Features Editor- Eric Hofer

Gordon Parks

1970: Creativity

Gordon Parks was an African American photographer and filmmaker who used his talents to document poverty, racism, and the African American experience. He broke racial barriers as a Black photographer for high-fashion magazines through his work with Vogue and became one of the first major Black Hollywood directors with the release of his semi-autobiographical movie, The Learning Tree. While attending the Nobel Conference, Parks spoke on his relationship with creativity and what it meant to him. Parks was the first person to speak at the conference without holding the title of Doctor or Sir.

Norman Borlaug

1971: Shaping the Future

Norman Borlaug, often referred to as the Father of the Green Revolution, spearheaded agricultural innovations in the mid 1900s, leading to drastic increase in global food production. He’s best known for the development of dwarf wheat, a short and sturdy type of wheat which is often used to support larger grain yields, helping countries such as India and Mexico become more self-reliant on food. This same development would prove central to securing him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. While at the Nobel Conference, Borlaug spoke about what progress has been made in boosting the world food supply, as well as potential future concerns.  

Stephen Jay Gould

1982: Darwin’s Legacy

Stephen Jay Gould was a paleontologist and evolutionary biologist who became one of the most influential popular writers on evolution. He proposed the theory of punctuated equilibrium, which states that species remain stable for long periods of time, interrupted by short bursts of rapid change that create new species. Another concept he proposed was that science and religion occupy separate domains of human interest. At Gustavus, he participated in the Nobel Conference devoted to discussing the legacy of Charles Darwin. 

Oliver Sacks

1994: Unlocking the Brain: Progress in Neuroscience

Oliver Sacks was a neurologist and renowned author, turning several real medical cases into popular stories. His most famous work was Awakenings, which would later be made into a movie of the same name, starring Robin Williams. His writing helped ordinary people better understand brain science and neurological conditions while not sensationalizing the matter. As his work began to gain popularity, Sacks traveled to speak at the Nobel Conference to discuss how neurology, the soul, and art interact with one another.

Harold Kroto

1995: The New Shape of Matter: Materials Challenge Science, 2001: What is Still to be Discovered?, 2014: Celebrating 50 Years of the Nobel Conference: Where Does Science Go From Here?

Harold Kroto was a chemist best known for the shared discovery of fullerenes, a new class of carbon molecules which would later play a crucial role in the emerging field of nanoscience. After this discovery, Kroto went on to create initiatives to help teach science on a global scale. While he attended three Nobel Conferences, the most notable is his first appearance in 1995, where he discussed his discovery of fullerenes. Only one short year later, Kroto went on to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. 

Steven Chu

2007: Heating Up: The Energy Debate, 2014: Celebrating 50 Years of the Nobel Conference: Where Does Science Go From Here?

Steven Chu pioneered methods to utilize laser light to cool and slow atoms down, allowing for easier studying of quantum mechanics, work that later earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997. Chu came to the Nobel Conference in 2007 to discuss the world’s energy crisis and how to solve it. A few years later, he was selected to serve as Secretary of Energy under Barack Obama. In 2014, a year after he had left the position, he came back to Gustavus to speak directly on climate change.