Grace LaTourelle–
“Insects: Little Body, Big Difference” is the topic of the 59th annual Nobel Conference, taking place Oct. 3rd and 4th, 2023. Tuesday and Wednesday will cover the themes: ‘They’re Not Like Us’ and ‘We’d Be Nowhere Without Them’, respectively. To accompany the conference is the book, “Extraordinary Insects” by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson. The conference is free to all Gustavus students and will have opportunities for intellectual discussions, Q&As, and introspections.
The Nobel Conference began at Gustavus Adolphus College in 1965, following the express permission of The Nobel Foundation in Sweden to use the hallowed title. As of today, Gustavus continues to be the only place in the United States authorized to hold a conference under that appellation. The first conference, entitled “Genetics and the Future of Man” has since set a precedent for an intellectually inviting and provoking experience. The Nobel Conference continues to attract thousands of scholars and students and creates a space for scientific debate.
The conference topic is chosen two years in advance by a panel, leaving the ultimate decision to the president. Topics are suggested and decided upon to reflect and represent the vastness of scientific disciplines. “Insects: Little Body, Big Difference” revolves around the complexities of insects and human-insect symbiosis.
The doors will open at 8:30 a.m. each day at the Lund Arena and will begin at 9:15 a.m. with a musical prelude. The event will have a mixture of lectures, panels, and self-guided learning sessions. The closing remarks will end the conference at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday. The full schedule is available online.
Along with panels and presentations, the conference also highlights artistic components. The opening procession will feature a composition by Professor Dave Stamps, composed specifically for this conference and topic. Musical preludes break up the sessions, featuring Gustavus ensembles. There will also be opportunities for student participation, as the conference is partnering with The Moth on Tuesday night.
“…if you’re a storyteller and you have a bug story, prepare your five-minute version to come tell it on the Bjorling stage!” Lisa Heldke, Professor of Philosophy and Director, Nobel Conference explained.
Wednesday the 4th, in Beck Academic Hall, is an exclusive opportunity for Gustavus students to meet the renowned speakers. There will be access to presentations and small groups that will be open for Q&A.
While the conference is a predominantly scientific forum, relations can be made across all fields of academia. Many teachers on campus choose to incorporate Nobel into their curriculums because of the profound impact it has on the class. The lectures will include commentary on philosophy, biology, environmental studies, cultural studies, and psychology as it relates to insects. The 59th conference boasts a panel of notable scientists and professors from across the globe, including Nobel laureate, Dr. Michael Young.
“The conference is such a great learning opportunity for Gustavus students because they have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn from and engage with some of the best minds in the world, who are working on issues that have [a] global impact,” Yurie Hong, Professor of Greek, Latin and Classical Studies said.
Associate Professor, Dr. Julie Lesnik is one of the conference presenters. Her lecture, “Latitude and Attitude: Environmental and cultural impacts on the perception of insects as food”, comes from her background as a biological anthropologist with a minor in environmental studies.
“In some ways, I feel very lucky to be where I am and my favorite definition of luck is preparation meets opportunity,” Lesnik commented in regards to her educational background.
Lesnik’s work focuses on the cultural discrepancies in perceptions of insects, particularly in food. While Western culture predominantly views insects as disgusting, many cultures around the world do not experience this inherent and emotional reaction. This, as Lesnik refers to as a “biological trigger”, is developed from an early age in response to societal norms.
“I primarily study termites and so I have eaten them the most and in the most different preparations,” Lesnik responded.
Lesnik’s work is just one area of study surrounding insects. Insects give way to vast opportunities for research.
“There’s never been a conference on insects, and given their predominance on our planet – 70% of animal species are insects – their importance [for food production, for waste control, and for myriad other ‘ecosystem services’], as well as their fragile state… they are a “natural” topic for a conference,” Heldke commented.
Insects are instrumental to the systems of Earth and society. Pamela Kittelson, Professor of Biology, spoke to the numerous impacts insects have on various ecosystems and areas of development. For example, fruit flies are a model organism (an organism suited for scientific testing) used in science for their ability to be genetically modified.
“In the case of the fruit fly…they’re using it to better understand genetic processes…and how those genes influence everything from what protein gets made to how that protein then affects development or reproduction or…living,” Kittelson said.
The fact is that humans would not exist apart from insects. However, insects would continue on without humans.
“Plants and insects were the very first organisms that were terrestrial,” Kittelson commented. “And then you ask the question, ‘How did we get there in the past 470 million years?’…We got there because plants and insects worked together.”
The Nobel Conference has been and continues to be a significant event socially, culturally, and globally. The concepts discussed provide relevant and developing scientific information in a revolutionary setting.
“That’s what a good liberal arts education is good for and what Nobel exemplifies – the ability to see how one thing over here is connected to another and impacts something else over there,” Hong concluded.
“So by shifting that perspective…by decentering the human…when you step away from that perspective and just look at us as life on Earth along with all the other life on Earth, you start seeing new perspectives,” Lesnik said.