OSLO, NORWAY, AUGUST 20, 2010
His Majesty King Harald will present the Kavli Prize in Astrophysics, Nanoscience and Neuroscience to the eight laureates from the US, Germany and UK at a gala performance at Oslo Concert Hall, Norway, on the 7th of September. The laureates will receive a gold medal, a scroll and a share of the one million US dollars awarded in each of the scientific fields. Artist and former Minister of Culture Åse Kleveland, and the American actor, director and writer Alan Alda will host the award ceremony.
The 2010 Kavli Prize laureates have made discoveries that have dramatically expanded human understanding in the fields of astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience. The chairmen of the international prize committees, Oddbjørn Engvold, Arne Skjeltorp and Jon Storm-Mathisen respectively, will introduce the winners and give a brief account of why they were chosen to receive the Kavli Prize.
King Harald presents the prizes
King Harald will present the Kavli Prize, awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, to the laureates. The Kavli Prize is a partnership between The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, The Kavli Foundation (US) and the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research.
The Kavli Prize in Astrophysics will be presented to Jerry Earl Nelson, Raymond Neil Wilson and Roger Angel for their contributions to the development of giant telescopes that have allowed us glimpses of ever more distant and ancient objects and events in the remote corners of the Universe.
The Kavli Prize in Nanoscience will be presented to Donald M. Eigler and Nadrian C. Seeman for their development of unprecedented methods to control matter on the nanoscale.
The Kavli Prize in Neuroscience will be presented to Thomas C. Südhof, Richard H. Scheller and James E. Rothman for their work to reveal the precise molecular basis of the transfer of signals between nerve cells in the brain. The names of the 2010 Kavli Prize laureates were announced by Nils Christian Stenseth, President of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters on the 3rd of June. Professor Stenseth will also give the opening speech at the award ceremony.
KAVLI PRIZE SCIENCE FORUM
The Kavli Prize Science Forum, to take place at the University of Oslo on the 6th of September, is a new biennial international forum meeting to facilitate high-level, global discussion of major topics on science and science policy. For the inaugural forum, ten global leaders critical in shaping science policy in the US, Europe and Asia will convene to discuss "The Role of International Cooperation in Science".
Jonas Gahr Støre, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway, will make the opening speech. The two keynote speakers are John P. Holdren, Science Advisor to President Barack Obama and Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, the first Secretary General of the European Research Council and now the Secretary General of the Human Frontier Science Program. This will be followed by a panel discussion chaired by Charles Vest, President, US National Academy of Engineering.
The panelists are:
Ralph J. Cicerone, President, National Academy of Science, US
Herbert Jaeckle, Vice President, Max Planck Society, Germany
Kristina Johnson, Under Secretary for Energy, U.S. Department of Energy
Ichiro Kanazawa, President, Science Council of Japan
Yongxiang Lu, President, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Martin Rees, President, The Royal Society, United Kingdom
Nils Christian Stenseth, President, Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
KAVLI PRIZE SYMPOSIA AND LECTURES
As part of the scientific program during the Kavli Prize week there will also be Kavli Prize Symposia in Astrophysics, Nanoscience and Neuroscience in Oslo on the 6th of September. The Kavli Prize laureates will give their lectures at the University of Oslo on the 8th of September.
There will also be two lectures by Bill Bryson in Oslo on the 6th of September. The bestselling American author gives a lecture based on his book "A Short History of Nearly Everything".
For more details about all the events please consult the Kavli Prize web site
http://www.kavliprize.no/
Press contacts:
Anne-Marie Astad
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Phone: + 47 22 12 10 92
Fax: + 47 22 12 10 99
Mobile: + 47 41 56 74 06
E-mail: [email protected]
James Cohen
The Kavli Foundation, USA
Phone: 805-279-7495 (office)
Mobile: 805-616-7988
Email: [email protected]
