At a special press conference at the Royal Society in London on Friday, the Starmus Festival announced its new partnership with the prestigious Swiss watchmaker OMEGA. The Starmus Festival is a combination of science, art and music , and its goal is to help the general public understand and apprecia
At a special press conference at the Royal Society in London on Friday,
the
Starmus Festival announced its new partnership with the prestigious Swiss
watchmaker OMEGA.
The Starmus Festival is a
combination of science, art and music, and its
goal is to help the general public understand and appreciate science. Since
2011, it has included performances and presentations from astronauts,
cosmonauts, Nobel Prize winners and prominent figures from science, culture,
the arts and music.
OMEGA’s own pioneering history is filled with scientific accomplishment
including the conquests of space and the ocean, as well as revolutionary
breakthroughs in magnetic watchmaking and precision.
Raynald Aeschlimann, the
President and CEO of OMEGA, spoke about the new
partnership by saying,
“As we know in
watchmaking, it’s not always easy to communicate new innovation or complex
technology. In science, I’m sure it’s the same. That’s why we recognise the
importance of the Starmus Festival. It embraces creativity to help the general
public understand and appreciate everything about science. OMEGA has a strong
history within science and we wanted to maintain our commitment to this
important area.”
As part of its
partnership, OMEGA is proudly supporting the
Stephen Hawking Medal for Science
Communication. The Medal recognises those who promote science through three different
disciplines including Science Writing; Films; and Music and Art.
On June 20
th this year at the Starmus Festival, the three
winners will be presented with a brand new
18K yellow gold OMEGA Speedmaster
watch. On the back of the watch, the brand has included a unique engraving that
mirrors the design of the actual medal itself. This includes an image of the
cosmonaut Alexei Leonov during the first ever human spacewalk as well as the
“Red Special” guitar of Queen’s Brian May.
The
watch is presented on a black leather strap and is driven by the famous OMEGA
calibre 1861, virtually the same hand-wound
movement that powered the timepieces NASA’s astronauts wore on the Moon.
Professor Hawking himself was at the press announcement and shared his
enthusiasm for OMEGA’s support.
“I'm delighted that OMEGA is joining forces
with us this year and that these watches will be given to the winners. I would
like to thank OMEGA for this initiative and for their sponsorship.”
(from left: C. Nicollier, Prof. St. Hawking, R. Aeschlimann, Prof. E.Moser, Prof. G.Israelian)Three other important guests were present on the day, including
Professor Garik Israelian, the Founder of Starmus;
Professor Claude Nicollier, the first Swiss astronaut and
close friend of OMEGA; and
Professor Edvard Moser, the renowned Norwegian
psychologist and neuroscientist.
Speaking on stage,
Professor Israelian, the Founder of Starmus said,
“Our
principal goal is to inspire. This is the base of everything. I'm very proud to
announce the partnership with OMEGA and have them helping us with our goals.”
Professor Nicollier was also able to shed more light on OMEGA’s
scientific past and reveal his own unique experience with the brand. He said,
“I
have huge admiration for the achievements of Stephen Hawking. My connection to
OMEGA is the value of excellence. So I'm looking forward to Starmus IV and the
involvement of OMEGA in the next chapter of science, art and music at the
highest level.”
Without doubt, OMEGA will be following the announcement of the Medal
winners very closely and is looking forward to Starmus IV taking place this
year from June 18 – 23 in Trondheim, Norway.
As a scientist myself, I am of course delighted to learn about OMEGA's initiative!
Cheers,
Magnus
Source: OMEGA press release (slightly modified for clarity)
