For Its New Science Minister Brazil Picks ... A Scientist - via ScienceInsider

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL—Brazil has announced that Marco Antônio Raupp, currently president of the Brazilian Space Agency, will become the new minister of science, technology and innovation on 24 January. Unlike the man he will replace, Aloizio Mercadante, a leading figure in the Worker's Party with little background in science, Raupp, 73, has more than 40 years of experience in the field. His appointment has pleased the scientific community, which never warmed to his predecessor.


A native of the relatively developed south of the country, Raupp graduated in physics from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and got his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Chicago. He has taught at universities in Brazil's three most important cities, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro,and Brasília, and has worked on a number of important scientific and research institutions.

Raupp said he was honored by the president's decision and called it "a crucial moment" in the ministry's development. "I am totally aware of the unprecedented demands being made on science, technology and innovation to contribute as an essential part of Brazil's social and economic development," he said in a statement.

Raupp's appointment marks a cascade of cabinet changes. Mercadante is leaving the science ministry to take charge of the education ministry and a much larger budget. The departing education minister, Fernando Haddad, is stepping down to run for mayor of São Paulo in an October election.

by Andrew Downie on 19 January 2012

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