Press Release Folder

TWAS, illycaffè Announce Trieste Science Prize Winners 2008

Trieste, Italy, 29 September 2008. Beatriz Barbuy, an eminent Brazilian astrophysicist who has made a major contribution to the study of the evolution of the chemical composition of stars, and Roddam Narasimha, an internationally renowned Indian engineer and physicist whose work in fluid dynamics has increased our understanding of turbulence, have been awarded the 2008 Trieste Science Prize.

TWAS Marks 25th Anniversary with Election of 41 New Members

Trieste, Italy. TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world, has elected 41 new members. The election took place during the opening day of the Academy's 25th anniversary meeting in Mexico City.

TWAS Awards First Regional Prizes for Science Education

Mexico City, Mexico, 10 November 2008. TWAS has awarded its first Regional Prizes for Development of Educational Material and School Science Curricula. The awards ceremony took place at the TWAS 19th General Meeting and 25th Anniversary Celebration in Mexico City, Mexico.

TWAS Awards First Prizes for Popularization of Science

Trieste, Italy, 13 November 2007. TWAS awarded its first-ever Regional Prizes for Public Understanding of Science. The awards ceremony took place at the TWAS 18th General Meeting in Trieste, Italy. The prize, which is given by each of the Academies regional offices, carries a US$3,000 cash award. It is given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to improving public understanding and appreciation of science.

TWAS Announces 2008 Prize Winners

TWAS, the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, has announced the winners of the TWAS Prizes for 2008. Each winner will receive a US$15,000 cheque and be asked to lecture about his or her research at TWAS's 20th General Meeting to take place in South Africa in October 2009.

Energy Futures in the South

Developing countries face a two-fold energy challenge, say Dilip Ahuja and Marika Tatsutani. They must expand access to the billions of people who lack basic services and, at the same time, make the move to clean and renewable energy.

Agricultural research key to food security

Boosting agricultural research in the developing world is the key to ensuring food security for the world's poorest, says Adel El-Beltagy (TWAS Fellow 2005), Chair of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), writing in the latest issue of the TWAS Newsletter.

A Scientist Returns to Iraq

After two decades of war, international sanctions and dictatorship, Iraq is beginning to rebuild its science base, as academics who fled the country are now slowly coming back home. In the latest issue of the TWAS Newsletter, TWAS Fellowship recipient Fouad Majeed, who returned to Iraq after nearly four years in Italy and Brazil, tells how his country is now looking towards the future.

TWAS Prize Awardees Honoured at 11th General Conference

20 October. The 2008 TWAS Prizes were presented to the recipients at the Academy's 11th General Conference and 20th General Meeting in Durban, South Africa.

TWAS Announces 2009 Young Affiliates

15 October. In cooperation with its Regional Offices, TWAS has selected 25 new Young Affiliates for 2009–2013.

TWAS Awards First Regional Prizes for Scientific Institution Building

16 October. TWAS has awarded its first Regional Prizes for Building Scientific Institutions. The awards ceremony will take place at the TWAS 20th General Meeting in Durban, South Africa.

TWAS Medal Lectures: on two worlds, distant hybrids and spin waves

21 October. The recipients of the 2009 TWAS Medals – awarded in recognition of significant contributions to a research field – lectured about key aspects of their work at the Academy's 11th General Conference in Durban, South Africa. This year's Medal Lecturers are: Wieland Gevers (South Africa), Li Zhensheng (China) and Sergio Rezende (Brazil).

TWAS Announces 2009 Prize Winners

19 October. TWAS has announced the winners of the TWAS Prizes for 2009 at the Academy's 20th General Meeting in Durban, South Africa. Each winner will receive a USD15,000 cheque and be asked to lecture about his or her research at TWAS's 21th General Meeting in 2010.

TWAS Opens General Conference in Durban

20 October. “We must use science to bring development to countries that are most in need”, says Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s Minister of Science and Technology. The Minister made her remarks at the opening ceremony of the 20th General Meeting and 11th General Conference in Durban, South Africa. More than 400 scientists were in attendance.

Conference closes with call for effective response to climate change

23 October. The Durban Declaration, highlight of the closing ceremony of the TWAS 11th General Conference, urges negotiators at the climate change conference scheduled to take place in Copenhagen this December to "fully consider the impact of climate change on food, energy and water security" issues that will prove vital to the South's efforts to adapt to climate change and "continue on the path of sustainable development".

COSTIS launched

4 November. TWAS joins the Group of 77 and UNESCO in announcing the launch of an international organization designed to bring policymakers and scientists closer together to improve the prospects for sustainable economic growth in the developing world.

Changing world of science in the South

5 November. Big changes are taking place in science in the developing world. But not all countries are sharing in the growth of scientific knowledge, says Mohamed H.A. Hassan, executive director of TWAS. He spoke at a ministerial roundtable at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences held prior to the World Science Forum.

African computer scientists recognized

7 December. Microsoft Research, TWAS and AAS reward three African computer scientists showing potential to accelerate economic development in Africa.