To create greater understanding and appreciation for the contributions of this year's Nobel laureates, Fort Lewis College will host a panel discussion on the impact the award winners have had on their disciplines and on humankind. Refreshments will be served. FLC faculty from different academic disciplines will discuss the research and contributions of six of this year's Nobel laureates and will explain the implications of their work to their disciplines and to humanity. The Nobel Prize was established by Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemical engineer and inventor with a love of English literature and poetry, who is credited with inventing dynamite. The first Nobel Prizes were conferred in 1901.
Laureates receive a cash award as well as a gold medal and diploma.
Chemistry Professor Ron Estler will discuss Zewail's development of femtochemistry, which allows scientists to see the movements of individual atoms during a chemical reaction. Assistant Professor of Biology Clare Beelman will discuss how Blobel's work has contributed to greater understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind several genetic diseases. Associate Professor of Anthropology David Kozac will discuss the work of this humanitarian organization founded by a group of French doctors in the 1970s. The group provides medical assistance to all disaster victims worldwide, regardless of political or national boundaries. Each fearless and self-sacrificing helper shows each victim a human face, stands for respect for that person's dignity, and is a source of hope for peace and reconciliation.