A UCD scientist, Dr Tony Scott, will this week receive an award presented by the Institute of Physics, the learned society and professional body which represents 23,000 physicists around the world.
Dr Scott will be given the institute's Kelvin Medal in London on Thursday for his outstanding contribution to the public understanding of physics, made during the past 30 years as a lecturer in physics and as a judge and godfather figure at the annual Young Scientist Exhibition in the RDS.
Dr Scott won the bronze medal and a £500 prize "for championing the cause of physics in Ireland through an exceptional gift for teaching, demonstrating and organising, enabling invaluable mutual trust and friendship to be established between those who love physics both in Ireland and Britain", according to the UK publication, Physics World, which has written up Dr Scott's award.
Dr Scott is currently director of public affairs at UCD but still takes time to lecture first-year physics students at the college. He has been involved in the Young Scientist Exhibition since its inception and chaired the Royal Irish Academy's commission on physics for over 10 years. He has also served as secretary and chairman of the Irish branch of the Institute of Physics.