Chinese Academy of Sciences

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; Chinese: 中国科学院), with historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republic of China era, is the national academy for the natural sciences of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Collectively known as the "Two Academies (两院)" along with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, it is an institution of China, functioning as the national scientific think tank and academic governing body, providing advisory and appraisal services on issues stemming from the national economy, social development, and science and technology progress. It is headquartered in Beijing, with branch institutes all over mainland China. It has also created hundreds of commercial enterprises, with Lenovo being one of the most famous.

Organization

The Chinese Academy has its roots from Academia Sinica, founded in 1928 by the Guomindang Nationalist Government. After the Communist Party took control of mainland China, Academia Sinica was renamed Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Chinese Academy of Sciences has six academic divisions:

Academy of sciences

An academy of sciences is a national academy or another learned society dedicated to sciences.

In non-English speaking countries, the range of academic fields of the members of a national Academy of Science often includes scholarly disciplines which would not normally be classed as "science" in English. Many languages use a broad term for systematized learning which includes both natural and social sciences and fields such as literary studies, history, or art history, which are not typically considered "sciences" in English. For example, the Australian Academy of Sciences is an organization of natural scientists, reflecting the English use of the term "scientist". There are separate academies for Arts, Humanities and Social Science. The Hungarian "Academy of Science" (Magyar Tudományos Akadémia), however, has members from many other areas of academia. Presumably, the Hungarian term tudomány has been translated as "science" in a broader sense, as it was used in English 200 years ago, and is still used in French and other languages.

Latvian Academy of Sciences

The Academy of Sciences (Latvian: Zinātņu akadēmija) is the official science academy of Latvia and is an association of the country's foremost scientists. The academy was founded as the Latvian SSR Academy of Sciences (Latvian: Latvijas PSR Zinātņu akadēmija). It is located in Riga. The current President of the academy is Ojārs Spārītis.

Building

The Academy of Sciences edifice was built after World War II, between 1951 and 1961, collecting the necessary financing from the newly established kolkhozes in Latvia and - as further expenses increased, collecting the finances as "voluntary donations" deducted from the salaries of the Latvian rural population.

The building is decorated with several hammer and sickle symbols as well as Latvian folk ornaments and motifs. The spire was originally decorated with a wreath and a five pointed star, which was removed after Latvia regained independence in 1991. Being 108 metres (354 ft) tall, it was the first skyscraper in the republic and was the tallest building until the construction of the Swedbank Headquarters in Latvia (121 metres, 397 ft), and at the time, one of the highest reinforced concrete buildings in the world.