Martí Domínguez, Antoni Furió and Francesca Segura, new members of the Institute for Catalan Studies

The Institute for Catalan Studies (IEC), founded in 1907 in the image of the prestigious Institut de France, is an entity that has as its aim the study of all disciplines of knowledge at the highest level, with an area of action that covers all the territories of the Catalan language. This way, the IEC, which is part of the International Union of Academies since 1922, acts as a centre of research communication and hosts initiatives from other institutions related to research and culture. In addition, it publishes more than a hundred works a year, between books and specialised journals, and promotes many other research programmes through the five sections in which it is structured: Historical-Archaeological, Biological Science, Science and Technology, Philology and Philosophy and Social Science. Each section is made up of a maximum of 28 numerary members, emeritus members and the chairmen of the affiliated societies assigned to the sections.

On 2 March, the IEC’s plenary, constituted by numerary and emeritus members, as well as the chairmen of the affiliated societies, agreed to incorporate Antoni Furió as a numerary member of the institution, in the Historical-Archaeological Section. Antoni Furió is Full Professor of Medieval History of the University of Valencia and one of the more prestigious Valencian medieval historians. Currently, he is the editor-in-chief of the journal L’Espill and member of the editorial board of a dozen of scientific journals. In Mètode, you can read his articles «The continents of the book» (in Catalan) and «The science book at the University of Valencia» (in Catalan).

«The Institute for Catalan Studies acts as a centre of research communication and hosts initiatives from other institutions related to research and culture»

In addition, on Monday, 22 June, Martí Domínguez and Francesca Segura were incorporated as well as numerary members of the institution, in the Biological Sciences Section and the Philosophy and Social Sciences Section respectively. Martí Domínguez is Tenured Lecturer of Journalism at the University of Valencia and the editor-in-chief of Mètode Science Studies Journal. Furthermore, he writes for different media, such as El Temps, La Vanguardia, Ara and El País. He has also been awarded several prizes for his novels. Martí Domínguez is the director of the Darwin Library (Laetoli-Public University of Navarra), which published the complete works of Charles Darwin in Spanish. After the initial phase of research in the field of zoology, his current research is focused on different fields of communication, specially the communication of science and how it is reflected in the different genres of opinion, as well as the social impact of science in general and of the life and health sciences in particular. «Darwin’s garden», «Feeling nature in Valencian painting» (in Catalan) and «Renaissance ornithofauna» are some of his articles published in Mètode.

As for Francesca Segura, Full Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Valencia, her main lines of research are fluvial geomorphology, hydrology and environmental changes in fluvial systems, and among her most important achievements is the characterisation of the ephemeral Mediterranean rivers. She has worked on management techniques of the environment and spatial planning, especially on the prevention of floods and flash floods, and has a Master’s Degree on Environmental Risks that she now directs. As proof of her lines of research we suggest reading «When the sea invades estuaries» and «Watercourses and gullies: rivers of stone» (in Catalan or Spanish).

The IEC members, presided by ecologist Joandomènec Ros, can be numerary, emeritus, supernumerary or correspondents. With the incorporation of Martí Domínguez, Antoni Furió and Francesca Segura, there have been 36 Valencian numerary members, five of which have passed away: Manuel Ardit, Josep Ramon Bataller, Josep Lluís Blasco, Manuel Sanchis i Guarner and Joan Fuster, whose works Antoni Furió has published. The Plenary also agreed this Monday on the incorporation of Manel Esteller, director of the Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program of the Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL); of Bonaventura Clotet, head of the HIV Unit of the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital and director of the Institute for AIDS Research IrsiCaixa; and of Jaume Reventós, the general director of the Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research. All three are incorporated in the Biological Sciences Section as numerary members.

© Mètode 2015.

«With the incorporation of Martí Domínguez, Antoni Furió and Francesca Segura, there have been 36 Valencian numerary members»