TWAS Newsletter Vol. 20 No. 2

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Editorial: TWAS in the Americas

(pages 2-6, 248 K): Carlos Alberto Aragão de Carvalho, coordinator for the TWAS Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (TWAS-ROLAC), describes the range of activities that TWAS-ROLAC has pursued since its inception.

Collaboration Begins At Home

(pages 7-9, 160 K): South-South collaboration in scientific research, a dream of those who founded TWAS a quarter of a century ago, is becoming a reality.

Public Health In China

(pages 10-15, 152 K): Like so much else in China, when it comes to healthcare, the numbers are startling, the challenges daunting and the prospects for improvement are brighter than they have ever been. Interview with TWAS Fellow Chen Zhu, China's Minister of Health.

Lighting the Way to a Better Future

(pages 16-23, 200 K): Global economic growth depends on energy – now more than ever. Will there be sufficient energy supplies to ensure continued economic development? José Goldemberg (TWAS Fellow 1990) examines this critical issue.

For the Love of Lemurs

(pages 24-29, 200 K): This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Third World Organization for Women in Science's (TWOWS) postgraduate training fellowship programme for women scientists from sub-Saharan africa and the least developed countries (LDCs). Fellowship holder Sylviane Volampeno describes her work in the tropical rainforests of northwestern Madagascar.

Basics Matter

(pages 30-35, 200 K): TWAS recently entered into an agreement with UNESCO's International Basic Sciences Programme and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology to participate in a cooperative programme designed to build scientific capacity in molecular biology and genomics in developing countries. The project will seek to achieve its goals by nurturing the creation of scientific networks.

Nature's Green Is Gold

(pages 36-42, 280 K): As part of a larger effort to help promote strong and sustainable scientific institutions in developing countries, TWAS, with support from a number of donors, has been engaged in a decade-long initiative to profile successful scientific institutions in the South. This is a brief summary of the work of one of those institutions: the National Institute of Biodiversity (INBio) in Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica.

Academies for Development

(pages 43-45, 80 K): Three science academy networks on three different continents have issued a statement calling on G8+5 countries to expand the role of science, technology and innovation in combatting poverty and creating wealth. The three science academy networks are: the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC), the InterAmerican Network of Academies of Sciences (IANAS) and the Science Council of Asia (SCA). Their statement was formally presented to world leaders attending the G8+5 Summit in Hokkaido Toyako, Japan, between 7 and 9 July 2008.

People, Places and Events

(pages 46-47, 128 K): Brief news about honours, appointments, awards and events.