Lindau Meeting of the Nobel Laureates in Chemistry (Chris)

Traditional Bavarian Dance

First Panel Discussion on Climate Change

Nobel Laureate Mario Molina

Countess Bettina Bernadotte and E.U. Commission President José Manuel Barroso

Two weeks ago, I attended a meeting of 23 Nobel Laureates and about 600 young researchers in all fields of chemistry (or in other fields closely associated with chemistry) on the beautiful German island of Lindau on the eastern edge of the Bodensee, which borders Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. This annual meeting, which rotates between the disciplines awarded the Nobel Prize, is chaired by Countess Bettina Bernadotte, who hails from her personal island, the Isle of Mainau, on the western edge of the Bodensee. The meeting also attracted political figures, including Commission President of the European Union José Manuel Barroso, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, and Kapil Sibal, Indian Minister of Science and Technology. The meeting was comprised of lectures by the Nobel Laureates, Q&A sessions with the Laureates, and two panel discussions on Climate Change, with the second including figures such as Nobel Laureate Mario Molina and the polarizing Danish economist Bjorn Lomborg. The second panel discussion took place on Countess Bettina’s own beautiful Isle of Mainau. I stayed up late every night having good (and sometimes rather heated) scientific discussions with chemists from all parts of the globe, and left the meeting with a broadened perspective. I immensely enjoyed my interactions with other attendees, but was admittedly very happy to see Holly and Daisy again in our beloved Munich. Although the meeting in Lindau was very inspiring, there’s nothing like being with my favorite people in my favorite city in the world.