The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine by The New York Academy of Sciences

Creativity: A SCIENTIST’S SECRET WEAPON? Sports & STEM: A Winning Combination

Scientific Efforts in Yucatán, Mexico

Academy Facts & Figures

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Board of Governors Chair NANCY ZIMPHER

Vice Chair KENNETH L. DAVIS

President [ex officio] ELLIS RUBINSTEIN

Secretary [ex officio] LARRY SMITH

Governors LEN BLAVATNIK MARY BRABECK NANCY CANTOR MARTIN CHALFIE MILTON COFIELD MIKAEL DOLSTEN ELAINE FUCHS

JAY FURMAN ALICE P. GAST BRIAN GREENE THOMAS L. HARRISON STEVE HOCHBERG TONI HOOVER THOMAS C. JACKSON

International Governors SETH F. BERKLEY MANUEL CAMACHO SOLIS GERALD CHAN S. KRIS GOPALAKRISHNAN

RAJENDRA K. PACHAURI RUSSELL READ PAUL STOFFELS

Treasurer ROBERT CATELL

JOHN E. KELLY III MEHMOOD KHAN JEFFREY D. SACHS KATHE SACKLER MORTIMER D.A. SACKLER JOHN E. SEXTON

GEORGE E. THIBAULT PAUL WALKER IRIS WEINSHALL FRANK WILCZEK MICHAEL ZIGMAN

Chairman Emeritus TORSTEN N. WIESEL

Honorary Life Governors KAREN E. BURKE HERBERT J. KAYDEN JOHN F. NIBLACK

RODERICK MACKINNON Nobel Laureate & John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Prof., The Rockefeller Univ.; Investigator, HHMI GERALD J. MCDOUGALL National Partner, Global Pharmaceutical & Health Sciences Practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP RICHARD MENSCHEL Sr. Director, Goldman Sachs RONAY MENSCHEL Chairman of the Board, Phipps Houses; Board of Overseers, Weill Cornell Medical College HEATHER MUNROE-BLOOM Principal and ViceChancellor, McGill Univ. FERID MURAD Nobel Laureate & Director, IMM Center for Cell Signaling, The University of Texas at Houston JOHN F. NIBLACK Former President, Pfizer Global Research & Development PAUL NURSE Nobel Laureate & President, The Royal Society; former President, The Rockefeller Univ. ROBERT C. RICHARDSON Nobel Laureate & Sr. Vice Provost for Research, Floyd R. Newman Prof. of Physics, Cornell Univ. RICHARD ROBERTS Nobel Laureate & CSO, New England Biolabs EDWARD F. ROVER President, The Dana Foundation F. SHERWOOD ROWLAND Nobel Laureate & Prof. of Chemistry & Earth Science, Univ. of California, Irvine BENGT SAMUELSSON Nobel Laureate & Prof., Medical & Physiological Chem., Karolinska Inst.; former Chairman, The Nobel Foundation IVAN SEIDENBERG Advisory Partner, Perella Weinberg Partners LP; former Chairman of the Board, Verizon ISMAIL SERAGELDIN Director, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, The Library of Alexandria, Egypt PHILLIP A. SHARP Nobel Laureate & Director, McGovern Inst., MIT Center for Cancer Research

ELLIOTT SIGAL CSO, Bristol-Myers Squibb MICHAEL SOHLMAN Former Exec. Director, The Nobel Foundation PAUL STOFFELS Company Group Chairman, World Wide Research & Development, Pharmaceuticals Group, Johnson & Johnson MARC TESSIER-LAVIGNE President, The Rockefeller Univ. MARY ANN TIGHE CEO, New York Tri-State Region, CB Richard Ellis SHIRLEY TILGHMAN President, Princeton Univ. FRANK WALSH CEO, Ossianix, Inc. GERALD WEISSMANN Prof. of Medicine, NYU School of Medicine JOHN WHITEHEAD Former Chairman, Lower Manhattan Development Corp.; former Co-Chairman of Goldman Sachs GEORGE WHITESIDES Mallinckrodt Prof. of Chemistry, Harvard Univ. TORSTEN N. WIESEL Nobel Laureate & former Secy. General, Human Frontier Science Program Organization; President Emeritus, The Rockefeller Univ. FRANK WILCZEK Nobel Laureate & Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics, MIT ERNST-LUDWIG WINNACKER Secy. General, Human Frontier Science Program; former Secy. General, European Research Council; former President, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Germany ANDREW WITTY CEO, GlaxoSmithKline DATO ZAKRI ABDUL HAMID Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia ELIAS ZERHOUNI President, Global Research & Development, Sanofi-Aventis AHMED ZEWAIL Nobel Laureate & Linus Pauling Chair of Chemistry and Physics, Caltech GUANGZHAO ZHOU Former Chairman, Chinese Association of Science & Technology

