THE ROLE OF THE ACADEMIES IN EASTERN EUROPEAN CO‐OPERATION IN SCIENCE AND IN NEW TECHNOLOGIES

In order for developing countries, particularly the former socialist countries undergoing transition, to make progress in science, they must co‐operate among themselves. One way to stimulate such co‐operation is to create a network of eastern European Academies. Such a network would share information, facilities, and equipment; sponsor and direct work on joint projects of value to the sub‐region as a whole; and serve as a bulwark against brain drain. Such a network should be of interest to UNESCO and to other intergovernmental organizations.     

ACADEMIES OF SCIENCE DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD

Academies of sciences are, roughly speaking, of two types, institutions with individual members, and umbrella organizations of specific specialized institutes, not offering the possibility of individual membership or restricting it. The Academy of Sciences of the former Soviet Union and the academies of the successor republics tend to be of the second type. These academies, particularly that of Armenia, are confronted with two particularly serious problems: the out‐migration of scientists and the lack of funding. They are attempting to solve these and other problems by seeking sources of funding other than their respective governments and by collaborating among themselves and through a common organization, the Association of the Academies of Science of the CIS countries.     

REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON ACADEMIES IN TRANSITION

The organizers and sponsors of the Workshop are listed, and the names of some of the high‐level participants are cited. There were two full days of discussion including opening and closing sessions and seven working sessions, the topic of each onebeing cited. All aspects of the roles of national academies of sciences were considered and discussed. Among the important conclusions reached were that academies still had major scientific roles to play in their respective countries, that they should collaborate closely with universities with regard to research and the training of Ph.D.’s, that they should collaborate among themselves on an international basis, and that they should combat the phenomena of brain‐drain, on the one hand, and take steps, on the other hand, to make scientific careers attractive to young people.     

GENERATIONAL AND AGE DYNAMICS IN SCIENCE: ACADEMIES FOR THE YOUNG?

The article begins with a few remarks on the general organization of the structure of German science, which proceeding from a great deal of constitutional autonomy and independence, is essentially one of distributed power and great institutional differentiation. Next, the Max‐Planck‐Gesellschaft is briefly described. It is one of the four or five pillars in this differentiated organizational landscape of the sciences in Germany. The article concludes with a discussion of age and general dynamics in science and their significance for an academy of the future. Future‐oriented academies have a special responsibility to sponsor programmes for the young rather than the mature and established. This task should be undertaken in a manner that creates a fine balance between the generations that make up at any given point in time the population of living and active scientists.     

UNITED STATES: CREATION OF THE COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Seven major United States higher education associations are Charter members of the US Council for International Co‐operation in Higher Education (CICHE) whose objective is to encourage international educational collaboration between US higher education and the higher education communities of other countries. The creation of the Council has been recommended by the study “International Linkages in Higher Education Feasibility Study”.

We give below information on this study and the main task of CICHE.     

THE EDUCATIONAL POLICY OF THE INTERNATIONAL SUNDAY SCHOOL ASSOCIATION

Religion does not provide answers. In the quest for identity, it provides illuminating questions     

ON RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIES AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

The role and functions of the European Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters, the oldest (1979) of the three European international academies, are described. Working with UNESCO, it is helping to establish a network of Academies of the Mediterranean Countries. It is also co‐operating with the Institut de France in the setting up of the Academy‐Third World Project. By working through the international academies, the national academies increase their participation in international activities.     

INTERNATIONAL CO‐OPERATION IN SCIENCE IN THE FORMER USSR

The founding of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in 1918 is evoked, It and its constituent institutes are continuing to function, despite the economic difficulties which have beset Ukraine since the break‐up of the Soviet Union. As an effort to internationalize its activities and to contribute to gaining back the united scientific space of the former Soviet Union, the Ukrainian Academy of sciences played an instrumental role in bringing about the creation in 1993 of the International Association of Academies of Sciences (IAAS) consisting of the now independent academies of many of the constituent republics of the former USSR. This organization is sponsoring a number of international scientific activities, including a publication programme for young scientists. It is also developing exchange mechanisms that can function without hard currency.     

THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE IN ASSISTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Most of this article consists of the reproduction of Recommendation No. R (95) 7 of the Committee of Ministers [of the Council of Europe] to Member States on Brain Drain in the Sectors of Higher Education and Research, adopted by the Ministers’ Deputies on 2 March 1995 and of its Annex consisting of a set of concrete measures to be taken in order to enact and to support the Recommendation. The Recommendation and Annex statements are preceded by two background statements, one suggesting ways in which the Council of Europe might aid the development of science and science policy in the countries of central and eastern Europe undergoing transition, the other, giving the background to Recommendation No. R (95) 7.     

The DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN CAPACITY IN MALAWI: THE ROLE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Faced with accelerating poverty, the Malawi government has re-awakened its commitment to the development of human capacity and the role of development in this context. This paper explores the relationship between development and science and technology. It goes on to review the country’s science and technology needs and how these justify taking developmental action. It concludes that strategies designed to increase access to education should not be limited to the primary sector, but should also include secondary curricula and university science and technology programmes. Drawing on the arguments in the article and personal experience, the authors suggest promoting the development of human capacity in Malawi by creating special “science schools” in the secondary sector and increasing the number of scholarships for university science students.     

QUALITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION FROM AN INTERNATIONAL POINT OF VIEW: THE ROLE OF UNESCO

Although admittedly quality is very hard to define, UNESCO, particularly its European Centre for Higher Education and its Division of Higher Education, have undertaken a number of actions to further quality in higher education. Thus CEPES created EGAA (European Group on Academic Assessment) and the Division of Higher Education stressed the questions of quality in higher education in a recently prepared UNESCO draft policy paper. A strong component of the UNESCO UNITWIN and UNESCO Chairs Programme is directed at improving the quality of universities and university programmes in developing countries. The effort in favour of quality thus dovetails into other policies and actions of UNESCO, such as those in favour of the development of Centres of Excellence in the academic world. Yet quality improvement should not mean the imposition of one university model throughout the world but drawing upon what is best in local customs and indigenous culture.

     

科学技术在美国工业化过程中的作用及对内蒙古的启示

１９世纪末２０世纪初，美国资本主义工业化基本完成，成为世界头号强国。在美国经济飞速发展的过程中，科学技术起了决定性的作用，它已经起着社会生产力，甚至体现第一生产力的作用。这一历史经验对内蒙古地区在九五期间赶超全国先进地区提供了重要的启示。     

THE EVOLUTION OF REGIONAL ACCREDITATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ROLE OF THE NORTH CENTRAL ASSOCIATION, 1895–1934

This paper traces the factors which led to one regional association, the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, adopting an accreditation role by default rather than by design. The failure of National Bodies to adopt this role is also high‐lighted, although their influence on regional bodies is clearly indicated. The change from a resources‐based to a process‐based accreditation system has been part of the long evolutionary process, but the difficulties inherent in this approach still confront the American system of Higher Education     

原虫在瘤胃内的作用

本文简要论述了反刍动物瘤胃内原虫对日粮中碳水化合物、含氮物质、矿物质及维生素等几方面的消化和代谢,并进一步阐述了目前国际上对原虫保留与否的两种观点与新理论的提出及其现实意义。     

SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT IN AUSTRALIA: THE ROLE OF SCHOOL SOCIOECONOMIC COMPOSITION IN EDUCATIONAL EQUITY AND EFFECTIVENESS

In this study, we systematically unpack relationships among student socioeconomic status (SES), science and mathematics achievement, and student interest in science in the context of varying school socioeconomic composition. Using the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment dataset for Australia, we found that increases in school SES are consistently associated with substantial increases in science and mathematics performance. This pattern of association held for all groups regardless of their individual SES. However, our findings also show that students’ interest in science was not associated with varying school SES, and only marginally and inconsistently associated with individual SES. We discuss policy implications and strategies for mitigating the influence of school socioeconomic composition on science and mathematics performance, and for the achievement of more equitable and effective educational outcomes generally.