Page - 26 - in options, Volume summer 2021

Four researchers from the 2020 virtual Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) have been recognized for their papers. Setu Pelz from the Europa Universität Flensburg, Germany, and Johns Hopkins University, USA, won the IIASA Peccei Award for his analysis on the impacts of grid electricity access on rural non-farm entrepreneurship and employment in Ethiopia and Nigeria. Bernardo Buarque from University College Dublin, Ireland, received the IIASA Mikhalevich Award for his study: “Evolving the knowledge space: Towards a selection dynamics model of patent classes”. The Peccei award is named in honor of IIASA alumnus Aurelio Peccei and recognizes policy-related research, while the Mikhalevich Award, named after IIASA alumnus Vladimir S. Mikhalevich, acknowledges mathematically- oriented research. The winning papers were selected by a committee comprised of one member from each IIASA program based on their outstanding quality, originality, and relevance. Fellow YSSP participants Janet Molina Maturano from Ghent University, Belgium, and Simon Plakolb from the Technical University and the University of Graz in Austria received honorable mentions for their work. In her paper, Maturano developed a SDGs-guided toolkit taking into account responsible scaling of citizen science projects for farmers. Plakolb’s study investigated “Using the Future State Maximization paradigm to analyze the emergence of socially sub-optimal mobility behavior”. “There were some exciting moments due to the inspiring research we got to know during the virtual presentations and discussions, but also times of wishing I could get to know people at IIASA and other YSSPers in person. Overall, it has however been a really worthwhile and interesting experience. I highly recommend it,” says Maturano. INSTITUTE NEWS Message from the director IIASA CORNER The last year and a half has been extremely disruptive for everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic and consequent lockdown measures fundamentally changed the way we work and live. The crisis has revealed striking gaps in our interconnected world. Despite this, IIASA continued to produce impactful research and to collaborate internationally. In 2020, 439 peer-reviewed articles were published – that’s almost 40 more items than in 2019. The institute – together with the International Science Council (ISC) – also launched the IIASA-ISC Consultative Science Platform “Bouncing Forward Sustainably: Pathways to a post-COVID world”. The platform serves as a global hub for collaboration among scientists, policymakers, and civil society. The outputs of the initiative, which are supported by an advisory board under the patronage of the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, H.E. Ban Ki-moon, include a series of reports with key messages and recommendations for policymakers on how to help find a way forward and apply systemic thinking in a post-COVID world. The implementation of the new IIASA Strategy 2021-2030 is well underway, as is the development of the new IIASA Research Plan 2021-2024. The plan aims to position IIASA as the primary destination for integrated systems solutions and policy insights into the emergent challenges and threats to global sustainability through increased innovation, integration, and agility. Next year, the institute will celebrate its 50th anniversary. I am excited to take the opportunity to both look back at 50 years of IIASA and look forward to the next 10 years of strategic IIASA research. Awards for outstanding young scientists ALBERT VAN JAARSVELD By Bettina Greenwell Further info: www.iiasa.ac.at/yssp/awards 26 www.iiasa.ac.at