Nobel Laureates Talk Physics with Brightest Young Scientists at Conference in Lindau, Germany

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 11, 2008
FY08-45

OAK RIDGE, Tenn.—Sixty outstanding graduate research students attended the 58th Annual Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students in Lindau, Germany, from June 29 through July 4. The event featured lectures and discussions on physics.

Continuing a tradition established in 1951 by the late Count Lennart Bernadotte, Nobel Laureates in chemistry, physics or medicine/physiology convene annually in Lindau to conduct open and informal meetings with more than 500 graduate students and junior researchers from around the world. Lindau is also the location for an annual meeting in economic sciences. The third of such gatherings, which will involve 14 Laureates in economic sciences, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus and more than 300 of the world’s best young economists, will take place August 20–23.

The 60 students were sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the National Science Foundation (NSF), Mars, Inc., and Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU).

During this year’s meeting, the Laureates lectured in the mornings on the topics of their choice related to physics and later participated in less-formal small-group discussions with the students in the afternoons and some evenings. The primary purpose of the meeting is to allow participants—most of whom are students—to benefit from informal interaction with the Nobel Prize winners. During lunches and dinners, Laureates joined participants at local restaurants for informal discussions. Various social events also allowed participants to meet other attendees from around the world.

In addition, the participants were able to experience the picturesque island city of Lindau, which is located at the eastern end of Lake Constance, just north of the Swiss Alps. Situated at the common border of Austria, Germany and Switzerland, Lindau is a city with a medieval history and is rich in central European culture.

Photos of events are available on the meeting’s Web site located at http://www.orau.org/lindau/.

The Web site and various other aspects of the event were managed by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE).

Sponsor: DOE

• Jessica Baumgaertel, Princeton University
• Erica Caden, Drexel University
• Jeremy Callner, University of Illinois, Chicago
• Rozmin Daya, Southern Methodist University
• Golda Hukic-Markosian, University of Utah
• Daniel Lascar, Argonne National Laboratory
• Ron Lin, University of California, Los Angeles
• Matthew Meixner, University of Notre Dame
• Edward Nissen, Northern Illinois University
• Christopher Orton, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Frank Petruzielo, Cornell University
• Jason Reppert, Clemson University
• Stephanie Sears, West Virginia University
• Rachel Slaybaugh, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Jason Snyder, Washington University in St. Louis
• Matthew Vannette, Ames Laboratory

Sponsor: NSF

• Alicia Aarnio, Vanderbilt University
• Nicole Brimhall, Brigham Young University
• Jeffrey Carter, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
• Charlie Conroy, Princeton University
• Sean Couch, University of Texas, Austin
• Jessica Evans, New Mexico State University
• Nicholas Guggemos, University of Southern California
• Charlotte Hinkle, The Ohio State University
• Shawn Huston, North Carolina State University
• Sonja Ingram, Temple University
• Yoav Kallus, Cornell University
• Enrique Montano, University of Arizona
• Van Nguyen, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
• Brian Page, Indiana University
• Jill Pinter, Michigan State University
• Ryan Rios, Southern Methodist University
• Amy Roberts, Notre Dame University
• Jessica Schiffman, Drexel University
• Christine Schwerdtfeger, University of Chicago
• Albert Swiston, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Daniel Theis, University of North Dakota
• Zorawar Wadiasingh, Rice University
• Amy Wakim, University of Rochester
• James Younkin, Northern Illinois University

Sponsor: Mars, Inc.

• Dan Maronde, University of Central Florida
• Jonathan Pellish, Vanderbilt University
• Orlando Rios, University of Florida
• Efrain Rodriguez, Los Alamos National Laboratory
• Danilo Scepanovic, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Amber Young, University of Arizona

Sponsor: ORAU

• James Alsup, University of Tennessee
• Kaia Buhl, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
• Rasheen Connell, Howard University
• David Fobes, Tulane University
• Russell Lake, Clemson University
• David Miller, Michigan State University
• Tiffany Pawluk, Southern Illinois University
• Peter Reis, University of North Dakota
• Margaret Shanafield, Desert Research Institute
• Wilson Smith. University of Georgia
• Francisco Sola-Lopez, University of Puerto Rico
• Paul Stokes, University of Central Florida
• Joshua Wickman, University of Delaware
• T. Gavin Williams, University of North Texas

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) is a U.S. Department of Energy institute focusing on scientific initiatives to research health risks from occupational hazards, assess environmental cleanup, respond to radiation medical emergencies, support national security and emergency preparedness, and educate the next generation of scientists. ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities.