The Science Academy Society of Turkey

The Science Academy (Bilim Akademisi), Turkey is an independent, self-governing organization, founded on the principles of scientific merit, independence, and integrity. It was founded on November 25, 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Science Academy pursues policies to stimulate the spirit of science, to diffuse the methods and traditions of scientific research, and to instill the values of excellence, independence and integrity in the scientific community in Turkey.[1] To this effect, the Science Academy strives to raise public awareness regarding science practices, policies, education and ethics by organizing conferences, meetings, talks and running the popular science website sarkac.org (in Turkish). The Science Academy purports to inform the general public and the government or private institutions at large on the impact as well as the societal implications of scientific and scholarly research.

The Science Academy was admitted as an associate member of the federation of All European Academies (ALLEA) in 2014, and as a full member in 2017.[2] The Science Academy has also been admitted as a member organization of the International Science Council (ISC).[3] Since its foundation, The Science Academy has been a member of the International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies (IHRN).

Foundation

The Science Academy was founded on November 25, 2011 by 17 former members of TÜBA, the Turkish Academy of Sciences (Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi),[4] when two legislative decrees issued on August 27, 2011, and November 3, 2011, stripped TÜBA of its autonomy, imposing tutelage of the government, including the appointment of TÜBA members by government bodies. The Science Academy was chartered as an independent non-governmental organization, based on the principles of academic merit, independence and integrity. Since its first general assembly in 2011, the members have been electing the president and the governing body of the Academy, admitting new members based on their scientific merit.

Members

The Science Academy has currently a total of 180 full members,[5] distributed as follows according to their fields of expertise: 107 members in Mathematics, Natural and Engineering Sciences, 42 members in Social Sciences, and 31 members in Life Sciences. There are additionally 34 honorary members [6] including four Nobel laureates (Peter A. Diamond, Economics 2010; John Polanyi, Chemistry 1986; Martin Chalfie, Chemistry 2008 ; Philip W. Anderson, Nobel Prize in Physics 1977, passed away in 2020) and Abel Prize 2018 Laureate Robert Langlands.

Activities

A large number of reports, position statements and communications of the Science Academy are published on its website.[7] These documents address, among others, policy issues related to science and technology and to academic freedoms, human rights issues involving scientists and scholars, and current economic and political developments in Turkey and in the world. Here are the titles of some of the reports issued by the Academy: “The Annual Science Academy Reports on Academic Freedoms”; “Turkish Academics Sound Alarm over Gender Segregation Plans”; “Follow Up on The Soma Mining Disaster”; “The Science Academy Statement on Precautionary Measures Against the Covid-19 Pandemic” and “It is Problematic to Subject Scientific Research on COVID-19 to Permission”.

The Science Academy has been organizing monthly popular science lectures for the general public.[8]

Lecture of the Year

The Science Academy holds a Lecture of the Year with a well-recognized scientist, since 2016:

Summer and Winter Science Schools

The Science Academy, jointly with Bogazici University has been organizing Feza Gürsey summer and winter schools in mathematics, physics, astronomy, cosmology and logic.[9]

The Science Academy has further been putting together graduate summer schools in the area of Machine Learning and Information Processing since 2016, and on social sciences and humanities since 2020.[10]

Research Awards for Young Scientists

The Science Academy organizes the prestigious BAGEP research grant awards program intended for young scientists under the age of 40.[11] The award is given in view of the overall past career performance and future promise of each researcher. BAGEP is the first non-governmental award program in Turkey, entirely funded by personal and institutional donators.

References
  1. The Science Academy - Why
  2. "ALLEA Members -". Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  3. "Introducing new member of the ISC, Bilim Akademisi". International Science Council. 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  4. TÜBA
  5. "Members". The Science Academy. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  6. "Honorary Members". The Science Academy. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  7. "Announcements". The Science Academy. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  8. "Conferences". The Science Academy (in Turkish). Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  9. "Feza Gursey Summer Schools". Feza Gursey Summer Schools (in Turkish). Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  10. "Bilim Akademisi – Yaz Okulları". yazokulu.bilimakademisi.org. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  11. "Young Scientist Awards (BAGEP)". The Science Academy. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
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