Passion for Knowledge conference program and speaker booklet

Passion for Knowledge Celebrating 10 years of Donostia International Physics Center Donostia-San Sebastian

27 SEPT-1 OCT 2010

Information P ro gram Lec t ure ab stract s Spe ake r b i ogr ap hies C ult ural a ct iv it ies Encou nters E x hib itions Co nte s t

www.dipc 10.eu

Donostia International Physics Center – DIPC – was founded in the year 2000 to promote research and knowledge in the fields of condensed matter physics and materials science. During this 10 year period, DIPC has managed to bring to the city of Donostia,

scientists from all over the world and has acted as a platform for talented young researchers to return to the Basque Country through the Gipuzkoa Fellows Program. It has also organized international meetings and conferences, and played an active role in communicating science to society. After 10 years of activity,

Passion for Knowledge brings together scientists and other humanists from different disciplines and cultures, all of whom are motivated by a shared passion for knowledge and discovery. We shall be sharing with them this passion for knowledge as the driving force behind cultural progress, as well as a source for innovation and economic and social development.

DIPC intends to foster in our society, and particularly amongst our youngest citizens, an atmosphere which will awaken their curiosity, interest, fascination and enthusiasm for knowledge.

Because Passion for Knowledge is our celebration of a decade of hard work, but above all has its sights set on the future.

It’s the beginning of a new decade.

Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .05 Lectures and activities day-by-day Please note that all the lectures in the program are held in the Kursaal Conference Center. See specific venues for other activities.

Speakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Lecture abstracts and speaker biographies

See the complete list of activities in San Sebastian for Passion for Knowledge by visiting: http://www.dipc10.eu/en/full-program All the Passion for Knowledge lectures are streamed and available for viewing at: http://dipc.tv follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

PROGRAM

27 september

Monday 17:30

Welcome Pedro Miguel Echenique President of DIPC Isabel Celaรก Minister of the Department of Education, Universities and Research of the Basque Government

18:00

Opening Lectures Robert Langer 2008 PRInCE OF ASTURIAS AWARD

novel biomaterials 19:00

Aaron Ciechanover 2004 nOBEL PRIzE In ChEMISTRy

Drug Development in the 21st century.

Are we going to cure all diseases?

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28 september

Tuesday tHe city 10:30

kutxaEspacio encounter for students Roald Homan 1981 NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY

Frank Wilczek 2004 NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS

Juan Ignacio Cirac 2006 PRINCE OF ASTURIAS AWARD

17:00

Juan Ignacio Cirac 2006 PRInCE OF ASTURIAS AWARD

Quantum Physics: A new view of nature and much more 18:00

Jean-Marie Lehn 1987 nOBEL PRIzE In ChEMISTRy

From matter to life: Chemistry? Chemistry!

tHe city

19:00

Richard Ernst 1991 nOBEL PRIzE In ChEMISTRy

Passion and responsibility.

Education, magnetic resonance, and Central Asian painting art

ON science Video Contest Deadline: 15 October 2010 Visit www.onzientzia.tv to enter!

20:00

Sylvia Earle 2009 TED PRIzE

The urgency of exploring the deep frontier

06 www.dipc10.eu

29 september

Wednesday tHe city 10:30

kutxaEspacio encounter for teachers Dudley Herschbach 1986 NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY

Heinrich Rohrer 1986 NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS

Claude Cohen-Tannoudji 1997 NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS

17:00

Dudley Herschbach 1986 nOBEL PRIzE In ChEMISTRy

Taming wild molecules 18:00

Theodor H채nsch 2005 nOBEL PRIzE In PhySICS

A passion for precision 19:00

Frank Wilczek 2004 nOBEL PRIzE In PhySICS

Anticipating a new Golden Age 20:00

Bernardo Atxaga 2008 PREMIO LETTERARIO InTERnAzIOnALE MOnDELLO

Poem for my friend Lazkano

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30 september

Thursday tHe city 10:30

Aquarium encounter for students Sylvia Earle 2009 TED PRIZE

Ada Yonath 2009 NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY

17:00

Roald Hoffmann 1981 nOBEL PRIzE In ChEMISTRy

Chemistry’s essential tensions: Three views 18:00

Claude Cohen-Tannoudji 1997 nOBEL PRIzE In PhySICS

Using light for manipulating atoms 19:00

Luis De Pablo 2003 PRIx MUSICAL InTERnATIOnAL ARThUR hOnEGGER

Passion for music: another kind of “knowledge”

