Commemoration
Tribute to Louis Pasteur: a look back at the commemorative ceremony on September 30
On Tuesday September 30, the Institut Pasteur held a commemorative ceremony, this year in the hall of the Duclaux building, to mark the 130th anniversary of the death of Louis Pasteur, an event for the entire Institut Pasteur community to remember Louis Pasteur, the man and the scientist.
The ceremony, attended by Yasmine Belkaid, President, and Yves Saint-Geours, Chairman of the Board of Governors, was an opportunity to commemorate the "life and work of one of the greatest scientists of all time: a relentless worker, a unique discoverer and above all a visionary who gave science a new status in society."
The President stressed that for 140 years, Louis Pasteur's face has been recognizable the world over as embodying scientific excellence, and by extension French excellence. She pointed to his deep commitment to education and knowledge transfer and also his role as a pioneer of scientific interdisciplinarity. Yasmine Belkaid also highlighted Louis Pasteur's tireless efforts to tackle the greatest challenges facing society by drawing on science. Louis Pasteur was firmly committed to public health; he believed in an approach to science combining basic and applied research within a continuum. All of these attributes are part of the Pasteurian model, which continues to guide the Institut Pasteur community in its defense of science and the central role it has to play in society – especially given the attacks science is currently facing.
To conclude, Yasmine Belkaid emphasized the importance of Louis Pasteur's courage and his inspirational qualities and that "these values unite us, each one of us, without exception. These values and this vision [...] continue to live on deep inside us. They are what gives us the inspiration, strength and unity we need to continue to pursue our founder's plan, together, in the years to come. For we are in a privileged position at the Institut Pasteur: our independence, excellence and openness to the world mean that we are uniquely placed, through our science, to counter the headwinds of our age."
A minute's silence was observed before the attendees moved to the other side of campus to gather at Dr. Emile Roux's tomb.
Read Yasmine Belkaid's speech (in French)
Illustration: The Institut Pasteur on the day of Louis Pasteur's funeral, October 5, 1895