Buenos Aires, April 29, 2005

Dear Academy Members:

In compliance with the provisions of Article 27 of the Academy's Statute, it is my duty to submit for your consideration the Annual Report, Balance Sheet, Expenditures and Resources Account, and Inventory for the financial year ended December 31, 2004. This is the first term in office of the Executive Committee elected on April 30, which I have the honor to preside.

Deceased and new members

During 2004 we regretted the demise of Corresponding Member Dr. Miguel de Guzmán Ozamiz (Madrid, Spain; April 14).

In the course of the year Dr. Norma E. Sbarbati de Nudelman, Eng. Bruno V. Ferrari Bono, and Dr. Roberto E. Cunningham were elected Regular Members; Eng. Luis F. Rocha, Eng. Roque Scarfiello, and Dr. Jorge E. Wright were elected Emeritus Members; and Prof. Dr. Herbert W. Roesky (Göttingen, Germany), Dr. Jorge Lewowicz (Montevideo, Uruguay), Eng. Dr. Gerhard H. Jirka (Karlsruhe, Germany), Dr. Rodolfo Gambini (Montevideo, Uruguay), Dr. Diego de Mendoza (Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina), Dr. Rafael Radi (Montevideo, Uruguay), Dr. Enrique P. Lessa (Montevideo, Uruguay), and Dr. Eng. Rafael A. Guarga Ferro (Montevideo, Uruguay) were elected Corresponding Members.

Sessions

From April to December, nine plenary ordinary sessions and an extraordinary session were held.

Besides, a public session was held as a tribute to Regular Members Dr. Agustín Durañona y Vedia, Dr. Alberto González Domínguez, and Eng. Arturo M. Guzmán to mark the centennial of their birth.

Furthermore, public sessions were held to incorporate the following members:

• Regular Members: Dr. Roberto P. J. Perazzo, Dr. Osvaldo E. Sala, and Dr. Armando J. Parodi;
• Honorary Members: Nobel Prize winner James W. Cronin (at the main lecture hall of the School of Exact and Natural Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires); and
• Corresponding Members: Dr. Eng. Juan Carlos Santamarina (Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America), Dr. Roberto J. Fernández Prini (Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina), Dr. Ricardo N. Farías (San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina), Dr. Walter E. Triaca (La Plata, Argentina), Dr. Jorge Lewowicz (Montevideo, Uruguay), and Eng. Dr. Gerhard H. Jirka (Karlsruhe, Germany).

Mention should also be made of the meetings Hydrogen and Energy in the Future (at the headquarters of the Argentine Center of Engineers), co-organized with the National Academy of Engineering, and Meeting between the Economy and Natural Sciences, co-organized with the National Academy of Economic Sciences.

Furthermore nine National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences awards were presented at the main lecture hall of the National Academy of Medicine.

Scholarships and fellowships

This Academy continued the In Libris Carpe Rosam scholarship program, intended for students of the University of Buenos Aires -under 22 years of age at the time of starting- in the areas of Mathematics (donated by Marcelo G. Barroso Mastronardi) and Biological Sciences (donated by Paulo D. Barroso Mastronardi). New beneficiaries were selected for both scholarships for the period March 1, 2005 - February 28, 2006.

As regards the National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences fellowships for doctoral theses, the one that had started in 2003, called Jorge O. Cosentino on Chemical Engineering, continued.

It is worth mentioning that former and present beneficiaries of both the fellowships and the scholarships attended different plenary sessions to report on the development of their studies and theses.

The Academy accepted the funds donated by Dr. Irma Mastronardi, widow of the deceased academy member and president of this Academy, Dr. Eduardo Gros, to establish the Eduardo G. Gros fellowship, which will be awarded to a candidate doing his/her doctoral thesis on Chemical Sciences, and organized as the currently effective fellowship.

Institutional relations

National and international conferences, seminars, meetings, and symposiums were held under the auspices of the Academy, and academy members and other Argentine scientists and technologists were proposed as candidates and judges for various prizes. At some of these events the Academy was represented by its regular and corresponding members, and its ad-hoc advisors.

