RECOGNITION OF SCIENTIST DOROTHY HODGKIN

Early day motion 1042, tabled 4 February 2014 by Peter Aldous (Conservative). Signed by 30 members.

That this House recognises the work of Dorothy Hodgkin (1910-1994), a pioneer scientist in the field of X-ray crystallography who, before the high-tech age, identified the three dimensional positioning of atoms in the molecules of various materials, including penicillin, vitamin B12, steroids and insulin; notes that this cracked the code, which then enabled scientists to make materials synthetically thus saving countless lives worldwide; celebrates that Dorothy Hodgkin was a remarkable woman who dedicated her life to biochemistry at a time when women in science were few and far between; further notes that she remains the only British woman to have won a science Nobel Prize, was the second woman to receive the Order of Merit in 1965, the first woman to receive the Copley Medal and winner of the Lenin Peace Prize; further notes that Dorothy Hodgkin was one of five Women of Achievement selected for a set of British stamps issued in August 1996; further notes that she tutored former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at the University of Oxford; acknowledges that 2014 is the year of crystallography; further celebrates her passion for campaigning for peace and East-West understanding; believes that her achievements should be remembered by including her in the Key Stage 1 education syllabus; and calls on all hon. and right hon. Members to recognise and celebrate her outstanding contribution to science.

Signatures by party: Labour 13, Conservative 5, DUP 5, Liberal Democrat 2, Alliance 1, Independent 1, Plaid Cymru 1, Respect 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.