Tercentenary Commemorative Medal

From left to Right; Richard Helsham 1724-1738, George Francis FitzGerald 18811901 and Ernest Thomas Sinton Walton 1946-1974.

Both in Brass and Silver the medal depicts on the obverse three of our most celebrated Erasmus Smith Professors spanning three centuries of Physics in Trinity College Dublin.

The Latin inscription, Fax Viva Scientiae translates to A Living Beacon of Knowledge.

On the reverse side we have a depiction of the front door of the School of Physics Fitzgerald building, constructed in 1905. Our students start their journey in physics by walking through these doors and many have continued that journey into prominent positions across the globe.

The door is flanked by the Trinity Crest and a representation of the lithium atom with its three electrons. Walton collaborated with John Cockcroft to split the atom’s nuclei paving the way to the atomic age. Walton won the Nobel prize in Physics in 1951.