California Nobel Prize Centennial Symposium, 2001
Exploratorium, San Francisco
Friday, October 26, 2001, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Presented by the Exploratorium, and the Consulates General of Sweden in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre

To mark the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize, the Exploratorium is hosting a rare event —an all day symposium with over a dozen Nobel Laureates in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine and other disciplines. The symposium is organized by the Exploratorium and the Consulates General of Sweden in Los Angeles and San Francisco, with the cooperation of Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UCSF, Lawrence Livermore Lab, and KQED-TV, and takes place on Friday, October 26, from 9-5, at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, next to the Exploratorium. The Nobel Prize is the best known and most prestigious award in science, and California's universities and research institutions claim more Nobel laureates than any state or country in the world. This symposium is one of three in California; the other two take place at Caltech and UCLA on October 24.

The Exploratorium symposium will explore the impact of the Nobel Prize on the fields of science, literature, economics and peace from the personal and professional perspectives of laureates. Other sessions will include a discussion of Alfred Nobel, his historic will and the rigorous award selection process; excerpts from an upcoming documentary on the Nobel centennial; and a round table of high-school students posing questions to Nobel laureates. The day will end with a reception in the Exploratorium and a chance to meet some Nobel Laureates in person. Ticket prices are $25, General Admission; $15, Students and Exploratorium members. The price includes refreshments, box lunch, and reception at the Exploratorium. For tickets and reservations, call 415-561-0308 or email reservations@exploratorium.edu

The California Nobel Prize Centennial Symposium schedule at the Exploratorium is as follows*:

Schedule
8:15-9:00 Doors open. Coffee, juice and pastries
9:00-9:15 Welcome & Introductions by Consul General of Sweden, Barbro Osher, Mistress of Ceremonies

9:15-10:45 The Impact of the Nobel Prize in Science
Four Nobel laureates from four Northern California institutions will speak about the Nobel prize, the work they did to earn it and the impact of the prize on their own lives and on their fields of study. Confirmed speakers include Paul Berg (Stanford University, Chemistry 1980), Michael Bishop (UCSF, Medicine 1989), Milton Friedman, (Hoover Institution/Stanford University, Economics 1976), and Donald Glaser (UC Berkeley, Physics 1960).

10:45-11:05 Break

11:05-12:35 The Nobel Prize History, Institutions & Process
Participants will describe the history of the Nobel Prize, the institutions which have responsibility for the respective awards, and the nomination and selection process. The panel will include Knut Vollebaek, the Norwegian Ambassador to the United States, Kerstin Eliasson, the Scientific Counselor, Swedish Embassy, Washington D.C., and Nils Ringertz, Director of the e-Nobel Museum in Stockholm. Author and award winning Los Angeles Times science writer and columnist K.C. Cole will moderate.

12:35-1:30 Lunch

1:30-3:00 Nobel Centennial Documentary Film, Nobel Laureates Commentary and Reflections
Bonnie Cohen, filmmaker from KQED and moderator, will screen preview short selected segments from "The Nobel: Vision for Our Century," a documentary produced by KQED-TV in San Francisco for the Centennial. The film includes 11 laureates and segments will include conversations with Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel (1986) and Desmond Tutu (1984) on the social responsibility of scientists; and Literature Laureate Nadine Gordimer (1991) reflecting on Madame Curie (Physics 1903, and Chemistry 1911) and women's role in science. Following the film segments, a panel of three Laureates will speak about the Nobel Prize from their own personal perspectives, describing the impact of the Prize on their own careers and lives. Speakers include: Paul Boyer (UCLA, Chemistry 1997), Stephen Chu (Stanford University, Physics1997), Daniel McFadden (UC Berkeley, Economics 2000), and Douglas Osheroff (Stanford University, Physics 1996).

3:00-3:20 Break

3:20-4:50 Top High School Students Interview Laureates
A group of high school students will interview a panel of Nobel Laureates. The student group includes winners of the statewide Essay Contest on the Nobel Prize, conducted by the California Science Center of Los Angeles. It will also include representatives of the COSMOS program, the California State Summer School in Science & Mathematics, which will receive scholarship funds form the Centennial.

Laureate participants include Baruch Blumberg (NASA-Ames, Physiology/Medicine, 1976), Kary Mullis (Chemistry 1993), Martin Perl (Stanford University, Physics 1995), Burton Richter (Stanford University, Physics 1976), and William Sharpe (Stanford University, Economics 1990).

The student's prepared questions, developed with assistance of the planning committee and the moderator, K.C. Cole, will underscore how the work of the Laureates can change society and our everyday lives. They ask what large problems and issues might be addressed by future Nobel Laureates, and why science needs to attract young people to its professional ranks.

4:50-5:00 Closing remarks by Exploratorium Director, Dr. Goéry Delacôte, invitation to the Exploratorium exhibits and reception.

5:00-6:30 Reception at the Exploratorium.

* Nobel participants subject to change.