Furthermore:

• The founding meeting of IANAS (InterAmerican Network of Academies of Sciences) was attended. This Academy signed the corresponding Act of Incorporation and participated in the approval of IANAS statutes and in the election of its co-chairs. It also committed itself to collaborating by appointing two representatives to the two main programs of IANAS: Water, and Science Education.
• The Academy continued to work in close relation with IAP (InterAcademy Panel), TWNSO (Third World Network of Scientific Organizations), and TWAS (The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World). We accepted the invitation from TWAS to be the headquarters of its Argentine Chapter, made up of members of that institution living in Argentina.
• Meetings were held with: Lic. Daniel Filmus (Federal Minister of Education, Science and Technology), Eng. Tulio Del Bono (Secretary of Science, Technology and Production Innovation), Prof. Dr. Helmut Sies (Vice President and Coordinator of International Relations of the Union of German Academies of Sciences and Humanities), Dr. Michael Clegg (President of the Program Science and Technology for Sustainability of the US National Academy of Sciences), Mrs. Kathleen Barmon (Science Attaché of the US Embassy in Argentina), Prof. Eduardo Moacyr Krieger (President of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences), and Dr. Jorge Allende (member of the Chilean Academy of Sciences and coordinator of the program Science Education of IANAS).
• We accepted the invitation from the Academy of Sciences of the Institute of France to set up an interacademy network to support the DNDi (Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative) group.
• The Academy participated in the launching of Olimpo, one of the activities of the First Expo Conference on Technological Innovation in Energy and Process, organized by the Argentine Petroleum and Gas Institute and the Society of Petroleum Engineers, where the Academy presented a poster describing its activities. Among the National Academies, ours was the only one invited.
• The Academy had an active participation in meetings with representatives from the State Department, the Hon. National Chamber of Deputies, the National Atomic Energy Commission, INVAP S.E., the Argentine Industrial Union, and the Nuclear Regulatory Authority, as well as in the drafting and diffusion of a joint statement with other National Academies, which contributed to the approval of the agreement between Argentina and Australia concerning cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy by the Hon. Argentine Congress.
• At the request of the Secretariat for Science, Technology and Production Innovation, the Academy expressed its opinion on the National Medium-Term Strategic Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation - First Progress Report.
• A meeting was held with the journalists Nora Bär (Science and Health from La Nación newspaper), Diana Cazaux (Argentine Association of Science Journalism), Verónica Engler (ExactaMente magazine, of the School of Exact and Natural Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires), Santiago Ordoñez (Science from Telam News Agency), and Valeria Román (Science from Clarín newspaper), who showed interest in the Academy's activities.
• Academy members integrated the evaluating jury for the 7th National Olympics of Educational Contents in the Internet Carlos A. Tapia convened by INET (National Institute of Technological Education).
• Together with CONICET (National Scientific and Technical Research Council), the Academy will participate in setting up the Diversitas National Committee, one of the key groups of ICSU (International Council for Science). One of its objectives is to provide a scientific basis for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
• After meeting the requirements of AFIP (Federal Public Revenue Administration), the Academy is exempt from income tax, as per General Instruction Nº 533/2000 from the Federal Ministry of Economy and Production, published in the Official Gazette (Boletín Oficial) of June 29, 2004.
• The Ad-Hoc Advisor position was created for those specialists who are collaborating with the Academy. Dr. Inés Camillioni, Dr. Edgardo A. Disalvo, Dr. Ángel Menéndez, Eng. Armando Sánchez Guzmán, Eng. Rafael Seoane, and Dr. Enrique Vasini were appointed as ad-hoc advisors.

