Buenos Aires, April 2001

Dear Academy Members:

In compliance with the provisions of Article 23º of the Academy Statutes, I perform the duty of submitting for your consideration the Annual Report, General Balance, Expenses and Resources Account, Inventory and Accounts Surrender of the Financial Period corresponding to 2000; the third of management of the Governing Board, elected on 24th April 1998, which it is my privilege to preside.

During 2000 we regretted the demise of Regular Members Dr. Pedro Cattaneo (29th March) and of Corresponding Members Eng. Eladio Dieste Saint Martín (Montevideo, Uruguay; 19th July), Eng. Augusto J. Durelli (Washington D.C., United States; 3rd April), Dr. José A. Jiménez Salas (Madrid, Spain), Dr. George L. Stebbins (Davis, California, United States; 19th January) and Dr. José Tola Pasquel (Lima, Peru). In the course of the year, Dr. Virpi S. Niemela was elected as Regular Member, and Drs. Daniele Mundici (Milan, Italy), José Bernabéu Alberola (Burjassot, Valencia, Spain), Eduardo E. Castellano (San Carlos, San Pablo, Brazil) and Edmundo A. Rúveda (Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina) as Corresponding Members.

A total of nine ordinary sessions were convened from April to December. An extraordinary session was held in March, as well as public sessions to incorporate Dr. Víctor J. Yohai as Regular Member and Drs. Eduardo E. Castellano and Daniele Mundici as Corresponding Members. Mention should also be made of the lecture delivered by Dr. James R. Mattoon, Corresponding Member in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States; the homage to deceased Regular Member Dr. Pedro Cattaneo; and the joint assembly with the National Academy of Sciences of Buenos Aires and the Faculty of Engineering, Exact and Natural Sciences of the Favaloro University, in commemoration of the centennial of Max Planck's presentation of the quantum theory. It is also fitting to highlight the round table on Cloning, human genome and gene therapy, co-ordinated by Regular Member Eduardo H. Charreau, and the meeting carried out to deliver the certificates to the beneficiaries of the In libris carpe rosam fellowships: Lucía Babino and Agustín Alvarez in Mathematics (Marcelo G. Barroso Mastronardi fellowship) and Marcelo A. Martí in Biological Sciences (Paulo D. Barroso Mastronardi fellowship).

On 10th November, at the headquarters of the National Academy of Medicine, the delivery ceremony of the National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences and Ernesto E. Galloni awards was carried out. As regards the latter award, it should be recalled that it was instituted by Mrs. Nélida Pedretti de Galloni -the widow of the former Academy president- and her children, by donating US$ 10,000 assigned to reward young investigators -up to 35 years of age-, in the areas proposed in rotation by the three Sections, with an annual sum of US$ 1,000. The reward corresponding to 2000 was granted in Physics to Dr. Diego F. Torres. As for the National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences awards, corresponding to the different areas, they were received by the following specialists: Orlando Villamayor in Mathematics, to Dr. Agnes I. Benedek; José Antonio Balseiro in Theoretical Physics, to Dr. Armando A. Aligia; José Luis Sérsic in Astronomy, to Dr. Juan Carlos Muzzio; Armando Ballofett in Hydrology, to Dr. Mario A. Hernández; Aldo Bruschi in Seismic Engineering, to Eng. Juan S. Carmona; Gustavo Fester in Chemical Engineering, to Eng. Dr. Alberto E. Cassano; Alberto Soriano in Plant Ecophysiology, to Agr. Eng. Dr. Rolando J. C. León; Germán Burmeister in Paleobiogeography, to Dr. Susana E. Damborenea; and Alfredo Sordelli in Microbiology, to Dr. Celia E. Coto. The closing public session was in charge of the Regular Member Dr. Eduardo Charreau, who lectured on Science, technology and society.

With reference to international and institutional relationships, the International Foundation for Science (IFS), with headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, of which this Academy and the National Research Council (CONICET) are the only representatives in the country, continued allocating grants to young Argentine investigators. Besides, auspices were assigned to congresses, seminars, meetings and national and international symposia, and academic members and other scientists and Argentine technologists were proposed as candidates to diverse prizes. Meetings were also held with the presidents of the National Academies and of those that occupy the National Academies Headquarters building and with authorities of the Nation. In this respect, on 7th March, the presidents of the National Academies were received by the minister of Culture and Education of the Nation, Lic. Juan José Llach. Encounters were also organised with representatives of foreign entities, as follows: with Dr. Enrique Tirapegui, president of the Chilean Academy of Sciences; with Dr. Eric Goles Chacc, president of the National Commission of Scientific and Technological Investigation of Chile; with Dr. Barry Berman, from the George Washington University, United States; with Prof. Jorg Imberger, member of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering; and with Prof. Greg Tegart, former president of the Committee of International Relationships of the above Australian Academy.

The Gerardo H. Pagés Institute of Investigations in Humanities, of the National High School of Buenos Aires], invited Academy members to offer special classes there to students and professors during 2001. To this end, Regular Members Alejandro J. Arvia, Eduardo H. Charreau, Norberto A. Fava, Mario A.J. Mariscotti, Eduardo Núñez and Horacio C. Reggini volunteered to participate.

