First Kavli Prizes to be awarded Tuesday, 9 September
9 September 2008 - 9 September 2008
Austria
Seven pioneering scientists who have transformed human knowledge in the fields of nanoscience, neuroscience and astrophysics will receive the first Kavli Prizes, awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, on 9 September, 2008 . The prize in each of the three scientific areas consists of one million dollars; each laureate also receives a gold medal and a scroll. The award ceremony takes place at Oslo Concert Hall and will be hosted by Åse Kleveland, artist and former Minister of Culture.
The gold medal carries the portrait of Fred Kavli, the Norwegian-American engineer who initiated these new science awards. The Kavli Prize was established in 2005 as a joint venture between The Kavli Foundation, the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. The Academy selects the laureates on the basis of recommendations from three international prize committees.
Seven laureates The President of the Academy, Ole Didrik Lærum, announced the names of the first Kavli Laureates in May. The astrophysics prize was awarded jointly to Maarten Schmidt of the California Institute of Technology (USA) and Donald Lynden-Bell of Cambridge University (UK). Louis E. Brus of Columbia University (USA) and Sumio Iijima of Meijo University (Japan) share the nanoscience prize. The neuroscience prize goes to three scientists: Pasko Rakic of Yale University School of Medicine (USA), Thomas Jessell of Columbia University (USA) and Sten Grillner of the Karolinska Institute (Sweden).
Celebration of science The award ceremony will be attended by the Kavli Prize laureates; His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway; Fred Kavli, founder of The Kavli Foundation; Ole Didrik Lærum, President of the Academy; Reidun Sirevåg, Secretary General of the Academy; Tora Aasland, Norwegian Minister of Research and Higher Education; the Kavli Prize committee chairs; and approximately 900 scientists and guests from around the world.
Before coming to Oslo to receive the prize, Kavli Prize-winner Sten Grillner will appear as a featured speaker at the prestigious British BA Festival of Science. His lecture, entitled “The Logics of Networks in Motion – from Genes to Behaviour,” will be given on 6 September, the opening day of the festival at the University of Liverpool.
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As part of the Kavli Prize Week in Norway, many other internationally acclaimed scientists from the fields of astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience will give lectures in Oslo, Trondheim and Stavanger from the 8th to the 12th of September. Scheduled events include popular-science lectures, scientific symposia and the prize winners' lectures. More details about the events can be found here: http://www.kavliprize.no/nyheter/vis.html?tid=39532(opens in new window)
Video from the Kavli Prize Ceremony 2008
The Kavli Prize Ceremony will be broadcast LIVE on the WEB on 9 September beginning at 14:00 in Oslo (GMT + 1, or 8:00 a.m. in New York). This high-quality Webcast may be viewed at www.kavliprize.no.
A short video news story about the Kavli Prize Ceremony will be available to download a few hours after the event concludes. The news segment will also be formatted for traditional television.All events, including the award ceremony, lectures and symposia, are open to members of the media. Prior to the ceremony on September 9, there will be a press briefing at 11:15 a.m. in Oslo Concert Hall with the Kavli Prize Laureates, Fred Kavli, Tora Aasland (Norwegian Minister of Education and Research) and Ole Didrik Lærum (President of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters).
Press contacts
Anne-Marie Astad, Information Officer
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
E-mail: anne.marie.astad@dnva.no
Phone: +47 22 12 10 92
Mobile: + 47 41 56 74 06
Thor Viksveen
E-mail: thor@viksveenconsult.no
Phone: + 47 22 20 69 11
Mobile: + 47 90 87 13 68
Jim Cohen, Director of Communications
The Kavli Foundation
Phone: (805) 278-7495 (US)
E-mail: cohen@kavlifoundation.org
The gold medal carries the portrait of Fred Kavli, the Norwegian-American engineer who initiated these new science awards. The Kavli Prize was established in 2005 as a joint venture between The Kavli Foundation, the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. The Academy selects the laureates on the basis of recommendations from three international prize committees.
Seven laureates The President of the Academy, Ole Didrik Lærum, announced the names of the first Kavli Laureates in May. The astrophysics prize was awarded jointly to Maarten Schmidt of the California Institute of Technology (USA) and Donald Lynden-Bell of Cambridge University (UK). Louis E. Brus of Columbia University (USA) and Sumio Iijima of Meijo University (Japan) share the nanoscience prize. The neuroscience prize goes to three scientists: Pasko Rakic of Yale University School of Medicine (USA), Thomas Jessell of Columbia University (USA) and Sten Grillner of the Karolinska Institute (Sweden).
Celebration of science The award ceremony will be attended by the Kavli Prize laureates; His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway; Fred Kavli, founder of The Kavli Foundation; Ole Didrik Lærum, President of the Academy; Reidun Sirevåg, Secretary General of the Academy; Tora Aasland, Norwegian Minister of Research and Higher Education; the Kavli Prize committee chairs; and approximately 900 scientists and guests from around the world.
Before coming to Oslo to receive the prize, Kavli Prize-winner Sten Grillner will appear as a featured speaker at the prestigious British BA Festival of Science. His lecture, entitled “The Logics of Networks in Motion – from Genes to Behaviour,” will be given on 6 September, the opening day of the festival at the University of Liverpool.
- " -
As part of the Kavli Prize Week in Norway, many other internationally acclaimed scientists from the fields of astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience will give lectures in Oslo, Trondheim and Stavanger from the 8th to the 12th of September. Scheduled events include popular-science lectures, scientific symposia and the prize winners' lectures. More details about the events can be found here: http://www.kavliprize.no/nyheter/vis.html?tid=39532(opens in new window)
Video from the Kavli Prize Ceremony 2008
The Kavli Prize Ceremony will be broadcast LIVE on the WEB on 9 September beginning at 14:00 in Oslo (GMT + 1, or 8:00 a.m. in New York). This high-quality Webcast may be viewed at www.kavliprize.no.
A short video news story about the Kavli Prize Ceremony will be available to download a few hours after the event concludes. The news segment will also be formatted for traditional television.All events, including the award ceremony, lectures and symposia, are open to members of the media. Prior to the ceremony on September 9, there will be a press briefing at 11:15 a.m. in Oslo Concert Hall with the Kavli Prize Laureates, Fred Kavli, Tora Aasland (Norwegian Minister of Education and Research) and Ole Didrik Lærum (President of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters).
Press contacts
Anne-Marie Astad, Information Officer
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
E-mail: anne.marie.astad@dnva.no
Phone: +47 22 12 10 92
Mobile: + 47 41 56 74 06
Thor Viksveen
E-mail: thor@viksveenconsult.no
Phone: + 47 22 20 69 11
Mobile: + 47 90 87 13 68
Jim Cohen, Director of Communications
The Kavli Foundation
Phone: (805) 278-7495 (US)
E-mail: cohen@kavlifoundation.org
Keywords
International Prize