NOBEL CONFERENCE - THE UNIVERSE AT ITS LIMITS

The Nobel Conference is the first ongoing academic conference in the United States to have the official authorization of the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. It is held annually at Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota and links a general audience with the world's foremost scholars and researchers in conversations centered on contemporary issues related to the natural and social sciences. This year, the conference was held October 1 and 2 and explored "The Universe at Its Limits".  They discussed some of the most fundamental questions of science.  What is the universe made of? Where did it come from? Where is it going?  Two busses of students and teachers from the 5 Appleton high schools, Fox Valley Technical College, U. W. Fox Valley and Lawrence University attended the conference. 

Josh Shelley, senior at Appleton West High School, said that this was a valuable experience.  He has been interested in space for the past 3-4 years and this helped give him in depth information.  He enjoyed the ability to interact with the speakers which humanized the field of space.  Speakers spoke face to face with some of the teachers and students which clarified some of the presentations that were given.  The panel discussions showed how the speakers interacted with one another and how they could openly express their opinions.  Josh would like to pursue a career in astrophysics. 

Jake Zaruba, senior at Appleton West High School, expressed how he truly enjoyed this experience and learning about the universe.  He plans to pursue a career in photography but continue to gain knowledge about various topics.  The speakers admitted that they did not know everything and are continuing to learn new things.  Jake reads many books about science and some of the questions that he had were cleared up.  The presenters were very passionate about the universe and world around them.  The future of the universe matters to everyone.

Anne Dollemann, science teacher at Appleton East High School, talked about how she learned about subatomic particles to the universe.  The speakers were not only passionate but made the information understandable using analogies.  Learning is a part of each community.  The students experienced what the "old folks" had to say.  Time was set aside to think about the information presented and share various thoughts and ideas.  Lifelong learning is important to everyone.