On September 16, the University of Szeged (SZTE) commemorated the 132nd anniversary of Nobel laureate researcher and former rector Albert Szent-Györgyi’s birth. Prof. Dr. László Rovó, Rector of SZTE, and Dr. Judit Fendler, Chancellor, paid tribute by placing a wreath of paprika peppers at the statue of the scientist in front of the university’s main building.
The ceremony to commemorate the 132nd anniversary of Albert Szent-Györgyi’s birth began with a young student of the SZTE Juhász Gyula Primary and Art School reciting a poem written especially for the occasion (included at the end of this article). After the recital, Prof. Dr. László Rovó, Rector of the University of Szeged, addressed the audience with his reflections on Szent-Györgyi’s legacy.
“This is the eighth time I have had the honor of offering these remarks,” the Rector said. “On the previous seven occasions, I sought to portray Albert Szent-Györgyi from various viewpoints – among others, as a brilliant scientist who achieved groundbreaking discoveries, and as an exceptional leader of research teams.” He then went on to link Szent-Györgyi’s legacy to a subject of great relevance today: artificial intelligence. “Like extraordinary figures such as Albert Szent-Györgyi, AI also searches for mathematical patterns hidden within vast datasets.”
On another note, the Rector evoked the words of Albert Szent-Györgyi – spoken after he had settled in the United States – to capture the climate of the 20th-century Cold War, which had profoundly shaped the scientist’s life and outlook. Szent-Györgyi argued that although the Soviet and American armies appeared to face one another, in reality, the two great powers “acted in concert, stirring up fear and hatred to prevent the emergence of peace.” Instead, he insisted that “the road to peace does not lead through bombs, napalm, defoliants, and corpses, but through goodwill and human compassion.” Reflecting on this sentiment, Rector Rovó observed that wars are ultimately born of tensions between individual and societal needs, and he recalled Szent-Györgyi’s conviction that “good is what benefits society, and bad is what harms it.” The Rector concluded his remarks with another inspiring quote from Szent-Györgyi: “The future will be shaped by the schools of today.”
Wreath-laying at the statue of Albert Szent-Györgyi
Photo by Ádám Kovács-Jerney
After the official speeches, Prof. Dr. László Rovó and Dr. Judit Fendler, Chancellor, solemnly placed a pepper wreath at the statue of Albert Szent-Györgyi.
The ceremony was brought to a close with students and teachers from the SZTE Juhász Gyula Primary and Art School and its Kindergarten performing a musical adaptation of the poem Bájoló [Enchantment], by the famous Hungarian poet Miklós Radnóti, accompanied by violin, drum, and guitar.
Students and teachers from the SZTE Juhász Gyula Primary and Art School performing a musical adaptation of a poem by Hungarian Poet Miklós Radnóti
Photo by Ádám Kovács-Jerney
Translation of school poem commemorating the 132nd anniversary of Albert Szent-Györgyi’s birth:
Albert Szent-Györgyi
He quietly roamed the streets of Szeged,
with questions, light, and reason in his head.
In pepper and fruit, he discovered a key,
strengthening the world with his vitamin C.
With science and formulas on his mind,
his heart ceaselessly beat for humankind.
He believed knowledge could build bridges,
uniting nations across valleys and over ridges.
He spoke of research not as a solitary quest,
but as a shared effort to bring out the best.
Never tiring to seek the beauty at the heart of life,
he entrusted the future to the young, free of strife.
Now a school, a street, a square all bear his name,
and his life is proof: learning is a truly worthy aim.
For lasting treasure does not lie in silver, nor in gold,
but in knowledge, enduring and never growing old.
Source: SZTEinfo
Feature image: Dr. Judit Fendler, Chancellor of the University of Szeged, and Prof. Dr. László Rovó, Rector, laying a wreath at the statue of Albert Szent-Györgyi in front of SZTE’s
Main Building.
Photo by Ádám Kovács-Jerney
