News from Nobelprize.org
August 31, 2007
"You don't have to be a genius to understand the work of the Nobel Laureates." So says the introduction to the Educational Games section of Nobelprize.org, where earlier this week we released a new game designed to explain the discoveries behind Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta's 1963 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Their work helped pave the way for today's plastics industry, and just like the 27 other games we have freely available, this new addition aims to convey the essential facts in entertaining ways, enabling players to understand Nobel Prize-awarded work while having fun.
Games are just one of the many possibilities Nobelprize.org offers to help visitors better understand the work that leads to the Nobel Prizes. Below we present a smorgasbord of some of these different types of offering, ranging from animated presentations and kids' videos to scholarly essays and descriptions in the Laureate's own words. Sampling the range of levels and styles will hopefully help you find the format that suits your own needs best.
As always, please let us know what you think of the materials you find on Nobelprize.org by writing to us at editor@nobelprize.org.
Adam Smith
Editor-in-Chief |
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DUCK SOUP
Learn how plastics (and plastic ducks!) are made from a soup of raw materials in combination with the right catalysts by playing our new game based on Ziegler and Natta's Nobel Prize-awarded discoveries.
Play the game » |
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JUST SAY NO!
If you're still in the mood for fun, watch as Nobel Laureate Ferid Murad steps out of the TV to explain why "NO" can be good for you.
Watch the video » |
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E=mc2
We all know the equation, but how does matter actually give rise to energy? This example of one of our illustrated presentations leads you through the basics of Einstein's famous theory of 1905.
Take a look » |
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A CUTTING JOB
In recent times, we've been making slide shows, based on the posters produced by the Nobel Prize-Awarding Institutions, that tell the stories behind each year's science prizes. These date back to 1988 for Physics and Chemistry, and to 1992 for Medicine. The explanation of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, awarded for studies on protein degradation, provides a sample.
Watch the show » |
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GAME THEORY IN A NUTSHELL
Press releases started to be produced in the 1970s (or 1969 for Medicine, which was first to move in this direction), and act as a good jumping off point for the more recent Nobel Prizes. See this succinct description of the 2005 Economics Prize awarded to Robert J. Aumann and Thomas C. Schelling".
Read the press release » |
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"THE RIGHT ROADS TO FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS"
Prior to the introduction of press releases, solid introductions to each Nobel Prize are provided by the presentation speeches, delivered during the December Award Ceremonies. Always elegant but often somewhat weighty, as demonstrated by this speech given in 1922 in honour of Niels Bohr by the no less famous Svante Arrhenius.
Read the speech » |
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DISARMING WRITING
The articles section of Nobelprize.org contains both commentaries on the work and impact of Nobel Laureates, and, as in this case, essays by the Laureates themselves. Here Jody Williams, 1997 Peace Prize Laureate, reflects on the wider influence of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.
Read the article » |
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IN THEIR OWN WORDS
For the best view of all, read or listen to the Laureates themselves describing their own work in their Nobel Lectures. Every lecture back to 1901 can be found in text form, and more recent ones can also be viewed as videos, as with the immensely popular 2005 lecture given by Literature Laureate Harold Pinter.
Watch the video » |
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