HRH The Duke of Edinburgh to Award Royal Gold Medals for  Outstanding Achievement

October 2003

No 260

Chancellor of the University of Leicester Sir Michael Atiyah and honorary graduates Sir Paul Nurse and Lord Mackay of Clashfern honoured

The achievements of three individuals whose work has brought about public benefits on a global scale are to receive Royal recognition. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh will present Royal Medals to Sir Michael Atiyah, Lord Mackay of Clashfern and Sir Paul Nurse at a ceremony to be held in The Royal Society of Edinburgh on Monday October 27th, 2003. The Medallists have been selected by The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scotland's National Academy, in recognition of intellectual endeavour which has had a profound influence on people's lives, world-wide. Designed and produced in Scotland and encompassing all intellectual disciplines, three prestigious, eighteen carat gold medals are awarded through the RSE each year. 

President of the RSE, Lord Sutherland of Houndwood said:

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, honours us greatly in naming these distinguished individuals as recipients of the prestigious Royal Medals for 2003. In mathematics and science, the legal system and public life and in the field of genetics and cancer research, the Medallists have had a profound influence on the lives of people in Scotland, the United Kingdom and around the World. The Royal Medals capture the spirit of the RSE's Royal Charter of 1783, 'to promote the advancement of learning and useful knowledge'. They reflect the way in which, as a progressive, Scottish Society, working as part of the UK, and within a global context, the RSE is helping to meet the challenges of the Twenty First Century.

The Medallists:

Sir Michael Atiyah OM, PPRS, HonFRSE, for his profound and beneficial effect on the development of mathematics and science in the UK and Europe. Sir Michael was one of the pioneers in the development of K-theory. Knighted in 1983, he received the Order of Merit in 1992, was Master of Trinity College Cambridge from 1990 to 1997 and held the position of President of The Royal Society of London from 1990 to 1995. Sir Michael was recently President of Pugwash and is Chancellor of the University of Leicester.

Lord Mackay of Clashfern KT, PC, QC, FRSE, for his outstanding contributions to Scots Law and public service, both within the UK and internationally. Lord Mackay is one of the most distinguished Scotsmen of his time. As Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain from 1987-97, he proposed radical reforms of the legal profession, not all of which were popular, but were designed to improve the profession. He has also held office as Sheriff Principal of Renfrew and Argyll, Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Lord Advocate, a Senator of the College of Justice in Scotland and Lord of Appeal in Ordinary. 

Professor Sir Paul Nurse FRS, HonFRSE, for his outstanding contribution to genetics research, in particular its relevance to cancer, in which he has become a leading figure nationally and internationally. Knighted in 1999 and awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 2001, Sir Paul was Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK following the merger of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund with the Cancer Research Campaign. He is now President of Rockefeller University, New York.

The Royal Medals

The distinguished designer and engraver Malcolm Appleby of Grandtully near Aberfeldy has designed and created the Royal Medals. Mr Appleby's work has been exhibited in many of the world's most prestigious museums and galleries. His commissions include engraving work on an orb for His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales' coronet, and pieces for The Royal Armouries, The Victoria & Albert Museum, and National Museums of Scotland. As the Royal Medals recognise outstanding achievement in all intellectual fields, it was decided to unify them by commissioning one design for all three medals. 

FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT:

Stuart Brown, Public Relations Officer, The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE)
Tel. 0131 240 5016; mob: 077 11 710 249

At Leicester-Ather Mirza, 0116 252 3335

NOTES FOR NEWS & FEATURES EDITORS & PICTURES EDITORS:

1. jpgs of the President of the RSE, the Medallists and the Medals are available from the Society. An electronic copy of a group photograph of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh; The Society's President, and the three Medallists may be available from the RSE on the evening of 27 October, by arrangement with the RSE.

2. This top accolade is open to all men and women who have achieved international excellence in any field of intellectual endeavour. Medallists should preferably have a Scottish connection, but do not need to reside in Scotland, or be RSE Fellows.

3. The Royal Medals were presented for the first time in July 2000, when Her Majesty The Queen awarded them, in person, at The Royal Society of Edinburgh to: 

· Professor Sir Kenneth Murray, FRS, FRSE for his groundbreaking work in developing a vaccine for Hepatitis B, improving healthcare world-wide.

· Professor Peter Higgs, FRS, FRSE for offering a key to the problem of the origin of Mass. The Higgs boson has been a crucial step towards a unified theory of the forces of Nature.

· The Rt Hon The Lord Perry of Walton, OBE, FRS, FRSE for his outstanding career in science and education, and for his pioneering work in developing the Open University, which has been a model for similar institutions around the world. Lord Perry died in 2003.

This document has been approved by the head of department or section.