Staff Writer- August Von Seth

On Oct. 7th and 8th, students, faculty, and members of the public are invited to attend this year’s Nobel Conference, an annual scientific forum featuring lectures and panel discussions taking place in Christ Chapel. The theme for 2025 is sugar and the different ways scientists understand it. A total of seven speakers will be visiting, all representing various areas of expertise.

One of them is Distinguished McKnight University Professor of Applied Economics and Law at the University of Minnesota, Carlisle Ford Runge, whose lecture takes place on the conference’s second day at 12:30 p.m. His particular focus will be on sugar as an economic commodity.

“I’m going to look at it from the point of view of some principles of economics,” Professor Ford Runge said.

His lecture, “The Economics of Processed Commodity Sugar: Molecules to Markets to Metabolism,” will focus on five points: humanity’s sugar preference, its commodification, its substitutes, its health effects, and how it was produced.

“When sugar is packaged as it is in processed food with fat and salt, it’s almost irresistible. And so the result is that we have serious public health problems that are the consequence of this overconsumption.”

Professor Ford Runge advocates for the implementation of a sugar tax, not only on soft drinks, but also on fast food with high sugar content. Referring to similar measures in other countries, he claims they are proven to “diminish demand for sugar.” Many countries across all continents, including Russia, India, South Africa, and Mexico, currently tax sugary drinks. Some, like Denmark in 2013, have chosen to walk them back, citing economic concerns.

Professor Ford Runge concedes that a sugar tax would disproportionately affect low-income communities, but counters that the same demographic also disproportionately suffers most from sugar-related health conditions. He stresses that this, in combination with other policies such as PSAs similar to those of anti-smoking campaigns, could make a positive impact.

“I want to repeat that the idea of taxing sugar in sweetened beverages or in food is really only one response and it shouldn’t be taken as a solution. You might think of it as a kind of arrow in the quiver of various types of policies that need to be thought through,” Professor Ford Runge said.

Apart from matters of public health and human biology, the lecture will comment on how sugar has affected Dutch, British, and French historical trade routes, arguing that “patterns of tastes and preferences and diets […] have been profoundly affected.”

The Nobel Conference is a tradition that dates back to 1965, when Gustavus Adolphus College faculty received permission from the Nobel Foundation to name the college’s scientific forum after the famous Swedish chemist and inventor, Alfred Nobel. Some years earlier, they had named one of the buildings on campus after a historical figure in honor of Gustavus’ cultural heritage.

“All too often, scientific questions are framed as ‘matters for the experts,’ and the public is not asked to participate. The Nobel Conference is a way of modeling how genuine scientific dialogue should take place by encouraging scientists to speak across their narrow disciplinary boundaries and to do so in a way that is comprehensible to a layperson,” Director of The Nobel Conference Philip A. Voight said in a written message.

Voight compares the conference’s attendance list over the past decades to a “‘Who’s Who’ in intellectual history,” pointing out that over a hundred Nobel Prize Laureates have spoken at the forum. On a personal note, the Director cites the high levels of sugar in most Americans’ diets and how profoundly the substance affects human health as examples of surprising facts he encountered while working on this year’s theme.

“I think students will be very interested in learning more about the role that sugar plays in maintaining health,” Voight said.

Some college professors have opted to include the Nobel Conference in their curriculum by having students attend at least one of its lectures for the purpose of later use or reference in class. One of the students planning to attend as a part of his FTS class is Benjamin Whetstone, a First-year student at Gustavus.

“I think it’s probably a good idea. We don’t get the big lectures here that they do in other colleges and so it would be a good experience for us to learn stuff, get out of our comfort zone, broaden our horizons,” Whetstone said.

He predicts it will be challenging to meaningfully lower his sugar intake in spite of historical ties to slavery. On the topic of reducing sugar consumption at large, he believes that a tax on sugar on soft drinks and fast food would have considerable consequences for some households.

“So many families rely right now on eating fast food meals and they eat it because it is cheap and accessible, and so if you raise the prices—sure, you would maybe try and get better and healthy foods—but it’s also possible people aren’t able to eat as much,” Whetstone said.

According to data accessed through the Tulane University School of Social Work, 23.5 million Americans live in so-called “food deserts,” where access to fresh produce is severely limited. They are often less wealthy and located almost exclusively in rural areas. Populations in food deserts are 55% less likely to have a “good quality diet,” with children experiencing weight increases due to the relatively high costs of fruits and vegetables in the nearest grocery stores.

“Please come to the conference in person. It’s a once in a lifetime (or here at Gustavus, perhaps four times in a lifetime) chance to meet a world leading expert and participate in the discussion by asking questions of the panel. Students can also attend breakout sessions at 12:30 on Tuesday that are hosted by Gustavus faculty members. Check the website for details and show up to support our homegrown experts!” Director Voight said.

The optional registration form for prospective attendees is available on the Gustavus website.