Education

Among the activities related to education, and science and technology communication, the following should be highlighted:

• Two agreements were signed with both the Academy of Sciences of the Institute of France and the Chilean Academy of Sciences. In cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, they are both aimed at improving science education at primary and secondary school level. In short, the significance of this agreement is the acquaintance of children and teenagers with sciences. In this respect, in 2004 several activities were conducted, such as literacy seminars, pilot experiences, science communication conferences, workshops, and courses under the auspices of the Academy.
• The Science Communication Series started. It consists of science and technology diffusion conferences given by renowned specialists.
• In answer to a request from the Federal Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Lic. Daniel Filmus, scripts written by academy members were submitted. They are aimed at fostering secondary students' interest in science and technology.
• A program of training courses was drawn up. It is intended for teachers and advanced students of IFDs (Teacher Training Institutes), in the following areas: Materials Science, Science of Life, and Sustainable Chemistry. Applications will be submitted to the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Technology for financial support and sponsorship.
• The Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and the Secretariat for Science, Technology and Production Innovation were contacted in 2004 to seek support for the implementation of the Interacademy Project to Improve and Integrate Science and Technology Learning, drawn up by this Academy and endorsed by other National Academies. However, in spite of the encouraging conclusions of the conversations held, both bodies communicated in writing that it was not possible for them to finance it.

Publications and web site

Two books were published in 2004, thus starting the series called Science Publications. The first one, with 196 pages, contains the papers submitted at the meeting Hydrogen and Energy in the Future (March 23 and 24, 2004), co-organized with the National Academy of Engineering; it was edited by Eng. René Dubois, Dr. Roberto Perazzo, and Dr. Walter Triaca. It is also available in Cd-Rom format. The second book, with 88 pages, includes the lectures given at the First Symposium on Science, Technology and the Media: In Search of a Common Language (August 21 and 22, 2003), organized by this Academy, together with SciDev.Net (The Science and Development Network) and Club 21 (Association of Press Communicators of Argentina); they were edited by Prof. María Hilda Sáenz and Dr. Raúl Carman.

Furthermore, copies were bought of the two volumes dedicated to the deceased academy member and president of the Academy, Dr. Luis A. Santaló, published by the Institute of Mathematics Beppo Levi of the School of Exact Sciences, Engineering and Surveying of the National University of Rosario.

Also, the web page was reorganized and its scope enlarged to adapt it to the new services provided by the Academy and to users' demands. The main changes to the site include the incorporation of the section FotoRed, where photographs related to the history of science and technology in Argentina are made available to the public, and the section Novedades, which includes, for example, future conferences and activities, promotion of books, etc.

It is also worthy of mention that the Academy participated in the 70th World Library and Information Congress, organized by IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions), held in Buenos Aires on August 22 - 27, 2004.

The Darwinion Botanical Institute

The IBODA (Darwinion Botanical Institute), under the guidance of Dr. Fernando Zuloaga, continued carrying out excellent research and diffusion, as can be seen in detail in the relevant section of this Annual Report.

It is worthy of mention that the IBODA participated in the 2nd Week of Science and Technology, organized by the Secretariat for Science, Technology and Production Innovation.

Besides, the Academy gave IBODA economic support for the publication of the 42nd volume (1-4) of the magazine Darwiniana. Meetings were held with Dr. Zuloaga about the publication of this magazine and other activities of the Institute in order to draw up a three-year working program. A proposal was made and delivered by hand at the end of 2004.

In other related matters, Dr. Osvaldo Morrone was appointed deputy director of the IBODA, with the agreement of CONICET.

Congratulations and acknowledgements

By means of this presentation, I offer my warmest congratulations to the academy members who received awards, distinctions, and tributes throughout 2004.

In this brief yearly synopsis, I also take pleasure in expressing my personal gratitude to the academy members who shared the Executive Committee and whose contributions of ideas, collaboration, and attendance were given with the widest scope and drive. Likewise, I convey my deepest gratitude to the presidents of Sections and Commissions of the Academy, and to all regular and corresponding members, and ad-hoc advisors for their efficient work and collaboration.

The members of the Academy's staff, Mrs. Diana Pallini, Miss Patricia López, Mrs. Gabriela Galante, Mr. Ramón Berón, and Mr. Adrián Ramos, under the direction of administrative secretary Mr. Mariano Fernández Alt, have endeavored to perform their tasks effectively. My special thanks to the administrative secretary for the responsibility and willingness shown in his work.

I also want to highlight the importance of the arduous task undertaken by Mr. Fernández Alt who, in collaboration with the freelance accountant Adrián Griggio, managed to put the Academy in good working administrative order.

Dr. Alejandro J. Arvia
President