep 2000)3 In addition to its work on the panel’s statute, participants at the Nice meeting agreed TWAS Newsletter, Vol.12 No.3, Jul-Sep 2000 to

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J U L - S E PVOL .12 NO.3

newsletterTWAST H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E T H I R D W O R L D A C A D E M Y O F S C I E N C E S

Published with the support of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences

CONTENTS 2IAP MOVES AHEAD 4TRANSGENIC DEBATES 7SPEAKING WITH

VARGAS 12 TALKING SCIENCE 16 TWAS IN TEHRAN 19 TWNSO REGIONAL

OFFICES 21 KUWAIT CENTRE 22 PEOPLE, PLACES, EVENTS

TWAS NEWSLETTER

PUBLISHED QUARTERLY WITH

THE SUPPORT OF THE KUWAIT

FOUNDATION FOR THE

ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCES (KFAS)

BY THE THIRD WORLD

ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (TWAS)

C/O THE ABDUS SALAM

INTERNATIONAL CENTRE

FOR THEORETICAL PHYSICS

STRADA COSTIERA 11

34014 TRIESTE, ITALY

PH: +39 040 2240327

FAX: +39 040 224559

TELEX: 460392 ICTP I

E-MAIL: [email protected]

WEBSITE: WWW.TWAS-ONLINE.ORG

EDITOR

DANIEL SCHAFFER

ASSISTANT EDITOR/SET UP

GISELA ISTEN

TWAS SUPPORT STAFF

HELEN GRANT, HELEN MARTIN,

LEENA MUNGAPEN,

SANDRA RAVALICO

DESIGN & ART DIRECTION

SANDRA ZORZETTI, RADO JAGODIC

(LINK, TRIESTE)

PRINTING

MOSETTI TECNICHE GRAFICHE

UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED,

THE TEXT OF THIS NEWSLETTER

IS WRITTEN BY ITS EDITOR AND MAY

BE REPRODUCED FREELY WITH DUE

CREDIT TO THE SOURCE

M embers of the executive committee of the InterAcademy Panel (IAP) gathered in

Nice, France, from 6 to 8 July, marking the committee’s first meeting since IAP

member academies voted in May to have the Third World Academy of Sciences

(TWAS) host the panel’s secretariat in Trieste, Italy. The purpose of the meeting was

twofold: to prepare a final draft of the IAP statutes and to devise a preliminary pro-

grammatic agenda for the upcoming year.

In attendance were IAP’s newly elected co-chairs Yves Quéré, foreign secretary of the

French Science Academy, and Eduardo Krieger, president of the Brazilian Academy of

Sciences. Also present were members of IAP’s provisional executive committee: Peter

Collins, director of science policy of the Royal Society; Goverdhan Mehta, president of the

Indian National Academy of Sciences; Erling Norrby, secretary general of the Swedish

Royal Academy; Harold Ramkissoon, foreign secretary and immediate past president of

the Caribbean Science Academy; and Zhao Shidong, an official with the Chinese Academy

of Sciences. Mohamed Hassan, executive director of TWAS and president of the African

Academy, represented the IAP secretariat. Bruce Alberts, president of the U.S. National

Academy, and Larry Kohler, executive director of

the International Council for Science (ICSU) in

Paris, were there as observers .

The three-day meeting, held in a serene setting near the French Riviera not far from

Nice, produced a draft statute that will be sent to all IAP academy members for their

consideration and approval.

The statute reflects IAP’s informal, participatory nature, which has been a hallmark of

the organization since its inception in 1993, following the New Delhi Population Summit

of the World Scientific Academies. For example, the statute stipulates that membership will

be voluntary and that there will be no membership fees. The statute also states that mem-

bership is open to one national academy per country and to scientific groups representing

various regions of the world (for instance, in the case of TWAS, scientists in the develop-

ing world). Finally, the statute outlines the organizational framework of the IAP, which

will consist of a general assembly, executive committee and secretariat.

Participants at the meeting also agreed to increase the size of the executive commit-

tee from seven to 13 members. Such an expanded framework, proponents of the change

maintain, will help ensure that the board is fully representative of the diverse views of

the IAP’s member academies.

IAP moves ahead

EDITORIAL

[CONTINUED PAGE 3]

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0In addition to its work on the panel’s statute, participants at the Nice meeting agreed

to pursue a host of research and training activities. The activities, scheduled to begin in

2001, will focus on three main themes: science education; capacity building for young

science academies, particularly in Africa; and science and the media. Other issues tar-

geted for attention, although not on the scale of the three major themes, include the role

of science in addressing concerns related to mothers and children (for instance, infant nu-

trition and adolescent health care), and the intricate ties, both in theory and practice,

among mathematics, computer science and engineering.

Meanwhile, on the logistics and staffing fronts, the Abdus Salam International Centre

for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) has agreed to provide the IAP with temporary office space

on the top floor of the Centre’s Adriatico Guesthouse, which offers an expansive view of

the Adriatic Sea. Renovations have been completed and the secretariat should be able to

move into its new quarters by early fall. The U.S. National Academy has said that its

technical staff in Washington, D.C., will maintain the IAP’s homepage for the next year

or so with the editorial assistance of the new IAP secretariat. And last but by no means

least, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent a bill to the Italian parliament ask-

ing for the legislature to provide US$750,000 to cover the panel’s operational expenses

for the first year.

As IAP co-chair Quéré noted just after the meeting: “Our predecessors have laid a firm

foundation for the panel’s success and we look forward to building upon their efforts. At

the same time, we realize that the IAP’s expanded range of proposed activities pose a new

set of challenges. The first round of discussions and decisions have all been positive, which

gives us good reason to be optimistic about the IAP’s future.”

“The goal of the IAP,” adds Krieger, who shares the IAP chair with Quéré, “is to raise

not only the capabilities but the presence of science academies among both the public and

decision makers. In a sense, we hope to make the academies a little less academic and a

little more proactive. I agree that the IAP is off to a promising start and I hope we can

keep up the momentum in the months ahead as we begin to implement the programmatic

agenda we have put together in Nice.” ■

For additional information about the IAP, please contact > Joanna Lacey, IAP Secretariat,c/o TWAS, Strada Costiera 11, 34014 Trieste, Italy; web: www.nationalacademies.org/iap/;phone: +39 040 2240550; fax: +39 040 224559; e-mail: [email protected].

I n July 2000, an independentpanel of some 30 scientists,representing seven acade-

mies of science, issued a report on the use of genetically engineeredcrops. The monograph, TransgenicPlants and World Agriculture, isdesigned to provide an impartialscientific counterpoint to the heat-ed political discussions that havesurrounded — and at times en-gulfed — the debate on genetic en-gineering.The two-year effort was organizedjointly by Britain’s Royal Society,the national science academies inBrazil, China, India, Mexico andthe United States, and the ThirdWorld Academy of Sciences(TWAS). Muhammad Akhtar, TWAS found-ing fellow and vice president, rep-resented TWAS in these discus-sions. What follows is his assess-ment of how the discussionsevolved from the initial meeting tothe final draft of the publication.

