Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Encyclopedia
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society
based in Oslo
, Norway
.
was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania
surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem
had no university, but had a learned society—Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters
established as far back as 1760. The purpose of a learned society in Christiania was to support scientific studies and aid publication of academic papers. The idea of the Humboldt
-inspired university, where independent research stood strong, had taken over for the instrumental view of a university as a means to produce civil servants. The city already had societies for specific professions, for instance the Norwegian Medical Society
which was founded in 1833. However, these societies were open for both academics within medicine as well as physicians outside of academia. The learned society would be open to employed academics only, but from all academic branches.
The idea did not come to stay in 1841. Money was a problem; also there were "doubts with regards to the adequacy of the scientific powers". However, cross-disciplinary cooperation was flourishing. The first scientific congress in Norway was held in 1844. Two hundred people within the natural sciences and medicine convened for the fourth Scandinavian meeting of natural researchers. Finally, in 1857 a source of finances were found: professor of medicine Frants C. Faye. The academy was founded, and inaugurated on 3 May 1857 under the name . "Christiania" was later changed to "Kristiania". The name was taken in the early twentieth century, and from 1924 "i Kristiania" was dropped.
The economic support from the state was minimal during its first fifty years. As such the academy led a humble existence. In the early twentieth century, Waldemar Christofer Brøgger (later the university's first rector) suggested a plan to strengthen the academy. He established the Nansen Foundation, specifically tied to the academy to strengthen its economy. Brøgger's goal was to employ own researchers to secure independence from the university, however this never happened. The purpose of the academy remained to advance science and scholarship in general through meetings, seminars and support of research and publications. Nonetheless, the Nansen Foundation and other economic sources were important. They helped in the establishment of other bodies, such as the early Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture
. The foundations lost some of their importance after World War II
. However, an entirely new source of funding was found, as Otto Lous Mohr
suggested to use surplus from a state-owned, national lottery. The establishment of Norsk Tipping
was laid down in 1946, and took place in 1947. The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters wished to administer this income through a council of its own, but the Government of Norway refused and created the research council NAVF . The academy could merely suggest representatives for this council. Ever since then, the state-driven research councils have been more important than the academy, economically. NAVF and other bodies were merged in 1993 to become the Research Council of Norway.
, and the six members representing the divisions are Anne-Brit Kolstø, John Grue
, Øystein Elgarøy, Jan Terje Faarlund, Eivind Smith
and Gunhild Hagestad. The secretary-general Reidun Sirevåg heads, together with the chief executive Øyvind Sørensen, the daily administration. In addition, King Harald V of Norway
is honorary president.
The academy is responsible for awarding the Abel Prize
in mathematics
and the Kavli Prize
in astrophysics
, nanoscience and neuroscience
. It also represents Norway in the International Council for Science
(ICSU), the Union Académique Internationale
(UAI), the European Science Foundation
(ESF) and the All European Academies
(ALLEA).
The academy has 476 Norwegian members and 409 foreign members, totalling 882 members per 1. November 2010.
Learned society
A learned society is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline/profession, as well a group of disciplines. Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honor conferred by election, as is the case with the oldest learned societies,...
based in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
History
The University of OsloUniversity of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
had no university, but had a learned society—Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters
Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters
The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters is a learned society based in Trondheim, Norway.-History:DKNVS was founded in 1760 by bishop of Nidaros Johan Ernst Gunnerus, headmaster at the Trondheim Cathedral School Gerhard Schøning and Councillor of State Peter Frederik Suhm under the name...
established as far back as 1760. The purpose of a learned society in Christiania was to support scientific studies and aid publication of academic papers. The idea of the Humboldt
Wilhelm von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Christian Karl Ferdinand Freiherr von Humboldt was a German philosopher, government functionary, diplomat, and founder of Humboldt Universität. He is especially remembered as a linguist who made important contributions to the philosophy of language and to the theory and practice...
-inspired university, where independent research stood strong, had taken over for the instrumental view of a university as a means to produce civil servants. The city already had societies for specific professions, for instance the Norwegian Medical Society
Norwegian Medical Society
The Norwegian Medical Society is a medical organisation in Norway.It has its roots in an informal group created in 1826, which subscribed to and shared foreign medical journals. In 1833 it was formally inaugurated as Lægeforeningen i Christiania, the physician's association in Christiania...
which was founded in 1833. However, these societies were open for both academics within medicine as well as physicians outside of academia. The learned society would be open to employed academics only, but from all academic branches.
The idea did not come to stay in 1841. Money was a problem; also there were "doubts with regards to the adequacy of the scientific powers". However, cross-disciplinary cooperation was flourishing. The first scientific congress in Norway was held in 1844. Two hundred people within the natural sciences and medicine convened for the fourth Scandinavian meeting of natural researchers. Finally, in 1857 a source of finances were found: professor of medicine Frants C. Faye. The academy was founded, and inaugurated on 3 May 1857 under the name . "Christiania" was later changed to "Kristiania". The name was taken in the early twentieth century, and from 1924 "i Kristiania" was dropped.
