Israeli laureate of Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "the discovery of quasicrystals", Prof. Dan Shechtman was awarded a degree honoris causa of of AGH University of Science and Technology.
The ceremony - an extraordinary meeting of the university Senate, presided by AGH UST Vice-Rector for Science Prof. Zbigniew Kąkol - was held in the Main Hall of AGH. Prof. Shechtman, who attended the ceremony with his wife, received the traditional insignia of honoris causa: a diploma and a scarf in the colours of the university.
In the resolution on awarding the honorary degree, the AGH Senate reasoned that the Israeli scholar’s discovery of quasicrystals was "the greatest scientific event of the late twentieth century crystallography". Laudation in honor of the new honorary doctor was given by Prof . Jean -Marie Dubois from the French Universite de Lorraine.
"You have heard (from the speakers) of my great achievements. But they are not the most important thing in my life - the most important is the fact that I have 10 grandchildren, four children and one wife" - Shechtman began his speech to the assembled guests. Later in the speech, the Nobel Prize winner, focused on the general challenges of the development of science and the modern world, especially the demographic problems.
"When I won the Nobel Prize, I decided that I would be the world ambassador for education, science and technology entrepreneurship. I have been doing that ever since" - he added.
Referring to the personal theme, the Nobel Prize winner pointed to the insufficient birth rate in highly developed, rich countries, and excessive fertility in poor countries and the third world.
To reverse this trend, according to Shechtman, we need a more active family policy in developed countries, including extended maternity leave and development of the public system for young children in day care.
In his view, another global problem now is the lack of leaders who think about the future in the long perspective. "We need leaders at all levels, from local to the highest level. I hope that some of these leaders will come from your university and make Poland a better place" - Shechtman ended his short speech.
Dan Shechtman, born 1941 in Tel Aviv, Israel, received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "the discovery of quasicrystals". Shechtman is the fourth Israeli to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in under a decade. He was also awarded several international and Israeli prizes, including the Wolf Prize.
He has conducted his research for many years in his hometown Haifa, at Technion (Israel Institute of Technology) and at the renowned U.S. research institutes, including Johns Hopkins University.
PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland
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