Our first discussion session washeld at the Royal Society head-quarters in London on 12-14 July1999. The issue of genetic engi-

neering, especially when appliedto food production, had alreadyaroused a great deal of publicconcern, especially in Europe.Many scientists throughout theworld had come to believe thatthe scientific community had aresponsibility to provide a unitedfront against opponents of genet-ically modified (GM) plants.Several scientists present at themeeting made statements imply-ing that the case for the develop-ment of GM food was based ongood science, while the caseagainst it was based on misinfor-mation and driven by an anti-sci-ence bias.As discussions proceeded, how-ever, a more balanced and cau-tious view began to emerge.Several participants, includingmyself, pointed out that first-gen-eration GM plants — herbicide-resistant soya bean and insecti-cide-resistant corn — primarilybenefited multinational corpora-tions and large farms in theNorth, and offered no discernibleadvantages to consumers. Agro-economists, for example, project-ed that Northern consumers

would spend no more thanUS$100 to US$200 a year on GMcommodities. An obvious question was this:Even if the cost economies ac-crued from GM agriculture werepassed to consumers (and thereis no indication that they wouldbe), is the risk, however re-mote, worth the trivial gains?Furthemore, there was a hesi-tant realisation that the first-phase GM seeds had been intro-duced in haste without due con-sideration to potential ecologicalhazards.Among GM enthusiasts are well-meaning individuals who em-brace the technology as a poten-tial solution to the food needs ofpoor countries. NeverthelessTWAS has examined this issueand found that the main impedi-ment to the use of GM plants indeveloping countries has beenthat the technology is controlledby commercial firms, which havesafeguarded their financial inter-ests by claiming intellectualproperty rights on the trans-genes.In TWAS’s view, as long as this

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TRANSGENIC DEBATES

COMMENTARY

A RECENT STUDY BY SCIENTIFIC ACADEMIES, INCLUDING TWAS, CAUTIOUSLY LENDS

ITS SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSGENIC TECHNOLOGIES TO MEET THE

WORLD’S FUTURE FOOD NEEDS.

state of affairs prevails, the poorof the world will not benefit fromGM technology, however poten-tially useful it may be. That’s whyTWAS has expressed strong sup-port for the proposition that “allagriculture life forms should belegislated to belong to all of hu-manity and be excluded from in-tellectual property claims” (SeeTWAS Newsletter, July-Septem-ber 1999, pp. 4-5, or www.twas-online.org).The historic basis of TWAS’s posi-tion is that since the dawn ofcivilisation, agricultural seedshave been regarded as publicgoods generously exchangedamong friends and foes alike intraditional societies. This noblephilosophy has benefited coun-tries that are now rich and tech-nologically strong. Rather thanchanging the rules of the game,rich countries should feel someobligation to repay their historicdebt.Proponents of intellectual prop-erty rights, however, contendthat the ’innocent’ noncommer-cial attitude towards agriculture,where it still exists, must changebecause it is a disincentive forthe development of improvedcrops by international plantbreeding companies. Championsof intellectual property rightshave given this patronising ad-vice to third world countries:Don’t oppose the system, playwithin it.At a crucial stage in the debate,following the preparation of thefirst draft of the report by theseven science academies in the

summer 1999, TWAS retorted bynoting that poor countries haveneither the financial resourcesnor the legal and technical know-how to become involved in thecomplexities of patenting. Andeven if developing countrieschoose to fight, it will be a battlebetween unequals because poorcountries would be no match forenormously rich and resourcefulmultinationals backed by theirpowerful governments. The second round of the discus-sions, which took place 20-22February 2000 also at the RoyalSociety offices in London, includ-ed an articulate pre-diner presen-tation by Margaret Llewelyn, se-nior lecturer in law, University ofSheffield, U.K., on the dauntingintricacies of intellectual proper-ty rights and patent laws. Hermessage was clear: playing thepatenting game is not for thepoor, yet they cannot escape thetraps laid by the WTO (WorldTrade Organization) and the ap-propriately titled TRIPS (agree-

ment on Trade Related Aspects ofIntellectual Property Rights).Such insights helped to steer theconversation to a more balancedappreciation of the conditionsthat must be satisfied for GMtechnology to benefit those whomay need it the most. The finalreport, while generally endorsingthe use of GM technologies, alsoincluded the following caveatsthat are designed to protect, atleast in a limited way, the inter-ests of poor nations:• Farmers must be allowed tosave seeds for future use.• Broad intellectual propertyright claims, or claims on DNAsequences, without a true inven-tion being made, should not begranted.• An international advisory com-mittee should be created to as-sess the interests of both privatecompanies and developing coun-tries in the generation and use ofGM plants to benefit the poor.• New public-sector initiativesshould be launched as part of a

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[CONTINUED PAGE 6]

larger effort to make GM cropsbeneficial to poor farmers in de-veloping regions.While the final text, TransgenicPlants and World Agriculture,does not address all of the con-cerns of developing countriesand while this “scientific perspec-tive” is unlikely to quell the de-bate over the use of GM technol-ogy, the report should be com-mended on several accounts.First, the findings of the pub-lished report are much more re-sponsive to the needs of agricul-ture in developing countriesthan discussions in the firstmeeting suggested they wouldbe. Academy representatives at-tending the meetings should becommended for keeping openminds about perspectives thatdiffered from their own and fortheir willingness to incorporatethese perspectives into the finaldraft.Second, the “plus and minus” as-sessment has added credibility toother reports, most notably a re-port by Christian Aid, SellingSuicide (http:www.christian-aid.

org.uk/reports/suicide/index.html).Such reports have stressed theneed to give greater importanceto the optimal use of traditionalagricultural techniques as part ofa comprehensive global strategyto address the food needs of thenext century, especially amongdeveloping countries.Discovering crops, which are fitfor human consumption, tolerantto salt, and capable of growingon poor soils, is a compellingchallenge that traditional agri-cultural techniques have notsolved and that GM technologyhas promised to tackle but with-out much enthusiasm or success.In fact, little on the horizon sug-gests that these critical humani-tarian goals will soon be met byeither old or new technologies.That’s just one reason why all sci-entific avenues should continueto be explored in addressingglobal food-related concerns.After all, we live in a high-techworld where one-third of theworld’s population remains fedby low-tech subsistence farmingtechniques. Eighty percent of the

agricultural land on the Indiansubcontinent, for instance, is inthe hands of farmers who ownplots of less than 10 acres. Firstand foremost, these farmers needseeds with stable genetic inheri-tance preserved over several gen-erations. GM seeds developed todate have failed to meet this es-sential precondition.In the final analysis, GM technol-ogy may hold some promise forincreasing the global food supplybut that promise is not cost-freeand it offers no guarantee that itwill ever be fully successful. Putanother way, GM technology isnot the devil but it is no saintlyscientific solution either. ■

> Muhammad AkhtarTWAS Founding Fellow

and Vice-PresidentProfessor Emeritus, University ofSouthamptom, United Kingdom

For the full text of TransgenicPlants and World Agriculture, see

the Royal Society homepagewww.royalsociety.org or the

TWAS website www.twas-online.org.

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José I. Vargas, who had been president of the ThirdWorld Academy of Sciences (TWAS) since 1996,resigned from the post this spring (see “Vargas StepsDown,” TWAS Newsletter, April - June 2000).

During Vargas’s tenure, both TWAS and the ThirdWorld Network of Scientific Organizations(TWNSO), where he has served as presi-dent since 1996, have substantiallystrengthened their positions as lead-ing voices for the promotion of sci-entific research and science-baseddevelopment in the South. On theorganizational front, TWAS mem-bership increased from 451 whenVargas assumed office, to 543today. On the financial front, theTWAS endowment fund nearly dou-bled from just over US$2.5 million to justunder US$5 million; equally important, theItalian parliament is now on the verge of signing legis-lation to provide a permanent funding base for theAcademy that will reach more than US$1.2 millionannually by next year. On the international front, thisspring the members of the InterAcademy Panel (IAP),a group of 80 scientific academies from around theworld (including the academies of Brazil, China, India

and the United States) voted to move the IAP secre-tariat to Trieste, where TWAS will serve as its host.

Meanwhile, membership in TWNSO, which consistslargely of ministries of science and technology, contin-ues to climb upward. It now totals 155 institutions in

74 countries. The 1998 publication of Profilesof Institutions for Scientific Exchange and

Training in the South, a four-year pro-ject directed by TWNSO in collabo-

ration with the South Centre, rep-resents the most comprehensivedescription of the capabilities ofscientific institutions in the devel-oping world in print. Approxi-

mately 5000 copies of the mono-graph have been distributed to sci-

entific institutions around the world.Grants from the United Nations Deve-

lopment Programme (UNDP) Special Unit forTechnical Cooperation (SU/TCDC), the United NationEnvironment Programme (UNEP) Global EnvironmentFacility (GEF), and the World Meteorological Organi-zation (WMO), each designed to highlight successfulapplications of science and technology and to promotenetworks of scientific institutions in the South, arehelping to improve the dialogue on the role of science

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FEATURE

SPEAKING WITH VARGAS

JOSÉ I . VARGAS EXAMINES HIS TENURE AS TWAS PRESIDENT

— AND LOOKS TO THE ACADEMY’S FUTURE AS WELL.

