June 29/30 | July 1 | July 2 | July 3 | July 4 | July 5
Daily Trip Report: 2007 Lindau Meeting
Opening Ceremony: July 1
Kee Chan meets student delegates from India prior to the Opening Ceremony.
Gabriel Eichler and a Russian student talk about their research before the Opening Ceremony.
The day began with an orientation at each hotel and an overview of the day’s upcoming events. The students registered for the meeting and then spent a couple of hours prior to the opening ceremony exploring the cobblestone streets, historical buildings, harbor, and walking trails on the island of Lindau. Some students rented bicycles and biked the short distance to Bregenz, Austria and had lunch there.
In the afternoon, students dressed up for the Opening Ceremony of the 57th Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Graduate Students. Held in the Inselhalle conference center, the ceremony brought all 568 students from 62 countries together with the laureates and guests of the meeting.
Countess Sonja Bernadotte, wearing her trademark fashionable hat, officially opened the meeting with her welcome address. While on the dais, she introduced the attending laureates and also presented the Lennart Bernadotte Medal to Michael Sohlman, Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation from Sweden.
Petra Meier to Bernd-Seidl, the Mayor of Lindau, also welcomed the students, remarking on the importance of science to the world population.
A panel discussion on science and humanities followed, presented by:
- Professor Otfried Höffe of Eberhard-Karls University in Tübingen, Germany
- Dr. Fotis Kafatos, President and Chairman of the Scientific Council of the European Research Council in Brussels, Belgium
- Lord Rees of Ludlow, President of the Royal Society of London
- Professor Peter Strohschneider, Chairperson of the German Science Council of Cologne, Germany.
The ceremony ended with Countess Bettina and Count Björn presenting flowers to the young musicians who provided the classical musical interludes to the ceremony.
Later that evening, the American students gathered at the Restaurant am See next to the Inselhalle for a networking meeting attended by more than 100 students from other delegations. As the hosts of this meeting, the U.S. delegation interspersed with the international students for a stimulating evening of conversation about culture, education, and science in different countries. Other students attending the event were from the delegations of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Pakistan, Israel, Germany, China, Russia, Spain and France.
Also see photos from the student networking session on Sunday.
Eric Steen, Josh Dillon, Daniel Lutterman, Jared Minkel, Scott Melton, and Diego Martinez take their seats before the Opening Ceremony begins.
Beverly Piggott, Cara Lubner, and Carlos Cela enjoy watching the dignitaries assemble at the front of the auditorium.
A young violinist provides a musical interlude.
Countess Sonja Bernadotte welcomes all of the Lindau Meeting's participants.
Caitlin Woodruff, Joyce Lin, and Kate McClellan listen to the remarks of Countess Sonja.
The Opening Ceremony featured a roundtable discussion on science and humanities.
Jacqueline Sayyah and Susanna Thon listen intently to the roundtable discussion.
Carlee McClintock takes advantage of the Lindau Meeting "Internet Café" to e-mail friends and family.
