Eye on Science: A ‘unique’ medal celebrates leading lights of science

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Prof Higgs spoke of his delight at the award after he worked with the very first winner of the accolade, Professor Abdus Salam, as many celebrated with him on yet another achievement in a glittering scientific career.

Edinburgh Medal winners (1989), Professor Abdus Salam,

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source/Credit: Edinburg Magazine
By Graham Fraser | April 11, 2013

The dust has settled on the Edinburgh International Science Festival for another year, with highlights from the two-week celebration including an American sculptor who built a 45ft artwork of 10,000 balloons in the National Museum and robots who played rock-paper-scissors with humans.

Every year, one of the key events at the festival is the presentation of the Edinburgh Medal and subsequent talk by the winner.

This year, the joint recipients were Professor Peter Higgs and the research group Cern - who are behind the Large Hadron Collider - for their work on the Higgs boson, the elusive particle which gives matter mass.

Prof Higgs spoke of his delight at the award after he worked with the very first winner of the accolade, Professor Abdus Salam, as many celebrated with him on yet another achievement in a glittering scientific career.

But what is the Edinburgh Medal? And what is its significance to the scientific community and the city which bears its name?

The award, like the science festival, is now 25 years old. It was started by the City of Edinburgh Council to mark the festival, and his presented every year by the Lord Provost or their deputy.

Made of Sterling silver, it is produced by capital firm Alexander Kirkwood & Son and features the original science festival logo - a juggler performing with different symbols of science in the air.

The medal, though, is much more than a pat on the back from the city to the world’s leading scientists in fields like neurobiology, theoretical physics, anthropology and astrophysics.

“It is an award to an individual or a group who have not only done some great science but have contributed more broadly to society,” said Simon Gage, the director of the science festival who has worked at the event for 24 years.

“It is an unusual award in that it looks at the implications of what science is being done.

“Almost ever other science medal is just for the science. It (the Edinburgh Medal) recognises two dimensions of someone’s work - scientific work and the social consequence of their work. I don’t know of another award that does those things.

“I hope the medal is a point of focus that really tells the story of the festival. The science festival is not for scientists, it is for the general public. The scientific community work for the rest of us.”

Looking at the list of the 25 recipients, Nobel Prize winners Professor Salam (inaugural winner in 1989), Professor Amartya Sen (1997) and Sir John Sulston (2001) stand out, as does one other who made more of a ‘social’ influence - broadcasting legend Sir David Attenborough (1998).

Mr Gage added: “The emphasis of Sir David’s award was an ability to communicate science to the rest of the world. He was one of the most charismatic recipients.

“He could chart how television had got involved in showing the world what the natural world had looked like.

“He went back to his early days in Madagascar, when he was looking for ring tailed lemurs and doing Zoo Quest for the BBC.

“He went out and got some fantastic footage of the moment when he was met by a tribe of possibly hostile tribesman.

“They came stomping over the hilltop towards him, and he just walked out in front and shook their hands.”

The festival director, who has been the at the helm for the last 17 years, has had many highlights from the Edinburgh Medal. He was particularly struck by the speech of the 2006 winner, Professor James Lovelock.

Professor Lovelock is a visionary in the field of climate change and 400 people packed into The Hub - the home of the Edinburgh Festival - to hear him speak.

“He was in his 80s when he received it at a time when the enormity of climate change was becoming apparent,” Mr Gage added.

“The amazing thing about James is he has being saying for 15 years that there is a serious problem. It was humbling to hear him say ‘I knew this a decade ago and nobody has been bothered to listen’.

“Now, the world is catching him up. He spelt out in the darkest of terms what is coming our way. It is a pretty forlorn prospect.

“He said unless we act immediately, quickly and dramatically, then we are on the way to the world’s climate warming by two, three, maybe five degrees. That will change the face of the planet.

“Vast swathes of the earth will cease to be productive with agriculture. There will need to be mass migration of people.”

The winner of the Edinburgh Medal is chosen every August by Mr Gage and other leading members of the science festival. With attendance in Edinburgh a condition of winning the prize, the Lord Provost then writes to the winner inviting them to accept it.

Mr Gage revealed that on one occasion, around a decade ago, an anonymous scientist turned down the award as he could not visit Edinburgh.

At this year’s science festival, four previous winners of the Edinburgh Medal - Professor Chris Rapley CBE, Professor Steven Rose, Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Professor Colin Blakemore - took part in events to mark the 25th anniversary, with the medal still close to their hearts.

Another who holds the prize in high regard is Harvard University Professor Jonathan Beckwith, who was awarded in 2009 for his work in genetics.

He said: “I have received several awards from various scientific societies for my scientific contributions.

“I have certainly been proud of these awards. However, the award statement for the Edinburgh Medal is the only one that I have hanging on my office wall.

“The reason for this is that the award is for my activities over many years of exploring, writing, speaking about and acting on concerns about the misuses of science.

“It is rare for scientists to receive awards for such activities. In fact, those activities are frowned upon by many scientists. The Edinburgh Medal awards are important support and encouragement for those of us who engage in those activities.”

Donald Wilson, Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, added: “With former recipients including figures such as environmental pioneer James Lovelock and Professor Carl Djerassi, the Edinburgh Medal boasts a truly illustrious roll of honour and further underlines the Capital's international renown for science and innovation.

“Professor Peter Higgs’ discovery of the Higgs boson has not only made him an international success, but has also significantly advanced the study of particle physics.

“His work with the University of Edinburgh has put our city on the international stage and this latest honour, to add to the Edinburgh Award and many others besides, is further evidence of the high esteem in which he is deservedly held.”

This year’s International Science Festival was one of the largest ever, with 90,000 visitors enjoying 200 different events.

Organisers are now planning for the 26th and once again the Edinburgh Medal will be a central feature, a celebration of those who change our lives through the pursuit of understanding more about the world around us.

Winners of the Edinburgh Medal

1989 Professor Abdus Salam

1990 Professor Stephen J Gould

1991 Professor Jane Goodall

1992 Professor Heinz Wolff

1993 Professor Wangari Maathai

1994 Professor Manuel Pattarroyo

1995 Sir John Crofton

1996 Professor Richard Levins

1997 Professor Amartya Sen

1998 Sir David Attenborough

1999 Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell

2000 Professor Lynn Margulis

2001 Sir John Sulston

2002 Lise Kingo

2003 Professor Wang Sung

2004 Professor Steven Rose

2005 Professor Colin Blakemore

2006 Professor James Lovelock

2007 Dr Richard Horton

2008 Professor Chris Rapley CBE

2009 Professor John Beckwith

2010 Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys

2011 Professor Carl Djerassi

2012 Dr James Hansen

2013 Professor Peter Higgs/Cern



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