In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the GYA held its first virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 2020. The International Conference of Young Scientists, on the topic “Heal the Earth: Sustainable Development Goals in a Changing World” was also held virtually four weeks after the AGM, and addressed ongoing global problems in panels on health, diminishing resources, higher education in times of crisis and science communication and engagement.
Meeting Outcomes
Conference Statement: GYA Conference Statement ‘Heal the Earth’.
Conference website report: “Heal the Earth”: 2020 virtual International Conference | Global Young Academy.
e-AGM report: Read about what worked well, challenges we faced and key takeaways from our first large, global meeting here: https://globalyoungacademy.net/2020-e-agm-from-kolkata-to-whova/
E-Meeting handbook (download as PDF or open in google to leave comments!): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q9tzfFthSsZMt589q1P4GD_OrcO7Sagl/view?usp=sharing
Conference recordings: https://www.youtube.com/GlobalYoungAcademy.
- Playlist for “Beyond Boundaries: COVID-19 and Global Health”
- Playlist for “Diminishing Resources and Environmental Sustainability”
- Playlist for “Higher Education Institutions Teaching and Research: All in different boats but in the same storm”
- Playlist for “Engagement at Large: Science Communication to and with the Public”
A report on the pre-conference workshop “Open Science from a Global Perspective” can be read here: GYA-UNESCO e-Workshop: Open Science from a Global Perspective | Global Young Academy.
On the occasion of the International Conference, the Working Group Science+Art = Peace and Justice presented a compilation on ‘The Aesthetics of Biodiversity’.
Partners and Funding Institutions
Thank you to many GYA members and alumni who co-conceptualized and implemented the 2020 e-AGM. Furthermore, the flexibility of GYA partners and funding institutions to support the speedy transformation from an in-person to an e-meeting were instrumental in ensuring a successful and inclusive meeting: InterAcademy Partnership, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Special thanks go as well to members of the Local Organizing Committee in India – members of the GYA and of the Indian National Young Academy of Sciences (INYAS) – who had taken extensive preparations for the planned in-person meeting before COVID-19 interrupted those plans, and who continued to inspire and contribute to the e-Conference.
