Magic Nobel laureate meeting for young scientists
Once every year, in the midst of the summer, the small city of Lindau, Germany, turns into the centre of intellectual exchange. Dozens of Nobel laureates of a specified discipline are meeting up with hundreds of selected Young Scientists from all around the world. This year, the theme of the 68th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting was Physiology or Medicine - and I was part of it.
As one of nine young scientists from ETH Zurich, I had the chance to exchange ideas with around 600 other young scientists from 84 different countries, and to speak to 39 distinguished Nobel laureates. During an intense programme (running from 7AM until 11PM on most of the days during this week), I joined plenary lectures on the research of Nobel laureates and panel discussions on issues ranging from genetically modified organisms to the problems of journalism and miscommunication. I also enjoyed themed breakfasts and dinners. Discussing my research with so many other scientists (and hearing about their fascinating research, hurdles and failures, milestones and breakthroughs in turn) surely broadened my scientific knowledge, deepened my passion for science and brought me into contact with potential future collaborators and numerous new friends.
Amongst my personal highlights was certainly the Science Walk, in which a small group of about ten young scientists went on a walk with a chosen laureate. In my case, this was the Nobel laureate Randy Schekman who received the prize in physiology or medicine for the investigation of vesicular trafficking. We had an inspiring walk through a vineyard, talked about the perils of publish-or-perish and the challenges of a career in academia. My second highlight was a dinner with Nobel laureate Robert Lefkowitz who received the prize in chemistry for the elucidation of the structure and mechanism of G protein-coupled receptors or GPCRs. Discussing the structural and mechanistic details of receptor activation with him was of particular interest to me as my background lies in structural biology and biophysics.
Exhausting as this marathon of events and encounters was, it is safe to say that this week in Lindau was the best of my life. While I had high expectations coming to Lindau, they were far exceeded. The meeting's format of gathering scientific excellence and allowing for personal exchanges with the Nobel laureates and other participants will always stay with me and shape my future path as a scientist.
Watch a external pageFacebook-interviewcall_made with Daniel Bojar, PhD student in the D-BSSE group of Professor Martin Fussenegger, and Tadahiro Yamashita, former D-HEST Postdoc.