A visit by French Nobel laureates and the Sounds of Science conference

At the end of June we had the chance to get to know three significant figures of world science at close quarters. Nobel Prize winners from France accepted an invitation from the French embassy and the French Institute. Jean-Marie Lehn (who won the prize in 1987 for chemistry), Jean-Pierre Sauvage (who won it in 2016 for chemistry) and Serge Haroche (who won it in 2012 for physics) came to Prague.

Besides a programme packed with lectures at Czech universities, workshops with young hopes of Czech science and the presentation of French embassy awards to talented PhD students, the Nobel laureates became the main stars of the Sounds of Science conference. The aim of the evening was to present to the audience findings from the fields of the honoured scientists in a way accessible to the general public, from grammar school students to researchers. The content of the conference and the lectures is summed up, for instance, in a short article by the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Photo: avcr.cz

The main message of the conference was the idea that basic research needs more support, even though current social and political preference is clearly directed at applied research. But this strategy is very short-sighted, because it is precisely through focused study and description of the world around us that significant discoveries can be made.

The presentations by the Nobel laureates were accompanied by the Prague Philharmonia — PKF with a special "scientific" programme featuring pieces composed by scientists or for scientists. One of the scientists whose composition we could hear during the evening was Petr Cígler, a holder of a Neuron Impuls in chemistry.

The Neuron Endowment Fund gave financial support to this initiative, and as thanks we were given the chance to hold a private meeting between the Nobel laureates and scientists honoured by our fund. Over an informal brunch in the café of the French Institute, everyone taking part had the chance to talk not only about science and research but also to consult on their current projects.

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