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Claude (Jean) Allègre (born March 31, 1937) is a French geochemist and politician.
Scientific work
Claude Allègre used to work at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (Paris Institute for the Physics of the Globe).
His important scientific work on geochemistry won him:
- the Crafoord Prize for geology,
- the Wollaston Medal of the Geological Society of London,
- the Golden Medal of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
He is a member of:
- French Academy of Sciences, elected member on November 6, 1995.
- United States National Academy of Sciences (foreign associate)
In 1976, Allègre and Haroun Tazieff had a public intense quarrel on whether inhabitants should evacuate the surroundings of the erupting volcano la Soufrière.
Political career
A member of the French Socialist Party, he is better known to the general public for his past political responsibilities, which included being Minister of Education of France in the Jospin cabinet, from June 4, 1997 to March 2000, when he was replaced by Jack Lang. His frequent outpours of allegations against teaching personnel, as well as his reforms had made him increasingly unpopular in the teaching world.