[CONTINUED PAGE 8]

in society at a critical juncture in the long, largely trou-bled, history of science-based development in thedeveloping world.

Vargas is the first to admit that he has not beenalone in the success of TWAS and TWNSO. As he hassaid on many occasions, the progress that the twoorganizations have achieved in advancing their goals islargely due to the enthusiasm and commitment of theirmembership and the hard work and dedication of theorganizations’ secretariat. At the same time, membersof TWAS and TWNSO have been quick to express theirgratitude to Vargas for the masterful job he has done

in raising the effectiveness and visibility of the organi-zations that he has so ably headed for the past fouryears.

In late July, the editor of the TWAS Newsletter con-ducted an hour-long phone interview with Vargas, whospoke from his office in Paris, where he now serves asthe Brazilian Ambassador to United Nations Educatio-nal, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).During the broad-ranging conversation, Vargas remini-sced about his efforts on behalf on TWAS and TWNSOand spoke about the work that he thinks still needs tobe done. What follows are extended excerpts. ■

What were the circumstances under which youassumed the presidency of TWAS and TWNSO?What were some of your early actions? What impactdid these actions have on the Academy?

I became president of TWAS and TWNSO at theprodding of Nobel Laureate (Physics 1979) AbdusSalam, who founded and then led both organizationsfrom their very beginnings. Chronic health problems inthe early 1990s prevented Salam from continuing inhis leadership capacity. He believed that my experiencewith UNESCO (where I had served on the executiveboard) and with the Brazilian government (where I

was serving as the minister of science and technology)would assist me well in my capacity as president ofTWAS and TWNSO. From the start of my term, I neverviewed my work as anything more than fulfilling themandate that Salam had set for the organizations,which primarily entailed promoting scientific excel-lence in the developing world. Salam, in fact, hadalready put in place many of the mechanisms forachieving this mandate. For example, the number ofAcademy members was increasing by some 25 or soeach year by the mid 1990s. Under my tenure, we havesimply maintained this rate of growth without com-promising the quality of scientists who are elected. The

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ever-growing number of prominent scientists from theSouth who are members of TWAS has been — andremains — the heart and soul of the organization. I amhappy to report that this fundamental aspect of theAcademy has become both deeper and broader duringmy tenure — not because of anything I did per se butbecause the quality of scientific research continues toimprove in a number of countries throughout theSouth. As a second order of business, both TWAS andTWNSO — through their scholarship, fellowship andtraining programmes; research seminars, workshopsand conferences; and sponsorship and promotion ofcentres of excellence — have emerged as significantplayers in South-South cooperation. TWAS andTWNSO’s principal mandates, which were also initiallyarticulated by Salam, have been goals that I have con-tinued to advance with the help ofthe membership and secretariat. Iconsider the publication of theProfiles of Institutions for ScientificExchange and Training in the South in1998, which represented an updateof a 1994 edition of a monographwhose publication Salam spearhead-ed, to be a major accomplishment.With descriptions of more than 400institutions in the South, the bookhas quickly become a valuable reference for sciencepolicy makers and scientific researchers around theworld. In addition, the TWAS/TWNSO general confer-ences in Brazil in 1997 and in Senegal in 1999 provid-ed important platforms for the exchange of informationand insights among scientific researchers and adminis-trators. Although discussions were sometimes lessfocused than I would have liked, the events haveproven indispensable for those interested in the state ofboth scientific research and science policies in theSouth. Finally, one area where I think my presence hasmade a significant difference is in the growth of theTWAS endowment fund, which I believe is the key tothe Academy’s future well-being and independence.When I assumed the presidency, the fund had been inexistence for several years. Contributions, which hadrushed in during the fund’s early years, had plateauedby the early 1990s at about US$2.5 million. Today, I amhappy to report that the fund is nearly halfway towards

it US$10-million goal. My close ties to Fernando H.Cardoso, a TWAS fellow (1984), who has served asBrazil’s minister of foreign affairs and then finance andwho is now the nation’s President, help to explain whythe endowment has grown. Cardoso’s tireless efforts onthe Academy’s behalf have opened doors for TWAS tohigh-level governmental officials that never may havebeen opened without him. Now that the endowment’scoffers have reached a respectable level, exclusivelywith contributions from the developing world, it’s timeto ask our friends and colleagues in the North for assis-tance in reaching our ultimate US$10-million target.Preliminary groundwork for such an effort has takenplace over the past two years, and I am confident thatsome Northern nations will soon be forthcoming withcontributions.

Which decisions during yourtenure as president of TWAS andTWNSO do you consider the mostsignificant? Which decisions fellshort of your expectations?

Beyond the areas discussed abo-ve, including maintaining the highstandards of the Academy’s member-ship and advancing the goals of the

Academy’s endowment fund, I think I am most proudof how TWAS and TWNSO have strengthened theirpartnerships with like-minded organizations both inthe South and North. For example, I am delighted withthe role that TWAS played in the World Conference onScience, held in Budapest, in 1999. The Academy orga-nized two major thematic sessions, “Science inResponse to Basic Human Needs” and “Science forDevelopment.” In addition, more than 25 TWAS fellows gave presentations, including four who gaveopening ceremony addresses — myself, M.S.Swaminathan (founding fellow), Lydia Makhubu (fel-low 1988) and Miguel A. Virasoro (fellow 1994). Ithink TWAS helped to make a difference in Budapestby raising the level of developing world participation.As a result, many of the conference recommendationswere directed towards the concerns of scientists andscientific institutions in the South. I am also delightedto report that at a recent meeting that I, the Academy’s

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The ever-growing numberof prominent scientistsfrom the South who are

members of TWASremains the heart and

soul of the organization.

[CONTINUED PAGE 10]

new president, C.N.R. Rao, and the executive director,Mohamed Hassan, had with the newly appointeddirector general of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, theDG informed us that UNESCO’s contribution to TWASactivities with UNESCO would no longer be part of theorganization’s “extra-ordinary” budget but included inthe “ordinary” budget. This support, which will totalabout US$160,000 every two years, will ensure thefuture of our joint activities and make it possible toprovide much needed assistance to one of the devel-oping world’s greatest assets: its young scientists. TheItalian government’s imminent decision to provide apermanent funding base for TWAS, which will guaran-tee our long-term future, is a sure sign of the healthyrelationship between the Academy and the Italian gov-ernment. And, the recent decision to move the secre-tariat of the InterAcademy Panel (IAP) toTrieste, with TWAS as its host, promis-es to open new and fruitfulavenues of cooperation betweenNorth and South — anencouraging developmentnot only for TWAS but forthe global scientific com-munity. Having said allthat, however, I must admitthat TWAS, and particularlyTWNSO, have fallen shortof my fondest expectationswhen it comes to addressingconcrete problems that requiresolid scientific information andanalysis as basic prerequisites for intelli-gent decision making. We have talked a great dealabout information sharing and networking but haveyet to devise a successful strategy for ensuring thegrowth of either on a consistent basis. We have soughtto promote centres of scientific excellence in the Southand have even had a hand in raising their profile, butmost of these centres remain outside the policy arena,particularly when it comes to issues of critical impor-tance to the social and environmental well-being ofaverage citizens. Likewise, we have discussed the needto pay particular attention to the problems of sub-Saharan Africa but have not made much of a differencein the world’s most troubled region. As a result, I wish

both institutions, and especially TWNSO, could deviseand implement more effective strategies for using sci-ence to tackle critical everyday problems. One way tobecome more effective may lie in concentrating moreon the mechanics of successful policy making — forexample, organizing workshops on how to put togeth-er a legislative package for the promotion of science;or how to create a long-term scientific plan for institu-tional development; or how to forge stronger linksbetween science and other sectors of society. Anotherway to become more effective may lie in taking onsmaller, more focused aspects, of a problem — forexample, instead of examining issues related to thewhole of sub-Saharan Africa, choose a subregion thereand select a particular issue, and then target resourcesand programmes to address the problem comprehen-

sively. In other words, TWNSO — whendeveloping its activities — may want to

choose a few topics and confine itsinterest to a limited geographical

area — and then marry one tothe other. Such a strategymight enable us to have moremeaningful impacts on theground than we have hadthus far. I don’t want to min-imize the considerable suc-

cess of either TWAS andTWNSO but our efforts to date

have often been more beneficialfor scientists and scientific commu-

nities than for the societies in whichthey live and work.

