2000-
Johannesburg
South Africa
Great Hall
UNIVERSITY
OF THE WITWATERSRAND
The
celebration of the Council’s Awards in five continents was
hosted by the prestigious Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg,
South Africa. An eminent Australian scientist and a renowned
American educator were honoured by the World Cultural Council
for outstanding achievements in their respective fields.
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|
Main entrance of the place where the Award Ceremony took place
the Great Hall at Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg,
South Africa. |
Prof.
Phillip Tobias, founder member of the World Cultural Council expressed,
“Eighteen years ago, on the inspiration of the distinguished
Mexican scholar and visionary Dr. José Rafael Estrada,
and with the backing of 124 world scholars including 25 Nobel
Laureates, the World Cultural Council came into being.” “...Today’s
ceremony represents in a way the crystallization of a synthesis
which has always been close to the thinking of the President of
the World Cultural Council: the marriage of science and arts,
which Prof. Lerman has used so fruitfully. I am supposed to abridge
the age at which one readily turns to such matters.”
Prof.
Frank Fenner, Professor at the John Curtin School of the Australian
National University, Canberra, Australia, received the Albert
Einstein World Award for Science, and Prof. Zafra M. Lerman
, Professor of Science and Public Policy at Columbia College,
Chicago, Illinois, USA, was recognised with the José
Vasconcelos World Award for Education.
The
Albert Einstein World Award for Science was awarded
to Prof. Fenner for his productive work carried out in
the medical sciences and his continued labour in the smallpox
eradication campaign, together with the World Health Organization.
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Mr. Justice Edwin Cameroon, Chairman of Council Witwatersrand
University delivering the José Vasconcelos World Award
of Education to Prof. Zafra Lerman. |
Prof.
Zafra M. Lerman was selected as the winner of the José
Vasconcelos World Award for Education in recognition for her
creative and innovative work in the field of Science Education.
This award was granted to Prof. Lerman both for her initiative
in developing the integration of visual and performing arts in
the teaching of science, and for becoming a pioneer in the current
renaissance of science instruction. Prof. Lerman´s
integration of sciences and arts has furthered the growing perception
worldwide that the arts have an important role to play in the
development of basic academic skills.
Prof.
Lerman acknowledges : “It is a great honour and pleasure
for me to accept the José Vasconcelos World Award for Education.
I hope that my contributions to arts education for future generations
will in some way reflect the many contributions that he made”.
“The
integration of science with arts will enable science education
to be accessible to everybody, independent of race, gender, economic
status and cultural background. I would like to thank the World
Cultural Council for establishing an award which recognises the
importance of education for the survival of the planet”.
Mr.
Justice Edwin Cameroon, Chairperson of Council of the Witwatersrand
University, wrote, “It was an honour for Wits to be the host
to the World Cultural Council’s ceremony. It was indeed a
dignified and affirming occasion. I think everyone felt that it
united us – so disparate in our backgrounds, cultures and
beliefs - in the aspirations highlighted by the awards”.
