Mexican Academy of Sciences DetailsFoundation 12 August 1959Location Mexico City, MexicoMembers 2,708 (2017)President José Luis Morán LópezAddressCasa Central Casa TlalpanMexico City, MexicoWeb page http://www.amc.mx
The Mexican Academy of Sciences (Academia Mexicana de Ciencias) is a non-profit organization comprising over 1800 Mexican scientists, attached to various institutions in the country, as well as a number of foreign colleagues, including various Nobel Prize winners.
Principles and mission
To maintain its independent status To serve as a spokesman for the scientific community with society and the Mexican state To advocate quality, professionalism and honesty in scientific research, training and dissemination To foster the development and consolidation of the Mexican scientific community To ensure that the aim of the production, implementation and dissemination of scientific knowledge is always to develop the creative and intellectual capacities of individuals and society
Objectives
To group together the most outstanding researchers in Mexico in the various areas of science and to promote public recognition of their work To encourage scientific research, training and dissemination in Mexico To advocate the fullest utilization of Mexican researchers' production To seek national and international recognition of Mexican scientists To promote and direct exchange with scientific organizations and communities in other countries
Executive Board of Directors
According to AMC's statutes, the Directive Council is responsible for supervising and managing all the Academia's affairs, and implementing the decisions made at the Ordinary and Extraordinary General Assemblies. It consists of a president, a vice-president, two secretaries (one appointed by the incoming president and another by vote), and a treasurer who will serve on the board for two years. The vice-president will occupy the post of president during the following period.
Membership
To date, the Academia has a total of 1,847 researchers, working mostly in Mexico and occasionally abroad, who are affiliated to various institutions. These members are grouped, according to their specialty, in one of ten existing academic sections: agricultural sciences, astronomy, biology, social sciences and humanities, physics, geosciences, engineering, mathematics, medicine and chemistry. Each section has a coordinator responsible for liaising between members of the Academia and the Board of Directors. The Academia also has corresponding members in various countries, active researchers who have been recognized in their disciplines and made a significant contribution to the development of research in Mexico. At present there are 58 corresponding members, including nine Nobel Prize winners. The Academia has also expanded geographically to reinforce the work undertaken by its members at the country's academic centers. In 1993, the Central Regional Section, comprising the states of Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Michoacán, San Luis Potosí and Querétaro was established. The year 2000 saw the creation of Regional Centers in the Southeast (Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Yucatán, known as Southeast 1), the Northwest (Baja California Sur, Baja California, Chihuahua, Sinaloa and Sonora), and the Northeast (Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas). The Southeast II Regional Section (Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla and Veracruz) was created in the year 2001.
A total of 85% of the 1,847 members of AMC belong to the National System of Researchers (NSR), 14% of whom are Emeritus or Level III members.
Area/Section Men WomenTotal Exact Sciences 779 128 907Astronomy341145 Physics31733350Engineering15010160Mathematics90696Chemistry11643159Geosciences722597 Natural Sciences478137615Agro-sciences8714101Biology24087327Medicine15136187 Social Sciences and Humanities196129325Total14533941847
Ex-presidents
Name Period Jaime Urrutia Fucugauchi 2014-2017 José Franco López 2013-2014 Arturo Menchaca Rocha 2010-2012 Rosaura Ruiz Gutiérrez 2008-2009 Juan Pedro Laclette San Román 2006-2007 Octavio Paredes López 2004-2005 José Antonio de la Peña Mena 2002–2003 René Raúl Drucker Colín 2000–2001 Francisco Bolívar Zapata 1998–1999 Juan Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez 1996–1997 Mauricio Fortes Besprosvani 1994–1995 Antonio Peña Díaz 1992–1993 Hugo Aréchiga Urtuzuástegui 1990–1991 Fernando del Río Haza 1988–1989 Adolfo Martínez Palomo 1985–1987 José Sarukhán Kermez 1983 – 198 Pablo Rudomín Zevnovaty 1981–1983 Daniel Reséndiz Núñez 1979–1981 Guillermo Carvajal Sandoval 1977–1979 Jorge Flores Valdés 1976–1977 Agustín Ayala Castañares 1975–1976 Carlos Gual Castro 1974–1975 Alonso Fernández González 1973–1974 José Luis Mateos Gómez 1972–1973 Raúl Ondarza Vidaurreta 1971–1972 Ismael Herrera Revilla 1970–1971 Fernando Alba Andrade 1967–1968 Guillermo Soberón Acevedo 1966 – 196 Marcos Mazari Menzer 1965–1966 Marcos Moshinsky Borodiansky 1962–1963 Alberto Sandoval Landazuri 1959–1960
Standing commissions
Membership
The Membership Commission, led by the vice-president of AMC, is composed of ten researchers from the areas of exact, natural and social sciences, each of whom occupies this post for four years. Every two years, half of the Commission's members, who have held the post for four years, are replaced by new members, elected by members' vote. Every year, this Commission analyzes all candidates seeking election as regular or corresponding members.
