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NEWS10 May 2018News

EURAXESS ASEAN at Annual General Meeting of Global Young Academy

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2 May 2018 – More than 122 early- to mid-career scientists and scholars from over 50 countries gather from 9-10 May in Pattaya, Thailand. The Global Young Academy’s (GYA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) and International Conference will address the opportunities and challenges of sustainable and healthy ageing through science and technology.

This theme ties in closely with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals focusing on good health and well-being, as well as those related to hunger, water, sanitation, responsible production and consumption, and stable, peaceful and sustainable cities and communities.

In some countries, there is a continuous rise in births and significant recent improvements in maternal-child health, leading to situations where up to five generations may be living as one family unit. In other countries, the median age of the population is rising due to low birth rates and people living longer. These demographic shifts raise a number of questions, including:

• How are scientific advances and technological developments implicated in healthy ageing? What technological and social innovations do we require in the future, and what role should science play in meeting these challenges?

• How are different communities, countries, cultures and organisations responding to these changing demographics? Which, if any, changes to political and social structures are needed to address these challenges?

• How do the different generations interact with and influence each other, as well as society at large?

By bringing together experts from various disciplines, the 2018 AGM and Conference aims to address these questions and generate new and valuable insights.

Holding the GYA Conference and AGM in Thailand will additionally provide a platform for scientific exchange and discourse within the national context of Thailand and the regional contexts of the ASEAN and Asian nations. Through discussions and networking of participants in this conference, we aim to contribute to the generation of sustainable development projects in Thailand, the ASEAN region, and globally that address the issues and concerns related to healthy ageing.

Highlights from the conference programme include panels on individual, social and environmental aspects of the conference topic, member lightning talks, and a Key Note Talk from Nobel Laureate Prof Harald zur Hausen, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2008 for discovering that the human papilloma virus (HPV) is the principal cause of cervical cancer.

The GYA will also welcome 45 new members to its ranks during the AGM. The 2018 new GYA members represent more than 34 countries, among them our first members from Côte d'Ivoire, Namibia, Lebanon, Panama, Peru, and Albania. Moreover, this year’s members are comprised of 23 females and 22 males, which pushes the gender balance of the GYA membership to 43% female and 57% male. Including alumni, the GYA is represented in 83 countries.

Of further interest is that several conference sessions will be live-streamed on 9 and 10 May on the GYA YouTube Channel. A list of live-streamed events can be found here.

The AGM will be held in Pattaya, Thailand, and receives generous support from the Thai National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS), Office of Higher Education Commission, National Science and Technology Innovation Policy Office (STI), The Siam Cement Public Company Limited, PTT Global Chemical Public Co., Ltd. (PTTGC), National Science Museum, Pattaya City, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the InterAcademy Partnership, and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.

 

About the Global Young Academy

 

The Global Young Academy (GYA) was founded in 2010 with the vision to be the voice of early- and mid-career scientists around the world. The GYA empowers early to mid-career researchers to lead international, interdisciplinary, and intergenerational dialogue by developing and mobilising talent from six continents. Its purpose is to promote reason and inclusiveness in global decision-making. Members are chosen for their demonstrated excellence in scientific achievement and commitment to service. Currently, there are 200 members and 171 alumni from 77 countries. The academy is hosted at the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. The GYA received its seed funding from The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and the Volkswagen Foundation. Since 2014, it has received core funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and is also supported by the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) and other international donors.

Find out more: http://www.globalyoungacademy.net