when I first got my doctorate and was
called dr. Polyakov the only reason that
I found the doctorate useful was to
complain in shops
if you telephoned and said look you this
is not right if you said it was dr.
Polyakov it produced an effect now I
have no idea whether sir will produce an
effect similar effect or whether people
will just love each year the UK
government releases something called the
New Year's Honours List this is a whole
bunch of people receiving things like em
bees and sea bees and OBEs but of
particular interest other people who are
receiving knighthoods
and Dame hoods now these can be all
sorts of people they can be sports stars
or celebrities or very often they might
be people you've never heard of who have
accomplished things or done many years
of service behind the scenes but this
year one of the people being recognized
with a knighthood is their very own
professor Martin Polyakov now of course
first and foremost he's been recognized
for his work over many years as a
chemist at the University of Nottingham
he's also been recognized for his work
as an ambassador for science in recent
years as foreign secretary of the Royal
Society but a particular interest to me
and perhaps you who watches these videos
is another thing and it's written on
this citation here that Martin has been
recognized for his work in engaging the
public with chemistry including through
the periodic table of videos on YouTube
here it is in black and white
so anyway I had a quick chat with well I
guess I should call him so Martin just a
few days ago and asked him how he felt
about the whole thing I already have a
lower on a so called
commander of the Order of the British
Empire which has a nice cross which I
have worn I think in total three or four
times and once when I had to go down the
street wearing this I buttoned up my an
erect right to the top so that nobody
should see this when I was going down
the street the knighthood as far as I
remember and I've seen quite a lot of
people wearing this is a sort of oval
reddish colored medallion in our
University it is quite rare
so Peter Mansfield the Nobel
prize-winner Discoverer inventor of MRI
our former vice-chancellor Colin
Campbell was knighted and I present Vice
Chancellor Sir David Green away was
knighted actually only a few months ago
of course has got it for I've been
awarded it because this is somebody who
is a top scientist in a top school
somebody who's been a fabulous
communicator who has done so much
through a puree table of videos to raise
interest in in the science but he's also
part of the university community that
he's grown up in his been here for 35
years and part of a university community
is very proud of what he's done so this
is a huge honour for the university as
well as for Martin personally and the
actual ceremony which I've never seen
but I've heard about is that you are
touched on the shoulder by the Queen or
a member of the royal family with a
sword just like you see in pictures in
medieval battlefields and so on though I
think the sword they use his rather
lighter and less sharp yes indeed there
was a sword it's not a myth I was tapped
on both shoulders the only thing that
was missing was arise Sir David that
that bit doesn't actually happen arise
sir percival sirloin of beef all right
nomura beforehand they take him for
briefing and there's a stool there and
they take you through kneeling down and
so on and to be honest I thought well
what's the point of that but I did it
and an official came up to me and said
Sir David when when you went down you
instinctively put your head down do not
do that
keep your head up otherwise you don't
see what's happening and you'll miss the
moment and it was wonderful advice I get
my head up there was lovely eye contact
there you can see the sword coming down
that taps both shoulders and then a
majesty a few words asked about my
career as an economist that's about work
here at university people in the UK are
still really quite formal so if you're a
professor you're called professor with
your surname so I'm called professor
Polyakov I prefer to
to use my first name and call me Martin
so the tradition is that when somebody
gets a knighthood they are called sir in
their Christian names so in my case so
Martin though in full I would be
Professor Sir Martin Polyakov but nobody
in their right mind would actually say
that they might write it in a formal
document it is I think for a combination
of reasons I think it is partly through
my role at the Royal Society as an
ambassador of UK science but also it is
it for my role in chemistry partly my
research in green and sustainable
chemistry but also for my efforts thanks
to you the YouTube Watchers to promote
chemistry through YouTube I think it may
be the first time that YouTube has been
mentioned when somebody's got a
knighthood and so I feel really quite
proud about that and I also really want
to thank you YouTube viewers who have
made this possible through your
enthusiasm for chemistry so in a way
this is an honour that we can all share
together I see this very much as an
honor for the whole of the School of
Chemistry the University of Nottingham
where I work so I see this as a reward
not only for myself but for my
colleagues working this area and
particularly for my research team and my
close colleagues who work with me in
this team and also for our technical
staff who make all the equipment that
allows us to do the experiments I think
my wife is fairly neutral about it
though it should be pointed out that
there is rather unfortunate sex
discrimination that when a male is
knighted his wife gets the courtesy
title of lady but if a woman is made the
Dame her husband doesn't get anything
I'm not sure what my wife's attitude to
being a lady will be and it that's up to
her whether she uses the title
not fantastic public recognition and
another on there aren't many of them and
I think the university having the
opportunity to celebrate an accolade
like this for someone who's is loyal and
is committed and as straightforward as
Martin is just a wonderful thing
I think perhaps what I need to remember
is that when I was made a professor in
1990 24 years ago my son sent me a
birthday card
it was announced fortuitously on my
birthday
and it said at the end PS don't be
pompous like other profs and I think
this is really a very good attitude to
have - all these honors I'm delighted to
have it but I mustn't let it get the
better of me