President’s Council PETER AGRE Nobel Laureate & Univ. Prof. and Director, Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Inst., Dept. Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health RICHARD AXEL Nobel Laureate & Professor, Columbia Univ.; Investigator, HHMI LEE BABISS Exec. VP, Global Laboratory Services, Pharmaceutical Product Development DAVID BALTIMORE Nobel Laureate & President Emeritus, Caltech ETIENNE-EMILE BAULIEU Former President, French Academy of Sciences PAUL BERG Nobel Laureate & Prof. Emeritus, Dept. of Biochemistry, Stanford Univ. LEN BLAVATNIK Chairman, Access Industries GÜNTER BLOBEL Nobel Laureate & Director, Laboratory for Cell Biology, The Rockefeller Univ. IRINA BOKOVA Director General, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) SYDNEY BRENNER Nobel Laureate & Distinguished Prof., Salk Inst. MICHAEL S. BROWN Nobel Laureate & Prof. of Molecular Genetics, Univ. of Texas Southwestern Medical Center LINDA BUCK Nobel Laureate & Investigator for HHMI; member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center KAREN E. BURKE Dermatologist & Research Scientist THOMAS R. CECH Nobel Laureate & Distinguished Prof., Univ. of Colorado, Boulder MARTIN CHALFIE Nobel Laureate & William R. Kenan, Jr., Prof. of Biological Sciences; Chair, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Columbia Univ. CECILIA CHAN Managing Director, Gold Avenue Ltd.

AARON CIECHANOVER Nobel Laureate & Distinguished Research Prof., Tumor and Vascular Biology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Inst. of Tech., Haifa, Israel PETER DOHERTY Nobel Laureate & Researcher, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN; Univ. of Melbourne MIKAEL DOLSTEN President, Worldwide Research and Development; Sr. VP, Pfizer Inc MARCELO EBRARD CASAUBÓN Mayor, Mexico City EDMOND H. FISCHER Nobel Laureate & Prof. Emeritus, Dept. of Biochemistry, Univ. of Washington JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN Nobel Laureate & Chairman, Molecular Genetics, Univ. of Texas Southwestern Medical Center S. GOPALAKRISHNAN Exec. Co-Chairman of the Board, Infosys Technologies Limited PAUL GREENGARD Nobel Laureate & Prof. of Molecular & Cellular Neuroscience, The Rockefeller Univ. GLENDA GREENWALD President, Aspen Brain Forum Foundation PETER GRUSS President, Max Planck Gesellschaft, Germany WILLIAM A. HASELTINE President, The Haseltine Foundation for Medical Sciences and the Arts; Chairman, Haseltine Global Health, LLC ERIC KANDEL Nobel Laureate & Prof., Physiology & Cell Biology, Columbia Univ. KIYOSHI KUROKAWA Former Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan; Prof., National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) LEON LEDERMAN Nobel Laureate & Pritzker Prof. of Science, Illinois Inst. of Tech.; Resident Scholar, Illinois Math & Science Academy GREGORY LUCIER Chairman and CEO, Life Technologies Corporation

On the cover: Abstract fractal leaves

Executive Editor Diana Friedman

Art Director Ash Ayman Shairzay

Contributors Adedeji Badiru, Raul Godoy-Montañez, Alfonso Larqué-Saavedra

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Online 2012

contents Member Article

The Intersection of Sports and STEM by Adedeji Badiru

Piquing kids’ interest in science, technology, engineering, and math may be as easy as picking up a ball.

Cover Story

Your Creative Mind by Diana Friedman

Is creativity a scientist’s most important weapon?

Member Article

Aligning Scientific Efforts in Mexico by Raul Godoy-Montañez and Alfonso Larqué-Saavedra

The state of Yucatan uses local policies to promote science and technology.

Last Look

The Academy by the Numbers Facts and figures about your Academy.

