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About the Hungarian Biophysical Society

The formal organization of the Hungarian Biophysical Society started in May, 1960 and was completed on March 3, 1961 with 111 founding members. Prof. E. Ernst was elected President and Prof. J. Tigyi became Secretary. The foundation of the Society gave a remarkable impulse to the development of biophysical research and education in Hungary. In addition to the Biophysics Department of Pécs, Prof. I. Tarján founded the second biophysics chair in Hungary at he University Medical School of Budapest in 1968. Prof. L. Szalai established the third one at the A. József University in Szeged in 1969, the fourth one was founded in Debrecen in 1970 by Prof. L. Tóth, meanwhile teaching of biophysics started also at the Eötvös University in 1965 and later the Biophysics Research Laboratory was formed at the Technical University of Budapest (P. Gregus). The largest biophysical research laboratory of the country was created in the frame of Biological Research Center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences headed by A. Garay in 1971. The National Research Institute for Radiobiology and Radiohygiene was also a significant research unit with biophysical orientation.

The membership of the Hungarian Biophysical Society was steadily increasing. The number of members in the years 1981, 1985 and 1989 were 391, 512 and 768, respectively. In 1989 a revision of membership was initiated which resulted in the splitting of about 400 members of the Section of Basic Acupuncture, so the membership decreased to 400, or so. Anyhow, we should state that the „density" of organized biophysicists in Hungary amounts to around 40 per million, which figure stands among the firsts of the world. (For comparison USA 22, Japan 30).

Concerning the quality of membership there were 9 members of the Academy and 30 D.Sc. in 2011. Numerous young scientists joined the Society during the past years.

The milestones of the scientific activity were the national meetings. 26 of them were organized during the 50 years. Fortunately, the details of the activity of the Hungarin Biophysical Society has been published int the triennial „Bulletin of the Hungarian Biophysical Society" in 12 Volumes 1963, 1966, 1969, 1972, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1985, 1989, 1993, 1997 and 2001.

The work of the Society is directed by the Presidium which consists of the Managing Presidium, elected members and the presidents and secretaries of the scientific sections.

Apart from the biannual national conferences the scientific activity of the members has been displaid in the work of the scientific sections of the Society. In the course of 50 years 9 sections were organized by those colleague who wished to use the frame of an organization in the development of a special field of biophysics.

The programs and the scientific activities of the sections and groups are summarized separately, but one common feature has to be mentioned here: The great majority of the members of the sections belongs also to other national and international scientific communities being organized for a specific aim like radiation biology, ultrasound application, bioelectrochemistry, etc. The administrative and financial disadvantage of this situation is fully compensated by the possibilities of the manyside, cooperation, the better opportunity of changing ideas with scientists working with the same methods but on other objects etc.

As to the international cooperation, it is also elaborated and organized by the sections and their members using, of course, the services and support of the Society.

As a consequence of their scientific activity many of our senior scientists were elected into the different boards of international scientific organizations, very often as the members of their managing presidiums.

Considering the position of biophysics among, the adjacent sciences it is quite obvious that very close connections and fruitful cooperations have been formed with many Hungarian biochemists, physiologists, mophologists, biologists and other representatives of natural sciences, as well as with their scientific societies. Common scientific papers, books and also commonly organized local and national programs prove the success of this tendency.