What does the future hold for you? How do youplan to remain active in TWAS?

I plan to assist TWAS and TWNSO in any way I canfrom my new position as the Brazilian ambassador toUNESCO. As I have in the past, I will encourage closerties between TWAS, TWNSO and UNESCO. The deeplyrooted relationship that UNESCO enjoys with bothorganization bodes well for the future. I have recentlybeen appointed president of UNESCO’s Latin Ame-rican and Caribbean Group, which consists of 33 LatinAmerican and Carribean countries, as well as coordi-

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nator of its working group of sciences. I will be coor-dinating a similar group within UNESCO’s G-77.Consisting of 130 member states, the G-77 is thelargest contingent of countries representing the inter-ests of the developing world in the UN system. TWAS,as many Academy members know, recently became thefirst scientific organization to receive a G-77/UNDPaward for the promotion of scienceand technology for sustainable eco-nomic growth in developing coun-tries. I hope we can build upon thisrecognition to create closer tiesbetween TWAS and G-77 over thenext few years. I have also beenasked to serve as chairperson of theCommunity of Portuguese LanguageCountries in UNESCO, which includes my home coun-try of Brazil. Representatives from this seven-membergroup have expressed interest in collectively exploringissues related to the impact of globalization on cultur-al diversity. Science, as we all know, has always been auniversal pursuit but the research agenda in eachcountry can never escape taking place within a cultur-al context. This is a theme that TWAS has explored inthe past and will continue to explore in the future. Forexample, the relationship between science and culturewill be the theme of a major session at the upcomingTWAS general meeting in Tehran to be held thisOctober. I am hopeful that TWAS and UNESCO’sCommunity of Portuguese Language Countries canmeet together to explore this and other areas of mutu-al concern in the near future. In fact, I plan to invite

the Academy’s executive director to speak to the groupat one of its upcoming meetings that are held monthlyin Paris. At the same time, I am pursuing options forhaving Profiles of Institutions for Scientific Exchangeand Training in the South translated into French,Portuguese and perhaps several other languages. Weall know that English is the language of science, but

publishing science-related reports,articles and monographs in nativelanguages will help reduce theadvantage that scientists fromEnglish-speaking nations currentlyenjoy both in conducting researchand having their research resultspublished. For these reasons, I havevoiced my strong support for the

United Nations University project to use the internetfor real-time translations of scientific publications into15 languages. More than 100 researchers from aroundthe world — linguists, physicists, computer scientists— have worked on the project. Technology is now onthe horizon that could break the Anglo-Saxon hold onscience. The implications for TWAS and TWNSO areenormous and the United Nations University real-timetranslation project deserves the full support of bothorganizations. I could go on and on. But simply andbriefly stated, the answer to your question is that Idon’t intend to go away. I look forward to continuingto work closely with the entire network of scientificinstitutions in Trieste in my new capacities as we allstrive to advance the noble cause of science-baseddevelopment in the South. ■

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I plan to assist TWASand TWNSO in any way

I can from my newposition as the Brazilianambassador to UNESCO.

Like all the other capacity building programmes spon-sored by the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS),the lectureship programme, organized in co-operationwith the International Council for Science (ICSU) andthe United Nations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization (UNESCO), is driven by a desire to improvethe quality of research among scientists in the developingworld. However, this programme has a unique twist:Instead of providing scientists in developing countrieswith opportunities to study abroad, the lectureship pro-gramme encourages scientists from the developed worldto travel to universities and research institutions in theSouth. Lecturers, often internationally recognized intheir fields, are extended an invitation by a host institu-tion in the developing world. Once an arrangement is inplace, TWAS and the programme cosponsors agree to payfor travel costs, while the host institution agrees to coverthe lecturers’ daily living expenses. To date, more than

200 lecturers have visited institutions in the South togive talks and hold discussions on a variety of cutting-edge research issues, ranging from astronomy to hydrol-ogy to seismology. As the following article suggests, theseinitial encounters often help nurture long-term collabo-ration among scientists who share common researchinterests.

Diana Anderson, head of educational services atTNO BIBRA International Ltd., in the United Kingdom,has spent much of her career studying public healthrisks posed by the potentially adverse impacts of envi-ronmental pollutants — everything from cigarettesmoke to factory emissions.

“These pollutants,” she says, “may have a toxiceffect on human cells that could lead to a host of dis-orders, including cancer.” The research challenges aredaunting — for example, distinguishing genetic pre-

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FEATURE

TALKING SCIENCE...GETTING RESULTS

DESIGNED AS A PARTNERSHIP FOR PARTNERSHIPS, THE TWAS/ICSU/UNESCO

LECTURESHIP PROGRAMME PROVIDES A PLATFORM FOR SOUTH-NORTH

CO-OPERATION ON CRITICAL SCIENTIFIC ISSUES OF COMMON CONCERN.

disposition from adverse environmental exposures;pinpointing a carcinogen’s mechanism of toxicity; anddeciphering the thresholds at which once-healthy cellsbegin to die or unhealthy cells begin to proliferate. It’sall part of a complex puzzle that sometimes carry lifeand death consequences.

Meanwhile, Alok Dhawan, a scientist from theIndustrial Toxicology Research Centre (ITRC), inLucknow, India, has been concerned with similar issuesever since he graduated from Lucknow University, witha doctorate in biochemistry, in 1991.

“People in India,” Dhawan says, “like people every-where, are exposed to a range of environmental pollu-tants often threatening to their health and well being.”These risks rarely make the news unless there is a trag-ic event involving many people, such as the incidentthat took place in Bhopal, India, in 1984, when emis-sions of poisonous gas at a chemical plant killed sever-al thousand people living nearby.

“The dangers,” Dhawan notes, “are often muchmore subtle than that and, as a result, often go unno-ticed. In fact, in many instances, we really don’t knoweither what the dangers are or where they may be mosttroublesome.”

Anderson’s and Dhawan’s careers initially crossedpaths when Dhawan went to work at BIBRA in 1994.His visit was made possible through funding providedby the Indian National Science Academy/Royal Society(UK) exchange programme. Dhawan remained at thefacility for 3 months during which time he first learnedabout ’comet assays’ that medical researchers use toidentify and assess DNA damage in human cells.

“These assays, which draw on advanced knowledgein genotoxicology and molecular epidemiology, arebased on some of the most up-to-date techniques inthe field of toxicology,” notes Dhawan. “The insightsthe assays provide,” he adds, “allow scientists to knowmore about the impact that pollutants are having onthe health and vitality of our cells.” In fact, genotoxi-cologists — scientists who study the effect of agents onDNA — have come to rely on comet assays as a majornew tool for better understanding the baffling array offactors, both natural and environmental, that affectour molecular make-up and sometimes those of ouroffspring as well.

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[CONTINUED PAGE 14]

Dhawan’s initial foray into this research area, basedon his travels to the United Kingdom, have sincebecome a major focus of his research — thanks in partto the intellectual exchanges that have taken placewith Anderson. Meanwhile, Anderson has enjoyed astrong relationship with Indian research institutes dat-ing back to 1986 when she wasasked to lecture at the IndianEnvironmental Mutagen Society inMadras. She then spent nearly threeweeks at the Industrial ToxicologyResearch Centre (ITRC), speakingabout research and organizing train-ing sessions on genetic and repro-ductive toxicology. Anderson re-turned to India in 1994 and again in1997.

