It’s been 95 years since Solvay International Conference on Electrons and Photons took place in 1927. In that year, 29 of the most prominent scientific minds of the day, including Marie Curie and Albert Einstein, met at the Hotel Metropole to discuss and find solutions to the biggest challenges. The 17 Nobel Prize winners were depicted together in an iconic photograph that will be cherished for generations. This image was recreated in the same location this Monday by 34 top-level scientists from European chemistry and 21 PhD students, in celebration of the 50th anniversary CEFIC. Six of them are Spanish.
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Antonio Echavarren
Catalan Institute of Chemical Research (ICIQ), leader of a research team
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Teresa Berdugo
Chalmers University (Sweden), Researcher in Energy Technology Group
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Maria Escudero
Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of California at Berkeley
University of Copenhagen (UCPH).
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Javier Garcia Martinez
President and first Spanish member of International Union of Pure Chemistry.
Applied (IUPAC)
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Diego Pena
Professor of Organic Chemistry, University of Santiago de Compostela
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Paul Serna
Predoctoral student at the Department of Inorganic and Organic Chemistry, Universidad Jaume I, Castellon
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Antonio Echavarren
Catalan Institute of Chemical Research (ICIQ), leader of a research team
2
Teresa Berdugo
Technology group Researcher
Chalmers University – Energy
(Sweden)
3
Maria Escudero
Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of California at Berkeley
University of Copenhagen (UCPH).
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Javier Garcia Martinez
The current president and the first Spanish member
of the International Union of Pure Chemistry
Applied (IUPAC)
5
Diego Pena
Professor of Organic Chemistry, University of Toronto
Santiago de Compostela University
6
Paul Serna
Predoctoral student at the Department of
Inorganic and Organic Chemistry at the University
Jaume I from Castellon
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2
One
3
One
Antonio Echavarren
Head of a research group
The Catalan Research Institute
Chemistry (ICIQ).
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Teresa Berdugo
Researchers in the group
Energy technology is the
Chalmers University (Sweden).
3
Maria Escudero
Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of California at Berkeley
University of Copenhagen (UCPH).
4
Javier Garcia Martinez
Current president and the first
Spanish member of Union
International of Pure Chemistry
Applied (IUPAC)
5
Diego Pena
Professor of Organic Chemistry
At the University of Santiago
Compostela
6
Paul Serna
The predoctoral student
Chemistry Department
Organic and Inorganic
Jaume I University of Castellon
This Monday’s meeting had three purposes: to regain the spirit of international collaboration that existed in the past; to strengthen the alliance between science & business; and to actively contribute to Agenda of the European Green Deal. It is the roadmap of European Commission that aims to see the European Union achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The convention also saw 25 general directors and technology director from the major European chemical companies.
“The purpose of having young researchers around was to build relationships and work together as well as to allow more experienced scientists to inspire us. Serna explains that they split us into work groups. Now we have a few more months to continue our collaboration and create articles with new solutions and proposals for some of the issues, like the circularity in chemistry, CO2 emission, or the energy of the future>>. It has been an inspiring experience for me and it has helped me realize that it is worthwhile. By appearing in the photo, I feel like I am part of scientific history. I’m glad that Spanish science is valued. She adds that even though we may not be from renowned universities like Oxford or Cambridge, it is evident that we do great things at smaller universities and have much to offer.
The new photo shows a stronger female presence in addition to the Spanish presence that was absent in the 1927 photograph. In the past, 29 of the 29 people depicted were men, and Marie Curie was the only woman. The 2022 snapshot shows 27 men and 18 ladies. “It is encouraging to see that women are being represented in research. The photo shows very clearly how the percentage of women in each generation in the image grows. It is approximately 50% for today’s young researchers,” Berdugo says. Berdugo was Spanish but attended the event because the young candidate suggested that she represent Sweden. It was an honor and a privilege to be invited to this event. It was a great opportunity to meet outstanding chemical industry managers and professors. It was a great opportunity to meet key people at an early stage in my research career. I also felt very lucky to be able ask them how they got there and what their future plans are for the chemical industry.
Martin Brudermuller (President of CEFIC, CEO of BASF) stated during the conference that he was excited to be surrounded by some of the most talented young researchers across Europe and the best chemists in the world. This generation will determine the future of European chemical innovation and the success of the European Union’s Green Deal. Innovation is part of our DNA: The EU chemical industry is the second largest investor in chemical R&D in the world, with more than EUR9billion annually in research. It is therefore vital for Europe’s future to engage with not only the current generation of scientists, but also the future.
In 1911, Ernest Solvay, a Belgian industrialist, established the Solvay Lectures. They were regarded as a major turning point in science. These meetings, held in Brussels, were dedicated to addressing the most pressing questions in chemistry and physics.
The most well-known was the fifth, which took place in October 1927 and saw the participation of some of the world’s leading physicists as well as chemists to discuss quantum theory. Albert Einstein and Niels Borhr were the main protagonists. 17 of the 29 participants were Nobel Prize winners. Marie Curie was the only woman and only one to win Nobel Prizes for Physics and Chemistry.
