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Official opening ceremony of ESOF 2010
( Euroscience Open Forum)

By Marianne de Nazareth

03 July, 2010
Countercurrents.org

Turin: The 4th session of ESOF2010( Euroscience Open Forum) was officially opened with a recorded welcome message sent in by the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano. “ Chancellor Angela Merkel, when arguing in favour of more public investment in research and higher education even in times of economic crisis, recently stated that “Education and research are the future pillars of sustainability of our society”. I would like to make a crucial addition: of our European society and of the social model that under pins it. Europe cannot count on natural resources and underpaid labour to exist, we need a qualified human capital and a knowledge driven economy for now and for the future.”

He went on to say,” Luckily ‘ Made in Europe’ science is alive and vibrant, but we want European science to regain the pivotal role it played in the past. Europe can do much more and much better only if we strengthen our unity and integration.”
He finished by saying he looked forward to being present as “ my intellectual curiosity would surely lead me to take advantage of a “ Pizza withy the Prof meeting and let me thank the organizers for choosing this now globalised dish invented in my home town of Naples, as a symbol of informal exchange and mutual enrichment between different generations of scholars which is one of ESOF’s inspirations.”

Sergio Chiamparino the Mayor of Turin welcomed the gathering to the city of Turin and said the city was proud to host ESOF 2010. “This extraordinary programme opened doors on other dimensions normally outside our daily routine. Torino is happy to host this six day event and don’t forget the food and drink that we are famous for as well,” he urged the gathering to a loud round of applause.

Enric Banda the President of Euroscience thanked the main supporters including the Robert Bosch Stiftung, Fiat and UNESCO for their valuable support of the programme. “ Modern Science was born in Europe but Europe lost it ½ a century ago. Emerging countries are pushing forward and Europe is not pushing enough. An increase in investment in research and development is needed and Europe has sone lose to nothing on that. Flexibility and dynamism is the key and Euroscience which is an open forum brings together top scientists from all over the world.”

A special cultivar of baby pink roses was grown by a local florist especially for ESOF 2010. The entire logo of ESOF 2010 was especially made out of these roses. The niece of Rita Levi Montalcini the oldest living laureate was presented the first bunch of the special rose. Montalcini received the Nobel prize for medicine along with Stanley Cohen in 1986.

Later after a choir rendering a motet on the theme Maths and Music, the opening lecture was by Julia Fischer from the German Primate Centre, Gotengen, Germany, entitled “ Animal minds talk”.

(The writer is a Robert Bosch Stiftung Fellow, reporting from Turin)