“My journey to ITRC in January2000 felt like a home coming ofsorts,” explains Anderson. “I wasable to see several old colleaguesand introduce myself to youngIndian researchers who were eagerto hear about the recent events inthe field.”

In all, during her one-week stay,she gave two lectures assessing thehealth risks faced by workersexposed to chemical pollutants andshe led a host of discussions, bothformal and informal, on the samesubject. “The staff at ITRC were notonly interested in my laboratoryresearch but wanted to know how they could betterdisseminate their findings to government, industry andacademia.”

“Anderson’s visit felt like a homecoming for us too,”says Dhawan. “Diana is an ex-officio member of ourresearch community and we were glad to have herwith us again. She brought along a lot of new researchideas and laboratory applications that we hope to inte-grate into our educational and training activities in themonths ahead.”

Prahlad K. Seth, the Director of ITRC, putsAnderson’s visit in this perspective: “The TWAS/ICSU/UNESCO lectureship programme has given our

researchers opportunities to share ideas with some ofthe world’s most prominent scientists. During her vis-its, Anderson, for example, has discussed the latestmethodological issues in genotoxicity with some ofIndia’s most eminent researchers in the field.

The effort fits in nicely with other partnerships thatwe have developed,” Seth continues,“for example, with the Council ofScientific and Industrial Research-Deutscher Akademischer Austausch-dienst (CSIR-DAAD) exchange pro-gramme that has been forgedbetween India and Germany. Alltogether, these initiatives are help-ing us build a critical mass of exper-tise in variety of related fields,including genetic toxicology, xenobi-otic metabolism and pulmonary tox-icology.”

Dhawan has developed two mainareas of research. The first focuseson the different ways in whichcytochrome P450 proteins expressthemselves inside the brain and therole that such expressions play inepisodes of chemical toxicity withinthe brain.

“The second area of our studies,which relies on blood-related cometassays, sheds light on the potentialdamage to DNA in humans who areexposed to cigarette smoke, lead andother harmful pollutants.” Dhawan

hopes that these studies will help “uncover compoundsthat cause DNA damage and may act as mutagens andcarcinogens, as well as those that may act as antimu-tagens and anticarcinogens. The latter may provideinsights into potential anti-cancer compounds andtherapies.”

On a more general level, “the research being con-ducted by Dhawan and his colleagues,” says Seth,“could eventually provide a scientific explanation forthe different responses that various segments of India’spopulation have to environmental insults. That fitsinto a growing effort in India to use science to addresscritical public health issues.” There are promising

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signs, in terms of funding trends, research output andgrowing citizen awareness of its value, that science inIndia has reached a new, more sustainable level, ofpublic support. But Seth cautions that “much moreremains to be done and that programmes like TWAS’slectureship programme are one way to help ensurethat progress on all fronts continues.”

“There are three important steps that the scientificcommunity in the developing world can take to helpadvance their own cause,” notes Seth. “First, it shoulddraw up specific plans for addressing critical nationalproblems — for example, plans for dealing with issuesrelated to health, food, energy and the environment.Public support for science will only take place over thelong term if science makes anearnest attempt to tackle problemsthat are important to the public.”

“Second, the scientific commu-nity in developing countries shouldidentify areas of science in which itenjoys a strategic advantage due toits indigenous knowledge orunique resource base. That wouldallow the science to flourish with-out being squeezed by outside competition.”

“And third, scientific institutions in the Third Worldthat gain a level of expertise within certain fields ofstudy should share their knowledge with their counter-parts in other developing countries both at an individ-ual and institutional level. That’s what we have done atITRC where we now offer training opportunities toboth scientists and students interested in toxicology.”

Such partnerships extend to the North as well. AsAnderson explains: “I applied for the TWAS lectureshipprogramme because I believe it is essential to nurturethe fruits of science and technology not just at theplace of their discovery, but wherever they may be use-ful. The toxicology research and assays we have devel-oped at my research centre are particularly importantto Third World countries. Because I already had excel-lent contacts with scientists at ITRC, I knew that myreturn would be particularly productive.”

In the future, Anderson and Dhawan plan to active-ly continue their collaboration both in India and theUnited Kingdom. On the heels of receiving India’sCouncil for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

“Young Scientist Award” in 1999, Dhawan was grant-ed a BOYSCAST (Better Opportunities for YoungScientists in Chosen Areas of Science and Technology)Fellowship from India’s federal Department of Scienceand Technology. The fellowship has enabled Dhawanto travel to the United Kingdom for a year to pursueresearch on issues related to human molecular epi-demiology. Building on the knowledge and experiencehe has acquired in the past, Dhawan has focused onways of determining whether populations have beenexposed to hazardous chemicals that may prove detri-mental to their long-term health.

During his stay, one of Dhawan’s objectives hasbeen to refine his ability to use and analyze comet

assays. Another objective has beento learn how to detect oncopro-teins, which are probably earlymarkers of cancer, in human plas-ma samples, and to identify dam-aged chromosomes using fluores-cence in situ hybridization tech-niques in lymphocytes.

“Mastering such techniques,”observes Anderson, “could prove

useful in uncovering early exposure to a host of pollu-tants. Equally important, once learned, the techniquescan be easily transferred to laboratories in India wherethey can be put to work protecting the health of com-mon people who might be at risk and don’t know it.”

And that’s just one more reason why the TWAS lec-tureship has proven to be more than just talk. The pro-ject’s co-sponsors — TWAS, ICSU and UNESCO —have together created a partnership that fosters part-nerships among scientists and scientific institutionsdedicated to advancing goals of common concern tocommon people. ■

For additional information about the TWAS/ICSU/UNESCO Lectureships in Science and Sustainable Development programme, please contact > Helen Grant, Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), c/o the Abdus Salam Centre for Theoretical Physics(ICTP), 34014 Trieste, Italy; phone: +39 040 2240387; fax: +39 040 224559; e-mail: [email protected]; orsee the TWAS website at www.twas-online.org

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“The TWAS/ICSU/UNESCOlectureship programme has

given our researchersopportunities to share ideas

with some of the world’smost prominent scientists.”

The 12th General Meeting of the Third World Academyof Sciences (TWAS) will take place in Tehran, Iran,between 21-26 October. More than 100 scientists fromaround the world are expected to attend. The govern-ment of the Islamic Republic of Iran will host the event,and the republic’s president, Syed Mohamad Khatami-Ardakani, will give the opening address. In addition toreviewing the activities of TWAS and the Third WorldNetwork of Scientific Organizations (TWNSO) over thepast year and honouring TWAS and TWNSO award win-ners for 1999, the meeting will seek to achieve the fol-lowing goals:• Showcase the work of scientists and scientific institu-tions in the Islamic Republic of Iran to promote collabo-ration between Iranian scientists and their colleagues inother countries.• Examine strategies for increasing the capacity of devel-oping nations to take full advantage of unprecedentedadvances in biotechnology for economic development.• Encourage a science-based dialogue among nations notonly as a means of advancing science-based developmentworldwide but as a valuable tool for bridging the cultur-al divide among nations.The first two days of the conference, 21-22 October, willbe devoted to the annual meetings of TWAS and TWNSO,including business sessions of the TWAS council, TWNSOgeneral assembly and TWNSO executive board. The con-cluding two days of the conference, 23 -24 October, willbe devoted to lectures, symposia and workshops, includ-ing talks by TWAS medal and prize winners. Among thosewho have agreed to participate in the conference are H.Schopper, retired director general of CERN (the EuropeanLaboratory for Particle Physics), Switzerland; A. Jalali,permanent delegate of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Or-ganization (UNESCO); Thomas R. Odhiambo, honourarypresident of the African Academy of Sciences; G.O.P. Obasi,Secretary General, World Meteorological Organization((WMO); E. Norby, Secretary General, Royal SwedishAcademy of Sciences; Yong Xiang Lu, President of theChinese Academy of Sciences; José I. Vargas, former min-ister of science and technology, Brazil, immediate pastpresident of TWAS and currently permanent delegate ofBrazil to UNESCO; Y.W. Kan, professor, Department ofLaboratory Medicine, University of California, SanFrancisco, USA; and A.H. Zakri, deputy vice-chancellor,academic affairs, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.In early fall, the editor of the TWAS Newsletter askedMostafa Moin, Minister of Science, Research andTechnology of the Islamic Republic of Iran, to present hisviews on the present and future role of science and tech-nology in his home country and throughout the develop-ing world, and to outline his thoughts on the goals of theconference and Iran’s participation in the global scientificand technology community. In the following article, whichis based on the interview, Moin focuses on the positiveimpacts that a revitalized system of higher educationwould have on Iranian society, not only in terms of thenation’s educational well-being but also in terms of its eco-nomic prosperity, technical know-how and cultural values.

