Global Young Academy Yearly
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2020 F In Memoriam Alexander (Sasha) Kagansky (Russia) Sasha was the Director of the Center for Genomic and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biomedicine at the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia. A GYA member from 2015-2020 and Executive Committee member in 2017/2018, Sasha made countless meaningful connections and initiated and collaborated on many inspiring projects. Sasha was one of the most active GYA members and a true inspiration. Jon Tennant (Indonesia) Jon completed his award-winning PhD at Imperial College London, where he researched evolutionary patterns in animals such as dinosaurs and crocodiles. He was the founder of the Open Science MOOC, and the digital publishing platform paleorXiv. John was set to join our ranks in 2020 and his shining light would have bolstered the GYA in ways that we can now only imagine. 2 2020 Please refer to this document as follows: Global Young Academy. 2021. GYA Yearly Report 2020. Halle (Saale), Germany: Global Young Academy at the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26164/GYA_00297 GYA in 2020 The historical occurrences of 2020 will be Another positive development of 2020 was examined for years to come, and our own frst the GYA becoming an Affliate Member of the look back as an organisation flls us with pride International Science Council. The GYA now at how GYA members, alumni and Offce staff stands together with nearly 200 international reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic. scientifc organisations uniting the natural and social sciences. The ISC’s vision to Not only did the GYA quickly adopt a Statement advance science as a global public good, and and an Infographic with recommendations on its mission to be the global voice of science, how to stay safe and healthy, various members harmonises with the GYA’s vision – science and Working Groups provided guidance to for all; science for the future – and mission avoid contracting the disease itself, as well as to give a voice to young scientists. We look how to deal with the unprecedented pressures forward to continued productive cooperation that early-career researchers (ERCs) suddenly with the ISC. found themselves facing. The Global State of Young Scientists (GloSYS) With lockdowns being implemented and travel project moved across the Atlantic in 2020, as restricted worldwide, our Annual General focus shifted from Africa to Latin America and Meeting (AGM) and International Conference the Caribbean (LAC). GloSYS LAC will analyse of Young Scientists, originally planned for the circumstances of ERCs in this region Kolkata, India, was moved online, and the through six focal countries, and we expect to challenges that this presented were both learn much about the current state of ERCs myriad and time-intensive for all involved. in LAC. Nonetheless, the vibrancy of the GYA We close as we began, by noting that community was evident throughout, and with COVID-19 continues to disrupt the world in so 180 members and alumni from around the many ways. Still, we very much hope that our globe taking part, the frst-ever virtual AGM plan to see you face-to-face in Japan for our and Conference was a great success. 2022 AGM and Conference comes to fruition. As the AGM and Conference was taking We do hope you enjoy our 2020 Yearly Report. place, events in the United States sparked Stay safe and healthy, everyone. a global debate about inequality, and these discussions in part resulted in GYA members adopting three focus areas as priority topics for 2020/21: Addressing systemic discrimination; Anindita Bhadra, Co-Chair Enabling access to online education; and (Indian Institute of Science Education and Harmonising reason with sensibility. Devoting Research Kolkata, India) energy to these focus areas led to vital GYA output throughout the year, and also resulted Michael Saliba, Co-Chair in the premiere episode of the GYA’s podcast (University of Stuttgart, Forschungszentrum “Voices of Young Scientists”. Jülich, Germany) 4 Stories 1 | COVID-19 and the GYA ...................................................................................................... 6 2 | Women in Science Working Group ................................................................................... 7 3 | Going virtual ...................................................................................................................... 8 4 | Heal the Earth! ................................................................................................................... 9 5 | 2020 in numbers ............................................................................................................ 10 6 | News from the global network of Young Academies .................................................... 12 7 | Advancing science as a global public good .................................................................. 13 8 | GYA joins Open Research Europe consortium ............................................................... 14 9 | GYA adopts three Focus Areas for 2020/21 ................................................................. 15 10 | Working Group spotlight ............................................................................................... 16 11 | Global State of Young Scientists in Latin America and Caribbean ............................ 17 12 | North-South Interdisciplinary Grant funds innovative research ................................ 18 5 COVID-19 and the GYA 1 The year everything changed The year 2020 was defned by the spread of Studies, Panama) penned a COVID-19 Primer COVID-19, and from the very beginning, GYA (available here). Executive Committee member members and alumni contributed to raising Yoko Shimpuku (Hiroshima University, Japan) awareness of the disease, effectively combating and 2019/2020 Co-Chair Koen Vermeir (CNRS, its spread, and providing advice during the various France) represented the GYA in the group of rounds of lockdown. National Science Academies of the G7 countries (GScience) to help forumulate the statement “The One of the GYA's frst actions as an organisation Critical Need for International Cooperation during was to craft and release “Beyond Boundaries: COVID-19 Pandemic”. A global message from young scientists on COVID-19”. This Statement delivered specifc GYA members in Latin America recognised the recommendations for governments, the public, vulnerable position of that region's health care and young researchers worldwide on the sector and teamed up to discuss with the general importance of global health solidarity, rapid and public their perspectives on the pandemic. The transparent information exchange, adequate resulting webinar (in Spanish, available here), precautions for curbing COVID-19 transmission, was moderated by Felix Moronta, and included and the avoidance of spreading misinformation. short talks and a Q&A with participants. As the year continued and various National The Women in Science working group also Young Academies began producing and sharing published a paper (available here) exploring important information that could potentially save group members' individual experiences balancing lives, the GYA launched a dedicated COVID-19 work and family responsibilities during lockdown, repository page for such information. and in a vivid demonstration of their combined abilities to actually do so, they also released a In addition to the Beyond Boundaries Statement second publication titled “Motherhood in Science itself, the repository contains an accompanying - How children change our academic careers”. Beyond Boundaries infographic created by GYA member Felix Moronta (International Centre for Despite all these accomplishments, just as the Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Italy). The world was disrupted by COVID-19, so too was original infographic was created in English, but the GYA. As you'll read in the stories to follow, very quickly our members and alumni adapted it COVID-19 has transformed how we work, travel, to their native tongues; it is now available in 26 and interact with colleagues. languages. The one thing it won't change, however, is the Many individual GYA members and alumni indomitable spirit of cooperation and collegiality took up the baton to help combat the virus. that the GYA embodies. Executive Committee member Sandra Lopez- Verges (Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health 6 Scan the QR code for links related to this article. Women in Science Working Group 2 Making the voice of women scientists widely heard One of the GYA’s most active groups, the working The paper was a reaction to working conditions group on Women in Science (WiS), kicked off and everyday challenges everyone was suddenly 2020 with a message sent on the occasion of the facing during the pandemic. Starting from the United Nations International Day of Women and observation that pre-pandemic conditions were Girls in Science in February 2020. already challenging and have worsened during the ongoing crisis, the authors share their inspiring Led by the group’s co-leads Executive Committee experiences on how they dealt with the challenges member Shalini Arya (EEL USP Lorena, Brazil) of balancing work and family responsibilities. and Roula Inglesi-Lotz (University of Pretoria, South Africa), the group joined the international The paper includes some general observations, community in celebrating the achievements of but mainly consists of personal stories and women in science, while also acknowledging the experiences from group members on navigating struggles involved