Institute for Basic Science (IBS, led by President KIM Doo Chul) hosted the 10^th Directors Council Meeting for two days from August 24 to 25 in Busan. The quarterly meeting is an important venue where general direction and research relevant agenda items are discussed and directors can share major issues of Centers. The next meeting is planned for November.

Early in the August meeting, directors were informed of follow-up measures for the 9^th Directors Council Meeting held in May. Selection procedure for associate directors, improvement measures for reports on long-term consulting services, and enhancing support to attract excellent scientists were some of the items revisited. Then directors moved on to share their thoughts on major issues relevant to IBS and Center operation.

For the afternoon session, LEE Yong Seok (former professor at Yonsei University) from the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission gave a lecture on anti-corruption. He introduced cases in regards to the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, emphasizing social responsibility of intellectuals. “Social costs incurred by corruption and unethical behaviors are enormous. For a healthy academic community and a better society, transparency is a key factor that cannot be left out,” said Lee.

Director Axel Timmermann of Center for Climate Physics delighted everyone with a special lecture for directors with the theme “Science and Society”. He started with what he learned at 2017 Europe-Korea Conference on Science and Technology (EKC), a conference that took place in July at Stockholm, Sweden. “We, as scientists, have to ask ourselves, who defines the most useful scientific sector for society? When put together, individual factors such as science, society and policy contribute greatly in fostering innovation,” explained Timmermann. After the director’s lecture, many scientists showed support for the thought and spoke on the importance of thinking about the role and place for science in society.

◀ (left) LEE Yong Seok (former professor at Yonsei University) from the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission gave a lecture on anti-corruption
▶ (right) Director Axel Timmermann of Center for Climate Physics delighted everyone with a special lecture for directors with the theme “Science and Society”

For the second day, an open discussion on Centers’ current status and future development directions was planned and the meeting closed with an expert lecture. When the Five-Year Plan of IBS (from 2018 to 2022) was up for discussion, directors expressed enthusiasm and added their suggestions. The relevant administrative team welcomed the input and said they will make the Plan more concrete by taking Centers’ opinions into account. In-depth discussion on how to improve administrative system of Centers and what measures should be implemented in case of directors’ absence, incapacity, or termination of Centers took place. The August meeting ended with a lecture by LEE Eun Jung, science journalist from KBS. Under the theme of broadcast media, she detailed on how journalists interpret and broadcast science pieces, the value of such pieces, the difference between broadcast and paper media and interview techniques. In addition to the social responsibility of scientists, she presented diverse platforms where scientists can reach out to the public, such as documentaries, science talks and talk shows. “A great outcome can be achieved only when journalists and scientists open up and truly understand each other,” said Lee.

▲ 10^th Directors Council Meeting Held