FESTIVE SESSION 2024
On 6 April 2024, we celebrated our 33th Festive Session. The festivities started on Friday April 5 with the „Workshop on STEMAC“ under the chair of Ioannis Liritzis, Dean of Class IV followed by the Salzburg Tolerance Talks which took place in the Chapter House of the Archdiocese of Salzburg and were dedicated to the topic of dialogue. Mariano Delgado, Dean of Class VII, World Religions, organiser and moderator together with his Vice-Dean, Jean Ehret hosted a round table entitled "Universal Fraternity and Social Friendship". At the traditional evening reception at the Salzburg Residence we welcomed about 200 members of our Academy.
The Festive Plenary on Saturday was opened by the President of the Salzburg Parliament, Dr. Birigitta Pallauf. In his speech, EASA President Klaus Mainzer welcomed the guests and emphasised the interdisciplinary approach and tolerance that are the Academy's guiding principles. 60 new members from 20 different countries were inaugurated as ordinary Academy members. A special highlight this year was the presentation of the Paul Crutzen Medal to Prof. Dr Emmanuelle Charpentier, member of EASA, Class IV, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 2020, https://www.mpg.de/15501751/emmanuelle-charpentier-erhaelt-den-nobelpreis-2020-fuer-chemie, founder and Managing Director of the Max Planck Research Centre for the Science of Pathogens (since 2018) in Berlin, Germany: https://www.mpg.de/9343740/wissenschaft-der-pathogene-charpentier.
©wildbild/Herbert Rohrer
The Paul Crutzen Medal, designed by the hungarian sculptor István Madarassy, EASA member, Class III, which was established by the European Academy of Sciences and Arts with its Honorary President Felix Unger, was presented by the sponsor of the medal, founder and owner of the VTA Austria GmbH Group, Ing.Mag.Dr.h.c. Ulrich Kubinger.
The keynote speech was given by Prof Dr Emmanuelle Charpentier on the topic:“Transforming life sciences through the power of microbiology: the example of gene editing with CRISPR”
Emmanuelle Charpentier conducts research into the regulatory mechanisms underlying the infection processes and immunity of pathogenic bacteria. Her focus here is on gene regulation at the level of (bacterial) ribonucleic acid (RNA) and molecular biological research into infections. She researches the ability of bacterial pathogens to defend themselves against foreign DNA that has invaded the bacterial cell, e.g. through bacteriophages. With her findings in the field of RNA-mediated regulation using the CRISPR/Cas system, Emmanuelle Charpentier has created the basis for the development of a technique that can be used to carry out targeted gene modifications (CRISPR/Cas method, published in 2012 with Jennifer Doudna).
The ceremony was musically enriched by Ioan Bogdan Stefanescu (flautist), Michael Tsalka (piano) and Irina Muresanu (violin), whom we also welcomed as new members of Class III.
Inauguration/Classes I-VII:
Images for download/all ©wildbild/Herbert Rohrer:
EVENING RECEPTION 2024/5 April
FESTIVE PLENARY & INAUGURATION CEREMONY 2024/6 April
PRESS RELEASE:
Thank you to all who joined our events!
We are looking foward welcoming you to the General Assembly and Festive Plenary on 7 & 8 March 2025!
