It always comes down to trust. In science, trust can be expressed in various ways, like economical funding, time to test a hypothesis or emotional backing. Trust is key when the outcome is not guaranteed. How can science build a society, if there is no trust?
Science communicators Vivienne Parry and Adam Rutherford gathered all the Kavli Prize Winners 2024 for a conversation on research, science and trust at The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
Present in the Tapestry Hall at The Academy:
David Charbonneau, (Canada/USA), Harvard University
Sara Seager (Canada/USA), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Armand Paul Alivisatos (USA), University of Chicago
Robert Langer (USA), Koch Institute of Integrative Cancer Research, MIT
Chad Mirkin (USA), Northwestern University
Winrich Freiwald (Germany/USA), The Rockefeller University
Nancy Kanwisher (USA), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Doris Tsao (USA), The University of California, Berkeley
About
Vivienne Parry is a British writer and broadcaster and counts as an institution for science journalism in Great Britain. She is a scientist by training and connected to a broad public fan base as a health writer and as host for documentaries and medical programs for BBC Radio 4.
She has been a board member of UK Research & Innovation, responsible for the strategic spend of the UK’s £7 billion research budget. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2011.
Parry is a keen gardener, and during the first lock down she produced a daily bouquet of flowers for her followers on Instagram.
Dr. Adam Rutherford is a British science communicator for The Gardian, BBC Radio 4 and an audio-content editor for Nature. He has developed science documentaries and written books related to genetics and the origin of life.
Rutherford has a PhD in genetics from the University College London (2002). He did research for his degree at UCL Institute of Child Health at Great Ormond Street Hospital supervised by Jane Sowden.
The Kavli Prize is a collaboration between The Kavli Foundation (US), the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
The Kavli Prize was founded by physicist, civil engineer, and entrepreneur Fred Kavli (1927-2013).
The prize honors scientists for breakthroughs in astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience: the biggest, the smallest, and the most complex.
Three prizes of one million dollars each are awarded every other year in each of the three fields Read more about the Kavli Prize here: www.kavliprize.org
Credits
The Kavli Laureate Interviews was filmed by Gyro AS during the Kavli Prize Week 2024.
Photos during the Kavli Prize Week by Thomas B. Eckhoff.
Design elements by Svai.
Text and graphic design by Unni Irmelin Kvam / The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
00:00:00 Welcome by Adam Rutherford and Vivienne Perry
00:01:00 One line introduction of the Laureates
00:01:07 Sara Seager (Astrophysics)
00:01:15 Chad A. Mirkin (Nanoscience)
00:01:27 Robert S. Langer (Nanoscience)
00:01:41 Armand Paul Alivisatos (Nanoscience)
00:01:55 Doris Tsao (Neuroscience)
00:02:03 Nancy Kanwisher (Neuroscience)
00:02:10 Winrich Freiwald (Neuroscience)
00:02:17 David Charbonneau (Astrophysics)
00:02:25 The biggest – Astrophysics
00:15:08 From the biggest to the smallest – Nanoscience
00:29:48 How do we perceive the world? – Neuroscience
00:37:57 Science communication
00:43:20 Fraying of trust with science
00:48:25 Mentorship
00:53:48 Advice for young scientists
00:58:47 Closing remarks
