Seven pioneering scientists receive the Kavli Prize
The Kavli Prize winners 2008Seven pioneering scientists who have transformed human knowledge in the fields of nanoscience, neuroscience and astrophysics have become the first recipients of the million-dollar Kavli prizes. The President of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, Ole Didrik Lærum, announced the names of the prize-winners at the Academy in Oslo today, 28 May.
The astrophysics prize was awarded jointly to Maarten Schmidt, of the California Institute of Technology, US, and Donald Lynden-Bell, of Cambridge University.
Louis E. Brus, of Columbia University, US, and Sumio Iijima, of Meijo University in Japan, share the nanoscience prize.
The neuroscience prize goes to three scientists: Pasko Rakic, of the Yale University School of Medicine, US, Thomas Jessell, of Columbia University, US, and Sten Grillner, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.
The laureates were selected for their groundbreaking research that has significantly advanced our understanding of the unusual properties of matter on an ultra-small scale, the basic circuitry of the brain and the nature of quasars.
They are the inaugural recipients of the new Kavli prizes, a partnership between the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, The Kavli Foundation, and the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research.
The prizes will be presented to the Kavli Laureates by HRH Crown Prince Haakon at an award ceremony in Oslo Concert Hall on the 9th of September 2008.
Please see the Prize Winner page for more information.
Norsk versjon: Kavliprisvinnere 2008.
The 2008 Kavli Prize in Astrophysics
was awarded jointly to Maarten Schmidt, of the California Institute of Technology, US, and Donald Lynden-Bell, of Cambridge University, UK, both of whose work underpins our understanding of quasars.
The 2008 Kavli Prize in Nanoscience
was awarded jointly to Louis E. Brus, of Columbia University, US, and Sumio Iijima, of Meijo University in Japan, for their respective discoveries of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots, and carbon nanotubes.
The 2008 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience
was awarded jointly to Pasko Rakic, of the Yale University School of Medicine, US, Thomas Jessell, of Columbia University, US, and Sten Grillner, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, who collectively have deciphered the basic mechanisms that govern the development and functioning of the networks of cells in the brain and spinal cord.
Video clips from the Kavli Prize 2008
On the backgrounds of the Kavli Prizes 2008 (Streaming video hosted by Smartcom):
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock on Astrophysics
Dr Mark Miodownik on Nanoscience
Dr Daniel Glaser on Neuroscience
The Kavli Prize 2008 announcement 28 May chaired by Dr Daniel Glaser: Show webcast (Smartcom
About Fred Kavli and the Kavli Prize (In Norwegian with sub-titles)
More about the videos on the Multimedia 2008 page
