Vote of thanks to Professor C. L. Wilson

I am sure you will all agree that the Fellowship of Engineering has made a good choice for its first lecture. The choice has been good in terms of the subject. Energy has always been important to engineers in this country and to the Royal Society. Many valuable fundamental contributions to thermodynamics and to the generation and application of energy have been made in this country and by this Society. It is becoming increasingly evident that energy is going to offer to engineers a rather more formidable challenge than it has in the past. The challenge affects every aspect of energy supply and use, and it gives great opportunities for innovation and design.