First Gathering

Knowledge is treasury of humankind, thus scientists are the treasurers of humanity. The scientists have a great right among the people of the world.

There are many scientists worldwide, in all fields of knowledge, who retire and become inactive against their choice. The great amount of knowledge and more importantly the experience that they have accumulated over many years, which may be considered a non-replaceable treasure, becomes lost. These scientists still have a lot to contribute to the well being of humanity. While humanity loses their contributions, they feel unhappy entering a life style where they find themselves, at best, less useful. Billions of dollars spent to prepare these people to be instruments of production and teaching of knowledge, are thus wasted. The World Institute of Retired Scientists - WIRS, has the objective to remedy this situation.

WIRS is one result of the activities of the Research Centre for Global Governance (RCGG). See web site http: //www.rcgg.ufrgs.br.

The proposal is to establish WIRS where the retired scientists and intellectuals in all fields of knowledge from around the world can come together to do essentially whatever they would like to contribute. They will be provided with infrastructures and the opportunity to discuss with their peers their "innovative" ideas, do research on personal projects, on the subjects that probably did not fit in to their institutional objectives, write books and articles, teach, and essentially carry out what they yearned to do during their pre-retirement work but did not have the opportunity to realize it. The young scientists and the seekers of knowledge will also come to WIRS to learn while becoming their research assistants.

The retired scientists theoretically can stay for as long as they wish, from a few weeks per year to a permanent stay. They will be offered the best hospitality available at WIRS at no cost and will be given the highest respect which they deserve.

All the countries specially the developing countries with a vision of the future are expected to want to have a WIRS Center in their countries. It will bring prestige and wealth to the host country. The host country will benefit from bringing in a great bank of knowledge and help advance their scientific efforts at a minimum of cost. It will also bring material wealth to the host country as many people will travel to WIRS Centers to seek knowledge, i. e. Scientific tourism. WIRS will become the melting pot for all of the scientists and intellectuals of the world. The interaction between these highly capable people will lead to new and important knowledge. Around WIRS will grow a scientific community with many junior scientists and students from all over the world who will come to learn. It will become a center of learning.

The scientists participating in WIRS should enjoy a very high moral standard such that their intellectual efforts result in the well being of humankind.

We must have a clear vision of WIRS, its role and its purpose, a vision, which will be periodically reexamined, modified and re-stated in keeping with the progress of WIRS.

WIRS should be considered as an organic institution which should grow and develop like a living being. As an organic process, by applying the altruistic principles and using the art of consultation WIRS will grow and fulfill its objectives.

I invite your comments and suggestions.

Thanking you in advance for your valuable contributions.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. F. Sefidvash,

RCGG Coordinator,

wirs@ufrgs.br

WORLD INSTITUTE OF RETIRED SCIENTISTS
WIRS Vision Document

PREAMBLE

We the retired scientists of the world, after spending a greater part of our lives in the service of science consider ourselves as citizens of the world. We acknowledge the principle of unity of humankind and pledge to spend the rest of our lives dedicated to the sciences, in whichever field of knowledge that may be, to serve the well being of humankind and help the cause of world peace.

We consider such a service as a basic principle of human existence and that the unity of humankind implies the achievement of a dynamic coherence between the spiritual and practical requirements of life on earth. We dedicate ourselves to create and teach knowledge that meets the requirements of life on earth. We dedicate ourselves to create and teach knowledge that meets the requirements and needs of the modern age, and benefits humankind helping advance a civilization based on unity in diversity.

WIRS LOCATIONS

Locations in any country with natural beauty, calm and mild climate conditions away from the centers of population may be chosen in order to create an atmosphere of inspiration for the scientists. A comfortable lodging with good meals must be provided. In the early stages of development of WIRS, a resort hotel having conference rooms may be rented for the purpose and in the future it will have its own installations. Adequate medical facilities should be available at a reasonable distance.

WIRS will have its Headquarters in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, designated as WIRS-HQ which will manage the list of available scientists and supply scientists to any Center of Knowledge in any location X around the world (designated as WIRS-X) through communication by internet.

OBJECTIVES

WIRS is an altruistic inspired social and economic project aimed at creating Centers of Knowledge in all fields of endeavor around the world at the service of humanity. It is to utilize the knowledge and experience of retired scientists to create new knowledge and teach the young and new scientists.

MEMBERSHIP

WIRS belongs to those who have retired from a scientific, industrial, or teaching institutions of higher learning who have at least a Ph.D. degree or equivalent and have achieved distinction in their field of knowledge. The criteria for membership are: (A set of minimum criteria needs to be developed - please give your suggestions).

Non-retired scientists and others may join WIRS as Associate Members:

Senior Associates are those who have less than 10 years to their retirements and Junior Associates are those who need more than 10 years to retire. The Senior Associates have in addition an important fuction of taking back to the decision making world the ideas generated at WIRS. ( A set of minimum criteria for this also needs to be developed - please give your suggestions).

The Honorary Members are those who, irrespective of their formal education, have gained the unquestionable recognition of their peers and the scientific community as one of the most knowledgeable person in the field.

Membership is free for all retired scientists. However, they, as well as organizations, can make financial contribution to WIRS. In the web site, their names will be acknowledged according to the quantity of money (equivalent to the grams of gold per year) that they contribute. They are classified as follows: Regular Member: 0g, Contributing Member: >10g, Cooperative Member: >100g, Generous Member: > 1Kg , Magnanimous Member: >10Kg

FUNCTIONING

WIRS will hold seminars and discussion meetings and offers courses at the WIRS Centers anywhere in the world where the basic requirements are met.

The program will be executed in the form of modules. Each module is executed by a minimum of 3 and maximum of 9 scientists in the same field, together with a group of junior scientists and students.

WIRS will also utilize the method of distance teaching using the Internet facilities.

QUALITY OF TEACHING

High quality teaching and research are called for. It should be at least at the same level as the scientist's institute of origin. The proof of this will be if the institute of the origin will accept the given course in their own post-graduate program.

The subjects discussed at WIRS are free of regional politics and concerns the solutions that serve the well being of humanity at global level.

To avoid possible political pressure on the Centers and avoid in-breeding, the scientists may participate as lecturers only in the Centers outside their own countries.

GRADING SYSTEM

The grading system for the participating students will be: D- Desisted, P- Participated (if participated in more than 90% of the lectures), S- Concluded with Success, E-Concluded with Excellence.

FINANCE

Financial support of WIRS will be solicited from many international scientific and governmental organizations. Individuals are also expected to donate to this project. Young scientists and their organizations will support the WIRS in the form of donations or tuition. WIRS will in the future receive endowments to become self-sustainable.

(Suggest a system of accounting and financial control to be transparent and foolproof in order to avoid any possible financial mishandling).

Please send your suggestions to wirs@ufrgs.br in order to better develop the WIRS.

INVITATION

Please become a member of WIRS by filling the following preliminary application form and inform your peers and friends also to join.