Samuel Taylor Coleridge, British poet at the end of the 18th century, gave us a characterization of a scientist. "The first man of science was he who looked into a thing, not to learn whether it furnished him food, or shelter, or weapons, or tools, or armaments, or playwiths but who sought to know it for the gratification of knowing." After those days the new generations of scientists have got different, less idealistic guidelines for their work.
According to the Finnish science policy, Finland's economic, social and cultural development is based on knowledge and skills. It is generally accepted in our country that the consistent promotion of a national innovation system during the past ten years, has laid the foundation for the growth of knowledge and skills and their extensive utilization for the benefit of the individual and the community. The importance of benefits will be stated in the current change of the law about universities.
In 1963 President Kennedy addressed the National Academy of Science of the United States by saying that "Scientists alone can establish the objectives of their research, but society, in extending support to science, must take account of its own needs".
I believe that the most important research areas in physics are connected to materials research and to research solving the problems of energy production in the future. The availability of energy sources will lead to the use of hydrogen in the energy production. Before this can be realized, big problems in materials research have to be solved.
One of the most striking facts about the elements is their unequal distribution and occurrence in nature. Present knowledge of the chemical composition of the universe indicates that hydrogen is by far the most abundant element and may account for more than 90% of the atoms or about 75% of the mass of the universe. Hydrogen and helium were the first elements produced after the Big Bang. They are the stepping stones for the rest of the elements, born through fusion and hydrogen burning of light elements in stars and supernovas. The workshop was held in June, when we were in Finland in the middle of the period of nightless nights and enjoyed the physical hydrogen burning in the Sun which produces us heat and light.
In chemical burning hydrogen is combined with oxygen to water. This is reflected in the name of hydrogen, hydro means water and genes forming. On Earth, hydrogen occurs chiefly in water. This "waste" from burning is especially abundant here in Finland, in the country of a thousands lakes and a long coast line. Both for the physical and chemical burning of hydrogen, the storage problem gives us a headache. To solve that problem we have to construct suitable materials.
To have energy sources where hydrogen is burned physically or chemically requires some more workshops on hydrogen
in condensed matter. This research area is a growing field. During the past twenty years the number of publications on hydrogen and materials has increased by a factor of about 2.5. During the same period the total number of publications in INSPEC database has increased by a factor of 1.8.
The workshop series on hydrogen in condensed matter has a bright future. It is evident that there is a need for this kind of research and this kind of workshops.