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The orientation session was valuable. I enjoyed the background information on Lindau, Mainau, and Countess Sonja Bernadotte.

The interaction with Nobel Laureates will impact my research and future career by influencing the quality of my scientific questions.  During the round table discussions, one student asked how a scientist should approach winning a Nobel Prize. The answer was hard work, a good question, openness to new ideas, and luck. Of these four factors, the importance of a good scientific question will have the most influence on my research. Often as a graduate student the overall impact of research is lost and unfortunately it is sometimes the most important factor. Also, Professor Arber had stated the importance of keeping one’s eyes open for the unexpected. This one piece of advice might open doors for new discoveries, scientific paradigm shifts, and future Nobel Prizes.

I attended all of the lectures for the meeting in which I found all to be valuable. I enjoyed the topics that were not related to my field of research although I was not able to fully comprehend the techniques. The lecture that had the most value for me was Professor Hamilton Smith’s Defining Minimal Life. This topic relates to my research in both molecular biology and microbiology. I am interested in just how few genes are required for life and how many genes are non-essential or artifacts of evolution.

My favorite discussion was the opening round table event. Excellent questions were asked and equally exceptional answers were given by all Nobel Laureates. It was very interesting hearing each one of their thoughts on topics including stem cell research, cloning, and gene therapy but discussion and debate among the Laureates was even more exciting. I attended informal discussions with Dr. Edmond Fischer, Dr. Erwin Arber, Dr. Bert Sakmann, Dr. Torsten Wiesel, and Dr. Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard. The discussion with Dr. Nüsslein-Volhard was the most valuable to me. Her ideas on stem cell therapy and women in science were very interesting.

This meeting was my first international travel and I couldn’t have asked for a more fulfilling trip, both personally and professionally. The contacts I have made with both American and foreign students as well as doctors and Nobel Laureates are endless. The students of the American delegation were all exceptionally bright, ambitious, and established in their research. It was exciting to interact with students from other delegations to discuss their countries, cultures, research, and interests. The international travel experience was invaluable to me. I was able to meet and discuss research with several of the top future scientists not only from America but from all over the world.

The entire Lindau experience was memorable. I was surprised at how friendly and open the Nobel Laureates were. The one-on-one interaction with the Laureates at social events really stands out from all of the other events at the meeting. This experience was truly valuable and unforgettable.

Overall, I was honored to have been able to meet, travel and interact with the American student delegation, the international students, and the Nobel Laureates.  The most valuable part of the trip was to be able to discuss research with the most prestigious scientists and students not only from the US but from the entire world.

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I really liked having the opportunity to meet with the other students ahead of time so that we could get to know each other before traveling.

I learned that the Laureates are truly teachers at heart. They applied themselves with all of their energy and this is the reward that they received. They are passionate about what they do, and want to pass that on to others. This was the most important lesson that I learned from them.

I attended as many informal discussions as I could. Specifically: Gunter Blobel, Robert Huber, Hamilton Smith, and Rudolph Marcus. The insights that I gained included: learning that they are human, they do get frustrated, they do need support and a little bit of luck combined with a lot of hard work and determination. I learned that they are teachers at heart who truly want to inspire others to be passionate about their work.

I feel that I made friends with almost the entire American delegation, and with a number of international students. I was able to pick the brains of some students doing things that have always been interesting to me, but are outside of my field. And vice versa, in that some people were picking my brain about my research, an area in which they had little experience. The international travel experience was invaluable. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to meet other students and "talk shop."

Overall I had a wonderful time. I am very fortunate to have had this opportunity and I thank the DOE for providing it. I believe that the most important lesson that I learned is that the Laureates are scientists just like the rest of us, and any one of us is capable of winning the same award. And based on the students that I met, I truly believe that some of us will be on up on that stage in the future.