A t the dawn of the third millennium, the poten-tial growth and development of all nationsrests on a foundation of science and techno-

logy. Those nations capable of acquiring and applyingscientific and technological knowledge will be able toprovide their people with unlimited opportunities tolive honourable and proud lives. How prepared are

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TWAS

MINISTER MOSTAFA MOIN, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN, DISCUSSES THE STATE OF SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY IN HIS COUNTRY ON THE EVE OF TWAS 12TH GENERAL MEETING IN THERAN.

TWAS IN TEHRAN

developing nations to meet the scientific and techno-logical challenges of the future? A few indices revealthe state of the playing field. For example, developedcountries have between 2500 and 5000 students foreach 100,000 population compared to between 500and 2000 students for each 100,000 population indeveloping nations (Iran has about 2100 students foreach 100,000 population). Similarly, developed na-tions have between 2500 and 6700 researchers foreach 1 million population; developing nations havebetween 150 and 2200 (Iran has about 340 resear-chers for each 1 million population). Developed coun-tries spend between 3 and 4.6 percent of their grossnational product (GNP) on research; developing coun-tries spend between 0.25 and 8 percent of their GNPon research (in Iran, the percentage is 0.44 percent).Finally, the ratio of lecturers and instructors to stu-dents is 5 to 7 in developed countries, while the ratiolies between 5 and 24 in developed countries (in Iran,the ratio is 22 students for each lecturer and instructor).The Islamic Republic of Iran launched an aggressiveprogramme for science-and technology-based develop-ment about a decade ago. A key component of thisstrategy has been to reform our university system inways that draw institutions of higher education intocloser collaboration with other sectors of society.International scientific indices, together with our ownresearch studies, suggest that Iran is in the middle ofthe spectrum of developing countries when it comes toscience and technology. But that places our nation wellbehind advanced and industrial countries in terms of ahost of factors related to science and technology. Infact, studies conducted by Iranian researchers con-clude that Iran is about 40 years behind advancednations in the acquisition and application of scientificand technological knowledge. That gap will likelywiden, not shrink, given the accelerated pace of scien-tific and technological progress in advanced countries.How do we intend to improve the state of our univer-sities and thus the state of science and technology in

Iran? Through a variety ofmeasures including:• Increasing governmentaland nongovernmental fund-ing for universities.• Nurturing a healthy cultural environment withinuniversities that is attentive to Islamic values.• Expanding access to universities, especially towomen.• Offering more opportunities to attend universityactivities through evening classes, part-time curricula,and non-matriculating courses.• Focusing university curriculum on disciplines thatreflect and respond to society’s needs.• Devising quantitative measures for assessing thequality of higher education.• Building human resources and laying the ground-work for applications of science and technology toserve everyday problems.• Improving the nation’s university infrastructure,especially its computer and internet facilities.• Encouraging regional markets to take advantage ofcurrent demands for home-grown technologies by tap-ping university expertise. Despite our desire to advance the frontier of scienceand technology, we realize that many obstacles remainin our path. Among the most critical impediments are:• Lack of long-term planning for the development ofhigher education and the absence of systematic assess-ments of research capabilities and priorities.• Inadequate physical facilities and insufficient con-ceptual flexibility and dynamism in higher educationthat prevents the system from responding quickly toadvances in science and technology and changingsocial needs.• Low levels of productivity among faculty, especiallywhen it comes to the production of knowledge and ser-vices that society finds useful.• Poor reputation of Iranian universities in the globalcommunity of higher education.

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TWAS Newsletter, Vol. 12 No. 3, Jul-Sep 2000

Mostafa Moin

• Limited number of international relationships andprogrammes for international cooperation.• Inefficient information systems for the exchange ofdata and findings among researchers, and the absenceof a comprehensive system for the distribution ofresearch results to a larger public.• Too few centres of scientific excellence that can setthe standards for others to emulate.Globalization has made it necessary for all nations toembrace modern technologies. The future of devel-oped and developing nations alike is driven largely byscientific and technological forces that now reach intoevery corner of every endeavour in every nation onearth. No nation, in fact, can hope to achieve its eco-nomic and social goals without a full understandingand appreciation of the power of science and tech-nology.Such forces have made the close relationships thathave always existed among education, research andtechnology more intricate than ever. It has alsorequired nations to think more deeply about develop-ment inputs and outputs than they have in the past. Inshort, processes and products have never been moreclosely intertwined and human resource capacity andeconomic and social well-being never more intimatelyconnected. To overcome underdevelopment, develop-ing nations must increase their scientific and techno-logical know-how. That, in turn, requires developingnations to alter the rules, structures, relationships andoutlooks responsible for the separation that has takenplace between education, research and technology inmany societies in the South. Nurturing a proper envi-ronment, which is infused with a new energy for sci-entific and technological development, is one of themajor challenges facing Iran and other developingcountries. The challenge extends beyond funding(however important it may be) into the realms ofideas, administration, management and policy. Whatdeveloping nations must do is to develop a sensibility

towards science and tech-nology that is consistentwith their traditional cul-tural values and beliefs.The first steps in thiseffort are straightforward.We must launch detailed studies to evaluate thestrengths and weaknesses of our nation’s scientific andtechnical capabilities and provide sufficient financialresources to overcome the shortfalls that are prevent-ing us from reaching our full scientific and technicalpotential. Subsequent steps, which include raisingpublic appreciation and support for science and tech-nology, will require more nuanced policies to succeed.Through all of these efforts, government must beactively engaged — indeed must take a leadershiprole. By encouraging investments in research anddevelopment, government can spark innovations inthe production of goods and services that benefit peo-ple, thereby helping to build support for these endeav-ours. By supporting improvements in education at alllevels, government can help develop the humanresources needed to embrace and advance science andtechnology. By setting an agenda and preparing blue-prints for progress, government can help ensure thatthe development of science and technology takes placein an efficient and timely manner. Finally, by setting ascience and technology agenda that is tailored to thereligious principles and morés of a nation, governmentcan help weave scientific and technological develop-ments into the fabric of the nation’s traditional values,which may be the only way to guarantee that theadvances of science and technology endure. ■

For detailed information about the TWAS 12th General Meeting in Tehran, please contact > TWAS, c/o the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Strada Costiera 11, 34014 Trieste, Italy; phone: +39 040 2240 327; fax: +39 040 224559; e-mail: [email protected],or > the Tehran Secretariat, Office for InternationalScientific Cooperation, Ministry of Science, Research andTechnology, PO Box 15875-4375, Ustad Nijatullahi Ave.,Tehran, Iran, I.R.; phone: +98 21 889-1065; fax: +98 21 882 7234; e-mail: [email protected].

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Syed M. Khatami-Ardakani

T he governments of Nigeria and Pakistan haveeach opened regional field offices for theThird World Academy of Sciences (TWAS)

and Third World Network of Scientific Organization(TWNSO).

The Nigerian office will be located in the capitalcity of Abuja, and the Pakistani office in the capitalcity of Islamabad. Each office will seek to facilitatethe distribution of information concerning TWASand TWNSO and, more generally, to serve as clear-ing houses for news and activities concerning sci-ence and technology in the developing world.

