MARY ROBINSON - FIRST ANNUAL LECTURE BY PROFESSOR PIERRE-GILLES DE GENNES (FRANCE), U. C. D.
UNIVERSITY INDUSTRY CENTRE, U.C.D., ON 15TH DECEMBER, 1993, AT 10.30 A.M.
As we approach the end of the twentieth century the world in which we live is one of exciting and truly awe-inspiring technological change. One of the positive aspects is the extent to which the peoples of our different nations are becoming increasingly interdependent. McLuhan's "global village" is now a reality. Nowhere is this interdependence more evident than in the area of scientific research where co-operation between nations is already highly developed.
It is particularly fitting that this should be the case in the countries of Europe, since Europe can be said to be the cradle of modern scientific and mathematical thought. In thinking of the birth of modern science one recalls the genius of such as Copernicus, Galileo and Newton. From these greats of the 16th and 17th centuries, through Darwin, Pasteur and a myriad of others in the 18th and 19th centuries, to Albert Einstein and the Curies in the present century, Europe has a long and proud tradition in the development of science.
We Irish, of course, are particularly aware of our literary achievement - Shaw, Joyce, Yeats, Beckett, are household names around the world. Down the years, however, Irish scientists have played their part in pushing forward the frontiers of scientific discovery and many of them have gained international acclaim for
their work. Nicholas Callan is remembered for his work on electromagnetism and his invention of the induction motor; William Higgins developed an atomic theory of matter; Thomas Andrews did important work on the liquefaction of gases. William Parsons (Lord Rosse) of Birr in 1845 constructed the "Leviathan of Parsonstown", a telescope unsurpassed in size for over 70 years; E.T.S. Walton shared with Cockroft the 1951 Nobel Prize for their work on "splitting the atom" and in mathematics William Rowan Hamilton developed the theory of quaternions, scribbling the first equations on a canal bridge in Dublin.
And the Irish contribution has not been confined to the pure sciences. In the field of technology names like Ferguson and Dunlop come readily to mind. In Ireland, as in the rest of Europe, women's contribution to scientific development was severely circumscribed by the fact that they could not obtain degrees or be admitted to learned institutions until the latter half of the nineteenth century; they also found it very difficult to have their work published under their own name in scientific journals. Nevertheless, a number of Irishwomen did make important contributions in various scientific disciplines. These include Mary Ward who was well known as a naturalist, astronomer and microscopist as well as an artist, and the botanist Ellen Hutchins, remembered for her contributions to cryptogamic botany. More recently, Professor Susan McKenna Lawlor has been recognised by the European Space Agency for her contribution to international space research.
It must be noted, however, that the cutting edge of science has become increasingly the preserve of the major powers and the scientific centre of gravity has shifted somewhat towards the USA and Japan. However, Europe still has a thriving scientific community of over a million scientists and technicians, including approximately half a million researchers, and in one area at least I understand that Europe still leads the world. This is the field of thermonuclear fusion research. Controlled thermonuclear fusion holds out the prospect of almost limitless energy with a minimum of pollution. The fusion research programme includes all 12 members of the EC and also Sweden and Switzerland. The Joint European Torus (JET), set up at Culham in the UK, is the largest experimental fusion device in the world. Ireland makes a valuable contribution to this project by supplying many scientists, engineers and technicians and by supporting it with research and development in plasma diagnostics.
Within the scientific community there is a high degree of international cooperation at all levels. As well as recent high-profile activities such as the Giotto space mission and high energy particle research, both of which have had a significant involvement from Irish institutions, and the JET project referred to earlier, numerous cooperative ventures involving smaller numbers of laboratories are on-going at any given time.
Schemes such as the ERASMUS Programme allow third level students to study for periods in other members states. At second level opportunities are necessarily more limited. However, here too initiatives, such as the Science across Europe project, are underway. Each year, Ireland's second level science talent is displayed at the Aer Lingus Young Scientist Exhibition in Dublin. This exhibition has been attended by winners of similar exhibitions in other countries. In turn, the winners of the Young Scientist Exhibition compete, with remarkable success, in exhibitions in other countries. Just recently, in Berlin, the 1993 winners shared first prize in the European Contest for Young Scientists. In fact, in the last 5 years winners of the Young Scientist Exhibition have won five first prizes in the European competition.
Any reviewer of the history of European science must be struck by the near-invisibility of women scientists. How many people can name a female scientist other than Marie Curie? Some of the reasons for this have already been alluded to. While the conditions pertaining to women's education in previous centuries have changed dramatically women are still under-represented in the sciences, particulary the physical sciences. In 1985 the Ministers for Education of the EC passed a Council Resolution concerning an action programme on equal opportunities for girls and boys in education. In common with other EC states Ireland has responded with a National Programme for Equal Opportunities for Girls and Boys in Education, including a number of projects in relation to girls and the physical sciences.
I am also pleased to be patron of the organisation of WITS (Women in Technology and Science) which now has in excess of 200 members in academia, research and industry. The organisation is going from strength to strength and, as well as focusing on current and future trends, is recording the history of Irish women scientists so that their story will be told.
Certainly our guest lecturer today has a wonderful story to tell in the development of science. I am looking forward to hearing Professor Pierre-Gilles de Gennes' presentation which is entitled "An Introduction to Soft Matter" and I welcome this distinguished Nobel laureate to Dublin.