“A unique and exciting experience” – IUB students meet Nobel Prize Laureates

From June 26 to July 1, the second extended interdisciplinary meeting took place, which gathered capacities from all the natural sciences for which the Nobel Prize is awarded: Physics, Chemistry and Medicine. This year, the meeting took place in Lindau, Germany. Two IUB students could join the event.

[ Aug 03, 2005]  Almost 600 student visitors had the opportunity to meet about 50 Nobel Laureates and other scientists in order to discuss topical issues, have dinner and even dance with them. In this context students could address the laureates directly while also being able to listen to lectures and panel discussions.

The topics debated, among others, were:

* The history of development of matter, the universe, and life
* Energy supply and global warming
* Biology and medicine after the discovery of the genome

The talks were organized in morning and afternoon sessions. The morning sessions featured “round-tables”, in which 4 or 5 Laureates discussed a specific topic, also answering questions that addressed ethical or general issues. The afternoon sessions were more specialized, and usually students went to those talks that had something to do with their field of interest.

The IUB students Adrian Albert from Romania and Kalina Draganova from Bulgaria were delighted with the meeting. One of the most rewarding and unusual experiences for Albert was the football match organized by the delegation of Chile. About 25 students and scientists from all over the world took part. “The feeling to play football, and then discuss matters of Physical Chemistry over a beer at an Italian restaurant with a truly international group represented a unique and exciting experience”, Albert said.

Meetings of Nobel Laureates in Lindau The world needs dialogue, not just among scientists but also between scientists and the students, transcending political and cultural frontiers and across the generations - not least as a contribution to international understanding and peace. Quote by Johannes Rau, Former President of the Federal Republic of Germany more info »