As a result of the formalities completed by the National Academy of Engineering, our Academy was invited by the National Chamber of Deputies to take part in the committee to render homage to Dr. Juan María Gutiérrez, our first president. Besides, the Academy issued and divulged two statements referring to the current situation of the scientific and technological sector of the country, entitled The National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences in support of scientific and technological activity in Argentina, approved at the 31st March session, and The National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences in defence of the National Research Council (CONICET), approved at the 28th July session. The former was distributed among the main newspapers of national scope, while the latter was published as a paid announcement in the newspaper La Nación of 3rd August, whose cost of U$S 5,587.30 was disbursed by the Regular Members of the Academy. In this regard, a reply was made to a request for an opinion applied for by the CONICET, and the Academy also supported the statement on Transition of Sustainability in the 21st. Century: The Contribution of Science and Technology, drawn up by the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues (IAP), of which the Academy is member, and issued to the public at the Tokyo International Forum, carried out in Tokyo, Japan, from 15th to 18th May.

In pursuance of research, the Academy started its fellowship programmes. Regarding the National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences fellowships for the performance of doctoral theses, each consisting of US$ 700 monthly, the beneficiaries Carolina Torres (Lorenzo R. Parodi fellowship in Botany), María Leticia Rubio Puzzo (Juan José Giambiagi fellowship in Physics) and Fernando Varela López (Enrique Butty fellowship in Engineering) began their activities on 1st March, and six months later presented their respective initial reports of the year, which were duly approved.

With reference to the In libris carpe rosam fellowships, denominated Marcelo G. Barroso Mastronardi in Mathematics and Paulo D. Barroso Mastronardi in Biological Sciences, beneficiaries Fernando López García and Matías Blaustein, respectively, began them on 1st March. It should be recalled that these scholarships for students of the University of Buenos Aires -under 22 years of age at the time of starting- in the mentioned areas, were initiated on the basis of the offer of a support fund donated by Eng. Inés A. Mastronardi, whose yield is used to finance the amount of same, each consisting of US$ 600 monthly. Six months after starting the fellowships, López García and Blaustein presented their first reports of the year, together with the appraisal of their respective supervisors -Regular Members Angel R. Larotonda and Jorge E. Wright, respectively-, both students proving outstanding for their excellent work.

It should also be highlighted that the Academy gratefully accepted the offer of Eng. Mastronardi of a new financial contribution (136.000 units of 2017 Global External Bonds of the Argentine Republic) devoted to the institution of two further In libris carpe rosam scholarships, also denominated Marcelo G. Barroso Mastronardi in Mathematics and Paulo D. Barroso Mastronardi in Biological Sciences. In this respect, a competition was summoned for two scholarships in Mathematics (a new one and another that becomes available on 28th February 2001 as the current beneficiary is 22 years of age in April) and one in Biological Sciences (new). For the two scholarships in Mathematics, for which there were five candidates, the winners were Lucía Babino and Agustín Alvarez, while for the new scholarship in Biological Sciences, for which there were nine candidates, the beneficiary was Marcelo A. Martí. At a ceremony carried out on 15th December, the three beneficiaries, who will begin their scholarship on 1st March 2001, received their corresponding certificates from Eng. Mastronardi.

For the fifteenth consecutive year, the Academy participated in the Book Fair -organised annually by El Libro Foundation-, setting up a stand where experiences in chemistry and physics and mathematical challenges were carried out. Attracting a large number of spectators, these activities were co-ordinated by Regular Member Norberto A. Fava, to whom we are deeply indebted for his commitment.

As regards divulgement, the Academy approved the proposal made by the Publications Commission to establish a new section at the Academy's web site (www.ancefn.org.ar), to be denominated Scientific Communications, dedicated to divulge the work of Academy Members' research and that of Argentine scientists who wish to use the site to communicate their activities.

As far as publications were concerned, during 2000 volume 51 of Anales [Annals] and the bulletin Noticias [News] Nº 11 were published. The presentation of the Academy's Report, under the title Annual Report 1999, was translated into English, and sent to Honorary and Corresponding Members abroad whose mother tongue is not Spanish. The internal communication Información para los señores académicos [Information for Academy Members] was likewise published.

Regarding the new Statute of the Academy, this document was approved by the academic plenary in an extraordinary session on 31st March, while the corresponding Regulatory Provisions were approved in an ordinary session on 26th May.

As for the Darwinion Botanical Institute, under Dr. Fernando O. Zuloaga's proficient guidance, it continued carrying out excellent research and diffusion. Besides, the Academy appointed Regular Member Dr. Juan H. Hunziker as Honorary Director of the Institute, in recognition of his outstanding work during his tenure from 1983 to 1998.

By means of this presentation, I offer my warmest congratulations to the Academy Members who received awards and distinctions along 2000. In this brief yearly synopsis, I also take pleasure in expressing my personal gratitude to the Regular Members who shared the Governing Board and whose contributions of ideas, collaboration and attendance were lent with the widest scope and drive, as well as to the presidents of Sections, of Commissions, of Special Commissions and of Academy programmes and to our colleagues as a whole. Among these, Regular Member Víctor J. Yohai deserves special thanks, since as a result of his efforts, the Minerva Research Foundation donated to the Academy the two air conditioning units installed in our assembly hall. The Academy staff fulfilled their duties with skill and reliability. Dr. Juan Carlos Vallés, Mr. Mariano G. Fernández Alt, Mrs. Diana L. Pallini, Misses Patricia N. López and Beatriz L. Manso and Mr. Ramón Berón, granted zeal and willingness for the best achievement of their assigned tasks, as well as for their valuable initiatives for an improved operation of our institution. I hereby congratulate them and acknowledge their unfailing support.

Dr. Eduardo G. Gros
President