The International Academy of Sciences San Marino ( eo, Akademio Internacia de la Sciencoj San Marino, AIS) was a scientific association. It was established in 1983 and had its first convention, SUS 1, around New Year 1984 in the
City of San Marino
The City of San Marino ( it, Città di San Marino; also known simply as San Marino and locally as Città) is the capital city of the Republic of San Marino. It has a population of 4,061. It is on the western slopes of San Marino's highest poi ...
. After the Sammarinese skeleton law on higher education had been passed the academy was officially founded on 13 September 1985, in the presence of the
Captains-Regent
The Captains Regent (Italian: ''Capitani reggenti'') are the two heads of state of the Republic of San Marino. They are elected every six months by the Grand and General Council, the country's legislative body. Normally the Regents are chosen ...
. Its name uses the
constructed international auxiliary language
An international auxiliary language (sometimes acronymized as IAL or contracted as auxlang) is a language meant for communication between people from all different nations, who do not share a common first language. An auxiliary language is primaril ...
Esperanto
Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communi ...
.
The association was dissolved at the end of 2020.
History
The AIS was founded on an initiative of scientists from various countries, such as
Helmar Frank
Helmar Gunter Frank (19 February 1933, Waiblingen – 15 December 2013, Paderborn) was a German mathematician and pedagogist. He was among the first scientists to apply mathematical methods in teaching and psychology. He established a method to me ...
,
Humphrey Tonkin
Humphrey R. Tonkin (born 2 December 1939) is professor of English, and served as the 4th president of the University of Hartford. He is also a dedicated Esperantist.
Biography
Born in Truro, UK, Tonkin is a dual citizen of the U.K. and the ...
, and
Reinhard Selten
Reinhard Justus Reginald Selten (; 5 October 1930 – 23 August 2016) was a German economist, who won the 1994 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (shared with John Harsanyi and John Nash). He is also well known for his work in bound ...
.
The
Sammarinese
Sammarinese () are citizens and people of the Republic of San Marino.
Language
San Marino recognizes Italian as the official language. The indigenous language, known as Sammarinese, is a variety of Romagnol spoken by approximately 83 percent o ...
government at first gave the academy broad moral support. When, however, the ''università degli studi'' was founded at San Marino in 1988, it gained priority over the AIS, which then concentrated on working abroad from San Marino. Conventions and
summer schools were held in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
,
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
,
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
and
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
.
Structure
The AIS was divided into the following four sectors:
*Scientific Sector (SciS)
*Technological Sector (TeS)
*Artistic Sector (ArS)
*Supporting Sector (SubS)
The Scientific Sector consisted of six faculties.
Its structure followed a strictly philosophical system, based on two criteria:
* The basic approach used by a scientific discipline, either
''idiographic'' (descriptive) or ''nomothetic'' (predictive), as proposed by
Wilhelm Windelband
Wilhelm Windelband (; ; 11 May 1848 – 22 October 1915) was a German philosopher of the Baden School.
Biography
Windelband was born the son of a Prussian official in Potsdam. He studied at Jena, Berlin, and Göttingen.
Philosophical work
Wind ...
;
* The position of the object of scientific research in
Karl Popper
Sir Karl Raimund Popper (28 July 1902 – 17 September 1994) was an Austrian-British philosopher, academic and social commentator. One of the 20th century's most influential philosophers of science, Popper is known for his rejection of the cl ...
's "
three worlds": the outer world as perceived sensually, the mental world and the world of abstractions.
This led to a division into six sections:
Each faculty was headed by a dean and is also further divided into three or four departments, each with their own head. Within the Scientific Sector there was a hierarchy of contributors.
Principles
The AIS was based on three principles that its members see insufficiently supported in other universities:
# The absence of any cultural and linguistic
bias
Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individual, a group, ...
not only in scientific content but also in the teaching of this content. In order to achieve this goal as far as possible the AIS held its conventions and summer schools in a neutral language; in its case,
Esperanto
Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communi ...
. Students would write their
thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
in two parallel languages: Esperanto and a second language of their choice (usually their
native language
A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...
). Research papers, too, were often written in two languages to reduce influence of language on the paper's logic.
# Studying in several places. Students were encouraged to spend part of their studies abroad, or at least at an AIS summer school, so as to get in contact with other cultures.
#
Interdisciplinarity
Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...
, intense contact and scientific exchange between the faculties and scientific branches. To achieve this, other faculties were required to be represented in examination committees, and students got maximum freedom in choosing their
minor
Minor may refer to:
* Minor (law), a person under the age of certain legal activities.
** A person who has not reached the age of majority
* Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education
Music theory
*Minor chord
** Barb ...
.
Members
In 2006 the AIS consisted of about 250 scientists, among them a little fewer than 50 full members, including co-founder
Reinhard Selten
Reinhard Justus Reginald Selten (; 5 October 1930 – 23 August 2016) was a German economist, who won the 1994 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (shared with John Harsanyi and John Nash). He is also well known for his work in bound ...
.
Some 300 scientists contributed to the AIS as members of the "International Scientific College" (''Internacia Scienca Kolegio'', ISK).
[AIS and ISK member list, http://www.ais-sanmarino.org/isd/html] They were not active in teaching for the AIS but were available for opinions on theses and similar tasks. Knowledge of Esperanto was a precondition for membership in the ISK (as well as the AIS).
The current rector was Fabrizio Angelo Pennacchietti, an Italian orientalist who graduated from
University of Rome La Sapienza
The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a public research university located in Rome, Ita ...
.
References
External links
*
*Federico Gobbo and Reinhard Fössmeier,
A University Mainly in Esperanto'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akademio Internacia De La Sciencoj San Marino
1983 establishments in San Marino
Educational institutions established in 1983
Educational organizations based in San Marino
Organizations based in the City of San Marino
Esperanto education
National academies of sciences
Universities in San Marino
2020 disestablishments in Europe