The inventor of the MRI scanner said Nottinghamshire needs to do more to help young people get into science as he unveiled a tram named after him.
Sir Peter Mansfield’s, a Nobel Prize-winning University of Nottingham researcher, spoke as he received the honour at a ceremony.
Now retired, the 82-year-old icon even tried out the tram’s driver’s seat at the Wilkinson’s Street tram depot.
Sir Peter said: “I came here not to teach science but develop techniques and imaging which have greatly benefited patients.
“Many people in Nottingham from all walks of life still come up to me and say how they were worried at the time but now they are free of whatever illness they had, and just like to come back occasionally and say thanks.”
In the early 1970s the physicist helped to develop magnetic resonance imaging in Nottingham, now known across the world as MRI, so a computerised scanner could produce images of the body’s internal structures.
If you’re interested in science then go for it
The invention has led to a much greater understanding of the human body and transformed medical science.
Photo: Sir Peter Mansfield and his team created the MRI scanner
MRI results are now used used globally to diagnose a condition and plan and speed up the treatment process.
Studies from the British Medical Association show schools in areas including Nottingham aren’t pushing pupils to pursue careers in biology, chemistry or physics, and Sir Peter said its crucial young people continue to develop the city’s scientific pedigree.
When asked about the new generation of students studying science, he said: “In the area I chose which was medicine there is a huge interest in the developments of new techniques for scanning a person without harming them. If you’re interested in science then you should go for it.”
Video: Sir Peter Mansfield talks about his ground-breaking invention
