Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the Nobel Conference started in 1965 as a way to create a series of symposiums that promoted the College’s Swedish roots.
In 1963, Alfred Nobel Memorial Hall of Science was dedicated in honor of the Swedish chemist who gave his fortune to reward extraordinary people in the areas of physics, medicine, literature, peace, and chemistry.
During the dedication, Nobel Laureates and College administrators met to discuss bringing an annual science conference to Gustavus. Partnering with Nobel Foundation, Gustavus welcomed the first Nobel Conference, “Genetics and the Future of Man.”
This year’s Nobel Conference will feature speakers from conferences in the past, the earliest being Steven Weinberg from the 1976 Conference, “The Nature of the Physical Universe.” The theme of this year’s conference is “Where Does Science Go From Here?”
Instead of focusing on one specific scientific area, speakers will discuss many topics within the science realm, with topics ranging from climate change to Neanderthals to biomedical engineering.
Be sure to check out at least one lecture this year, to see where the future of science is headed and reminisce about how the Nobel Conference has grown in the past 50 years.
12th Conference:
1976 “The Nature of the Phyiscal Universe
Steven Weinberg – Is Nature Simple?
16th Conference:
1980 “The Aesthetic Dimension of Science
Freeman Dyson- Manchester and Athens
24th Conference:
1988- “The Restless Earth”
W. Gary Ernst – The Pacific Rim: Plate Tectonics, Continental Growth, and Geological Hazards and The Future of the Earth Sciences
30th Conference:
1994- “Unlocking the Brain: Progress in Neuroscience”
Patricia Smith Churchland- Prospects for a Neurobiology of Consciousness
Antonio Damasio– A Neurobiology for Emotion and Reason
31st Conference:
1995- “The New Shape of Matter: Materials Challenge Science”
Harry B. Gray- Engineered Enzymes for Photosynthesis
37th Conference:
2001- “What is still to be discovered?”
Sir Harold W. Kroto- Science: A Round Peg in a Square World
39th Conference:
2003- “The Story of Life”
Sean B. Carroll- Butterflies, Zebras, and Fairy Tales: Genetics and the Making of Animal Diversity
41st Conference:
2006- “Medicine: Prescription for Tomorrow”
Jennifer L. West- Biomimetic and Biofunctional Materials
42nd Conference:
2007- “Heating Up: The Energy Debate”
Steven Chu- The World’s Energy Problem and What We Can Do about It
43rd Conference:
2008- “Who Were the First Humans?”
Svante Paabo- A Neanderthal View of Human Origins
-Erika Clifton