Events
As the Enchanting Festive Season Draws Near: Electoral General Assembly of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
19 12 2025
On 16 December, the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences held a festive general assembly, which was attended not only by members of the Academy but also by guests from the Kaunas City Municipality, the winners of the Kaunas City Science Prize, the new members of the LMAJA (Lietuvos mokslų akademijos Jaunoji Akademija, the Young Academy of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences) and its alumni.
It opened with Lučija Bartkienė, the chair of the Dacia Romanian cultural community, introducing Mila Gorun-Kudina’s exhibition of artistic embroidery at the Academy. Bartkienė observed that these works go well with the photographs of galaxies in the Grand Hall of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. The Moldovan Gorun-Kudina is an artist, mathematician, and physicist, who has lived in Lithuania for forty years. Her works have been shown in many European countries.
After that, Prof. Jūras Banys, president of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, thanked the academicians and staff of the academy for their contributions to the purchase of a router for the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
Prof. Banys’s speech was followed by the honouring of the winners of the Kaunas City Scientist Prize 2025. Prof. Gintautas Dzemyda, the chair of the jury, announced the names of the laureates. Associate Professor Dr Aušra Vasiliauskienė was awarded the prize for her active, high-level scholarship in the analysis of Lithuanian art of the seventeenth–nineteenth centuries and the heritage of the city of Kaunas. In the field of physical, biomedical, agricultural, and technological sciences, the prize went to Dr Kęstutis Baltakys, vice-rector for research of Kaunas University of Technology, for his contribution to the expansion of technological sciences, in particular his research into sustainable building materials.
The laureates expressed their gratitude for their exceptional recognition. Dr Baltakys noted that it was the recognition of the joint work of the community in which he believes, while Dr Vasiliauskienė, in a pre-recorded video, said that it boosted motivation for carrying out research that is relevant to the city.
This year marks the eighth election of ten new members of the LMAJA. The list of the new members and their achievements was announced by Prof. Zenonas Dabkevičius, the vice-president of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (https://www.lma.lt/news/2972/38/Naujieji-Lietuvos-mokslu-akademijos-Jaunosios-akademijos-nariai). The president and the vice president awarded the new members of the Young Academy with membership pins and certificates.
At the same time, ten members of the Young Academy, elected in 2021, are finishing their term. The president and the vice-president of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences awarded certificates of appreciation of the Presidium of the Academy to Dr Tomas Čelkis, Dr Rūta Ubarevičienė (for her leadership as the chair of the LMAJA), Dr Ieva Plikusienė (for her leadership as a chair), Dr Mantas Šimėnas, Dr Tomas Lapinskas, Dr Petras Prakas, Dr Monika Toleikienė, Dr Jonas Viškelis, Dr Anatolijus, and Dr Mantas Povilaitis for representing the interests of young scientists, bringing them together for creative, research, and expert activities, raising the prestige of science, and creating progressive Lithuania.
At the last general assembly, Academician Prof. Vytautas Nekrošius was elected the next president of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.This time, at the suggestion of the president elect, the members of the assembly had to elect two vice-presidents and the scientific secretary, as well as approve the results of the elections of the chairs of the scientific divisions, who are also members of the Presidium of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. President Elect Nekrošius said he believed that academicians would trust his nominees, who are very well known to everyone. Based on the minutes of the general meetings of the scientific divisions, he proposed that the following academicians be approved as chairs of the scientific divisions: Aušra Maslauskaitė (Division of Humanities and Social Sciences), Ričardas Makuška (Division of Mathematical, Physical, and Chemical Sciences), Limas Kupčinskas (Division of Biological, Medical, and Geosciences), Vidmantas Stanys (Division of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences), and Gintautas Dzemyda (Division of Technical Sciences). Two vice-presidents were approved: academician Aivaras Kareiva, responsible for science policy and international relations, and Juozas Augutis, responsible for educational and regional policy. Academician Zenonas Dabkevičius was approved the scientific secretary and the chancellor. Vytautas Nekrošius also proposed adding three academicians to the presidium: Aurelija Žvirblienė, Leonas Valkūnas, and Jūras Banys. A vote was held after the approval of the candidates.
While the votes were being counted, the members of the assembly listened to a festive musical programme. After the musical interlude, the vote-counting commission announced that all approved candidates were elected.
Concluding the meeting, Prof. Jūras Banys, president of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, wished everyone a beautiful, warm, and pleasant Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Year.
Dr Rolandas Maskoliūnas, Chief Specialist for Public Relations
Translated by Diana Barnard
Photography Virginija Valuckienė
