3 million dollars in Kavli Prizes announced

The richest prize in science known as the Kavli prize was announced today by the Norwegain Academy of Science and Letters. As reported in The New York Times:

The prizes, one each in astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience, are awarded every other year. This year, eight scientists will share the money, $3 million in all, which comes from the Kavli Foundation, set up by Fred Kavli, a Norwegian-American physicist, entrepreneur and philanthropist.

The astrophysics prize will be split three ways between Jerry Nelson of the University of California, Santa Cruz; J. Roger P. Angel of the University of Arizona; and Raymond N. Wilson, formerly of the European Southern Observatory in Garching, Germany.

The neuroscience prize will also be split three ways, between Thomas Südhof of the Stanford School of Medicine, Richard H. Scheller of Genentech and James E. Rothman of Yale for work on the molecular basis of nervous transmission.

The prize for nanoscience will go to Donald M. Eigler of I.B.M.’s Almaden Research Center in San Jose, Calif., and Nadrian C. Seeman of New York University for developing the ability to indulge in architecture and engineering on the smallest scales imaginable.

The ceremony was streamed live in conjunction with the World Science Festival (WSF), which is taking place in NYC, June 2-6, 2010.

I watched the video streaming and it was so neat to see segments from NYC with those great WSF red chairs as well as from the very elegant ceremony in Oslo. You can view it here.

2010 World Science Festival Events are Announced

Earlier, I wrote in this blog, that the cosmologist, Dr. Stephen Hawking, will be a headliner at the 2010 World Science Festival (WSF), which takes place in NYC June 2-6.

The full lineup of 2010 World Science Festival speakers and commentators has now been officially announced. You may find the list of events and additional information here. This festival is definitely multidisciplinary and it is an extraordinary experience. I wrote about my impressions of it last year, since I was a panelist on Traffic at the 2009 WSF.

One of the events at this year's WSF that especially intrigues me is the one on music with Marvin Minsky of Media Lab at MIT, who is considered the founder of artificial intelligence, and Tod Machover, the composer. Marvin Minsky's daughter is a neighbor of mine in Amherst and, coincidentally, next week I will be at the Media Lab at MIT to speak at the NetSci2010 conference.

I would like to thank Brian Greene and Tracy Day, the organizers of the WSF, for putting together the 3rd WSF and wish everyone who is taking part in it this year a magnificent experience.

2010 World Science Festival -- Guess Who is Coming!

I received this past week a lovely letter from Professor Brian Greene and Ms. Tracy Day, the Co-Founders of the World Science Festival (WSF), that takes place in New York City in late Spring. The 2010 WSF will take place June 2-6, 2010, so save the dates!

Last year, I was an invited panelist on Traffic, along with Drs. Iain Couzin and Mitchell Joachim at the 2009 Festival, with Robert Krulwich of NPR and ABC, as our panel moderator. That event, plus numerous others, associated with the WSF, which focuses on bringing the excitement and wonder of science and discoveries to the public, were just fabulous! I blogged about this fascinating festival on this blog. Below is a photo from the Traffic panel.

The letter from Greene and Day (who are husband and wife, by the way, and a terrific team all-around) announced that Dr. Stephen Hawking, the renowned physicist, of Cambridge University in England, will be taking part in the 2010 WSF's Opening Night Gala Performance on Wednesday, June 2, at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall!

Although Dr. Hawking has suffered for years from Lou Gehrig's disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that affects muscle control) for which he uses a wheelchair and speaks through a computer and voice synthesizer, he remains very active professionally and has given talks around the world. I recall him speaking in China a few years back and was so impressed by his stamina and professionalism, despite his disability, that when an opportunity came to me to speak in China, I had to accept. Dr. Hawking is an incredible scientist and role model.

A quote from Professor Hawking's website: Among the most important people to both Stephen and his work are the PhD students that he supervises. This quote really resonates with me!

The Gala Evening at Alice Tully Hall will also feature Alan Alda (a great supporter of this festival and science), Yo-Yo Ma, and Damian Woetzel, among others. It will be the setting for the world premier of Icarus at the Edge of Time, an orchestral work composed by Philip Glass, with libretto by Brian Greene and David Henry Hwang!

I would like to thank the organizers of the WSF and all the supporters for bringing the wonder and pleasures of science to NYC and the world!