1 / 2024 // LEOPOLDINA / NEWS 9
FORMER PRESIDENT VOLKER TER MEULEN CELEBRATES 90TH BIRTHDAY
The virologist and physician Volker ter Meulen ML was the 25th President of the Leopoldina from 2003 to 2010 . On 17 December 2023 he celebrated his 90th birthday . A member of the academy since 1984 , he now plays a consulting role in its Presidium . In his time as President , he intensified the Leopoldina ’ s work in international committees and drove the change to a working academy that independently advises policymakers and society on a scientific basis . This significantly contributed to the Leopoldina being named the German National Academy of Sciences in 2008 .
Volker ter Meulen is also a leading researcher on viral infections of the central nervous system ( CNS ). His studies were the first to deliver experimental evidence that viruses can cause auto-immune reactions in the CNS . He was awarded the Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2008 and the Order of Merit of the State of Saxony-Anhalt / Germany in 2018 .
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Images : David Ausserhofer , Markus Scholz | Leopoldina , Ines Berger | Staatskanzlei
Alliance supports Ukrainian science
New partnership between Germany and Ukraine in education , research and development
It has now been two years since the Russian Federation began its war of aggression against Ukraine , violating international law . Millions of Ukrainians are affected by the attacks , and dozens of scientific , educational , and cultural institutions have been destroyed or damaged . And yet Ukraine manages to maintain the operation of schools , universities , and research institutes , and help from partnerships abroad contributes to this . dations , national and federal state ministries as well as stakeholders from the Ukrainian academic diaspora took part in a large-scale event and discussed initial considerations for a medium- and long-term Ukraine strategy . They also prepared the 30th Meeting of the Commission on Science and Technology Cooperation ( STC ).
The STC Commission met on 9 and 10 November 2023 under the guidance of the Federal Minister for Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger and her Ukrainian counterpart Oksen Lisovyi . Leopoldina President Gerald Haug ML gave the opening keynote speech . He paid respect to the resolve and resilience of the Ukrainian scientific community and assured them of the solidarity of their German counterparts . De-
Immediately after the war began , the
Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany called the Coordination Circle Ukraine into being , which was further developed under the supervision of the Leopoldina .
In March and October 2023 , founspite the ongoing war , the celebrations of the German-Ukrainian STC agreement ’ s 30th anniversary reflected a remarkable optimism for the post-war period . The event was rounded off by a reception at the WissenschaftsForum Berlin / Germany with a speech from the president of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and Vice-President of the Leopoldina Robert Schlögl ML .
At the beginning of 2024 , the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina passed on the leadership of the Alliance of Scientific Organisations in Germany to the Max Planck Society .
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Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany