Buenos Aires, 28th April 2000

Dear Academy Members:

In agreement with Article 23 of the Academy Statutes, I take pleasure in submitting for your consideration the Annual Report, General Balance, Expenses and Resources Account, Inventory and Accounts Surrender of the Financial Period corresponding to 1999, the second year of administration of the Governing Board, elected to office on 24th Apri11998, which I am honored to preside.

During 1999 we mourned the passing away of Head Academy Members Eng. Jorge 0. Cosentino (31st July), Dr. Felix Cernuschi (13th December) and Dr. Arturo J. Amos (29th December); of Honorary Academy Member Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg (Berkeley, California, United States; 25th February); and of Corresponding Academy Members Dr. Otto Schneider (Bahia Blanca, Argentina; 9th March), Dr. Carlos 0. R. Jaschek (Salamanca, Spain; 12th April), Dr. Gian-Carlo Rota (Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States; 18th April), Dr. Angel L. Cabrera (Acassuso, Argentina; 8th July) and Eng. Fritz Leonhardt (Stuttgart, Germany; 30th December). We also regretted to learn of the decease of Corresponding Academy Members Prof. Lars Ernster (Stockholm, Sweden; 4th November 1998) and of Dr. Jorge Mardones (Santiago, Chile; November 1998).

In the course of the year, Dr. Victor J. Yohai was elected as Regular Academy Member and Dr. Francisco E. Baralle and Dr. Angela F. Danil de Namor as Corresponding Academy Members in Trieste, Italy, and Guildford, Surrey, England, respectively.

From April to December a total of nine ordinary sessions were held, together with an extraordinary session (in March) and public sessions to incorporate Dr. Roberto L. 0. Cignoli and Eng. Eduardo Nunez as Regular Academy Members, and Dr. Francisco E. Baralle and Dr. Angela F. Danil de Namor as Corresponding Academy Members. Mention should also be made of the lecture delivered by Dr. Yakir Aharonov (Professor of South Carolina, United States, and Tel Aviv, Israel, Universities). The meeting held to award gold medals to Academy Members Dr. Alejandro J. Arvia and Dr. Horacio H. Camacho for having completed their respective silver anniversaries, as Regular Academy Members should likewise be highlighted.

On 12th November, at the National Academy of Medicine headquarters, there was a ceremony to deliver the National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences and Ernesto E. Galloni awards and to announce the winners of the In libris carpe rosam fellowships. As regards the Ernesto E Galloni award, special thanks must go to Mrs. Nelida Pedretti de Galloni the widow of he former Academy president, deceased in 1999 and to their family, for the donation of US$ 10,000 allocated to reward young investigators up to 35 years of age, in the areas pro-posed by the three Sections in rotation, with an annual sum of US$ 1,000. The reward corresponding to 1999 was granted in Nuclear Engineering to Dr. Dario F. Delmastro. As for the National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences awards, corresponding to the different areas, they were received by the following specialists: Manuel Balanzat award in Mathematics to Dr. Jorge E. Solomin; Wolfgang Meckbach award in Experimental Physics to Dr. Os-car E. Martinez; Juan 3fanuelBarcala award in Electronic Engineering to Eng. Antonio A. Quijano; Oreste Moretto award in Geotechnical Engineering to Eng. Jorge A. Suarez; Ranwel Caputto award in Neurochemistry to Dr. Alejandro F. De Nicola; Venancio Deulofeu award in Natural Products Chemistry to Dr. Oscar S. Giordano; and Horacio J. Harrington award in Structural Geology to Dr. Eduardo A. Rossello. As already mentioned, the ceremony was also devoted to the delivery of certificates to the beneficiaries of the In libris carpe rosam fellowships, corresponding to Fernando Lopez Garcia for the Marcelo G. Barroso Mastronardi fellowship in Mathematics, and to Matias Blaustein for the Paulo D. Barroso Mastronardi fellowship in Biological Sciences. The closing public session was in charge of Corresponding Academy Member Dr. Francisco E. Baralle.

Concerning the agreement with the British Council, during 1999 we welcomed Prof. Terence H. Lilley (Emeritus Professor at the University of Sheffield and current Professor of Physicochemistry at the University of Sunderland, both in the United Kingdom), whose crowded agenda of visits, lectures, and so on, was coordinated by Academy Member Pedro J. Aymonino. Regrettably, due to budget stringency, the British Council was unable to grant the funds necessary to support visits during the period elapsing from 1st April 1999 up to 31st March 2000. As for the extension of the agreement for the 1st April 2000-31st March 2001 period, the above entity has a proposal made by the Academy under study, which includes the visit of Drs. Angus J. Macintyre, James Best and Richard Battarbee.

