The Latin American docta

Argentina is sometimes referred to as the Latin American "docta" (in Spanish: "La docta Latinoamericana")Vague|date=October 2008Fact|date=October 2008. This originates in the Latin "docta" (learned). Benefitting from Latin America's highest literacy rates since shortly after President Domingo Sarmiento made primary education universally available in the 1860s and 1870s, Argentine researchers and professionals at home and abroad continue to enjoy a high standing in their fields. Bernardo Houssay of Argentina was the first Latin American awarded with a Nobel Prize [Citation
id = PMID:4882480
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4882480
last=Sulek
first=K
publication-date=1968 Sep 1
year=1968
title=Nobel prize for Carl Ferdinand Cori and Gerta Theresa Cori in 1947 for discovery of the course of catalytic metabolism of glycogen. Prize for Alberto Bernardo Houssay for discovery on the role of the hypophysis in carbohydrate metabolism.
volume=21
issue=17
periodical=Wiad. Lek.
pages=1609-10] in the sciences. Though this could have taken him anywhere in the world, Dr. Houssay went on to establish Argentina's National Research Council, a centerpiece in Argentine scientific and technological development, fifty years on. [ [http://www.houssay.org.ar/ Bernardo Houssay Official Site] (Castilian) ] Many other Argentines have contributed to scientific development around the world, though sometimes having to emigrate to do so.

This country, with its high level of multiculturalism [ [http://spuweb.siu.edu.ar/studyinargentina/pages/study1104.php Argentine Educational Promotion Site] Multiculturalism in Argentina] and blessed with ample natural resources, has seen its share of instability and lost many of its most talented professionals over the years. Yet it continues its commitment to cultivate the most educated work force possible and, recently recovering from years of malaise, education and scientific training is still a work in progress -- as in other Latin American countries and, indeed, the world. [ [http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2007/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2007&ey=2007&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=39&pr1.y=4&c=512%2C941%2C914%2C446%2C612%2C666%2C614%2C668%2C311%2C672%2C213%2C946%2C911%2C137%2C193%2C962%2C122%2C674%2C912%2C676%2C313%2C548%2C419%2C556%2C513%2C678%2C316%2C181%2C913%2C682%2C124%2C684%2C339%2C273%2C638%2C921%2C514%2C948%2C218%2C686%2C963%2C688%2C616%2C518%2C223%2C728%2C516%2C558%2C918%2C138%2C748%2C196%2C618%2C278%2C522%2C692%2C622%2C694%2C156%2C142%2C624%2C449%2C626%2C564%2C628%2C283%2C228%2C853%2C924%2C288%2C233%2C293%2C632%2C566%2C636%2C964%2C634%2C182%2C238%2C453%2C662%2C968%2C960%2C922%2C423%2C714%2C935%2C862%2C128%2C716%2C611%2C456%2C321%2C722%2C243%2C942%2C248%2C718%2C469%2C724%2C253%2C576%2C642%2C936%2C643%2C961%2C939%2C813%2C644%2C199%2C819%2C184%2C172%2C524%2C132%2C361%2C646%2C362%2C648%2C364%2C915%2C732%2C134%2C366%2C652%2C734%2C174%2C144%2C328%2C146%2C258%2C463%2C656%2C528%2C654%2C923%2C336%2C738%2C263%2C578%2C268%2C537%2C532%2C742%2C944%2C866%2C176%2C369%2C534%2C744%2C536%2C186%2C429%2C925%2C178%2C746%2C436%2C926%2C136%2C466%2C343%2C112%2C158%2C111%2C439%2C298%2C916%2C927%2C664%2C846%2C826%2C299%2C542%2C582%2C443%2C474%2C917%2C754%2C544%2C698&s=PPPGDP&grp=0&a=#cite_note-IMF_GDP_PPP-0 2007 IMF] GDP PPP Estimate]

Eminences in their fields

Despite its modest budgets and many setbacks, education and the sciences in Argentina have had a global standing in excellency since before World War I, when Dr. Luis Agote devised the first effective means of blood transfusion (saving untold millions of lives). Argentina has, since then, been further honored with three Nobel Prize winners in the sciences: Bernardo Houssay in 1947, Luis Federico Leloir in 1971 and César Milstein in 1984. Argentine scientists are still on the cutting edge in fields such as nanotechnology, physics, computer sciences and cardiology, which Dr. Domingo Liotta revolutionized with the first purely artificial heart, in 1969. They also have likewise contributed to bioscience in efforts like the Human Genome Project, where Argentine scientists have successfully mapped the genome of a living being, a world first. [ [http://www.argentina.ar/sw_seccion.php?id=124&idioma_sel=en Science and Education in Argentina] ] [ [http://www.argentina.ar/sw_section.php?id=361] ] .

A well-educated work force

Four out five Argentine adults have completed grade school, over a third have completed their secondary education and one in nine Argentine adults have college degrees [ [http://indec.mecon.ar/censo2001s2/Datos/01000C78.xls] ] , making the Argentine work force the most educated in a region (Latin America) that itself enjoys the highest educational standards in the developing world [UN Demographic Yearbook, 2005] Likewise, Argentina has the highest rate of university students in Latin America, besides having more within the southern hemisphere with professors and institutions awarded prestigious prizes and fellowships from philanthropic institutions like the John S. Guggenheim Foundation [ [http://www.lanacion.com.ar/edicionimpresa/cienciasalud/nota.asp?nota_id=1021094 "Argentina as the main beneficiary of Guggenheim scholarships" La Nacion Press, June 13] ] awards or the Howard Hughes Medical Institute [ [http://buscador.lanacion.com.ar/Nota.asp?nota_id=1022421&high=nora "Talent that astonishes" La Nacion Press June 18 ] ] [ [http://www.argentina.ar/_en/science-and-education/C515-carolina-trochine-fascination-for-science.php Carolina Trochine: Fascination for Science] ] and so on. Official sources recently reported roughly 1.500.000 college students within the Argentine University System [ [http://spuweb.siu.edu.ar/studyinargentina/pages/study100.php Study in Argentina] ] ; this represents the highest rate --relative to its total population-- of academic students in Latin America and exceeds the ratio in many developed countries.

References

ee also

*Education in Argentina
* [http://www.argentina.ar/sw_seccion.php?id=124&idioma_sel=en Science and Education in Argentina]
* [http://spuweb.siu.edu.ar/studyinargentina/StudyinArgentina.htm Argentine Higher Education Official Site]
* [http://www.argentina.gov.ar/argentina/portal/paginas.dhtml?pagina=1194 The Argentine Education System]

*List of Argentine universities