Resource 45 Winter 2014
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ISSUE 45 WINTER 2014 rThe Newsletteres ourcof Scotland’s Nationale Academy Sir John Arbuthnott hands over the Presidency of the RSE to Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, the first lady ever to hold this position. More inside .... Photo by Gary Doak. Also featured in this issue: Saving Craigellachie Bridge Resourcing of Science in Scottish Schools Visit by President of the European Research Council resource WINTER 2014 45th President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell DBE CBE BSc PhD FRS MRIA FInstP FRAS • (Susan) Jocelyn Bell Burnell was born in Belfast, the daughter of an architect. • She was one of the first girls allowed to study science at Lurgan College in Northern Ireland. • She failed her 11-plus and was sent to Mount School, York, a Quaker School, where she had an inspirational physics teacher. • She graduated from Glasgow University and became a post-graduate student, researching in astrophysics at Cambridge. • In July 1967, she detected a bit of “scruff” on her chart-recorder papers. It turned out to be a rapidly rotating neutron star, or pulsar – the first ever to be detected. However, the subsequent Nobel Prize was awarded not to her but to her thesis supervisor, Antony Hewish. • She has won numerous awards across the world and is Visiting Professor of Astrophysics at Oxford. She was the first woman to become President of the Institute of Physics and is the first woman President of the RSE. • She was appointed CBE in 1999 and Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2007. (Extracted from The Times 15 February 2014) RSE Royal Medals and the IEEE/RSE/Wolfson, James Clerk Maxwell Award 2014 Two RSE Royal Medals were awarded in 2014, the first to Professor Sir Thomas W B Kibble CBE FRS for his involvement in the research and discovery of the mechanism that gives mass to elementary particles. Sir Tom received his award at the University of Edinburgh School of Physics Graduation Ceremony in the McEwan Hall in June. He is pictured (left) earlier that day, signing the RSE Royal Medals book. The second award was made to Professor Richard G M Morris CBE FRS FRSE (right) for his pioneering work in neuroscience, which has raised the possibility of treatments to stem the global epidemic of dementia and cognitive decline. Professor Morris received his Gareth Easton Photography award at the RSE ASM in October. The citation for Professor Morris was read by RSE Vice-President, Professor Anna Dominiczak (pictured on facing page). This year, the RSE was also pleased to give the RSE/IEEE/Wolfson, James Clerk Maxwell Award to Sir David Payne, Director of the Optoelectronics Research Centre, Southampton, for his groundbreaking contributions to optical fibre technologies and their application to optical communications. He is pictured (left, second from right), at the IEEE Honors Ceremony in August, held at the RAI Convention Centre in Amsterdam with: (l-r) Howard E. Michel, IEEE President-Elect; Derek Milne, Manager of Marketing Communications at Cirrus Logic; and J. Roberto B. de Marca, IEEE President and CEO. Earlier this year, Wolfson Microelectronics was acquired by the US based company, Cirrus Logic. Although the Wolfson name will not continue, the RSE is pleased to report that, in 2015, Cirrus Logic will continue to support the James Clerk Maxwell Award, under that corporate brand. 2 resource WINTER 2014 Changes at the RSE Current Council This year’s Annual Statutory Meeting saw a number of important changes and Office-Bearers to the membership of Council. (those in italics are new appointments Sir John Arbuthnott came to the end of his time as President, after a highly- in October 2014) productive three years in the role. Sir John said he had found his time as President President very rewarding: it had been a busy and, at times, a testing experience, Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell DBE FRS MRIA but the support from Council and the wider Fellowship had been invaluable. He handed over the Presidency to Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, the General Secretary outstanding astrophysicist and prominent science communicator. Professor Alan Alexander OBE This year’s ASM also saw the appointment of: two new Vice-Presidents, Deputy President Professor Neva Haites and Professor John Wallace; a new Fellowship Sir David Wallace CBE KB FRS Secretary, Professor John Connell; and a new Convener of the Audit and Vice-Presidents Risk Management Committee, Dr Robert Black. (International) In addition, the RSE’s Laws were amended to enable Council to nominate a Professor Tariq Durrani OBE Vice-President as Deputy President to represent the Society on behalf of the (Life Sciences) President in his/her absence, when required. Council has since agreed that Professor Neva Haites OBE Professor Sir David Wallace should assume this position for the present (Business) period of his term of office, which ends on 31 March 2016. Mr Ian Ritchie CBE (Arts & Humanities) Our thanks