TWAS Newsletter Vol. 14 No. 2-3

Editorial: Summit and beyond

(pages 2-3, 52K)

Back to basics

(pages 4-5, 61K) The concept of sustainability may be difficult to define, but TWAS's President, C.N.R. Rao, contends that its advancement depends on some very basic principles: the promotion of scientific literacy for all citizens.

Science on sustainability

(pages 6-8, 69K) Five international science organizations, including TWAS, have issued a report for the Johannesburg Summit examining the role and contribution of the scientific community on issues related to sustainable development.

Staying power

(pages 9-12, 136K) Morocco-born microbiologist Jamal Ibijbijen has used his research trips to Brazil to learn new scientific techniques for enriching the soils of his native country.

Fellows and systems

(pages 13-16, 106K) Jun Zhou's research agenda has been shaped, in part, by his visits to Trieste where he has become a prime beneficiary of the Trieste System.

South Africa's science-based future

(pages 17-21, 169K) B.S. Ngubane, South Africa's Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, talks about his nation's efforts to build a future of economic well-being and social harmony through a sustained commitment to science and technology.

Varying views

(pages 22-29, 123K) Any gathering of 65,000 people -- the number of participants expected at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg -- is bound to generate an extraordinary range of opinions. TWAS has asked a cross-section of people representing the Academy's broad community of institutional partners to lend their voice to the discussion. The question: What are the major challenges facing those who advocate sustainable development? Here's a sampling of what they had to say.

Temperatures rising

(pages 30-33, 128K) Dengue fever is on the rise in many tropical regions around the globe. One reason may be rising temperatures. A project, sponsored by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and 'co-executed' by TWAS, is exploring possible links between the disease and climate change in the Caribbean.

Seeds of collaboration

(pages 34-37, 165K) The Latin American Plant Network represents one of the region's most successful efforts in South-South science-based cooperation.

Moulding the future

(pages 38-41, 120K) TWOWS post-graduate fellowship recipient Felicité Noubissi has embarked on a fascinating journey of discovery trying to determine why certain organisms 'silence' their 'copied' genes. This complex behaviour could hold the key for treating some of the world's most deadly diseases.

Biotechnology: A sustainable future?

(pages 42-46, 143K) Bio-Earn, a network of institutions in East Africa, hopes to make biotechnology a valuable tool for building scientific capacity and promoting sustainable development.

The hope of science

(pages 47-50, 64K) The Palestine Academy for Science and Technology hopes to help this war-torn land move towards a peaceful and prosperous future built on a strong and enduring framework of science and technology. The InterAcademy Panel would like to lend a hand in this effort.

Sustaining sustainability

(pages 51-53, 93K) Remarks by TWAS Executive Director Mohamed H.A. Hassan

TWAS and its partners

(pages 54-56, 121K)