The Nigerian TWNSO office is housed in a down-town officer building equipped with computers andfull internet connections. The official ceremonymarking the opening of the office took place on 15June and was attended by the Minister of Scienceand Technology, Chief Ebitimi Banigo; TWAS

Executive Director Mohamed Hassan; TWASFounding Fellow and Honorary President of theAfrican Academy of Sciences T.R. Odhiambo; andTWAS Vice President and Secretary General of theWorld Meteorological Organization, G.O.B. Obasi.

“We plan to make the office a major regional hubfor research and training activities in science andtechnology not only in Nigeria but in other nationsthroughout sub-Saharan Africa,” says Chief Banigo.“The ministry’s upcoming budget,” he adds, “will in-clude funding for activities that will be organized bythe TWNSO field office in 2001. Issues related tobiotechnology and information technology in sub-Saharan Africa are likely to be the focus of our con-cern.”

As part of a broader strategy, Chief Banigo notedthat the TWNSO field office in Nigeria would pushfor the creation of a regional network among

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TWNSO

NIGERIA AND PAKISTAN BOTH RECENTLY LAUNCHED REGIONAL FIELD OFFICES TO

PROMOTE TWAS- AND TWNSO-RELATED ACTIVITIES. THE GOAL IS TO PROVIDE A

CLOSE-AT-HAND FORUM FOR THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION RELATED TO SCI-

ENCE-BASED DEVELOPMENT.

NEW REGIONAL OFFICES FOR TWAS, TWNSO

TWNSO member states in sub-Saharan Africa andseek to enhance the commitment of African nationsto science- and technology-based development — inpart, by encouraging the heads of African govern-ments to declare that they will invest at least 2 per-cent of their gross domestic product (GDP) in sci-ence and technology activities. Chief Banigo alsodeclared that the TWNSO field office would helpboth TWNSO and TWAS gain observer status with-in the Organization of African Unity (OAU).

Meanwhile, a memorandum of understandingsigned by TWAS, TWNSO and COMSATS (theCommission on Science and Technology forSustainable Development in the South), which callsfor greater coordination in the dissemination of in-formation on science and technology activities inPakistan and other nations in the region, has led tothe creation of a TWAS/TWNSO regional field of-fice. Officially titled a “coordinating” office, the sec-retariat has been given office space in the head-quarters of COMSATS.

Ishfaq Ahmad, Chairman of the Pakistan AtomicEnergy Commission, who participated in the open-ing ceremony for the office in July, notes that “thecoordinating office is designed to meet a long-standing need for the exchange of informationamong science and technology institutions through-out the region. I am convinced that such an ex-change will lead to more effective science policiesand programmes in the future.”

Hameed Ahmed Khan, executive director ofCOMSATS, expressed hope that the office “wouldstrengthen the already strong relationship betweenTWAS/TWNSO and COMSATS.”

“The ultimate goal of the office,” Khan adds, “isnot just to advance the study of science but to putscience and technology to use for social and eco-nomic development.” ■

For additional information concerning the TWNSO field office in Abuja, Nigeria, contact > Federal Ministry of Science and Technology,Federal Government Secretariat, Shehu Shagri Way, PMB 331, Abuja, Nigeria; phone: +234 9 5233397,5235902, 5235764; fax: +234 9 5234590, 5233903.

For additional information about theTWAS/TWNSO/COMSATS coordinating office in Islamabad, Pakistan, contact > COMSATS, H 55 Street 1, F-6/3, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan; phone: +92 51 9204900; fax: +92 51 9216539; or e-mail:[email protected].

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T he Kuwait Scientific Center, a gleaming glassstructure accented by earth tones and soaringcanvas canopies, officially opened in April.

The new centre, which resides on the edge of theArabian Sea in Salmiya, commands an imposingview of Kuwait Towers and the Gulf.

The centre’s opening ceremony was host-ed by His Highness the Amir, who wasaccompanied by his guest of hon-our Lebanese President, EmileLahud.

Funded by the KuwaitFoundation for the Advan-cement of Sciences (KFAS),which also supports theTWAS Newsletter, the cen-tre includes the largestaquarium in the MiddleEast (that offers simulationsof Arabian Gulf desert, coastaland sea habitats); an IMAXTheater with a 15-metre-by-20-metre screen showcasing a film enti-tled “The Living Sea” (that features musicby pop singer Sting); and an interactive “DiscoveryPlace,” where young children are encouraged tolearn about science through hands-on exhibits anddemonstrations (which range from an image-alter-ing funhouse for younger visitors to CD-Roms forolder visitors illustrating and explaining the shock-ing movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates during

earthquakes). The centre also has a restaurant andgift shop.

Daily programmes, meanwhile, are designed topresent a wide variety of science-related activitiesthat are both educational and entertaining. For ex-ample, recent demonstrations have included natur-

al dye making, “the walk” of the centipede,and a look at “what makes ships go”

from historic Kuwaiti sailboats(known as dhows) to modern

football-field size tankers.As Ali A. Al Shamlan,

KFAS Director General andTWAS Treasurer, noted inthe opening ceremony forthe centre, the facility isdesigned to place “Kuwaitiyouth at the heart of mod-

ernism, yet fortify them withthe wisdom of the past and

arm them with faith and sci-ence.”Mijbil S. Al-Mutawa, Chairman

and Managing Director of the ScientificCenter, adds that it is “our sincere hope that the fa-cility will prove a source of knowledge, an educa-tional aid for the learner, a means toward better un-derstanding of our environment and an incentive toconserve and respect that environment. We equallyhope that it will be a resort offering joy and usefulentertainment.” ■

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KUWAIT

A RECENTLY COMPLETED 20,000-SQUARE-METRE SCIENCE FACILITY SEEKS TO

EDUCATE CITIZENS OF ALL AGES ABOUT ARABIA’S UNIQUE COASTAL ENVIRONMENT

— WHERE THE DESERT SANDS MEET THE SEA.

KUWAIT OPENS NEWSCIENTIFIC CENTRE

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0ROHATGI HONOURED• TWAS Associate Fellow (1989)Pradeep Rohatgi, distinguishedprofessor and director of the Uni- versity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’sCentre for Composite Materials, hasbeen awarded the AmericanFoundrymen Society’s Hall HeroultAward for Scientific Merit. Rohatgiwas honoured for more than 35years of achievement in the field of

composites. His work on cast alu-minium composites during the1960s, which included such break-through syntheses as aluminium-graphite, aluminium-silicon carbideand aluminium-flyash, ranks amongthe most significant developmentsin the history of metal casting.Rohatgi also founded the Universityof Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Centrefor Composite Materials in 1994. Inless than a decade, the centre hasemerged as one of the world’s fore-most international casting facili-tates for research and training.Rohatgi received his undergraduatedegree from Banaras University inIndia and his doctorate from theMassachusetts Institute of Techno-logy (MIT) in the United States.Before joining the University ofWisconsin-Milwaukee, he was pro-fessor at the Indian Institute ofScience in Bangalore and the IndiaInstitutes of Technology in Kanpurand New Delhi. He also founded

and directed the Council ofScientific Industrial Research atTrivandrum and Bhopal, in India.Rohatgi has published more than400 articles, edited six books andreceived 12 U.S. patents — all inthe field of composites. His majorresearch areas include materialsscience and technology, solidifica-tion, materials policy and compos-ites. The ceremony for the HallHeroult Award for Scientific Merittook place in April during theAmerican Foundrymen’s annualconference.

RIAZUDDIN RECEIVES AWARD• TWAS Fellow (1993) Riazuddin,director of the newly createdNational Centre for Physics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad,Pakistan, has recently received twoprestigious awards: the UnitedNations Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization (UNESCO)Albert Einstein Gold Medal forBasic Science and the 13th Inter-national Khwarizmi Award fromthe Iranian Research Organizationof Science and Technology. Bothawards were conferred in Tehran,Iran, in early February. Riazuddin,who was born in Ludhiana, India,received his academic training fromM.A.O. College, Government Col-lege, and Punjab University inPakistan, and the University ofCambridge in the United Kingdom.During his long and distinguishedcareer, he has worked at universi-ties and research centres in theUnited States, Saudi Arabia, the Uni-ted Kingdom, and Pakistan. Amonghis most noteworthy accomplish-ments are the founding of theInstitute of Physics at IslamabadUniversity and, more recently, thelaunching of the National Centre

for Physics at Quaid-i-Azam. Ria-zuddin is a fellow at the PakistanAcademy of Sciences and a memberof the New York Academy ofSciences. His major field of interestis theoretical particle physics, inparticular the study of gauge theo-ries, heavy quark spin symmetryand particle interactions.

