11 Nobelists Honored in Los Angeles
The Consulate General of Sweden in Los Angeles and the University of California hosted the Sixth Annual Nobel Laureate Dinner at the Getty Center recently. Consul General of Sweden Nina Ersman welcomed the 240 guests that attended the black-tie event that honored the 11 attending Nobel Laureates of California’s more than 100 Nobel laureates awarded the Swedish prize since 1901. Actor David Krumholtz, of the popular CBS “Numb3rs” show, introduced keynote speaker, UC Santa Barbara Nobel laureate Alan J. Heeger. In addition to Dr. Heeger were Rudolph A. Marcus, 1992, Chemistry, Caltech; Kary Mullis, 1993, Chemistry, UC San Diego; F. Sherwood Rowland, 1995, Chemistry, UC; Paul D. Boyer, 1997, Chemistry, UCLA; Louis J. Ignarro, 1998, Physiology/Medicine; Dan McFadden, 2000, Economics, UC; David Gross, 2004, Physics, UC Santa Barbara; Finn E. Kydland, 2004, Economics, UC Santa Barbara; Robert H. Grubbs, 2005, Chemistry, Caltech; and George F. Smoot, 2006, Physics, UC Berkeley.
The gala evening also showcased science and math projects during the reception presented by 18 high school students enrolled in UC’s California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science, known as COSMOS. Former First Lady of California, Gayle Edlund Wilson, who is on the Advisory Board of COSMOS, also made some special remarks.
The California Nobel Laureate Dinner is organized and hosted by the Consulate General of Sweden Los Angeles and the University of California, not only to recognize California’s rich trust of Nobel laureates, but also to highlight the importance of math and science education.#
