On Sunday, July 16th, the Scientific Council of the Academy sat for its 531st session. Prof. Reza Davari Ardakani chaired the meeting in which the secretary, vice president for research and deputy president, and the chairmen of the scientific departments were present. In the first part of the meeting, the planning consultant of the Academy and chairman and members of the Natural Hazards Think Tank of the Academy were also present.
At first, Prof. Davari Ardakani, welcomed the members of the Council as well as the chairman and members of the Natural Hazards Think Tank who were present at the meeting to introduce their activity report.
Then, Prof. Mohaghegh Damad, chairman of the Department of Islamic Sciences of the Academy, gave a brief report of his trip to the UK at the invitation of the Birmingham Al-Mahdi Institute and listed some of the most important activities of that institute in the field of Islamology and Shia studies. It was decided that the Department of Islamic Sciences of the Academy would present a detailed report on the participation of its fellows at the conferences to be held in Birmingham.
Following the approval of the previous meeting's minutes, Prof. Mohammad Taghi Ahmadi, the invited scholar of the Department of Engineering Sciences of the Academy and the chairman of the Natural Hazards Think Tank referred to the activities of the Think Tank and explained the policy documents compiled for risk management and promoting resilience against natural hazards. Afterwards, he enumerated some of the country's most important challenges regarding natural hazards. Finally, with regard to the review of the Seventh National Development Plan bill in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, he suggested that the Academy, if approved, send these documents to the country's authorities, including the Islamic Consultative Assembly, as soon as possible.
Next, the members of the think tank presented a report on the compilation of the above mentioned documents and the members of the Council discussed and exchanged opinions on the issues raised.
At the end, it was decided that the Vice President for Research receive and consider comments from the scientific departments on the documents, and send the revised versions of the documents to the country's top officials and relevant authorities.
The meeting continued with the approval of the collaboration of four invited scholars of the Department of Engineering Sciences, one invited scholar of the Department of Human Sciences and one invited scholar of the Department of Agricultural Sciences of the Academy for a two-year term.
At the end of the meeting, Prof. Salehi, vice-president for research and deputy president of the Academy, referred to the anniversary of the death of Prof. Maryam Mirzakhani, a prominent Iranian mathematician, and suggested that an award be given in her name, or that a hall in the Academy be named after Prof. Mirzakhani. This matter will be discussed in the Department of Basic Sciences of the Academy and a proposal will be submitted to the Council.