Awards
The Awards Commission, also led by the vice-president of AMC and divided into five areas: Exact Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Engineering and Technology, analyzes and determines the recipients of the various awards granted annually by AMC. Every year, half the Commission's members, who have held the post for two years, are replaced by new members, elected by members' vote.
Awards and incentives
During the academic year, the Academia offers the following awards:
AMC Research Awards Instituted in 1961 and regarded as the highest distinction conferred by AMC, this award is offered to young researchers under the age of 40 undertaking state-of-the-art research in the areas of exact, natural and social sciences, humanities and engineering and technology.
Since 1961, AMC has given research awards to 159 scientists from over 20 institutions.
Weizmann and Weizmann-Kahn Awards
Since 1986, the Academia, in conjunction with the Asociación Mexicana de Amigos del Instituto Weizmann de Ciencias, has granted Weizmann Awards to the best doctoral dissertations produced in Mexico by researchers under the age of thirty-five in the areas of exact and natural sciences. Likewise, since 2001, the Weizmann-Kahn Award has been granted to the best doctoral dissertations in engineering and technology.
Social Sciences and Humanities Award
Since 1996, the Academia has granted this award to the best doctoral dissertations in social sciences undertaken in Mexico by researchers under the age of 40.
Academic programs
AMC's activities are oriented towards developing and consolidating scientific culture by strengthening the values of creative intellect so that society regards them as its own. As a result of the above, several AMC programs are designed to promote science among young people, foster the training of new researchers, enhance communication and collaboration with institutions responsible for research in Mexico and raise the Academia's international profile.
Science at Your School
Created in 2002, this program seeks to raise the level of mathematics and science teaching using alternative methods to those employed in traditional teaching that will stimulate the interest of children and youth through greater interaction with teachers and their involvement in simple, direct experimental practices that will engage their curiosity and encourage more dynamic learning. Specific actions have been implemented to train teachers and provide them with useful teaching tools. These actions have included diploma courses for teachers, designing special materials, providing special support for teachers, working in the classrooms, offering series of conferences and creating a web site.
Computers for Children and Youth
Since 1987, the purpose of this program has been to support the teaching of computer use through workshops aimed at primary school children. The workshops are held in various Mexican public libraries throughout the country and in the metropolitan area. In 2004, these workshops were attended by 37,228 children at 111 libraries in 12 Mexican states as well as in the Federal District. Secondary school students are given a workshop to improve their grasp of mathematics, based on the program The Geometer's Sketchpad.
Mathematics Teaching Program
Created in 1999, this program seeks to undertake activities to support mathematics teaching. It has focused on the production of teaching material to be used in projects to disseminate the free Computer Program for children and youth. It also undertakes studies on the problems that affect the formal teaching of mathematics in elementary and middle school. Some examples of math teaching can be seen at www.puemac.matem.unam.mx
Scientific Research Summer
The Scientific Research Summer was created in 1990. The Summer is a short period of residence (June–August) for university students wishing to pursue a scientific career at Mexico's most prestigious research centers and laboratories. In 2004, applications were received from 1,739 undergraduate students, 690 of whom were awarded grants. The program also received the support of 459 researchers at 135 receiving institutions.
Scientific Research Week
The Week consists of planning the greatest number of talks on scientific topics, aimed at young university and senior high school students throughout the country. In recent years, summer weeks have been held at fourteen institutions in twelve states with the participation of over 670 internal and 29 external speakers.
Nobel Conferences
Designed to promote an annual visit by Nobel Prize winners in order for them to interact with Mexican researchers and graduate students, this program has been operating since 1995. Eleven Nobel Prize winners have visited the Academia to date.
Visits from Distinguished Professors In 1996, AMC, together with the United States-Mexico Science Foundation inaugurated this program aimed at promoting visits to Mexico by well-known researchers living in the United States to undertake academic work such as seminars, short courses and workshops, and to engage in new research collaborations with Mexican scientists. On average, fifteen of these professors visit various Mexican institutions every year. Between 1996 and 2004, 155 visits by distinguished professors to various research institutes in Mexico were approved.
Promotion and dissemination of science
The Academia has created several programs for promoting science to stimulate interest in scientific disciplines among Mexican children and youth.
Science on Sundays
This program, created in 1982, consists of popular science talks for the general public, given by distinguished scientists. These talks are generally scheduled at week-ends.
In 2004, the program celebrated its 22nd anniversary. For an uninterrupted period of 22 years, the Science on Sundays program has operated at 149 venues at which 5,348 lectures have been given. In 2004, 391 talks were delivered at 16 sites distributed throughout 10 Mexican states and the Federal District. The program currently operates at 16 venues.
Science Olympiads