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Sarah, Thanks for this -- it is indeed excellent and something to emulate. I note that there are plenty of locations in need of plaques! John _______________________________________________ On 11 Feb 2015, at 11:13, Sarah Morse wrote: > All, > > This may be of interest – it may offer a model for plaques for > scientists of Wales – it’s Literature Wales’ interactive map of > Writers Plaques: http://www.writersplaques.org/ > > Best wishes, > > Sarah > > Dr Sarah Morse > > Executive Officer > Swyddog Gweithredol > > Tel: 029 20376971 > http://learnedsocietywales.ac.uk/ > Twitter: @LSWalesCDdCymru > Facebook: lswcddc > <image001.png> > The Learned Society of Wales, a company limited by guarantee, > registered in Wales, No.7256948; Registered Charity No. 1141526; > Registered office: The University Registry, King Edward VII Avenue, > Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NS > Cymdeithas Ddysgedig Cymru, cwmni a gyfyngir drwy warant, wedi’i > gofrestru yng Nghymru, Rhif 7256948;Elusen Cofrestredig Rhif 1141526; > Swyddfa gofrestredig: Cofrestrfa’r Brifysgol, Rhodfa’r Brenin Edward > VII, Parc Cathays, Caerdydd CF10 3NS > > > From: Discussion list for MYRDDIN [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On > Behalf Of Robert Protheroe Jones > Sent: 11 February 2015 11:05 > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Blue Plaques: science, medicine and technology > > Dear All, > > It is good to see the breadth of interest in this topic. > > Some musings on ‘Welshness’ vis-à-vis blue plaques / biographies: > > The narrowest definition would be born in Wales and also carried out > key work within Wales. I regard this double-requirement as > excessively narrow, not least because prior to the rise of science > within Welsh universities somewhat over a century ago, scientific > research was largely concentrated outside Wales, obliging Welsh-born > scientists to mainly work outside Wales. > > National sports teams’ criteria is usually for at least one parent > to have been born in Wales. To adapt the criteria for UK > citizenship, the minimum criteria would be for at least one > grandparent to have been born in Wales. Both these – and especially > the latter – would guarantee any attempt at listing to be highly > incomplete: enormous numbers of American, Australian, Canadian, > English, etc. scientists may have had one or more Welsh grandparents > but it would be an impossible task to enquire into the ancestry of a > large proportion of the scientists of the English speaking world > over the last few centuries. > > If a listing became a nationalistic attempt to ‘claim’ scientists > for Wales then those with minority Welsh ancestry could potentially > be more meaningfully ‘claimed’ by a different country: would one > regard an American-born scientist with one Welsh grandparent as > Welsh or American? > > For most deceased scientists there may be uncertainty on how they > identified themselves with regard to nationality. > > There are numerous instances of scientists with no Welsh ancestry > carrying out portions of their key work within Wales; something > certainly deserving of commemoration but, I feel, dubious grounds to > claim them as ‘Welsh’. e.g. a blue plaque stating that Murchison or > Sedgwick lodged at a certain Welsh country inn whilst carrying out > key fieldwork on their competing Cambrian and Silurian Systems* > would be highly appropriate, but to claim either as a ‘Welsh’ > scientist would not stand the least cursory scrutiny. [ *For non- > geologists, the intervening Ordovician was the compromise suggested > by Lapworth] > > Hopefully grist to the mill! > > Robert > > > > > > > > > YMWADIAD > Mae pob neges ebost a anfonir i neu gan Amgueddfa Cymru yn cael ei > sganio gan systemau diogelwch awtomatig er mwyn rheoli negeseuon > digymell a dileu cynnwys amhriodol neu beryglus. Cafodd y neges hon ei > sganio am firysau cyn ei hanfon, ond dylech hefyd fodloni'ch hun bod y > neges, a phob atodiad ynddi, yn rhydd o firysau cyn ei defnyddio gan > nad yw'r Amgueddfa'n derbyn cyfrifoldeb am unrhyw golled neu ddifrod o > ganlyniad i agor y neges neu unrhyw atodiadau. Gall y neges hon ac > unrhyw ffeiliau a atodir ynddi gynnwys gwybodaeth gyfrinachol a > fwriadwyd ar gyfer y derbynnydd yn unig. 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