The economic support from the state was minimal during its first fifty years. As such the academy led a humble existence. In the early twentieth century, Waldemar Christofer Brøgger (later the university's first rector) suggested a plan to strengthen the academy. He established the Nansen Foundation, specifically tied to the academy to strengthen its economy. Brøgger's goal was to employ own researchers to secure independence from the university, however this never happened. The purpose of the academy remained to advance science and scholarship in general through meetings, seminars and support of research and publications. Nonetheless, the Nansen Foundation and other economic sources were important. They helped in the establishment of other bodies, such as the early Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture
Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture
The Institute for Comparative Research in Human Culture is a humanities research institute based in Oslo, Norway.It was established in 1922 by Fredrik Stang. An independent institute, its task is to sponsor research mainly in the fields of comparative linguistics, folklore, religion, ethnology,...
. The foundations lost some of their importance after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. However, an entirely new source of funding was found, as Otto Lous Mohr
Otto Lous Mohr
Otto Lous Mohr was a Norwegian medical doctor.He was a professor of anatomy at the University of Oslo from 1919 to 1952, and served as rector from 1946 to 1952....
suggested to use surplus from a state-owned, national lottery. The establishment of Norsk Tipping
Norsk Tipping
Norsk Tipping AS is the national lottery in Norway, located in Hamar. The company offers a wide range of lottery, sports and instant games in the Norwegian market. Norsk Tipping is owned by the Norwegian government and administered by Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs...
was laid down in 1946, and took place in 1947. The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters wished to administer this income through a council of its own, but the Government of Norway refused and created the research council NAVF . The academy could merely suggest representatives for this council. Ever since then, the state-driven research councils have been more important than the academy, economically. NAVF and other bodies were merged in 1993 to become the Research Council of Norway.
Organisation
Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters are divided into two divisions; Natural Sciences and Humanities and Social Sciences. The board of directors consists of nine members. Three represent the presidium, with a president, vice president and secretary general, whereas the other six represent the two divisions. President is Øyvind Østerud, vice president is Nils Christian StensethNils Christian Stenseth
Nils Christian Stenseth is a biologist with a focus on ecology and evolution. He is the leader of the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis at the University of Oslo. He is also the Chief Scientist at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research in Norway...
, and the six members representing the divisions are Anne-Brit Kolstø, John Grue
John Grue
John Grue is a Norwegian applied mathematician noted for his contributions to marine hydrodynamics and internal waves.He took the cand.real. degree in 1982 and the dr.philos. degree in 1987, both at the University of Oslo. He stayed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1987 to 1988,...
, Øystein Elgarøy, Jan Terje Faarlund, Eivind Smith
Eivind Smith
Eivind Smith is a Norwegian lawyer and professor of law.He was born in Bærum, and took the dr.juris degree in 1979. He works at the Faculty of Law at the University of Oslo, where he has been a professor since 1986. He is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.He has published a...
and Gunhild Hagestad. The secretary-general Reidun Sirevåg heads, together with the chief executive Øyvind Sørensen, the daily administration. In addition, King Harald V of Norway
Harald V of Norway
Harald V is the king of Norway. He succeeded to the throne of Norway upon the death of his father Olav V on 17 January 1991...
is honorary president.
The academy is responsible for awarding the Abel Prize
Abel Prize
The Abel Prize is an international prize presented annually by the King of Norway to one or more outstanding mathematicians. The prize is named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel . It has often been described as the "mathematician's Nobel prize" and is among the most prestigious...
in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and the Kavli Prize
Kavli Prize
The Kavli Prize was established in 2005 through a joint venture between the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, and The Kavli Foundation...
in astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
, nanoscience and neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
. It also represents Norway in the International Council for Science
International Council for Science
The International Council for Science , formerly the International Council of Scientific Unions, was founded in 1931 as an international non-governmental organization devoted to international co-operation in the advancement of science...
(ICSU), the Union Académique Internationale
Union Académique Internationale
The Union Académique Internationale is the oldest and largest federation of Academies having a national character and created for international cooperation...
(UAI), the European Science Foundation
European Science Foundation
The European Science Foundation is an association of 78 member organisations devoted to scientific research in 30 European countries. It is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organisation that facilitates cooperation and collaboration in European research and development, European...
(ESF) and the All European Academies
All European Academies
All European Academies is an international supraorganization of academic societies. ALLEA was founded in 1994 and is a federation of 53 national academies in the sciences and humanities in 40 European countries. ALLEA member organizations are self-governing associations of scientists and scholars...
(ALLEA).
The academy has 476 Norwegian members and 409 foreign members, totalling 882 members per 1. November 2010.