The Joy of Discovery
lt is a great honour for me to stand here and receive an honorary doctorate degree from your University, being among the eminent scientists and scholars and distinguished guests present here at this ceremony. This means a lot to me, especially because the University of Santiago de Compostela played an important role in my scientific career. There are a number of young stars at your University, in particular I wish to mention professor Diego Pena, doctor Fernando López and doctor Martín Fañanás, who spent a period in my lab making outstanding and crucial contributions to our research programme in the past two decades. I am extremely pleased to see how they build their own excellent research programmes here at your University. I am convinced they will make important contributions to the esteemed reputation of this prestigious University. You will help shaping the future of our students and therefore our society. We all gather here at this special event at the University of Santiago, a university with a very long tradition and reputation of outstanding scholarship. Indeed, all of us are eager to learn, facing the future of our society, providing new insights and help to invent, but we should never forget to look into the past, since we are standing on the shoulders of giants.
Does not an ancient Chinese proverb tell us: “if you want to learn about the future, you have to look into the past”?
Today specifically, I want to pay tribute to one of those heroes of the past, professor Dmitri Mendeleev, the Russian scientist who exactly 150 years ago proposed the periodic table of the elements. The Unesco declared this year to celebrate the periodic table as one of the key discoveries ever made in science. Realizing that it connects every atom and molecule in the entire universe, their mutual relation, including all the components of the human body, how they are built of atoms, it is easy to understand that Mendeleev ranks among the Newtons and Einsteins in our world. lt certainly guided Schrödinger when he wrote his famous book entitled What is Life and provided me and all my colleagues around the world with the common chemical language of a molecular nanoscientist in “The Art of Building Small.” lt cannot be emphasized enough: the privilege to be part of this global community of academic scholars, the value of international cooperation and the passion we share with our students to ask questions.
Ever since I visited your University for the first time, I have experienced already a lot of passion for science and chemistry in particular. I have to express my sincere thanks to professor Luis Castedo, who invited me many years ago to come as a visiting professor to this University. I vividly remember two exciting weeks of lectures, discussion and experiencing the excellent science at the chemistry department of your University. lt was also the start of many years of friendship, cooperation, several subsequent visits and, as I mentioned, hosting several of the young talents. Coming from the north of Europe I cannot deny that experiencing the rich history, culture and hospitality of Santiago is absolutely wonderful. And the beauty of Galicia and the fine food are something that help a lot to climb the often steep and winding road intrinsic to scientific discovery and progress.
Many people make a pilgrimage to Santiago, but for me the journeys to your city and University were very special and a great source of inspiration. I once more wish to express my gratitude for making this possible. Many thanks!
My research area is chemistry, and typical molecular scientists try to elucidate the complex molecular machinery of life or build the molecules and materials, like pharmaceuticals, fuels, plastics and paints, all the components of your smartphone, the materials that sustain our modern society. We are engaged in the fundamental question “How to obtain and control motion at the nanoscale?” Building molecular motors and machines, like the billions of tiny motors that power your body, that make it possible that we can lift our arm, that we can see each other or that molecules are transported through your cells. We attempt to bring dynamics and motion, which are so common to every living species, to the static world of materials; artificial muscles for soft robotics, smart drugs that can switch on and off for high precision therapeutics, self-repairing materials or self-cleaning surfaces are just a few examples at the dawn of a new era in chemistry.
Sharing the joy of discovery with so many young talents at our universities and guiding them on their route to the future is a great privilege for me personally. But let us not forget to advocate the values of our universities, their richness of disciplines, the insights and messages, facts instead of fiction. Today more than ever we have to take our role in society, looking for questions to ask to mother nature, society or ourselves. Do not be afraid to get lost wandering through the marvelous garden of science, enjoy the beauty of knowledge, the unexpected flowers, unforeseen questions, discoveries and insights. Beauty is where the arts and sciences have lots of common ground. For me a beautiful molecule, for others a new theory, a new insight, a historical manuscript, a piece of music or a painting.
I grew up on a farm as the second of a family of ten children and at early age I was greatly stimulated by my parents, being role models, to question and learn and enjoy the beauty of nature. On a farm there is plenty to wonder about: the growing of crops and flowers, the cows giving birth to their offspring, the way nature adapts to the seasons. For me discovery, adventure, learning and creativity started naturally in this remote largely self-sustaining village community of my childhood.
I would like to express my gratitude to all my teachers from elementary school to university for their inspiration and for challenging me to broaden my horizon not being afraid of the unexpected. A piece of advice that at crucial moments guided me on my journey: “follow your dreams” and “discover your talent.” Specially to all students: be confident, do not forget that also Nobel Prize winners start as young students. It is true that teachers can really open windows to our future.
But how to shape our future? Invest in the basis to enable us to look far beyond our current horizon, that is a key message I want to convey to you today. In fact, we will have indeed to go far beyond our horizon and leave our comfort zone if we are really looking forward to a sustainable society of the future. Invest in talent, fundamental research and cooperation as a strong basis for innovation; indeed, not in isolation but in cooperation with institutes abroad, industrial and societal partners. Focus on scientific insight and quality of thought. Time is pressing if weconsider how to feed another 2.5-3 billion, how to build better energy systems, how to deal with climate change, how to fly planes in the future, how to design novel drugs not based on trial and error but on real fundamental understanding of the complex molecular processes and systems in the living cell, how to deal with a real multicultural society, the future philosophy of a global community, how is life going to be after merging humans and robotics? Just to mention a few of the intriguing questions. And international cooperation is an important aspect of this endeavor: joined research projects, exchange of students and scholars. Today we strengthen again ties, personal but also between our countries and universities for the benefit of our scholars and students.
Ladies and gentlemen, it will not at all be sufficient to do more of the same. We have to rethink deeply our research culture, make ample space for our young talents and stars at universities and research institutes to think bold! Human imagination and creativity are really sustainable in this world. Perhaps it is urgent to be more daring, we need courage and risk-taking if we really want to invent our future and come with entirely novel possibilities for industry and society. Invest in fundamental science, do not forget real innovation starts at the bottom.
I would like to repeat here my recent words, now used by our University as a slogan, on the wall of our new campus: “Let Universities be Playgrounds.” Being a scientist is like being an artist, it is a way of living.
I am indeed greatly indebted by the honour bestowed on me by your University today, but it is also an honour to be able to share my passion with you. It is beyond doubt a strong encouragement to advocate the important values of our universities, scholarship and education, taking advantage of the richness of disciplines and the unlimited opportunities to learn and discover.
The joy of discovery brings the uncertainty of the future, but also the beauty of invention and knowledge. And in case you doubt, never forget to remember the words of Francis Bacon, in his time, more than 400 years ago, one of the world’s main explorers: “They are ill-discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea!” I wish you all much inspiration, creativity and passion during your journey in our future.
Muchas gracias.