The year 2020 will undoubtedly be marked with sadness in our lives by the pandemic of Covid-19, which violently altered our daily lives, imposed tragic losses for many of us and gave more space to scientific negacionism, reinforcing the feeling of “nonsense” that we experience in today’s society.

However, at the same time, it was in 2020 that Science was once again a safe haven, pointing out alternatives and strategies to combat this terrible disease, while, in record time, decoding the virus genome and manufacturing vaccines with high efficacy. Brazilian researchers played an active part in building this knowledge chain, while resiliently fighting against threats to the country’s Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) structure. The materials research community could not abstain at such a critical moment and therefore quickly adapted research on biosensors, drug-carrying nanoparticles, materials with virucidal properties, etc. to combat SARS-CoV-2.

In 2020 B-MRS also had to reinvent itself. With the postponement of its annual meeting due to the health crisis, the virtual platform was our form of communication. And the community responded! With a strong presence in webinars, online events, and participating in awareness actions to maintain the country’s ST&I infrastructure as well as our most precious resource for the future, young PhDs and undergraduate and graduate students. The drive and motivation that students at our University Chapters show in their activities, brings us the certainty that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for Brazil.

And may 2021 come! We will be ready, equipped with the powerful resources of Science, to build a better year, with more health and decent living conditions for Brazilian citizens.

An excellent end of the year to everyone – as far as possible and observing all necessary care :).

B-MRS Board

Prof. Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Junior (IFSC-USP), B-MRS member, was elected First Vice President of the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS).

The Brazilian scientist was chosen for the position unanimously, in an election held this December, involving materials research societies from around the world that participate in IUMRS.

He will hold the position of First Vice President for two years, from 2021 to 2022. At the end of his term, Oliveira Junior, who was the President of B-MRS from 2016 to 2020, will automatically assume the presidency of IUMRS.

Prof. Ana Flávia Nogueira (UNICAMP), B-MRS member, took on the position of general director of the Center for Innovation in New Energies (CINE) this December.

Founded in 2018 by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and the company Shell, CINE brings together research groups from UNICAMP, IPEN and USP and their collaborators to develop research on the frontier of knowledge and transfer technology to the industry in the area of new energies.

Sorry, this entry is only available in Brazilian Portuguese.

Prof. Andrea S. S. de Camargo (IFSC-USP), B-MRS member and scientific director, was appointed editor of the Journal of Materials Science (Springer), a well-established scientific journal within the international materials science community.

At the moment, the Brazilian scientist is the only representative of an institution from Latin America among the journal’s 25 editors.

Professor Osvaldo Novais de Oliveira Junior (IFSC-USP), B-MRS member, was elected a full member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC) in the area of Physical Sciences. The professor was president of B-MRS for two consecutive terms, from 2016 to 2020.

The election of the 21 new full members of ABC was held at an ordinary general meeting on December 3, 2020, based on nominations made by full members of ABC.