In mid-November five Nobel Prize laureates will be joined by 80 students from around 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, exploring how science and scientists can most effectively make a positive impact on society. The digital conversations will be woven into a programme streamed for a global audience on 16 November. The event is being organised by Nobel Prize Outreach, the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and the InterAmerican Network of Academies of Sciences (IANAS).
The region does not lack challenges – climate change, inequality, political instability, as well as the devastation caused by Covid-19.
Five Nobel Prize laureates will participate in Nobel Prize Dialogue Latin America and the Caribbean. Chemistry laureates Emmanuelle Charpentier and Bernard Feringa will be joined by physics laureate Saul Perlmutter. Medicine laureates Elizabeth Blackburn and May-Britt Moser will also take part in the discussions.
Eighty undergraduate and graduate students representing almost every country in the region will be invited to discuss issues that include the responsibilities of the scientist, the power of collaboration, strategies for building bridges with policy makers and society in general, and the wider societal implications of all these themes.
“By bringing together young people we aim to inspire the next generation of scientists to work together, both amongst themselves and together with the rest of society, to use science to tackle the big challenges ahead,” says Laura Sprechmann, CEO of Nobel Prize Outreach.
According to Luiz Davidovich, president of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC), “this meeting is a unique and fantastic opportunity for students and young scientists to get to know more about the work and life of some remarkable Nobel Prize laureates. Our goal is to encourage them to pursue the investigation path in science. This is our second event of the kind with the Nobel Prize Outreach and we are now broadening this dialogue to include young scientists in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
Helena B. Nader, co-chair of the InterAmerican Network of Academies of Sciences, also comments on the meeting: “Latin America and the Caribbean face enormous challenges that, to be overcome, demand knowledge and − at a time when anti-science values are present − a commitment to the truth. The construction of solutions to many of the problems we face today, as well as others that will arise, will come from youth. By bringing together talented students to meet with Nobel Prize laureates, we hope to inspire and stimulate the formation of a new generation of scientists, who will play a key role in helping build a better future for the region.”
The event will be open for everyone and will be broadcast on 16 November at 16:00-19:00 GMT/UTC. Read more
Participating speakers include
Emmanuelle Charpentier, 2020 Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry
Bernard Feringa, 2016 Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry
May-Britt Moser, 2014 Nobel Prize laureate in physiology or medicine
Saul Perlmutter, 2011 Nobel Prize laureate in physics.
Elizabeth Blackburn, 2009 Nobel Prize laureate in physiology or medicine
The event will be moderated by Adam Smith, chief scientific officer at Nobel Prize Outreach, and Juleen Zierath, professor of clinical integrative physiology and a member of the Nobel Committee at Karolinska lnstitutet. The event is being organised together with the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and the InterAmerican Network of Academies of Sciences with the kind support from Nobel International Partners 3M, ABB, Capgemini, Ericsson and Scania.