Newsletter #234

AGENDA

USP project gathers studies aimed at improving the quality of life in cities

The IEA-USP will launch the USP Global Cities Program on July 13, an initiative that will bring together and articulate research groups of the University and external partners that can design proposals for improving the quality of life in metropolitan areas. The activities and results of the studies are to base models covering various aspects of life in big cities: mobility, pollution, health, education, land use and occupation, leisure etc. The presentation will take place at 8.00 pm at the USP's School of Medicine (FM). The event will be broadcast live on the IEA's website.

Full story available in Portuguese only. For further information, please send us an e-mail.

Till Roenneberg will visit the IEA to address challenges of science beyond interdisciplinarity

Chronobiologist Till Roenneberg, from the Institute of Medical Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU), will be at the IEAon July 19, at 10 am, to give the conference "Why Science needs more than Interdisciplinarity". The meeting will take place in the IEA Events Room and will be broadcast live on the web. Roenneberg argues that not only biological dogma or physical theories, genes or quarks are at the center of scientific efforts. "There is only one central commonality thing in every scientific discovery: our own brain, which is basically a story-telling machine," he says. At the meeting, Roenneberg will remember the necessity that we have to fuse as many diff erent br ains as possible to make larger jumps in our scientific insights.

REPORT

New directors of the IEA take office and present challenges for the next four years

A formal ceremony at the Tomie Ohtake Institute on June 29 marked the inauguration of the new direction of the IEA, represented by Paulo Saldiva (director) and Guilherme Ary Plonski (deputy director). The president of USP, Marco Antonio Zago, advocated a bold and innovative management at the Institute. To Saldiva, the challenges of the IEA are the same of the University: besides the dialogue with society, there is the natural challenge of producing better quality of knowledge, combating fundamentalisms of any kind and looking to solve the complex problems through questioning all areas of knowledge. In the opinion of Plonski, the IEA should be in charge of "connecting, inspiring, innovating and incubating solutions." "In times of crisis like the current one it is necessary to in vest mor e in knowledge through innovative experiments" said the deputy director.

Full story available in Portuguese only. For further information, please send us an e-mail.

Community urban gardening is still seen as an illegal activity in São Paulo

The practice of urban agriculture is booming in world capitals and already generating income for families in some Brazilian cities. But the many initiatives lack of government support and are still seen as an illegal activity. Although they seek healthier food by not using pesticides to develop their cultures, urban gardeners still have doubts about the variety of plants, most suitable areas for cultivation, management practices, and more appropriate and secure technologies for food production in an urban environment. These issues and also the results of research on the impacts of air pollution in gardens in the city of São Paulo were discussed at the USP's School of Medicine (FM) on June 15, during the first seminar organized by the recently created study group on urban agricultur e of the IEA.

Full story available in Portuguese only. For further information, please send us an e-mail.

INSTITUTO DE ESTUDOS AVANÇADOS DA USP / INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED STUDIES OF USP

Diretor / Director: Paulo Saldiva — Vice-Diretor / Deputy Director: Guilherme Ary Plonski — Conselho Deliberativo / Board: Paulo Saldiva, Guilherme Ary Plonski, Eugênio Bucci, Regina Pekelmann Markus, Ricardo Ohtake, Beatriz Barbuy, Renato Luiz Sobral Anelli, and Fernando de Queiroz Cunha.
www.iea.usp.br — iea@usp.br — (+ 55 11) 3091-3922

BOLETIM IEA / IEA NEWSLETTER — Divisão de Comunicação / Communication Division — Chefe / Chief: Fernanda Cunha Rezende — Redatores / Editors: Mauro Bellesa and Sylvia Miguel — Versão em inglês / English version: Richard Meckien — ieacomunica@usp.br — (+ 55 11) 3091-3922 — Para receber, envie mensagem para / To subscribe send a message to boletim-iea@usp.br — Para cancelar o envio, escreva "Retirar" no "Assunto" da resposta / To unsubscribe write "Remove" in the "Subject" of your answer.