Letter from the Editor

Dear Readers, I am happy to present this bonus issue of The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine. This online-only issue, which was produced in addition to our usual print issues, gives the Academy editorial staff a valuable opportunity to try out new software and, most importantly, to solicit feedback from you and your fellow members. I’ve heard from some of you that you prefer to read magazines on your digital devices. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to do so now, and to let me know if you enjoy this digital format. Rest assured, print issues are not going away. Everyone will receive print copies of the Autumn issue next month, as usual. However, in the future, we may—based on your feedback—give you a choice of how you would like to receive your magazine (print or digital), providing you with more options for your busy lifestyle. Please keep an eye out for an email survey on your magazine preferences in the coming months. Your feedback will be critical in shaping the future of the magazine. And, as always, I welcome your comments and feedback directly at dfriedman@nyas.org. In the meantime, I hope that you enjoy this bonus issue. I am particularly pleased to feature two articles written by Academy members, which I trust you will find both intriguing and useful. Happy reading.

Diana Friedman Executive Editor The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine

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Sincerely,

STEM Education

The Intersection of Sports and STEM Piquing kids’ interest in science, technology, engineering, and math may be as easy as picking up a ball. byline by Adedeji rule Badiru

uch has been said and written about the need to find new strategies to spark the interest of kids in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, which is essential for preserving the nation’s technological superiority and ensuring economic advancement. The key is to find the right “hook and bait” to get youngsters interested in technical and scientific fields. Recent studies have concluded that physical activities can enhance the learning potential of kids. Why not, then, channel that connection toward enhancing STEM education through a structured sports and STEM curriculum? Ball-based sports (soccer, basketball, tennis, softball, racquetball, etc.) are particularly well-suited for translation into engaging STEM lessons. After all, all balls are not created equal. The STEM properties of sports balls are different based on their intended purposes. Kids can study the properties of individual balls, or do a comparative analysis of different types of balls.

Sparking Curiosity On a recent visit to the Air Force Institute of Technology, Astronaut Mike Fossum, a 1981 graduate of the institute, showed a video where a colleague of his on the International Space Station played baseball all by himself. He would pitch the ball and then let himself float ahead of the ball so that he could bat, then catch the ball at the other end, eventually throwing it to himself again. This is an exciting illustration of how the lack of gravity in space can be exploited for a self-played game.

intimidation that can often accompany these subjects.

Soccer Ball Dissection

I do not know many young kids who will see such a demonstration and not ask further questions. With questions comes inquisitiveness and with inquisitiveness comes interest. Teachers can use this interest to explain, engage, and retain attention for STEM principles. A specific example of using ball sports to teach STEM subjects is provided by the education-oriented website, www.physicsofsoccer.com, which presents an engaging connection between physics and soccer. Issues addressed by the website include what makes a ball bounce, how gravity affects the flight path of a soccer ball, and how friction and moisture impede a ball’s path. These are issues that inquiring young minds would be delighted to explore in a fun, relational way. For example, the flight path of a kicked soccer ball can be modeled to provide engaging simulation experiments to teach kids new concepts about gravity, lift, and drag, without the

Analogous to the way kids learn biology by dissecting a frog, the “dissection” of a soccer ball, both literally and figuratively, can reveal learning opportunities for the STEM properties embodied in the ball. The image at left illustrates where and how STEM elements fit into the overall integrity of the soccer ball in terms of mathematical description of the shape, surface properties, and shape design of the ball. The shape of a soccer ball is an example of a solid spherical polyhedron, also known as truncated icosahedrons, which has 12 black pentagons, 20 white hexagons, 60 vertices, and 90 edges. This example of dissecting a soccer ball to illustrate STEM applications is not in itself the goal here, but rather provides an example of the ways that parents and teachers can leverage whatever is at hand (e.g., sports equipment or other props) to explain and spark interest in STEM subjects. Every sports opportunity can be leveraged as a science learning opportunity. The key is to recognize and exploit the available opportunity. If we do this, STEM may spread more sustainably than we ever imagined.  Adedeji B. Badiru is professor and head of Systems and Engineering Management at the Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton, OH. He has been a member of the Academy since 2007.

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Online 2012

The cover image for this issue is an abstract fractalâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a detailed pattern that repeats itself. Here, a Nautilus shell provides an example of a logarithmic spiral, which is close to a naturally occurring fractal because of the property of self-similarity. The images are valuable for their mathematical properties as well as their aesthetic beauty.

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Cover Story

Creative Mind Your

What can you gain by venturing into the abstract? by Diana Friedman

reativity is a learned skill, not an innate ability; such is the premise of Tina Seelig’s new book, inGenius: A Crash Course on Creativity. But what of those deep-seeded cultural assumptions—that artists, writers, and musicians are born creative, while those in more technical fields (scientists, engineers, and mathematicians) are simply not? Seelig, the executive director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program at Stanford University, finds the idea that creativity is simply a personality trait—you either have it or you don’t—laughable. “Think of math, or science, or dance…Yes, there are people who are naturally gifted in these fields, but most of the population learns these skills. It’s the same thing with creativity.” Seelig believes that scientists and engineers—those working “at the frontier of knowledge”—can particularly benefit from expanding their creative capacity through purposeful exercises. “If you just perform the next logical experiment, you will make incremental progress. Breakthroughs require breakthrough thinking.” When working on large-scale problems that haven’t been solved before, such as global warming, creativity could be the key to finding solutions that work, says Seelig. So what can those in scientific and technical fields do to enhance their creativity? Seelig provides an easy-to-follow roadmap for enhancing creativity in her book. But she is not alone in her efforts to get more people to spend time on, and see the value in, fostering creativity. From professors who ask open-ended questions with multiple ways to solve a problem (a method Seelig endorses) to actors who teach improv classes for scientists, the intersection of science and creativity is getting some time in the spotlight.

Art vs. Science? “The ancient Renaissance man could be fantastic at art and science, but today we like to separate the two,” says Rebecca Jones, a

biochemistry PhD candidate and the public engagement officer at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. The common thinking that excellence in science and technical fields precludes a wealth of creativity, is entirely inaccurate, says Jones. “If you’re creative, you’re often better at science. Some of the best scientists I know have come up with more abstract ways of approaching a problem, instead of going the more obvious, logical route.” But even scientists can get trapped in the notion that creativity has no place in the lab. “A lot of scientists went into science because they feel much more comfortable in a non-artistic environment. I’ve always had that artistic side, so I want other scientists to see themselves in that way too,” says Jones. Such was the impetus for the annual Art of Science Competition that Jones started at the University of Bristol in 2009. Jones and colleagues collect science-related photographs from research scientists and put them on display in the medical building to be viewed and voted upon. It took a year or so for the entrants to fully understand the point of the competition, says Jones. At first, many submitted their best research images— those that showed a good result, scientifically speaking. But as the competition gained traction, entrants began to understand that the images could be valuable for their visually striking nature, or for what they said about the life of scientist. Jones recalls a serene black and white photo that looks like a field of small wildflowers titled “My Beautiful Adversary.” In reality, it is a photo of mold growing on a sample—a nightmare for a scientist. But the photo became very popular with other scientists—they could relate to the subject but they also appreciated its aesthetic value. Another, a photo of a rack of test tubes, all bearing labels written in different, messy handwriting, was an antidote to the typical sleek scientific photos in magazines. But, says Jones, it drove home the point that science is largely a team endeavor, with many hands playing a role in a successful experiment.

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Online 2012

Cover Story

A photo by former University of Bristol postdoctoral researcher Alexander Soloviev depicts his ‘beautiful adversary,’ mold. Soloviev took a photo of the mold, found growing on one of his samples, and submitted it to the 2010 Art of Science Competition at the University. His tranquil photo was named a winner.

“The goal is to give scientists an outlet for their creativity and to let them take joy and release in their work,” says Jones. Scientists at the University of Bristol have responded positively, with the competition getting more intense, and the images more artistic, each year. “A lot of the entrants were really surprised to see how much their images stood out when they were shown in a group—they were so used to seeing them every day that they forgot how special they were. This allows them to see their work in a new way and get reinvigorated about their research.”

Where It Will Go, Nobody Knows Valeri Lantz-Gefroh is a lecturer in the School of Journalism and a workshop coordinator for The Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University in New York. But in a word, she is an actor. She was one of three acting teachers, led by the wellknown Alan Alda, to help build The Center for Communicating Science, a truly unique undertaking aimed at science students. “Science affects every human being on the planet, but there’s a wall of misunderstanding between the general public and scientists,” says Lantz-Gefroh. The general public often thinks they are incapable of understanding science and, furthermore, that scientists aren’t willing to help them understand it, she says. Scientists, on the other hand, often feel the general public is not interested in their work.

