Academy of Sciences does not preclude the establishment of the Committee on science and technology – Moscow Komsomolets

the RAS spoke about their new members and the ways of effective organization of science

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Russian Academy of Sciences considers itself effective and welcomed family dynasty in its ranks. This response was given by scientists to journalists on Monday on a press-the conference devoted to results of elections to the Academy new members.

photo: Gennady Cherkasov

Summing up the results of the first election to the Academy over the past five years, President of the RAS Vladimir Fortov said that the proportion of young corresponding members and full members of the Russian Academy of Sciences (academicians) increased by 25 percent. In the end, the average age of academics have fallen by 13 years (to 62 years), and age of corresponding members by 17 years (he is now 53). All in all, the Academy now consists of 2100 members, including 940 1160 academicians and corresponding members.

it’s No secret that among the new members of the Academy, especially in the medical Department, were many children of academics, about 2%. Answering the question “MK”, why it happened, a member of the Presidium of RAS Mikhail Paltsev said that medicine is characterized by the establishment of such family dynasties. “In the medical profession there is an element of the craft, – said Fingers. – This is the craft of the father or mother and pass on to their children. I will give some of the most famous examples of successful dynasties in medicine. The first dynasty Anohina, which originates from the Lenin prize winner Pyotr Kuzmich Anokhin, a student of Pavlov. His daughter Irina Anokhin, Professor, psychiatrist, and the grandson of a very famous specialists, members of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The second example is Behtereva. We all remember Natalia Bekhterev — the founder of one of the largest Institutes of the brain in the world. So he r son — Stanislav Medvedev, who successfully continues the work of his mother, he was elected academician in this year.”

nevertheless, according to scientists, the Academy for children of full members the attitude is very cautious. When they appear in the lists of candidates, they are treated with a special predilection – fear of protectionism. “But I assure you, the vast number of children elected not to pull, but in fact their actual scientific achievements,” explains Finger.

President Vladimir Fortov remembered in this connection about the other fields of science, also became scientists after their parents. For example, about the Hermitage Director Mikhail Piotrovsky, and also about an American Nobel laureate Roger Kornberg co — chair the scientific-technical Council of the innovation center “SKOLKOVO” whose father like son, is a Nobel laureate and academician.

Despite the upbeat mood of academics after a successful election, not to mention the fact that in Russia there are people who think that RAS are not an effective organization that “needs to die like the Roman Empire.” In particular, less than a week after the election of new members of the RAS, as this issue raised is one of public radio stations. The main reproach to our scientists: the low level of publication activity in foreign scientific journals.

In response, Vladimir Fortov said: “the Academy of Sciences is only 14-17 percent of the scientists of the total number of Russian researchers (116.3 thousand people from 732,3. thousand — Ed.). However, the members of the Academy 60 percent cited publications from across the country. On the cost-effectiveness of one ruble we are one of the three top organizations in the world. Many of our scientists are members of foreign academies of Sciences.”

meanwhile, the newly elected academician of RAS, Director of Institute of nuclear physics SB RAS Pavel Logachev noted that the scientometric factors are not decisive in determining the effectiveness of the work of scientists. “The situation will vary greatly depending on the field of science, the scientist explained. – Going to talk about your sector of particle physics. We have several very different directions. There are large collaborations (for example for work on the detector of the Large hadron Collider), which employs over two thousand people. Each small group of 3-5 people preparing 3-4 articles per year, and the authors are all two thousand people. In this case, these authors sometimes do not even have time to read your articles that come out every week and a half. Naturally, people who write about such things as the discovery of the Higgs Boson, etc., will be the highest h-index (scientometric indicator based on the number of publications and citations of the se publications). But it does not say about the essence of their specific contributions. This contribution can be assessed only by experts who work directly with them, experts, colleagues. Really scientist experimental region can issue three, a maximum of four works per year. More – not really. It is impossible to do a serious job every two weeks. There is another factor. For example, quantum field theory — one of the top areas of theoretical physics. As they say the best specialists in this field, which requires a very deep knowledge of modern mathematics, about 80 percent of the work, which are published in refereed (or peer reviewed) scientific journals, unfortunately are not related to the case, that is the article title and content diverge radically. In General, the level of referiremos leaves much to be desired. Therefore, we do not attach primary importance of scientometrics. When choosing the Academy usually ask: what this man has done this thing to him was not, and after he appeared? That’s all that matters”.

In conclusion, Vladimir Fortov had to answer several questions concerning the organization of science, in particular, how he worked with the new Minister of education. “Work has become much easier, – said the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences. – In the near future we together go through all sensitive issues”.

One speaker at a the fact: recently it became known that with the arrival of Olga Vasilyeva, Russian Academy of Sciences are going to return to the work associated with reviewing school and University textbooks.

as for the interaction with the FANO (Federal Agency of scientific organizations), it still leaves much to be desired. “The problem of the separation of powers is far from complete, – said the Fort. – Today we solve the question of how to make it so that we all work on the same vector. It is necessary to find a variant in which the work will be simultaneous”.

the Last time the pseudo-scientific community is actively discussing the idea of creating the State Committee for science and technologies (SCST), which existed before perestroika. “Do not think that the creation of such structures will be painless, but we do not exclude such variant, – said the President of the RAS. At the time, the Academy worked very well with the SCST, without confrontations, which does not benefit anyone.”