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I found the orientation in Washington to be surprisingly useful and interesting. I lived in Germany for a year as an undergraduate, and therefore expected most of the information to be familiar. However, the historical and political information was a nice reminder and the anecdotal information (from years past, for example) was both entertaining and useful. Meeting the other students and organizers before departing for Germany was also a nice experience. It gave us the opportunity to get to know each other before arriving at the conference and meeting the other 500 students in attendance. 

The Lindau meeting has proven to be a truly unique experience in my career as a scientist and as a student. This week was unprecedented in the number of brilliant scientists and students who I had the privilege of interacting with. The ideas that the discussions generated, the potential for collaboration that was developed with other students and the inspiration of meeting the most brilliant minds in science will stick with me for many years as I set off to begin my own career.   

I attended all of the laureates' lectures during the week. All of them were interesting in one regard or another. Prof. Cooper's lecture was of particular interest to me as he is an accomplished theoretical physicist whose research has more recently shifted to neuroscience. I found myself throughout the week contemplating the ways in which an experimental physicist such as myself could contribute to similar fields. 

The informal discussions were a great part of the meeting. I tended to move around some and listen to different discussions. I found the discussions with Prof. Smith to be particularly interesting due to the historical, moral and cultural significance of his work. Genomics, particularly human genomics, is a field that will, for obvious reasons, continue to attract the attention of scientists, politicians and lay citizens alike. It was fascinating to be a part of a discussion with one of the main contributors to and founders of the field.       

The inevitable fate of science has already come for most fields. Science is no longer the work of one person locked in a laboratory with a simple instrument and a bit of data. Science is an internationally collaborative effort where everyone is working towards advancement and everyone shares their successes. The most successful scientists of the future will take advantage of interaction with colleagues from around the world. This meeting in Lindau has given all of us who attended the opportunity to begin these interactions.      

I found attending the 53 Tagung der Nobelpreistrager to be a truly rewarding experience. The disciplines represented this year, Physiology and Medicine, created a particularly inspirational environment for me. I am a physics student with a strong interest in the biological, physiological and medical applications of my field. The presentations and discussions at this year's meeting gave me tremendous insight into the countless opportunities for the interaction of these disciplines. In addition, I made new friends whose interests spanned all fields. I learned a great deal from our conversations, I was inspired by their ideas, and I anticipate our collaboration in the future. 

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I was able to get excellent insight to how successful scientists think about science, and more importantly I was able to meet scientists and students from around the world.

The private meals with the Laureates were most valuable and gave me insight into how their careers have affected their lives, and their philosophies on science.

I gained several new friendships with American and international students. No direct collaborations came from the meeting, although I did make several contacts that may result in future collaboration. The opportunity to experience a different culture and to meet with scientists from around the world truly expanded my point of view.

The experience was unbelievable, and I would highly recommend that the program be continued. The friendships I made and the things I learned will continue with me throughout my career.

I thought the most useful subject in the orientation was the history of the meeting itself. I had not heard of this meeting before being asked if I wanted to apply, so it was very valuable to me to understand the meeting better by placing it in its historical and scientific context. I feel that we got to know each other much better, and formed more lasting friendships as a result, because we traveled over as a group.

I attended all of the lectures. As I am not a biologist by training, the lectures that had the most value to me were those which presented their material at a level that both gave me insight into the styles of thought involved in biological research, and allowed me to appreciate the scientific content of their research. I particularly enjoyed the lecture by Prof. Cooper, as I am also a theoretical physicist, and was intrigued by his use of a physicist's mental tools in the field of neurobiology.

I attended the discussion sections of Prof. Cooper and Prof. Neher. I found Prof. Cooper's discussion section to be very interesting, for the same reasons I found his lecture to be very interesting.

I enjoyed very much the chance to speak with students from a wide variety of backgrounds, both in terms of research and nationality. I think it is invaluable for American students to talk to international students, because the systems of education and the expectations of the students are very different, and as the community of science is an international one, it is vital to our careers to understand foreign systems as well as our own. I also think it is invaluable for scientists to gain a familiarity with fields beyond their own specialty. Currently, interdisciplinary research is forming a larger and larger part of cutting edge science, and it is detrimental for us to hide in the comfortable confines of our own labs. Opportunities for a physicist to talk to a wide variety of chemists and biologists are pretty slim, and I enjoyed this rare opportunity very much.

This was a wonderful experience, and I was very happy to be a member of the American delegation.

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I think the most useful topics covered during the orientation session concerned the organization and structure of the DOE and ORISE. I was unfamiliar with the programs within the Department and found the introduction useful and interesting. I thought is was very important that the group met in Washington and traveled together to Europe. I think that it would have been awkward to have been thrust into the meeting and into a foreign country without having spent time with any of the other students.

As horrible as it sounds, it made me happy to learn that the Nobel Laureates weren't enlightened beings. It gives me hope that I can make a valuable contribution to science and I think that knowledge will get me through the days in lab when the experiments don't work.

The lecture that had the most value for me was Prof. Blobel's lecture on nuclear organization and trafficking. Although it wasn't directly related to my work, it touched on topics that were relevant and interesting. Since returning I have looked into some of the data that he presented and I will be keeping it in mind for when I get into later stages of my project.

I really enjoyed the informal discussion with Prof. Nusslein-Volhard. Her frankness and honesty were refreshing. It was clear that she, as well as the other Nobel Laureates, were interested in guiding us onto successful scientific paths.

It was enjoyable to be able to interact with other graduate students in a non-educational, non-laboratory environment. The experience of traveling to Germany was invaluable. This trip opened my eyes to the possibility of doing my post-doctorate work in Europe.

I truly enjoyed my experiences with the Nobel Laureates. They were humble, intelligent and quite funny. The international students were really fun to spend time with. I enjoyed learning about the research that they were doing and the perspectives they had of the U.S.

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The orientation session in Washington, DC was very useful in preparing for the meeting in Lindau. I think it was nice to meet everyone in DC and then travel as a group to Europe. I don’t think I would have gotten to know everyone as well as I did without the traveling together experience!

The chance to meet with Nobel Laureates was invaluable! It was nice to see that the Laureates were down to earth people, and that with hard work anyone can achieve success. I got a number of good ideas for future research projects which will hopefully allow me to be a successful scientist.

I attended all of the lectures by the Laureates. I got the most out or Dr. Smith’s lecture. I was able to talk with him at a dinner, and discuss some ideas. He liked the ideas and told me I should pursue them! So hopefully, I will get to.

The group of young scientists in which I had the privilege of joining for the trip was composed of people from many disciplines of the sciences. I made numerous new friendships. I hope to keep in touch with each one of them, and hopefully in the future make use of these friendships with collaborations.

This was a trip that I won’t soon forget. I have shared my experiences with all of my lab mates, and many others. I would like to encourage others to apply. I think this is a wonderful experience from many different standpoints.

This is one of my top experiences. The combination of meeting people who have changed the way we live and do science is one I won’t soon forget. I hope to take the excitement from the meeting to put that energy into my studies and future career.

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The orientation in Washington DC was very informative, as most of us were not aware of all the research opportunities available at the DOE.

Meeting the Nobel Laureates was a very inspirational experience for me. It was enlightening to hear their views on the future of science and bioethics. Meeting all these amazing people, seeing how their hard-work and perseverance paid off, really increased my excitement about being in biology and made me eager to return to my own research.

I really enjoyed Christiane Nusslein-Volhard's lecture, as I was able to learn a lot about a model organism and about techniques that I was not very familiar with. I really appreciated the way she presented her research because it made it very easy to follow and understand her thinking process.  

The best part of the meetings was the opportunity to meet and discuss science with students from all around the world. It is very easy to get used to a specific way of thinking. Having those ideas challenged by hearing the different points of views from students from other countries was helpful both on a scientific and personal level. The reception given by the American delegation on the first night was particularly helpful in forming friendships with international students.

I also enjoyed becoming friends with the other members of the American delegation. The research interests in our group were very diverse and it was a good opportunity to learn about research I normally wouldn't be exposed to. On a personal level, it was a fantastic group of people who went to Lindau and I feel thankful to have had the opportunity to meet and become friends with them.

Being chosen to attend this meeting with such a remarkable group of people was a great honor and I am very grateful to the Department of Energy for making it possible for so many of us. Meeting so many Nobel Laureates in a setting where they were so eager to talk to us and so accessible was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I will always cherish my memories from this trip.

The orientation n Washington, DC was organized and well planned. The introduction to the Department of Energy's involvement in basic science research helped my gain insight into the reasons behind the trip. The few slides spent on the introduction to the laureates, the city of Munich and Lindau, and trip overall were helpful in making my time in Germany as productive as possible. The meeting in DC also gave the US students the opportunity to start to get to know each other even before the real trip even began. This also 'primed' the social atmosphere of our group, which made our transition that much easier in a foreign land. The meeting in DC was extremely valuable for the above reasons, but overall was a good way to get the trip started in a non-threatening, non-stressful atmosphere.

Meeting the Nobel Laureates was indeed a treat. I will never forget meeting all of the various laureates, especially seeing how wide their research interests are. Some laureates were focused on similar issues, but as a whole, the group of laureates displayed very detailed knowledge varying from DNA synthesis all the way to neuronal macrobiology. Learning that almost all of the laureates are still active in research, even after reaching the highest academic honor, displays the nature of their true character. Their drive to tackle the unknown will indeed serve as motivation for myself as I continue in my professional career.

I was able to attend all but one of the Nobel lectures, as well as all of the panel discussions. Being a bioengineer primarily focused on the macro-scale mechanics of the human body (especially the cardiovascular system), I found all of the lectures to be very informative in areas I have not much expertise in. The lectures were straight forward and I was able to learn a lot about DNA/RNA sequencing, the human genomics project, as well as the nervous system and how the brain works - all topics from which I entered the meeting with minimal knowledge of. I feel that getting a broad background on all of these subjects will only aid my research in the future as the discovery of basic and clinical phenomena will require a multi-disciplinary approach. The information I took home from the laureates/lectures/discussions will increase my ability to communicate on various different levels, outside of my own research focus.

I was also able to attend the informal discussion with the laureate Prof. Torsten Wiesel, whose primary background is in central nervous system and brain function. This session allowed a variety of students, each with their own primary research focus, to probe the laureates mind on such things as international politics, to specific research questions related to the central nervous system. I came away from these discussions with a more bountiful knowledge of what kind of research is being done on the CNS all around the world.

One of the most important parts of the trip as a whole was the opportunity to get to know so many of best and brightest students the US has to offer. Being together as a group for almost a week and half allowed our group to gel in a manner which I did not expect. I met students from virtually all four corners of the nation, whose own research interests spanned the scientific scale. I gained an appreciation for looking at scientific, social, and even political issues from many different perspectives. The friendships formed at this meeting will no doubt provide for future collaborations, as well as friendships that I am sure will last a lifetime. Along with the US contingent, I was able to meet and chat with students from almost every corner of the world - Israel, Germany, United Kingdom, Sweden, Czech Republic, etc. Being my first time overseas, I experienced a multitude of cultures and backgrounds while in Germany, something which will serve to broaden my outlook on world politics and issues.

I will never forget all of the time spent with the US students as the week in Lindau progressed. Both attending social and scientific events with these students were truly a treat. The common background of academic research we all brought with us allowed our group to identify with each other quickly, providing an excellent atmosphere for networking, and learning.

The trip to Lindau to meet international students and the Nobel Laureates was an experience I will never forget. The friendships formed with the other US students were an unexpected benefit! The drive and success of the laureates will serve to motivate my research for years to come.

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08/05/2003