Year 4 2014–2015

YOUNG ACADEMY OF SWEDEN YEAR 4 2014–2015 1 YOUNG ACADEMY OF SWEDEN © 2015 GRAPHIC DESIGN: KICKI AJAX/FRÄULEIN DESIGN PRINT: ÅTTA45, SWEDEN The Young Academy of Sweden is funded by the Erling-Persson Family Foundation, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the Ragnar Söderberg Foundation, Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (the Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences), and the Ministry of Education and Research. COVER PICTURE: Our Academy meetings provide time for discussion and unexpected encounters: a neurochemist, a professor of art and technology, a communications researcher and an elementary particle physicist enjoy a boat tour during the first autumn Academy meeting in Stockholm. Photo: Anna Kjellström 2 YOUNG ACADEMY OF SWEDEN The Young Academy of Sweden is an independent, makers, disseminating knowledge about research findings interdisciplinary forum for a selection of Sweden’s best in society, managing interdisciplinary projects and young researchers from all fields of study. It facilitates inspiring young people to embark on careers in research. cross-disciplinary encounters that yield unexpected The Young Academy of Sweden is open to researchers initiatives. Founded in 2011 at the initiative of the Royal from all fields of study; the criteria for selection are Swedish Academy of Sciences, it currently comprises scientific excellence and a deep commitment to scientific 47 members. The Young Academy of Sweden aims to issues at large. Young academies have been and are being promote Swedish research, by interacting with policy founded all over the world. Group photo from the Academy meeting in Umeå, February 2015. Photo: Anna Kjellström 3 YEAR 4 Why is there a Young Academy of Sweden? What is our contribution? The purpose of the Young Academy of Sweden is forward-looking; to promote the position of knowledge in Sweden, for instance, by creating cross- boundary meetings and by challenging prevailing stereo- types and preconceptions about what research is and what researchers do – particularly as regards the younger generations. Bringing together a selection of the country’s top researchers from a diversity of academic disciplines, the Academy brings about new kinds of meetings where researchers inspire each other and new scientific connections are made. Several members testify to having become better at their craft as their perspectives have been broadened. A philosopher can actually take something away from a Martin Högbom and Anna Sjöström Douagi. meeting with a mathematician. The discussions taking Photo: Anna Kjellström place during our meetings are very inspiring and instructive. We organise activities and seminars, to which we invite that! Role models are important and the Young Academy is everyone wishing to take part in unexpected meetings and full of them. This summer will also see the third iteration of thoughts. For this very reason we launched a podcast in our popular summer research school; previous evaluations 2015, “Akademipodden”, which enables even more people show that we are onto something important. One student to take part of cutting-edge research and listen to researchers says that for the first time she felt it was alright to feel smart. from diverse fields discussing current research findings or Sad, but true. Another student says that he had no idea that events with each other. When the Royal Swedish Academy a researcher could be so young, have a family and be funny of Sciences was founded in the eighteenth century, it began on top of that. Therefore, it is our belief and realisation distributing an annual calendar to all households in which it that we have an important task to fulfil. We want to extend published new scientific findings in popular scientific guise. a sincere thank you to all – not least to our members In the 21st century, we hope that the Young Academy of – who make it possible for us to create a Sweden where it Sweden will be heard in all headphones and ear buds. As is okay to be smart and where everyone can jump right a means of reaching out to younger generations, in 2015 into a discussion about quantum physics. Please join us on we joined a global initiative, the Global STEM Alliance, this journey! the aim of which is to put young people across the globe in contact with top researchers using a digital platform Anna Sjöström Douagi, CEO reached through a computer game. A student in Pakistan, Martin Högbom, Chair for instance, will be able to talk to and be encouraged by a member of the Young Academy of Sweden. How cool is 4 ACTIVITIES ACADEMY MEETINGS The Academy meetings, two-day long stay-over gatherings, SHIRIN AHLBÄCK ÖBERG, Assistant Professor and Senior constitute the foundation for all activities of the Young Lecturer, Vice-Dean, Political Science, Uppsala University Academy of Sweden. Currently four Academy meetings are RUTH BENDELS, Director, Die Junge Akademie, Berlin