Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Lecture

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Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Lecture
Awarded forPrize lecture given on a subject relating to the history, philosophy or social function of science.
Sponsored by Royal Society
Website royalsociety.org/awards/wilkins-bernal-medawar

The Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Lecture is a public lecture organised annually by the Royal Society of London.

It was formed in 2005 by the merger of the Wilkins Lecture, the Bernal Lecture and the Medawar Lecture. The subject matter for the lecture is some aspect of the social function of science as per the Bernal Lecture, the philosophy of science as per the Medawar Lecture or the history of science as per the Wilkins Lecture.

List of lecturers

YearNameLecturelaudationNotes
2007 Jeremy Butterfield The uses of infinity: a philosopher looks at emergent phenomena in physics [1] - [2]
2008 Sian Ede Hard questions : Contemporary art and the obsession with science [3] - [2]
2009 David Edgerton The social function of history: policy, history and twentieth-century science [4] - [2]
2010 Melvyn Bragg Notes from an Amateur: On the History of the Royal Society [5] - [2]
2012 Roger Highfield Heroes of science [6] - [2]
2015 Hasok Chang Who cares about the History of Science? [7] - [2]
2016 Jon Agar The curious history of curiosity-driven research [8] - [2]
2017 Michela Massimi Why philosophy of science matters to science [9] - [2]
2018 Mark Jackson Life begins at 40: the biological and cultural roots of the midlife crisis [10] - [2]
2019 Simon Schaffer Defining science through history. [11] - [2]
2020 Jim Al-Khalili What is (Quantum) Life? [12] for his exceptional work in explaining complex ideas in modern physics in an approachable way, his contributions to televised histories of electricity and quantum physics, and his work ranging from very recent history of science to the history of Arabic science [2]
2021 June Barrow-Green The History of Women and Maths [13] for her research in 19th and 20th century mathematics, notably on historical roots of modern computing, dynamical systems and the three-body problem. Her work places special emphasis on the under-representation of women in historical narratives and in contemporary mathematics. Her recent work includes decolonising of the mathematical curriculum [2]
2022 Philip Ball Remaking Ourselves [14] for his outstanding commitments to sharing the social, cultural, and historical context of science through award-winning science communication in books, articles, and as a speaker and commentator [2]
2023 Sarah Franklin Talking embryos: changing public perceptions of embryo research [15] for her research into, and advocacy for, the social aspects of new reproductive technologies [2]
2024 Matthew Cobb for his work documenting the history of biology as both an author and broadcaster [2]

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The Wilkins Lecture was a lecture organised by the Royal Society of London on the subject of the history of science and named after John Wilkins, the first Secretary of the Society. The last Wilkins lecture was delivered in 2003, after which it was merged with the Bernal Lecture and the Medawar Lecture to form the Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Lecture.

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References

  1. ↑ The uses of infinity: a philosopher looks at emergent phenomena in physics by Jeremy Butterfield on YouTube, 2012-09-26
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Medal and Lecture".
  3. ↑ "Lectures from the archive: Contemporary art and the obsession with science". YouTube. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  4. ↑ "Lectures from the archive: The social function of history and twentieth-century science". YouTube. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  5. ↑ Bragg, M. (2010). "Wilkins Medawar Bernal Lecture 2010 * Observations of an Amateur on the History of the Royal Society 1660-2010". Notes and Records of the Royal Society. 64 (3): 201–212. doi:10.1098/rsnr.2010.0018. ISSN   0035-9149.
  6. ↑ Heroes of Science by Roger Highfield on YouTube, 2012-09-26
  7. ↑ Who cares about the history of science? on YouTube
  8. ↑ "The curious history of curiosity-driven research". YouTube. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  9. ↑ "Why philosophy of science matters to science". YouTube. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "Life begins at 40: the biological and cultural roots of the midlife crisis". YouTube. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  11. ↑ "Defining science through history". YouTube. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  12. ↑ "Jim Al-Khalili and Adam Rutherford: what is quantum biology?". YouTube. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  13. ↑ "The history of women and maths". YouTube. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  14. ↑ "Remaking Ourselves: Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Medal lecture at The Royal Society, May 2023". YouTube. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  15. ↑ "Talking embryos: changing public perceptions of embryo research". YouTube. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.


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