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So where does acting fit in? Lantz-Gefroh teaches improv, one of the more unusual classes at the Center, which aims to teach scientists, through credit-bearing classes, how to better communicate their work to various audiences. She has been pleasantly surprised by how receptive budding scientists have been to her courses. “I expected skepticism, but I have not gotten it at all.” Instead, what Lantz-Gefroh has gotten is the question, “What does this exercise relate to?” Improv exercises are, by nature, abstract. Students are often eager to know what, for instance, mirroring their partners’ movements with eyes open, then eyes closed, will teach them as it relates to their future careers. “I tell them, ‘It’s a creative process, you don’t always know where it is going to go’,” says Lantz-Gefroh. “If I say, it’s for X, then that’s the thing you’ll look for. But if I don’t say, then it could have a bunch of different effects I haven’t even thought about. All could have tremendous value; I don’t want to diminish the potential of the exercise.” It is for this reason that Lantz-Gefroh likes working with scientists. “They like to quantify things, but they are also comfortable not knowing the answer. I tell them to look at the exercises as a creative investigation.” She is quick to stress that opening up the mind and allowing more abstract thinking is not only of benefit to scientists. “I think every person benefits from creative investigation.” However, she says, that for someone used to looking at the world on a sometimes microscopic level, taking a step back can be particularly beneficial.

Story of My Life Enhancing creativity among professionals in science and technical fields certainly has personal and professional benefits for those in the field. But can getting scientists to think of their work in new ways also provide benefits to the general public? Ben Lillie, a high-energy physicist by training, and now director of The Story Collider, thinks so. The Story Collider, based in New York City, hosts informal storytelling events where people (both scientists and nonscientists) come together to tell true, sciencerelated stories, usually in a bar. “I think of us primarily as an arts organization, which is a little weird since we are tied so closely to science,” says Lillie. “Our goal is the same as any arts organization: to explore what it means to be human.” And because the human experience is being so drastically changed by science, “that’s something we need to explore in a cultural content, to explore how that affects us.” Lillie focused on storytelling as the method for exploration because he believes that sharing stories connect us with each other and help us to see that we are not alone. “We give people a way to see that science is a part of their everyday lives, that it’s not this big mystical thing you have to go into a laboratory to even think about.” Lillie recalls a neuroscientist who told a story about his father having a stroke. The neuroscientist talked about the details of what was happening in his father’s brain (and related them in

lay terms to the audience), but he also related all of his personal emotions that went along with each aspect of his father’s illness. This, says Lillie, is how science gets personalized and demystified. While The Story Collider focuses on true stories, the creativity comes in the telling of them. The Story Collider staff helps storytellers craft their tales, cutting out the extraneous bits and focusing on the parts that move the story along or convey powerful thoughts and emotions. It is an exercise that’s very different than the ones most scientists do in their labs. And for nonscientists, it is valuable and different to take ownership of a story relating to science—learning that the personal is powerful, even in the realm of science. “I think scientists need some space to step aside from their work, to go do something completely different and come back to it.” Lillie says that storytelling is not necessarily the answer; it is just one creative medium out of an infinite number that can provide benefits, both known and unknown. What might you gain from a creative investigation of your own? There’s only one way to find out.  Diana Friedman is the executive editor of The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine.

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Online 2012

Local Spotlight

Aligning Scientific Efforts in Mexico The state of Yucatán uses local policies to promote science and technology.

Mayan Observatory at the ruins in Chichén-Itzá

he state of Yucatán in Mexico is widely known as the land of the classic Mayan ruins of Uxmal and Chichén Itzá. While Yucatán is characterized by age-old cultural traditions, the past does not define this area that is home to 2 million people. Yucatecan society has long recognized the importance of technology in creating a better future for its residents. In 1852, the Yucatán governor requested 2,000 pesos from the President for the development of a machine that could extract fiber from the leaves of the henequen plant (Agave fourcroydes Lem.). This mechanization enabled the extension of the 8

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henequen industry through the establishment of large plantations and a processing industry within the hacienda system—all of which had a tremendous impact on the economic development of Yucatán. Today, Yucatán boasts more than 1,000 science researchers, including members of the Mexican Academy of Sciences. It has several institutions dedicated to the development of scientific research, including the state university, a technological institute, centers belonging to the National Council of Science and Technology, and campuses of out-of-state institutions, such as

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byline by Raulrule Godoy-Montañez and Alfonso Larqué-Saavedra

the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the Center of Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute. The best known features of scientific interest in the state are the Chicxulub Crater, the Mayan culture, the peninsular aquifer, and the area’s biodiversity. While such natural resources bring a wealth of potential development opportunities to Yucatán, researchers and government leaders realized that the impact of nearby technological and scientific institutions could be bolstered if the institutions’ goals and resources were better aligned.

