Alan Turing on the £50 note is a triumph for British science – and for equality | Emily Grossman

I sat on the committee that helped select the scientist. Honouring him sends a message that the UK respects all people

Over Christmas, I had the unusual delight of reading short biographies of 989 dead scientists. As a member of the Bank of England's banknote character advisory committee, I was sifting through potential nominees to be included on the new 50 note: the sheer volume of UK scientists, put forward by more than 225,000 members of the public, reflected the enormous contribution our small island has made to international scientific progress over the past few centuries.

Related: Alan Turing to feature on new 50 banknote