FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 21, 2006
FY06-36
ORAU Sending Nine Graduate Students to Meet Nobel Laureates
OAK RIDGE, Tenn.—Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is sponsoring nine outstanding graduate research participants to attend the 56th Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students in Lindau, Germany, June 25–30.
Since 1951, Nobel Laureates in chemistry, physics and physiology/medicine have annually convened in Lindau to have open and informal meetings with students and young researchers from around the world. While traditionally, the meetings rotate by discipline annually, this year's event will focus on chemistry.
Participants selected from ORAU’s university consortium members will join 51 other students to represent the United States at the meeting, along with more than 350 other international students from across the world. The other students representing the United States are sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Army, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
All participants will travel to Washington, D.C., for a meeting at DOE headquarters before leaving for Germany on Friday, June 23. On Saturday, June 24, the students will arrive in the historic medieval island city, rich in western European culture, located at the common border of Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Students will attend the opening ceremony for the 56th Lindau Meeting on Sunday, June 25.
Each day, Laureates will lecture on topics of their choice during morning sessions. 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. Therefore, in the afternoons, Laureates will preside over informal sessions exclusively for students. During lunches and dinners, Laureates will join participants at local restaurants for additional informal discussions. Various social events are also on the agenda, including an evening dinner gala, to allow participants to meet attendees from other countries around the world.
On June 30, participants will travel by ferry to the Isle of Mainau for the closing ceremonies at the baroque Mainau Castle, the residence of Swedish patrons the Bernadotte family. The late Count Lennart Bernadotte began the Lindau meetings in 1951. That afternoon, U.S. participants will return to Munich for the flight home or continue traveling through Europe on their own.
A Web site has been set up to post daily information while students are attending the meeting. Each day, photos and a summary of events will be posted. The URL for this year’s meeting is http://www.orau.gov/lindau2006.
The Web site and travel arrangements for these participants are being administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.
Students Sponsored by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)
- Scott Borella, University of Tennessee
- Travis Bray, Auburn University
- Tiffany Epps, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
- January Haile, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- Julia Keller, University of Florida
- Samuel Mugavero, University of South Carolina
- Christine Neipert, University of South Florida
- Ashley Ringer, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Tomekia Simeon, Jackson State University
ORAU is a university consortium leveraging the scientific strength of 96 major research institutions to advance science and education by partnering with national laboratories, government agencies and private industry. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the U.S. Department of Energy.