Eric A. Cornell held his Nobel Lecture December 8, 2001, at Aula Magna, Stockholm University. He was presented by Professor Mats Jonson, Chairman of the Nobel Committee for Physics.

Summary: Fundamental ideas behind creating Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in a gas are outlined. Starting with Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, the formation of Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is explained as occurring when the interatomic spacing is comparable to thermal de Broglie wavelength. The conditions for creating BEC in a gas are described, and the necessary ingredients for creating BEC in a gas are listed in an "Ultra Cold Alkali Tool Kit".