Believe in Yourself: Honored U.S. Nobel Laureates’ Message to the Next Generation

Ambassador Barzun together with Nobel Laureates George E. Smith (Physics) and Elizabeth H. Blackburn (Medicine)

U.S. Ambassador Matthew Barzun hosted eight of the American Nobel Prize Winners today for a luncheon in their honor. Present were Nobel Laureates:

• George Smith (Physics),
• Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas Steitz (Chemistry),
• Elizabeth Blackburn,
• Carol Greider and Jack Szostak (Physiology or Medicine) and
• Elinor Ostrom and Oliver E. Williamson (Economics)

Over one hundred guests attended the event, including family and guests of the Nobel Laureates, Swedish Nobel Committee officials, and representatives of academia, business and media.

Speaking to the group, Ambassador Barzun noted that throughout history, 25% of U.S. Nobel Laureates had actually immigrated to the United States from a different country. “What this shows, to me, is not only America’s great history of welcoming people from around the world to our shores, but also America’s commitment to cultivating greatness and providing an environment where, regardless of ethnicity, gender, or background, excellence can flourish.” Ambassador Barzun also said that the work the laureates do builds on President Obama’s call to engage with all sectors of society, noting that eight of the Nobel Recipients had received financial support for their research from the U.S. Government, including the National Institute of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the National Science Foundation, totaling millions of dollars. This tradition of U.S. Government support for basic and applied research has yielded numerous breakthroughs to the benefit of all mankind.

Media are welcome to download and use photos and video of this event from the U.S. Embassy Stockholm Flickr site and special YouTube channel playlist.

For further inquires contact the Public Affairs Section at ph. 08-783-5440.