Last updated August 1, 2017 at 4:03 pm
We asked a bunch of young scientists who received the Lindau Nobel Laureate Fellowship to be our field reporters at The 67th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings in Germany. In his final report, Andrew writes about his highlights from the visit.
Over the past five days, the 67th Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting has provided some of the most amazing experiences that any young inspired researcher could have. Without doubt, the best highlight of this meeting was listening to 28 Nobel Laureates talk about their research and engage in discussion with them. While some of the Laureates were not quite as expected, most of the laureates gave some very inspirational and engaging talks.
My personal favorite Laureate was Ben Feringa who was most recently awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry, 2016, for his contributions toward the development of molecular machines and molecular motors. His talk titled “The joy of discovery” was presented in such a clear and passionate manner that gained him that title of most popular Laureate of the meeting. The Australian delegation was privileged to have a coffee during the session intervals with Prof Feringa. During this chat we got to know more about Feringa’s life and he was even curious as to what we all do in our own research! He really was a down-to-earth person with a lot of time to engage and inspire the younger generation.
Aussie delegation hanging out with Nobel Laureate Ben Feringa at #LiNo17 @GautamVini @IMBatUQ @Science_Academy @jesspndh @hi_jiang pic.twitter.com/YRjofGQ5hF
— Andrew White (@AndrewWhiteSci) June 27, 2017
Another major highlight of the meeting was the various social events including themed dinners and a day trip to Mainau Island to conclude the week. These events provided the perfect opportunity to both network and socialise with 400 of the young scientists and Nobel laureates at this event. Particularly worth mentioning was the Bavarian night which featured a beer garden ambience with traditional food and drink from the state of Bavaria. The entertainment for the night included a quartet brass band that included a traditional alphorn. This event provided a very relaxed atmosphere and gave everyone a chance to unwind after a very long day of lectures and discussions.
On the final day of the meeting, we were treated to a day trip to the picturesque Mainau Island situated 3 hours from Lindau on Lake Constance. On arrival at the ferry terminal the jaw dropping boat Sonnenkönigin (our transport to the island) greeted us.
The Bavarian night featuring a traditional alphorn.
Admiring the Sonnenkönigin for our journey to and from Mainau Island
Unlike previous days during the week, the weather held out which allowed us to explore the beautiful flower gardens on the island which included some amazing flower structures. The island is also home to Germany’s largest butterfly enclosure and there were a variety of other animals to see.
Sadly, the Island visit also signified the conclusion of the meeting with the final science discussion panel and closing address. However, one last surprise was install for us on the boat ride back. This was a transformation of the Sonnenkönigin into a dance floor, featuring a live band providing the entertainment for the journey back to Lindau. This was the perfect ending to reflect on what has been an almost surreal experience throughout week. Definitely one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life.
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