*with details kindly sent by Maria Esteban
Elections for the Governing Board of the ISC
Recently took place the election for half of the members of the Governing Board of the International Science Council. The elections were prepared by the Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC) of the ISC, which prepared a selection of candidates among those nominated by ISC members. The NEC worked during the Fall 2024 and proposed a candidate for the President-elect and one of the Vice-presidents, two for another vice- presidency and 10 for the ordinary members positions. Were elected the following candidates:
• Robbert Dijkgraaf (The Netherlands, Theoretical and Mathematical Physics) as President-elect
• Marcia Barbosa (Brazil, Physics, Water Science) as Vice-President for Freedom and Responsibility in Science
• Yongguan ZHU (China, Eco-environmental Sciences) as Vice-President for Membership
Moreover, the following candidates were elected as Ordinary Member:
• Frances Colón (USA, Climate policy)
• Catherine Jami ( France, History of Science and Technology)
• Maria Esteli Jarquin Solis (Costa Rica/ UK, Social and behavioral sciences)
• Nalini Joshi ( Australia, Mathematics)
• Mobolaji Oladoyin Odubanjo (Nigeria, Public Health)
The NEC had worked hard to present a list including candidates from all continents, gender-balanced and also representing a diversity of fields. The ISC asked all its voting members to keep that in mind and try to make choices as diverse as those made by the NEC.
The continuing Governing Board members are:
1. Peter Gluckman, President (New Zealand, biomedical sciences)
2. Motoko Kotani, Vice-President Science Programmes (Japan, mathematics)
3. Sawako Shirahase, Vice-President Finance, Compliance and Risk (Japan, sociology)
4. Karina Batthyany, ordinary member (Chile, sociology)
5. Francoise Baylis, ordinary member (Canada, philosophy, bioethics)
6. Geoffrey Boulton, ordinary member (UK, geology)
7. Walter Oyawa, ordinary member (Kenya, engineering sciences)
8. Maria Paradiso, ordinary member (Italy, economic and political geography)
These will be replaced in the new election that will take place in two years’ time.
Let us point out that Professor Robbert Dijkgraaf is a scientist well known to some people in the ICIAM community. Apart from his excellent scientific accomplishments, he has occupied many positions of responsibility, like for instance, the presidency of the Royal Dutch Academy of Science between 2008 and 2012, he was director of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Princeton for 10 years, and until recently he has been the Minister of Education, Culture and Science in the Netherlands.
Upcoming General Assembly of the ISC
The ISC General Assembly is the premier occasion for ISC Members and Affiliated Bodies, Fellows and partners from all domains of science and regions of the world to meet for cross-disciplinary, strategic discussions on challenges and priorities for international cooperation in science. The ISC General Assembly meets in ordinary session every four years.
The 2025 ISC General Assembly will be hosted by ISC Member, the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation of Oman, on 26–30 January 2025. It is the first in-person General Assembly of the ISC since the creation of the organization in July 2018.
The Muscat Global Knowledge Dialogue, which takes place on 26–28 January, is the segment of the ISC General Assembly focusing on science and is open to a wider public. ICIAM will be represented by the chair of its ISC Committee, Maria J. Esteban. In the next issue of Dianoia there will be an article devoted to this important meeting, where representatives of all scientific unions and academies in the World will have the opportunity to meet and to discuss about possible collaborations within the scope of ISC activities and projects, and even beyond.