Melissa Bonner and Patricia Jones, both doctoral-level graduate students in biological sciences at UD, were selected as outstanding research participants to join a group of 48 other students to represent the United States and more than 500 other international students at the 57th annual meeting of Nobel laureates and students in Lindau, Germany, from July 1-6.
Bonner was picked by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), while Jones was selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Other students representing the U.S. are sponsored by Mars Inc., the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Since 1951, Nobel laureates in chemistry, physics and physiology/medicine have convened annually in Lindau to conduct open and informal meetings with students and young researchers from around the world. This year's event, which traditionally rotates by discipline each year, will focus on physiology and medicine.
During the meeting, the laureates will lecture on the topic of their choice related to physiology and medicine and also participate in small, less formal group discussions with the students in the afternoons and some evenings. The primary purpose of the meeting is to allow participants--most of whom are students--to benefit from informal interaction with the Nobel Prize winners. During lunches and dinners, laureates will join participants at local restaurants for informal discussions. Participants also will meet other attendees from around the world at several social events.
“I was very excited and honored to learn about my acceptance to the U.S. delegation,” Bonner said. “This opportunity to gain insight from Nobel laureates is priceless, and I believe it will greatly impact my motivation as a scientist. Also, this will be my first experience traveling in Europe, and I am very excited to expand my horizons.”
Jones said that her selection to represent the U.S. at the meeting is an honor. “To be able to meet and interact with scientists who have achieved one of the highest honors in our field will be an invaluable and unforgettable experience,” Jones said. “I know that I will gain a great deal of knowledge from this meeting that I will use throughout my career in science. This will be my first trip to Europe, and I am really looking forward to the experience.”
Bonner is a 2004 graduate of the University of Maryland. Her research concentrations at UD are thrombosis and haemostasis. Jones is a 2005 graduate of Nazareth College of Rochester, N.Y. Her research concentration at UD is musculoskeletal cell biology.
Photos and a summary of events at the meeting will be updated on the meeting's web site at [www.orau.org/lindau].
Article by Martin Mbugua
Photos by Tyler Jacobson