Nobel Conference at Gustavus Adolphus College has been a proud and unique tradition for nearly fifty years. The conference began in 1963 when 26 Nobel Laureates gathered on campus for the dedication of the Nobel Hall of Science as the first memorial in America commemorated to Alfred Nobel.
President Edgar Carlson and other College officials attended the Nobel Foundation and received permission to hold an annual science conference under the Nobel name.
The conference is well known for hosting scientists, theologians, and ethicists that discuss in-depth topics from the fields of science to society.
Scientists at Nobel Conference discuss their discoveries and expertise in physics, chemistry, biology, and multidisciplinary studies to audiences that go far beyond campus boundaries. Students throughout campus have made sure to get their tickets and are excited to experience what the conference has to offer.
“Of course I got a ticket. I think it is important for students to attend the conference because we have some of the top researchers coming to a small liberal arts college to talk to us about the prevalent issues in modern science,” Junior Biology Major Sam Leske said.
Faculty and staff are also pushing for a larger audience of students to attend the conference and benefit from the vast amount of knowledge that Gustavus brings in to campus during this time.
“This is a very unique opportunity for students. We try in various ways to get students excited about it. It’s a great way to talk to Nobel Prize winners, and you don’t get that at some schools. Every student should feel like they can benefit from the sessions,” Former Director and Professor in Physics Charles Niederriter said.
Topics over the past years have varied from oceans to economics of food and even aging. At the 50th Nobel Conference, Gustavus will celebrate a half century of breakthrough science by inviting previous Nobel Conference participants to look at advances and future directions of their field of studies.
“We wanted to do something to commemorate fifty years of the Nobel Conference. We wanted people to come back and talk about what the next big things in their discipline are. There are eleven speakers, and they were chosen mostly from a survey sent to previous audience members that voted for their favorite speakers to come back,” Associate Professor in Chemistry and Director of Nobel Conference Scott Bur said.
The history of the conference and its newer developments will be celebrated and discussed October 7 and 8, 2014.
The academic procession and opening ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. on Oct 7. The first session starts at 10 a.m., followed by an exploration of art at the Hillstrom Museum of Art.
At 6:30 p.m., there will also be a presentation on past Nobel conferences titled, ‘Remembering 50 Years of the Nobel Conferences.’ The conference will also have musical entertainment on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
On the Oct. 8, the third session starts at 10 a.m., followed by session four at 1:30 p.m.
During the closing of the conference, Nobel Banquet: “Reflection and Reminiscence” will take place at 6:30 p.m. followed by the final words of the fiftieth conference by Freeman Dyson at 7:30 p.m.
Gustavus students and faculty may attend the Conference at no cost. Tickets can are available through gustavustickets.com and are required for admission to the lectures. The Conference will also be streamed for online viewing.
-Haley Bell