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KAUST scientists to attend Nobel Meeting

KAUST Doctoral Students Xiujuan Zhang and Aftab Hussain and Research Scientist Dr. Alberto Casu have been chosen to attend the 66th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting.

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KAUST Ph.D. students Xiujuan Zhang and Aftab Hussain from the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Science and Engineering (CEMSE) Division and research scientist Dr. Alberto Casu from the Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division have been chosen to attend the 66th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetingheld​ from June 26 to July 1 in the German town of Lindau.

The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings have taken place annually since 1951 and bring outstanding scientists of the times together to meet young international scientists. This year, 402 young scientists under 35 years of age from 80 countries who are researching in the field of physics will attend the meeting.

Thirty Nobel laureates are scheduled to take part in the meeting to exchange information, network with and inspire the young scientists. The program features lectures, panel discussions, scientific master classes and poster presentation sessions.

“Attendance at the Lindau Meetings has steadily become more international as part of the continuous expansion of the network of academic partner institutions,” said Burkhard Fricke, professor emeritus for theoretical physics at the University of Kassel (Germany) and coordinator of the 2016 selection process. “This year’s participants represent countries including…the U.S., the U.K., Japan and Germany, as well as developing countries like Bangladesh and Cameroon. 144 academies of science, universities, foundations and researching enterprises were involved in the [candidate] selection process.”

Nobel laureates attending the meeting include Japan’s Takaaki Kajita and Arthur B. McDonald from the U.S., who were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2015 for the discovery of neutrino oscillations. Particle physics will be an important focus of this year’s meeting.

The theme for the meetings is “Educate. Inspire. Connect.” It sums up the commitment of the organizers and attendees—young scientists and Nobel laureates alike—to discuss fascinating areas of science and research, provide scientific food for thought and stimulate debate.

- By Caitlin Clark, KAUST News