RENE FAVALORO. 1923-2000• TWAS Fellow Rene Favaloro, 77,died on 26 July. He was elected tothe Academy last year and hadbeen invited to attend the inductionceremony at the TWAS 12thGeneral Meeting scheduled to takeplace in Tehran, Iran, this October.Favaloro was born in La Plata,Argentina. He received his medicaldegree from the University of LaPlata in 1949 and was subsequent-ly trained as a surgeon at theUniversity of La Plata and Cle-

veland Clinic in the United States.Favaloro, who founded and thendirected the Favaloro Foundation’sInstitute of Cardiology and Cardio-vascular Surgery in Buenos Aires,was a pioneer in the study of coro-nary bypass surgery. His work, infact, was instrumental in makingbypass surgery a safe and reliableprocedure that is now used world-wide to save an estimated one mil-lion lives each year. Favaloro was

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0 also a key figure in efforts to train anew generation of cardiovascularsurgeons in Latin America. Amonghis numerous inventions are theuse of internal mammary arteriesfor grafting and the creation of tun-nelling instruments for the implan-tation of mammary arteries duringbypass surgery. Favaloro also madecritical contributions to the surgicaltreatment of acute aortic dissec-tions and aortic aneurysms. He wasthe author of five books and morethan 350 articles and the recipientof many international awards andhonours.

PRIZE FOR ENVIRONMENT• Nominations from individualsand institutions are invited for thefirst-ever Zayed International Prizefor the Environment. The prize willbe given in honour of His HighnessSheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan,President of the United Arab Emira-tes and Governor of Abu Dhabi.Worth US$1 million (making it oneof the largest environmental prizesin the world), the prize is part of alarger effort designed to promotesustainable development throughenvironmental protection. In addi-tion to administering the Zayedprize, the newly launched initiativewill sponsor regional and interna-tional conferences and fora on envi-ronmental issues, publish a scientif-ic journal, support scientific re-search, and help raise environmentawareness through public lectures,seminars and workshops. For addi-tional information, please contactThe Zayed International Prize forthe Environment, PO Box 28399Dubai, United Arab Emirates,phone +971 04 332 6666; fax+971 04 322 6777, or e-mail:[email protected]. Nomi-

nations may also be completed onthe web at www.zayedprize.org.ae.

DIVERSITY PLUS• GRCS, Inc./DIVERSITY hasissued a call for nominations for theWilliam L. Brown Award for Excel-lence in Genetic Resources Conser-vation and Use. The internationalaward, which carries a cash prize ofUS$10,000, will be given annuallyto a person or an organization thathas played an important role inadvancing efforts to conserve ge-netic diversity. Details on the nomi-nation process may be found athttp://www.diversitymag.org.

RAO RECOGNIZED• TWAS President and FoundingMember C.N.R. Rao has recentlyreceived two honours. He has beenelected a foreign member of theAcademy of Sciences of France,making him one of only two Indianscientists currently belonging tothis exclusive 65-member organiza-tion. The induction ceremony tookplace in Paris early this summer.Rao also has received the RoyalSociety’s prestigious Hughes Medal.The medal recognizes original dis-coveries in the physical sciences, inparticular discoveries related toelectricity and magnetism or theirapplications. Rao, who is the Linus

Pauling Research Professor of theJawaharlal Nehru Centre forAdvanced Scientific Research inBangalore, India, is a member ofthe Royal Society in London, theU.S. National Academy of Sciences,the Russian Academy, the JapanAcademy, Academie Europea, thePontifical Academy, and theAmerican Philosophical Society. Hehas received more than 20 hon-orary university degrees.

KIND WORDS• B. Ananthanarayan from theCentre for Theoretical Studies,Indian Institute of Science, Ban-galore, India, recently wrote theAcademy and the Abdus SalamInternational Centre for TheoreticalPhysics (ICTP) to express his sin-cere thanks to the ICTP-TWASDonation Programme. “At ourCentre for Theoretical Studies,”Ananthanarayan noted, “we aremaintaining a departmental libraryprimarily in the areas of particlephysics, field theory and mathemat-ical physics. We acknowledge thekind assistance of the ICTP-TWASDonation Programme in handlingshipping costs for journals beinggifted away by libraries in Switzer-land, France, Belgium and else-where, which has enabled theCentre for Theoretical Studies toexpand its journal collection inthese areas.”

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PEOPLE, PLACES, EVENTS

W H A T ’ S T W A S ?

THE THIRD WORLD ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (TWAS) IS AN AUTONOMOUS INTER-

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION THAT PROMOTES SCIENTIFIC CAPACITY AND EXCELLENCE

IN THE SOUTH. FOUNDED IN 1983 BY A GROUP OF EMINENT SCIENTISTS UNDER

THE LEADERSHIP OF THE LATE NOBEL LAUREATE ABDUS SALAM OF PAKISTAN,

TWAS WAS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED IN TRIESTE, ITALY, IN 1985 BY THE

SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS.

At present, TWAS has 543 members from 75 countries, 61 of which are devel-

oping countries. A Council of 13 members is responsible for supervising all

Academy affairs. It is assisted in the administration and coordination of pro-

grammes by a small secretariat of 9 persons, headed by the Executive Director.

The secretariat is located on the premises of the Abdus Salam International

Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. UNESCO is responsible for

the administration of TWAS funds and staff. A major portion of TWAS funding is

provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy.

The main objectives of TWAS are to:

• Recognize, support and promote excellence in scientific research in the South.

• Provide promising scientists in the South with research facilities necessary for

the advancement of their work.

• Facilitate contacts between individual scientists and institutions in the South.

• Encourage South-North cooperation between individuals and centres of schol-

arship.

TWAS was instrumental in the establishment in 1988 of the Third World Network

of Scientific Organizations (TWNSO), a non-governmental alliance of 155 scien-

tific organizations from Third World countries, whose goal is to assist in build-

ing political and scientific leadership for science-based economic development

in the South and to promote sustainable development through broad-based

partnerships in science and technology.

TWAS also played a key role in the establishment of the Third World Organiza-

tion for Women in Science (TWOWS), which was officially launched in Cairo in

1993. TWOWS has a membership of more than 2000 women scientists from 87

Third World countries. Its main objectives are to promote the research efforts

and training opportunities of women scientists in the Third World and to

strengthen their role in the decision-making and development processes. The

secretariat of TWOWS is currently hosted and assisted by TWAS.

TWAS offers scientists in the Third World

a variety of grants and fellowships. To find out

more about these opportunities, check out

the TWAS web-pages! Our main page is at:

www.twas-online.org

Want to spend some time at a research

institution in another developing country?

Investigate the South-South Fellowships:

www.twas-online.org/SS-fellowships_form.html

Need funding for your research project?

Take a look at the TWAS Research Grants:

www.twas-online.org/RG_form.html

TWNSO runs a similar scheme, for projects

carried out in collaboration with institutions

in other countries in the South:

www.twnso.org

But that’s not all TWAS has to offer.

For instance, do you need a minor spare

part for some of your laboratory equipment,

no big deal, really, but you just can’t get it

anywhere locally? Well, TWAS can help:

www.twas-online.org/SP_form.html

Would you like to invite an eminent scholar

to your institution, but need funding for

his/her travel? Examine these pages, then:

www.twas-online.org/Lect_form.html

www.twas-online.org/Prof.html

You’re organizing a scientific conference

and would like to involve young scientists

from the region? You may find what you

are looking for here:

www.twas-online.org/SM_form.html

CONFERENCES

TRAVEL

EQUIPMENT

GRANTS

FELLOWSHIPS

WANT TO KNOW MORE?