go to outgoing Council members: Professor Sir John Arbuthnott Professor John Wallace CBE MRIA FMedSci; Professor Anna Dominiczak OBE FMedSci; Professor Graham Caie; Professor Alan Miller; and Sir Brian Ivory CBE for their hard work and Treasurer dedication during their time in post. Mr Gerald Wilson CB Fellowship Secretary Professor John M C Connell Sir John Arbuthnott is Ordinary Members of Council pictured with Lady Elinor Professor Doreen Cantrell CBE FRS Arbuthnott, who was also a Professor Robert Cormack regular and welcome visitor Dr Barbara Crawford OBE to the RSE during Sir John’s Sir Muir Russell KCB Presidency. Dame Joan Stringer DBE Convener of Audit and Risk Management Committee and Council Observer Dr Robert W. Black CBE Curator Dr Iain Gordon Brown Programme Convener Professor Anna Sir Andrew Cubie CBE Dominiczak (left) and Professor Research Awards Convener Graham Caie (right) Professor Steve Beaumont OBE Young People’s Programme Convener Dr Chris van der Kuyl Education Committee Convener Professor Sally Brown OBE Professor Alan Miller (left) and Sir Brian Ivory (right) Photographs on pages 2 and 3 are by Gary Doak (except those of Sir Tom Kibble, Professor Caie, Professor Miller and Sir Brian Ivory). 3 resource WINTER 2014 Monday 9 February 2015 Tuesday 17 February Monday 23 February at 6 pm 2015 at 6 pm 2015 PETER WILSON LECTURE LAUNCH EVENT LECTURE Eating Disorders in International Year of Feeding the Future: Scotland: How will we Light - the Launch of a Can we do it Sustainably? Manage? Year of Celebration Professor Tim Benton Dr E Jane B Morris Various speakers and exhibitors UK Champion for Global Food Consultant Psychiatrist, The Eden including: Professor Malcolm Security & Professor of Population Unit Royal Cornhill Hospital; Longair CBE FRS FRSE and Ecology, University of Leeds Aberdeen Lead Clinician, North of Professor Robert Crawford FRSE Scotland Managed Clinical Network for Eating Disorders; Honorary Senior Lecturer, University of Aberdeen; Honorary Fellow, Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh; Associate, Newnham College, Cambridge Image ©BBSRC There is much discussion of the world's Light is fundamental to the existence of demand for food being set to double in life and plays an increasingly important the next decades. Climate change's role in shaping society through medicine, impacts on farming are also increasingly American research suggests 11% of girls communications, entertainment and being felt. Farming is competing for have an eating disorder during their culture. In recognition of this, the United access to land and water, and its impacts teens. Boys are increasingly diagnosed, Nations has proclaimed 2015 as the on the natural environment (whether as we recognise that these are disorders International Year of Light and through habitat loss, impact on of obsessive weight-losing behaviour, Light-based Technologies. biodiversity, impact on water bodies or including compulsive exercise too. carbon emissions) are often highlighted This event will mark the start of the Year Anorexia nervosa has the highest from local to global levels. Is it possible by exploring all these different aspects mortality of any psychiatric disorders, to grow more food, sustainably, or do we of light; how it is used in science and whilst surviving sufferers and their need to change our expectations of what industry, how it impacts on modern families experience living hell. Dr Morris can be made available? society and influences our culture will discuss Scotland’s struggle to through ideas, art and technology. Joint lecture with the Scottish confront, prevent and manage these Consortium for Rural Research and conditions over the past 50 years and Organised in partnership with the the Society of Biology, Scotland examine the challenges ahead. Institute of Physics 4 resource WINTER 2014 Light (in the form of Optics) now carries Tuesday 17 March 2015 almost all our information over nearly all the distance it travels. The exponential RSE/RAEng LECTURE growth of data on the Internet relies on optical fibre and photonic technology. Light, Energy and the But handling that data requires power, in environmentally significant amounts, Internet with most of the energy dissipated for Professor David Miller CorrFRSE FRS communicating inside machines and data centres. New generations of integrated W M Keck Foundation Professor of photonic technology may solve that Electrical Engineering and Professor problem too, thereby sustaining society’s by Courtesy of Applied Physics, insatiable demand for data. Stanford University. Co-Director, This is a joint lecture with the Royal Standford Photonics Research Academy of Engineering. Center, Standford University CA Monday 20 April 2015 Humanity depends upon fossil carbon, but with CO2 levels above 400 parts per at 6 pm million, the race is now on to develop better, cleaner energy systems. New methods are required to convert wind BP HUTTON PRIZE IN and sunlight to fuel, to store energy, ENERGY INNOVATION and to ensure fixation-activation of the atmospheric CO2.