Inaugural ceremony honors Agnes Ullmann, an exceptional scientist

On December 11, a symbolic and historic inaugural event was held to honor Agnes Ullmann, a true scientific figure and living memory of the Institut Pasteur.

Last Wednesday, dozens of guests, friends, colleagues, collaborators and students of this great lady, gathered in the greenhouse around Yasmine Belkaid, Director General, Monica Sala, Director of Education and His Excellency Georges de Habsbourg-Lorraine, Hungarian Ambassador to France, for a ceremony dedicating to her a “historic building that she cherished so much, that of the Institut Pasteur's former hospital” and which will now be named after her. This is a first for the Institut Pasteur, whose campus now bears the name of a Pasteurian woman of scientific excellence.

Explaining the hindered career of this courageous young chemistry and biochemistry student, who was forced to escape from her native Hungary to find refuge at the Institut Pasteur with the help and humanistic complicity of Jacques Monod in 1958, Monica Sala drew the portrait of a woman “deeply attached to ‘intellectual freedom and the purity of scientific thought’”.

Monica Sala also paid tribute to the commitment of this outstanding scientist, who was particularly keen to pass on scientific knowledge, especially to young people. Responsible for numerous courses at the Institut Pasteur, including microbiology - the first of its kind in the world and launched by Louis Pasteur in 1889 - she introduced the “theme-based formula” to articulate courses and practical work on different, sequential themes stemming from Pasteur's research laboratories and led by scientific colleagues.

In turn, His Excellency Georges de Habsbourg-Lorraine was keen to honor the memory of a lady who tried to fight obscurantism and dedicated her talent to the service of science, beyond the borders of Hungary and France, to spread it throughout the world.  His Excellency underlined the importance of scientific development, coordinated on a European level, and particularly stressed the importance of implementation between the two countries. He also shared his pride in being able to perpetuate the strong link between the Institut Pasteur and Hungary, to which Agnes contributed during her lifetime. This link is reflected in today's partnership with the University of Szeged. 

As for Yasmine Belkaid, she expressed her wish, through this inauguration, to pay tribute to an emblematic figure in science, to an exceptional woman whose “legacy continues to resonate here at the Institut Pasteur, and far beyond”. Underlining the breadth of her incomparable scientific contribution, and her key role in innovation and transmission, Yasmine Belkaid emphasized how much Agnes Ullmann represents an inspiring symbol for open science. Honoring Agnes Ullmann also means sending out a strong message of recognition for the role of women in science.
 
 

“May this building bear, in its walls and in its deeds, the name of Agnès Ullmann as a symbol of scientific excellence, openness to the world and shared progress. And may it remind us every day that science can only advance together, with the values of diversity and collaboration at the heart of our ambitions.”

To honor the memory of this personality and give her her rightful place on campus, an artistic work, created by Elodie Dandelot, a member of the Scientific Programming and Incentive Actions Service (SPAIS) team, was presented at the ceremony. Mounted on a totem pole, it will soon find its place in front of the greenhouse, an integral part of the Agnes Ullmann building and the place where she loved to gather.

You can live or relive this inaugural event by accessing the replay here

Ceremony photos: Stéphane Toubon

Top photo: Agnes Ullmann at the Institut Pasteur centenary gala at the Opéra Garnier in 1987.