With reference to international and institutional relationships, the International Foundation for Science (IFS), with headquarters in Sweden, re-quested an annual economic contribution of US$ 12.000, that is to say a third of the sum asked for last year. Unfortunately, neither the Academy not the CONICET -the only two representatives in the country of the Swedish entity- were able to provide the aid mentioned, so that the IFS grants to young Argentine investigators were suspended in 1999; how-ever, should Argentina supply economic support, a reduced grant program could be set up. Dr. Richard Fuchs, scientific secretary of that entity, visited the country in April to meet with Argentine fellowship holders -according to a schedule prepared by the Academy- and to convey to them the decision of the IFS. On the other hand, this institution requested the Academy to consider the possibility of carrying out in our country, in 2000 or 2001, the General Assembly of the IFS, a subject currently under study. Furthermore, an agreement of scientific and technological cooperation was signed jointly by our Academy, the National Academy of Agronomy and Veterinary and the Australian Academy of Techno-logical Sciences and Engineering. Auspices were also granted to congresses, seminars, meetings and national and international symposia. Meetings were also held with the presidents of all the National Academies and of those occupying the National Academies House building and with the authorities of the Nation. In this regard, on 26th May, the presidents of thirteen National Academies were invited to a meeting by the Minister of Worship and Education of the Nation, Dr. Manuel Garcia Sola, who was accompanied by other officials of that organism, of the CONICET and of the SECYT. During the encounter, the minister stated that the budget reduction affecting the Academies from the beginning of the year, equivalent to 50% of the item other expenses, had been discontinued. Besides, by request of the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic, the following names of prominent Argentine personalities in science and technology deserving to be included in the series of commemorative currencies to be issued by such entity were proposed: Florentino Ameghino, Alberto P. Calderon, Bernardo A. Houssay, Luis A. Huergo, Luis F. Leloir and Francisco P. Moreno.

As decided in 1998, during last year the Academy fellowship program was launched. On one hand, three annual National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences fellowships were implemented for the completion of doctoral theses, each one consisting of US$700 monthly. Chosen by each one of the Sections, they were as follows: Lorenzo R. Parodi in Botany, Juan Jose Giambiagi in Physics and Enrique Butty in Engineering. From the call to com-petition, for which 13, 25 and 6 candidates applied, respectively, the following were the beneficiaries: in Botany, Carolina Torres (Faculty of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences, National University of Cordoba); in Physics, Maria Leticia Rubio Puzzo (Faculty of Exact Sciences, National University of La Plata); and in Engineering, Fernando Varela Lopez (Faculty of Engineering, University of Buenos Aires). In addition, In libris carpe rosam fellowships were implemented, designated 3farcelo G. Barroso Mastronardi in Mathematics and Paulo D. Barroso Mastronardi in Biological Sciences. Each one consisting of US$600 monthly, they arose from the offer from an economic fund donated by Eng. Ines A. Mastronardi, whose interests will be used to finance fellowships for students at the University of Buenos Aires, in the mentioned areas. After studying the curricula vitarum presented by the 12 applicants to the fellowship in Mathematics and by the 14 candidates to the scholarship in Biological Sciences, beneficiaries were Fernando Lopez Garcia and Matias Blaustein, respectively.

For the fourteenth year in succession, the Academy participated in the Book Fair -organized annually by the El Libro Foundation-, setting up a stand where experiences in chemistry and physics and mathematical challenges were carried out daily in charge of specialists belonging to the Argentine Mathematical Olympics, Argentine Chemistry Olympics, departments of Physics and Mathematics at the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences (UBA), department of Physics at the Faculty of Engineering (UBA) and the Museum of Mathematics (FCEYN, UBA). Attracting a large number of the public to our stand, these activities were coordinated by Academy Member Norberto A. Fava, who deserves our greatest appreciation for his efforts.

As far as diffusion was concerned, the Academy approved Academy Member Luis F. Rocha's proposal to set up the so-called Academy Museum, which will appear on our web page (www.ancefn.org.ar). This section that will be devoted to divulge scientific topics (explanation of physical laws, scientists who discovered them, virtual experiments that exemplify them, and so on) in order to attract the attention of youths so that they may visit the Academy's site, will begin with four biographical notes (Marie Curie, Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur and Srinivasa Ramanujan) prepared by the above mentioned Academy Member.

In the publications area, during 1999 volume 50 of Anales and bulletin Noticias Nº 9 and Nº 10 were published. Besides, the presentation of the Academy's Report bearing the heading Annual Report 1998 was translated into English, and sent to Honorary and Corresponding Academy Members resident abroad in non-Spanish speaking countries. The internal communication Information for Academy Members also continued to be issued.

Regarding the new Statute of the Academy, between June and November the academic plenary held sessions to debate and approve each one of the articles, so that later the full document will become available for consideration. The corresponding regulation will likewise be studied by the plenary.

The Darwinian Institute of Botany, under Dr. Fernando 0. Zuloaga's competent leadership, continued carrying out excellent research work and diffusion, as may be appreciated in detail in the corresponding section of the present Report.

Through this presentation, I extend my heartiest congratulations to the Academy Members who received awards and distinctions during 1999.

In this brief yearly retrospect, I also wish to express my personal gratitude to the Academy Members who shared the Governing Board and whose contributions of ideas, collaboration and attendance lent it the greatest scope and range of accomplishments; the same recognition is due to the presidents of Sections, of Commissions, of Special Commissions and of Academy programs, as well as to the entirety o1 colleagues.

The Academy staff carried out their mission competently and reliably. Dr. Juan Carlos Valles, Mr., Mariano G. Fernandez Alt, Mrs. Diana L. Pallini Misses Patricia N. López and Beatriz L. Manso and Mr. Ramon Beron, lent enthusiasm and goodwill for the best achievement of their respective tasks. They also provided significant initiatives for a more efficient operation of our institution, so that I congratulate and thank them for all their constant efforts.

Dr. Eduardo G. Gros
President