Rector Antonio Meirelles appointed the new members of the Scientific and Cultural Council of the Institute of Advanced Studies (IdEA) at Unicamp. Among them are prominent academics and professionals who have contributed to public management, such as ministers and secretaries of State, in areas such as economics, geology, physics, international relations, chemistry and engineering.
The new advisors are geologist Álvaro Crósta, diplomat Celso Amorim, chemist Fernando Galembeck, economist Luiz Gonzaga Belluzzo, engineer Nelson Maculan Filho and physicist Sergio Rezende. The sociologist Augusto Rodrigues, the physicist Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, the doctor Erney Plessmann de Camargo, the biomedical Helena Nader, the sociologist Maria Alice Setubal, the art critic Martin Grossmann and the engineer Wilson Ferreira remain on the board for the 2021-2024 term. Junior.
Created in 2017, the Council's mission is to support the formulation of the Institute's academic, administrative and financial management policies. It is currently chaired by mathematician José Mario Martinez, professor emeritus at Unicamp, with teachers Christiano Lyra as coordinator and Isabella Tardin Cardoso as deputy coordinator. The members of the collegiate are chosen from among members of Unicamp's higher education teaching staff and members of the community with recognized involvement in cultural or scientific life.
According to Martinez, the Scientific and Cultural Council is a space for the free discussion of initiatives and proposals, without administrative or bureaucratic limitations. By maintaining a distance from the Institute's executive nucleus, counselors are free to express their views on a wide range of topics.
“It is the habit of IdEA coordinators to maintain dialogues with advisors and the Council presidency on various problems, from the most general, linked to global demands, to those related to university administration. The presidency of the IdEA Council expects different positions to circulate freely and in a spirit of collaboration”, declared Martinez.
In an interview with Unicamp website, Sergio Rezende, former Minister of Science and Technology (2005-2011), stated that, despite participating in several councils, this is the first time that he has joined the board of an institute of advanced studies. “I hope to help with my experience of more than half a century, which began when I was a professor at PUC in Rio de Janeiro, in 1968. Despite being formally retired, I still work in postgraduate studies and publish works”, said the physicist, who taught at Unicamp between 1971 and 1972, he presided over the Financier of Studies and Projects (Finep) between 2003 and 2005 and has been a professor at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) since 1972.
With an extensive and diverse CV, diplomat Celso Amorim, former Minister of Foreign Affairs (2003-2011) and Defense (2011-2015), had varied contacts with Unicamp as a public manager, including with its founder, Zeferino Vaz. In an interview with Unicamp website, the former chancellor said he was flattered by the invitation, as he does not have personal relationships with the members of the Council. Before embarking on a diplomatic career in 1963, Amorim worked in film production, with Ruy Guerra and Leon Hirszman (1937-1987). In the following decade, he recovered this vocation, assuming the general direction of Embrafilme (1979-1982).
“I value the university as a space for diversity and the formulation of ideas. I'm happy to be able to bring some of my experience, which is more practical than theoretical, and to be able to interact with people. Even because this council is quite plural”, highlighted Amorim, who previously taught at the University of Brasília (UnB). For him, the composition of the council, which brings together researchers from mathematics, engineering and classical studies, among other areas, allows for a broad and humanistic perspective.
Praising Rezende's vision of scientific development and Amorim's prominence in Latin American geopolitics, Mario Martinez praised the new advisors' CV. “Crósta is a specialist in planetary geology with extensive experience in the administration of Unicamp; Galembeck, an internationally renowned chemist, held several responsible positions at the University and in scientific institutions; Belluzzo, former Secretary of State, is an economist famous for his communication with the general public in magazines and books; Maculan, one of the leaders of Operational Research in Latin America and professor emeritus at European universities, maintains fraternal relations with the IdEA administration.”
The new IdEA Scientific and Cultural Council will hold its first meeting at the beginning of the second half of 2022 to introduce the new members, discuss the annual activity report and future projects.
