Tropical Academy of Sciences

Tropical Academy of Sciences
Name	Tropical Academy of Sciences
Formation	20th century
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	Tropical region
Region served	Global tropics
Leader title	President

Tropical Academy of Sciences

The Tropical Academy of Sciences is an international learned society dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge relevant to the Tropics and tropical regions, linking researchers from institutions such as Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, University of São Paulo, University of the West Indies, National Autonomous University of Mexico, and University of Malaya. It fosters collaboration among scholars associated with organizations like the Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy, Academy of Sciences Malaysia, and Brazilian Academy of Sciences to address region-specific challenges through conferences, journals, and partnerships with agencies such as the United Nations Environment Programme, World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, and UNESCO.

History

The Academy emerged in the context of postwar scientific networks that included bodies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, and research milestones at facilities such as the Kew Gardens, Biodiversity Heritage Library, and Everglades National Park. Early founders drew on traditions from the Royal Society of London, the Académie des Sciences, the Max Planck Gesellschaft, and national academies including the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences, and Academia Mexicana de la Ciencia. Over successive decades it developed links with regional initiatives like the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, ASEAN, African Union, and the Pan American Health Organization to respond to events such as outbreaks comparable to Zika virus outbreak, environmental crises akin to the Amazon rainforest deforestation, and policy challenges raised during summits like the Earth Summit.

Mission and Objectives

The Academy’s mission emphasizes scientific excellence modeled after institutions like the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Institut Pasteur, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to inform decision-making by bodies such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and regional governments including Government of Brazil, Government of India, Government of Indonesia, and Government of Nigeria. Objectives include promoting interdisciplinary research across fields represented by faculties at Harvard University, University of Oxford, Stanford University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, while engaging with funders like the Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, European Research Council, and National Institutes of Health.

Organizational Structure

Governance follows models seen in the Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences, and Indian National Science Academy, with an elected leadership including a President, Council, and committees analogous to those at the National Academy of Engineering, Royal Society of Canada, and Australian Academy of Science. Regional chapters mirror structures of the Caribbean Community, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, African Academy of Sciences, and Latin American Academy of Sciences and work with partner centers such as the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, CIFOR, ICRISAT, and the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center. Administrative practices reference charters similar to the Charter of the United Nations for transparency and statutory frameworks used by the European Commission and national parliaments like the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Programs and Activities

Programs span conferences patterned after the International Congress of Entomology, workshops akin to those of the World Conservation Congress, capacity-building comparable to initiatives by the International Water Management Institute, and field programs like those at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute or Biosphere Reserves managed under UNESCO World Heritage. Activities include convening symposia with speakers from National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Meteorological Organization, and International Institute for Environment and Development, organizing training with universities such as University of Queensland and University of Cape Town, and running collaborative projects in partnership with NGOs like Conservation International and World Wildlife Fund.

Membership and Outreach

Membership includes fellows drawn from bodies like the Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences, Academia Brasileira de Ciências, Philippine National Academy of Science and Technology, and research institutes such as the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and Carnegie Institution for Science. Outreach targets policymakers, exemplified by interactions with delegations to the United Nations General Assembly and regional meetings such as the African Union Summit and ASEAN Summit, as well as public engagement using platforms similar to TED Conferences, media partnerships like BBC World Service, and education initiatives inspired by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and The Nature Conservancy.

Research and Publications

Research topics cover tropical medicine with links to work on pathogens studied at Institut Pasteur, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research; biodiversity research in traditions spanning the Natural History Museum, London, Field Museum, and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; and climate science in collaboration with entities like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, NOAA, NASA, and European Space Agency. Publications include peer-reviewed journals comparable to Nature, Science, The Lancet, and specialized outlets similar to Journal of Tropical Ecology, often produced in partnership with university presses such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and Springer Nature.

Awards and Recognition

The Academy administers honors analogous to awards conferred by the Royal Society, Nobel Prize, MacArthur Fellowship, and national medals like the Légion d'honneur and Order of Merit. Prizes recognize achievements comparable to breakthroughs awarded by the Breakthrough Prize, Prince Mahidol Award, Crafoord Prize, and regional accolades from bodies like the African Academy of Sciences and the European Research Council.

Category:Scientific societies Category:Organizations based in tropical regions