The Science Academy Society (Turkish:Bilim Akademisi Derneği) is anindependent,private,self-governing association founded on November 25, 2011 inIstanbul,Turkey.[1]
The Association, henceforth known as the Science Academy Society, serves as an independent institution dedicated to uniting Turkish scientists.[2] The primary aim of the Science Academy Society is to elevate public understanding of matters pertaining to scientific practices, policies, education, and ethics. This is achieved through the organization and supervision of conferences, meetings, and publications by experts. A key objective of the Society is to enlighten both the general public and various institutions about the impact and societal implications of scientific and scholarly research.[3]
The Science Academy Society became an associate member ofAll European Academies (ALLEA) in 2014, and a full member in 2017.[4] It is also a member of theInternational Science Council.[1]
The Science Academy Society was founded when theTurkish Academy of Sciences (Turkish:Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi, TÜBA) lost its autonomous status following executive decrees on August 27, 2011, and November 3, 2011, which stipulated the appointment of TÜBA members by government agencies.
A large fraction of the regular, honorary and associate members of TÜBA then resigned on the grounds that TÜBA had lost the quality of being an independent academy of science.[5]
Seventeen of these resigned TÜBA members founded the Science Academy Society on November 25, 2011, joined shortly after by most of the other resigned members.[6]
The Science Academy Society boasts a membership comprising 144 full members and 38 honorary members. The full membership includes 86 professionals from the fields of natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering; 35 from social sciences and humanities; and 23 from medical sciences.[7] Among the honorary members are three Nobel Laureates:Martin Chalfie, who was awarded theNobel Prize in Chemistry in 2008;Peter Diamond, who received theNobel Prize in Economics in 2010; andJohn Polanyi,Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 1986.[8]
The Science Academy Society engages in the following activities: