"Never listen too much to old advisors, but trust what you believe deep down, because you are the ones who are at the forefront". That was Ingvar Fredricson's message to the young doctors, in connection with his being appointed jubilee doctor at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
Sweden
October 11, 2023 21:30
Awarded "Never listen too much to old advisors, but feel what you believe deep down, because you are the ones who are at the forefront". That was Ingvar Fredricson's message to the young doctors, in connection with his being appointed jubilee doctor at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
At a jubilee celebration in Uppsala on Saturday, Ingvar Fredricson, veterinarian and researcher in biomechanics, as well as father of Jens and Peder, was one of those who was appointed jubilee doctor. He was also the one appointed to give a speech on behalf of all jubilee doctors.
− It is absolutely fantastic to be able to compare today's PhD students with how we were. Today you have supervision, receive training and are tested along the way. We didn't have that, but we had complete freedom of research provided we could arrange funding, he said.
Already as a veterinary student, Ingvar Fredricson wanted to immerse himself in biomechanics. He was skeptical of those who could make definitive statements about lameness, and he wanted to film horses' movements at high speed to understand more about the biomechanics.
− No one at the Veterinary College thought it was a good idea, the time of the horse was soon over anyway, as the number of horses in the 1960s was not large.
Ingvar Fredricson instead received help thanks to the Technical University, and eventually also from Saab in Linköping, whose aircraft designers made their skills and computers available to analyze the filmed material.
Only when ATG was formed and instituted scholarships for the continuing education of veterinarians, as well as a fund for equine research, did things really start to move, and eventually SLU built a locomotion laboratory and invested in computer software.
− What I created very shakily in 1963 is something that today is biomechanical research at SLU where 20 veterinarians work, said Ingvar Fredricson, who also stated that the increased interest in hobby horses played an important role, and that it was extremely important that horse welfare was included already from the beginning when the interest in horses grew.
− It is important to take care of horse welfare - without it, it would have been forbidden to compete with horses, and I hope that will not be the case, said Ingvar Fredricson, who also gave advice to the new doctors.
− Never listen too much to old advisors, but feel what you believe in, and if you're lucky and persevere, it can be a success like it was for me. It took time and a lot of effort but I'm glad I persevered.
Finally, he also thanked the rector on behalf of the jubilee doctors.
− Thank you for joining us today and that afterwards we can dance at the castle in Uppsala.
Below is the entire ceremony. Ingvar Fredricson's speech enters the video at 2.08.
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