Editorial

65th Birthday of Professor Francesco Dondi

Professor Francesco Dondi will celebrate

his 65th birthday on August 2, 2008.

Professor Maria-Chiara Pietrogrande

and I recounted the highlights of his

scientific career in Chromatographia on

the occasion of his 60th birthday [1].

During the past five years, he has con-

tinued his internationally recognized re-

search activities in the fields in which he

was previously engaged. He has also

succeeded in completing a long-term

process of establishing at the University

of Ferrara one of the best and strongest

analytical groups in Italy with bright

collaborators deeply rooted in the fun-

damentals of separation science and its

application to important current issues.

Throughout his life, Francesco has

been strongly motivated in using his

personal gifts to serve others and

society, rather than himself. Were it not

for his profound interest in science, it is

likely that he would have embraced a

political carrier, in the best sense of the

word ‘‘politics’’. This is probably the

source of his interest in philosophical

ideas.

Recently, his sense of service and

responsibility has led him to become

engaged in developing the key role that

scientists, especially analytical chemists,

can and must play in saving our threa-

tened planet. Following encounters and

discussions with a few European col-

leagues on this issue, he organized last

year at the University of Ferrara an

international Forum on ‘‘Ethics and

Science for the Environment’’. Contri-

butions were made not only by chemists,

biologists and other scientists but also by

lawyers, philosophers and specialists of

religions. It was attended by a large

number of university teachers and stu-

dents. At the end of the meeting, one

future student at the University stood up

to express his thanks to the organizers by

saying that the forumwas exactly what he

expected from his future professors—

that they should open his eyes to the

status of our fragile world. Undoubtedly,

Francesco was very pleased by this com-

ment which encouraged him to continue

to commit himself in this endeavour of

educating future leaders of state and

industry in their responsibilities to society

and to the environment. Francesco takes

seriously the admonition of Albert

Einstein that was quoted at the Ferrara

Forum, ‘‘Concern for man himself and

his fate must always constitute the chief

objective of all technical endeavours…Never forget this in the midst of your

diagrams and equations’’ [2].

I wish Francesco a happy 65th birth-

day with many more years of enjoyment

in this new field of endeavour with the

hope that life will provide us with many

occasions for friendly discussions on sci-

ence and more general topics.

Michel Martin

Ecole Superieure de Physique et de

Chimie Industrielles, Paris, France

References

1. Martin M, Pietrogrande MC (2003)Chromatographia 58:133–134

2. Einstein A, Address before the studentbody, California Institute of Technology,February 16, 1931

2008, 68, 159

DOI: 10.1365/s10337-008-0741-0Editorial Chromatographia 2008, 68, August (No. 3/4) 159