UL Institute of Solid State Physics Director receives a Medal of the Baltic Academies of Sciences

During the conference, medals were presented to three members of the Baltic Academies of Sciences. The author of the medal is sculptor Jānis Strupulis, an honorary member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences (LAS). Professor Tarmo Soomere (Estonia) was presented with the award on account of excellent results in his studies of the ecological problems affecting the Baltic Sea and his contribution to the research cooperation between Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Professor Jevgenij Butkus (Lithuania) was awarded for outstanding achievements in organising the Baltic Conferences on Organic Synthesis, which have been held alternatively between the Baltic capitals since the year 2000. Finally, a medal was conferred upon Andris Šternbergs, a representative from Latvia. He is the head of the Institute of Solid State Physics (ISSP) of the University of Latvia (UL) and the award was bestowed upon him in recognition of his long-term and internationally accredited work in the field of Materials Science. At the conference, Mr. Šternbergs gave a report on the Latvian, Estonian and Lithuanian research work in the field of Materials Science. The conferences on the intellectual cooperation between scientists from the Baltics have long-standing traditions, which were established at the first conference in Kaunas in 1936. During mid- and late 1930s, six meetings have taken place, after which a more than 50-year-long pause followed. It was resumed to hold the conferences on the initiative of Academician Jānis Stradiņš in Riga in the year 1999. The following conventions took place in Tallinn, Vilnius, Helsinki and Riga.  The Estonian Academy of Science was established on January 28, 1938 and was congratulated during this conference on its 75^th anniversary. Upon congratulating his colleagues on behalf of the LAS and Latvian scientists, Ojārs Spārītis, the head of the LAS delegation, remarked upon the long-standing ties between our lands and nations, since a large number of Latvian intellectuals in the 19^th and early 20^th century received their education at the Tartu University. The President of the LAS invited all Baltic Intellectual Cooperation partners to take part in the 14^th conference in Riga, which will take place in 2005, when Latvia assumes presidency of the EU. Translated by students of the professional study programme Translator of the University of Latvia.