Several countries in Latin America, such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Panama, and Uruguay, have Universities with long traditions in research and high-quality postgraduate degrees, which has led to well-developed scientific communities. In addition, research is rapidly growing in several countries of Central America and Caribbean and Colombia. Over the last two decades in Latin America, research in photobiology has increased exponentially to where there are now many internationally recognized groups investigating in up-to-date topics in the field. These Latin America research groups regularly get together in several scientific meetings, where the biannual meeting of the Argentine group of Molecular Photobiologists (GRAFOB) and the Latin American congress on Photochemistry and Photobiology (ELAFOT), among others. Happily, Photochemistry & Photobiology journal has published special issues dedicated to the past two ELAFOT meetings. The ELAFOT and GRAFOB conferences bring together around 200 people, including participants from North America and Europe, some of which participate virtually.
This academic activity has promoted South-South and North-South collaborations. In particular, there are many successful collaborations and partnerships between research groups from North and Latin America, many of them in the frame of programs of official institutions. In addition, in the last years, the participation of researchers from Latin America in the ASP council, ASP committees, including the Membership Committee, and appointments as Associate Editors of Photochemistry & Photobiology has steadily increased.
Due to this active participate in ASP, we have now created the Latin American Society for Photobiology within the ASP. The creation of LatASP was supported and approved by members of the Executive Committee and Council of the ASP. Aims of LatASP include expanding the ASP to the South, with a Pan American perspective, in the hopes of increasing the interaction between research groups in the Americas, and providing opportunities for collaborations.
We hope you are excited about and wish to participate in LatASP!
President: Andrés Thomas (Argentina)
President Elect: Mauricio da Silva Baptista (Brazil)
Councilors for professors/researchers:
Denis Fuentealba (Chile)
Carolina Lorente (Argentina
José Robinson-Duggon (Panama)
Daniel Gonzalez-Maglio (Argentina)
Councilor for associate members: Manuel Alejandro Herrera Lopez (Brazil)