Role Of Research In Society Author: NEERAJA SANKARAN
Many of the scientists addressing graduating students at universities across North America this year chose to focus in their speeches on science's role in uplifting, rescuing, and, in some cases, bringing harm to society. The speakers invited to deliver convocation addresses were among a distinguished group of science luminaries upon whom various academic institutions conferred honorary degrees for their contributions both within and outside their fields.
A long-standing tradition among schools and colleges the world over, honorary degrees were bestowed this year on Nobel laureates, teachers, and industrial scientists, among others. (See the list for a sampling of scientists chosen at different universities in the United States and abroad.)
"For a university professor, there is no accolade more meaningful than an honorary degree by a learned institution, because it is being granted by the profession where the recipient has spent his or ...
