G. Mendel Memorial Symposium 1965 ‒ celebrating Mendel's legacy and international cooperation
| Title in English | G. Mendel Memorial Symposium 1965 ? celebrating Mendel's legacy and international cooperation |
|---|---|
| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | In the early 1950s, classical genetics was suppressed in favour of Lysenkoism in Soviet block countries. However, the situation was slowly changing with destalinisation, and the Czechoslovak Academy of Science (ČSAV) started to seek international collaboration and became more open to West science. In 1958, ČSAV suggested to the International Union of Biological Sciences, that the event marking the 100th anniversary of Mendel's lectures on heredity should be held in Czechoslovakia. The four days long commemorative part of G. Mendel Memorial Symposium took place in Brno and focused on the history of genetics and its contemporary discoveries and applications. The programme also included visits to the sites connected to Mendel as his native house in Hynčice or the newly opened Mendel Memorial Hall with the exposition about Mendel. The meeting continued in Prague with Symposium on the Mutational Process with four scientific sessions dealing with the research topics close to the recently established biological institutes of ČSAV and the Slovak Academy of Sciences Conclusion: G. Mendel Memorial Symposium represents the culmination of the efforts of ČSAV for international cooperation, the presentation of their research on the global level and an opportunity to show the international scientific audience that Mendel and his discoveries are acknowledged and commemorated in Czechoslovakia. Therefore, Symposium was perceived among scientists both from the East and West as the symbolic confirmation of the end of the Lysenkoism era. |