Creating a Hub for S&T To this end, in May 2008, the System of Research, Innovation and Technological Development of Yucatán (SIIDETEY) was created, integrating the ten most important federal and local public institutions in the state. The aim of SIIDETEY is to make Yucatán a “pole” for the development of science and technology in the Mexican Southeast, the Caribbean, and Central American countries, thereby attracting students and the establishment of technology-based companies. SIIDETEY is a governance model with no cost to the State. It is an agreement between the Rectors and Directors of institutions belonging to the System with the aim of bringing together the capacities of its members in favor of science and technology. It is coordinated by the Secretary of Local Education, who acts as a promoter of the model. The two main objectives of this System are to facilitate the development of joint research projects dealing with topics of interest for Yucatán and to serve as a liaison with the State and other national and international agencies in order to obtain the necessary funding to boost the development of science and technology. Initially, SIIDETEY defined the most important research fields for the State as the development of the Mayan people, coastal development, water, health, food, education, energy, and habitat. The focal points for each of the fields were also identified. For example, in the field of water, the conservation of the peninsular aquifer was of prime interest. SIIDETEY is now establishing joint academic institutional programs to tackle these priorities, such as a program promoting renewable energy sources.

Financial Successes Within the SIIDETEY model, the State has agreed to finance the Science and Technology Park of Yucatán and the construction of various laboratories. The SIIDETEY laboratories were conceived to serve both students and researchers in fields such as biomaterials, nanotechnology, biotechnology, coastal engineering, food processing, and renewable energy. A seed bank will also be financed. One hundred and two hectares were ceded for the establishment of the Science and Technology Park of Yucatán, within which the SIIDETEY laboratories and the facilities required for the programs of member institutions will be built, along with other technology-based companies. For its second stage, the Park has been offered a further 100 hectares to promote, preferably, the establishment of additional companies. SIIDETEY has made significant progress in obtaining financial resources. The resources gathered for the funding of research projects since the establishment of SIIDETEY four years ago are

approaching $25 million. Construction has also begun on the Science and Technology Park and the laboratories with an initial investment of $40 million. It is estimated that, by the year 2018, the Park will be providing services to at least 300 researchers and 1,000 postgraduate students. The financial resources obtained for science and technology in Yucatán over the last four years are unprecedented, and also very welcome, since it is in the Mexican Southeast where a significant portion of the country’s natural and cultural wealth (oil fields, water features, and biological and cultural diversity) is located.

Scientific and Political Support Since its creation, SIIDETEY has received the permanent support of the National Council of Science and Technology, whose

Yucatan State Governor Ivonne Ortega (right) and Minister of Education Raul Godoy-Montañez attend a ground-breaking ceremony for the Science and Technology Park of Yucatán.

members have also established programs to provide the industrial sector with seed capital, and to coordinate—through technological development projects—with the academic sector. The constant improvement of the business sector and the establishment of new technology-based companies will in turn generate new jobs, thanks to the achievements of the SIIDETEY model. Due to the vision proposed and the progress achieved, the model has recently received the unanimous approval of representatives from the different political parties comprising the local Congress, who have provided legal justification for the existence of SIIDETEY and the Science and Technology Park of Yucatán. Although there is still an urgent need for the decentralization of science in Mexico in order to multiply the current capacity of the country, efforts to align the work of various scientific institutions have begun to gain momentum. The initiative taken by the small state of Yucatán has allowed a new plan to emerge in Mexico, facilitating the transition to a knowledge-based economy. The promotion of science by the local government and institutions will surely stimulate and strengthen the regional economy and generate more opportunities for the next generation.  Raul Godoy-Montañez is the Minister of Education of Yucatán. Alfonso Larqué-Saavedra is Professor at the Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán. Larqué-Saavedra is a member of the Science Consultative Council of the President of Mexico and has been a member of the Academy since 1998. The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Online 2012

Last Look

The Academy by the Numbers

195 Years in existence

24,000

8,000

32 193

Academy Members

Students enrolled in the Academy’s Science Alliance program

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences volumes published

414 260

eBriefings available online

Total Academy events held

in fiscal year

2012

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TWENTY-SEVEN Nobel laureates on the Board of Governors and President’s Council 10