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Early this July, two members of the MPI-IS community were invited to the 73rd Annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting held in Lindau. Andrew Schulz, an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow and postdoctoral researcher in the Haptic Intelligence Department, and Zhijing Jin, a Ph.D. student in the Empirical Inference Department, had the time of their life meeting many inspiring nobel laureates.
The meeting was a platform that brought together hundreds of young scientists and 35 Nobel Laureates, igniting discussions on crucial topics in physics, which can be seen on the extensive program. These ranged from the intricate biophysics of protein folding to the profound solutions to the energy and climate crisis using fundamental science and the field of physics. Young scientists, including graduate students and postdocs, were able to network and learn from lectures, lunches, and panel sessions.
“I really enjoy listening to all the laureates sharing their stories in the scientific journey,” remarked Zhijing Jin. Her enthusiasm for the event was palpable as she spoke about her experiences. “I had a close interaction with Professor Donna Strickland, the 2018 Physics laureate, in a dinner event organized by the Max Planck Society during one of the evenings. Donna serves as a role model for female scientists – smart, confident, and really passionate about her work – and I also hope to be like her one day.”
Zhijing continued, highlighting the broader impact of the meeting: “Not everybody wins a Nobel Prize, but we can always contribute to the well-being of the community that we love.” Another memorable encounter was with Professor Wolfgang Lubitz, a former Director of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion and now the vice president of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings. “What also really impressed me was my chat with Professor Wolfgang Lubitz, who has been dedicated to supporting the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings for 20 years. Now around 75, Professor Lubitz is very energetic and cares about young scientists, which is really encouraging for me to persist in doing community service and mentorship in my own community of AI and NLP.”
“My favorite talk of the meeting was hearing the Heidelberg Lecture by Efim I. Zelmanov, a field medal winner from 1994", says Andrew Schulz. "He discussed the beauty of pure mathematics and the puzzling questions of Group Theory in mathematics. He combined humor and storytelling to weave 18th-century math proofs into modern-day cryptography and machine learning during his talk. As a pure mathematics student at Uni, I remember learning about Efim’s proof in Group Theory, and it was incredible to meet the name behind the proof.”
“During one of the dinners, I could talk with John. C. Mather. He received a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2006 for his work on evidence that background radiation is a remnant of the creation of the universe in the Big Bang. This event was during the Bavarian night when I could wear my Lederhosen, and we spoke about everything ranging from the universe to our favorite card games. It was one of the highlights of my scientific career so far.”