Nobel Inspiration

July 22nd 2010 at 4:06pm, By Dave Guerin

Victoria University’s Alan MacDiarmid Building opened yesterday and the centrepiece is Alan MacDiarmid’s Nobel Medal for Chemistry. The Dom Post did a story on it and noted Pat Walsh, VC, saying that the medal would be “an inspiration to the staff and students that study here”.

Since I live next door to the University I popped up to have a look today. Sure enough, three students were standing in front of the medal, getting their photos taken by each other in front of it and (I kid you not) one said “won’t it be great when we have one?”

Sometimes you can underestimate the power of great achievement, and recognition of that, to inspire others to excel. Alan MacDiarmid did a fantastic job of encouraging science in NZ after his Nobel win and I’m so pleased that his inspiration is continuing strongly after his death.

5 Responses to Nobel Inspiration

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Eric Crampton

July 22nd, 2010 at 8:28 pm

That’s why we have a wall of photos on the way into the econ department at Canterbury: every Nobel winner in economics. A few of them have been visitors to our Department through our Erskine programme; Sir Clive Granger was visiting at Canterbury when he was given his prize. So we got his picture next to the wall of Nobels – great stuff.

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Stephen Marshall

July 22nd, 2010 at 10:17 pm

I was at the ceremony and had the privilege of handling the medal – its lighter than you might think but it was still very cool. Shame Alfred Nobel’s prize doesn’t cover e-learning 8-)

The NZ$48 million MacDiarmid building is amazing, the lab facilities are excellent as are the teaching spaces (not to mention the Wishbone food outlet which has improved the available food on campus in one stroke). Nice to have modern facilities…

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Dean Carroll

July 23rd, 2010 at 11:02 am

One of course doesn’t wish to detract from the achievements etc etc, but as Eric surely knows, there is no such thing as the Nobel Prize for Economics. Why the economics profession continues promote that award as such is baffling given the dismal science’s commitment to verisimilitude.
It is great (as Dave points out) to have stellar human activity honoured to provide ambition for generations to come … cue Newton quote re: standing on the shoulders of giants etc etc

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Brad H

July 23rd, 2010 at 12:17 pm

Allan or Alan?

Every other place I see it spelled with only one L.

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Dave Guerin

July 23rd, 2010 at 12:32 pm

Brad, you’re right – it’s Alan – now fixed in post. Ta.

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