Science education and water will be the focus of the first two initiatives of the newly established InterAmerican Network of Academies of Sciences (IANAS).
The network is co-chaired by vice-rector, research, Howard Alper, who represents the Royal Society of Canada. Alper was elected co-chair along with Hernan Chaimovich Guralnik, of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, during the network's inaugural meeting in Santiago, Chile, last May. They have a three-year mandate, from 2004 to 2007.
IANAS will work with teachers and educational authorities to improve science education in the Americas. A centerpiece of this initiative is the inquiry-based science education program, led by the Chilean Academy of Sciences.
The Brazilian and Mexican Academies of Sciences will lead another program to promote public education and foster research and development on water resource management, including recycling and conservation.
