Another Eminent Knighted Scientist

I AM writing about the gross oversight of all the Scottish papers, in giving no recognition to the elevation of Professor J Fraser Stoddart to knight bachelor in the New Year’s Honours list. The citation reads “for services to chemistry and molecular nanotechnology”. Professor Stoddart is an extraordinary scientist who was born in Edinburgh, attended Melville College and Edinburgh University, and now heads the California Nanoscience Institute.

Professor Stoddart now rightly takes his place among eminent knighted scientists, including Alexander Fleming, Francis Crick, Harold Kroto and Richard Friend – the discoverers of penicillin, the DNA double helix, C-60 and printable electronics respectively.

How lucky we are that Scotland has produced this internationally recognised man of science – but why are we not trumpeting this success from the rooftops? I am at a loss to understand. For details of Professor Stoddart’s career, and why he has been recognised with this honour, see www. nano. org. uk Ottilia Saxl, CEO, The Institute of Nanotechnology, 6 The Alpha Centre, Stirling University Innovation Park, Stirling.

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