held each year and the meeting place rotates around the GERHARD ERTL, Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry 2007, country and abroad, in order to facilitate contact with key Professor Emeritus, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck- figures and institutions. Gesellschaft, Berlin LENA GUSTAFSSON, Dean, Umeå University; Professor, Microbiology, Umeå University; Vice-Dean, Mathematics At the Academy meetings members convene in order to and Natural Sciences, University of Gothenburg; Pro-Vice- discuss and make decisions relevant to the Academy and its Chancellor, Chalmers Institute of Technology; and Deputy activities. It is at the very same meetings that new ideas for Director General, Vinnova activities see the light of day and are acted upon. It is also BILL HANSSON, Vice-President, Die Max-Planck- where members present their research to each other and Gesellschaft, Berlin; Professor, Chemical Ecology, various interdisciplinary activities take place. At times our Max-Planck-Institut für chemische Ökologie, Jena meetings take a different form, for the sake of variety. At the LARS HEIKENSTEN, Managing Director, Nobel Foundation; meeting in April we organised a number of practical rheto- Doctor of Economics, Stockholm Business School; former rical exercises, a TED-talk master class, as well as “elevator Director General at the Swedish Ministry of Finance; former pitch” events where research is presented in one minute or Governor of the Swedish National Bank. less. Other main events on the programme are the informal SVEN STAFSTRÖM, Director General, Swedish Research discussions with attending guests. The Young Academy of Council; Professor, Computational Physics, Linköping Sweden invites a wide variety of key individuals from all University segments of society. During the year 2014–15 we met with: > Emma Sparr and Klas Markström in front of the new popular “Living Room” at Umeå University during the Academy meeting in Umeå 2015. Annika Pohl, Helene Anderson Svahn, Danica Kragic Jensen and Helena Sandberg at Photo: Anna Kjellström the Academy meeting in Umeå, February 2015. Photo: Anna Kjellström 5 ACTIVITIES ACADEMY MEETINGS JAN-ERIC SUNDGREN, Chairman, Foundation for the Young Gesellschaft where we met with Martin Wolf, Managing Academy of Sweden, Professor of Physics, Senior expert Director, Bill Hansson, Professor and Vice-President of adviser to Volvo CEO and top management as well as former the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, as well as Dean, Chalmers Institute of Technology Gunnar Ertl, Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry 2007. We HEIDI WEDEL, Director, the Global Young Academy also visited the prominent Wissenschaftskolleg. The former THORSTEN WILHELMY, Secretary General, Wissenschafts- Secretary General of the European Research Council (ERC) kolleg, Berlin and current Secretary General of the Human Frontier ERNST-LUDWIG WINNACKER, Secretary General, Human Science Program (HFSP), Professor Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, Frontier Science Program; former Secretary General, also visited the Young Academy of Sweden during the Berlin European Research Council; and Director General of the meeting. In Umeå we visited, among other things, Umeå German Research Council, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft University and the Humanist House, and we were given an MARTIN WOLF, Managing Director, Fritz-Haber-Institut der eloquent in situ presentation of the exiting HumLab. Dean Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin Lena Gustafsson visited us, as well as the man behind the GUNNAR ÖQUIST, Honorary member, Young Academy of initiative to found the Young Academy of Sweden, Gunnar Sweden; Professor Emeritus, Physiological Botany, Umeå Öquist. The Academy also appreciated the guided tour of the University; former Permanent Secretary, Royal Swedish new museum, Bildmuseet. Our aim is to continue developing Academy of Sciences the format of the Academy meetings at various locations in Sweden and abroad. Invited guests and visitors provide Academy meetings during the fourth year were held in Academy members with unique possibilities to influence and Stockholm, Berlin and Umeå. In Berlin we visited, among gain insight into key institutions that do research, disseminate other things, the Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck- findings, or make decisions about research. Visiting the Academy meeting in Berlin in November, Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, Secretary General of the The Young Academy together with Martin Wolf, Managing Director of Fritz-Haber-Institut HFSP, and former Secretary General of the ERC as der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft and Gerhard Ertl, Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry 2007, well as Director General of the German research

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