20 sept – 10 oct

tHe city PASSION FOR art Fotciencia Aquarium Donostia –San Sebastián

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1 october

Friday 17:00

Sir John Pendry FELLOW OF ThE ROyAL SOCIETy

Invisible cloaks and a perfect lens 18:00

Ada Yonath 2009 nOBEL PRIzE In ChEMISTRy

Everests, polar bears, unpaved roads, antibiotics and the evolving ribosome 19:00

Heinrich Rohrer 1986 nOBEL PRIzE In PhySICS

Science, fascination, passion 20:00

Concluding Remarks

20 sept – 10 oct

tHe city PASSION FOR art NanoArt21 La Bretxa Shopping Center Donostia–San Sebastián

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SPEAKERS

Bernando Atxaga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Aaron Ciechanover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Juan Ignacio Cirac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Claude Cohen-Tannoudji . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Luis De Pablo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Sylvia Earle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Richard Ernst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Theodor hänsch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Dudley herschbach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Roald hoffmann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Robert Langer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Jean-Marie Lehn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Sir John Pendry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 heinrich Rohrer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Frank Wilczek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Ada yonath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

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Bernardo Atxaga 2008 PREMIO LETTERARIO InTERnAzIOnALE MOnDELLO

Euskaltzaindia (Royal Academy of the Basque Language) Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain

Poem for my friend Lazkano I The flight lasted eight hours, and it took a further two hours to get out of the airport and find the car that had come to fetch us. Our daughters were exhausted, and the youngest, who was then only three, immediately fell asleep. not so our eldest, who was five at the time.

‘I’m thinking,’ she said after a while, when we asked why she couldn’t sleep. She added that something odd had happened. ‘I didn’t see the people,’ she said. ‘All that time travelling through the sky and I didn’t see them. ’ We asked her which people she was referring to: ‘The people who are dead,’ she answered.

II We were driving across the Arizona desert. Fancifully shaped rocks rose out of the earth like small islands in a reddish sea. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

We told the girls to look out of the car window and contemplate that landscape so different from our own and from that of any other country in Europe. They did as asked, but, being children, only long enough to appear to be obeying before getting back to their own affairs, which are rarely contemplative. We tried again and spoke of the members of our family who had never made a journey like that. ‘They would be amazed to see this desert. Look how big it is. It goes on and on.’

‘I really really wish Ignacio was here,’ our youngest daughter said suddenly; she was eight by then. She was referring to a friend of whom she was very fond and who had died shortly before we set off for America.

We all hastened to agree, especially her older sister, who was now ten. Aware of her responsibilities, she said: ‘Ignacio went to heaven, so he won’t feel any need to see the desert.’

I supported this point of view. I spoke of Ignacio’s long life and the good times we had enjoyed together. I resorted to the same metaphor: ‘Don’t you worry. Ignacio will be very happy in heaven.’

‘I’m not so sure,’ she said. ‘It can’t be very nice being so high up.’

BIO

Bernando atxaga graduated in economics from the university of the Basque country. Mr. atxaga is internationally acclaimed as one of the major writers in euskara, the Basque language. He is the most widely translated Basque writer and has been awarded the most number of prizes. among his many awards include: the euskadi Prize (1989, 1997, 1999), the spanish fiction award (1989), Paris Milepages (1991), the atlantic Pyrenees three crowns award (1995), the eusko ikaskuntza Prize (2002), the cesare Pavese award for Poetry (2003), the Mondello Prize for international literature (2008) and the grinzane cavour Prize (2008) and the spanish critics’ Prize (1978, 1985, 1988, 1993, 2003). He regularly lectures at universities around the world and appears as an essential author on lists of 21st century writers such as the observer’s “21 top writers” list of 1999.

Wednesday 20:00

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Aaron Ciechanover 2004 nOBEL PRIzE In ChEMISTRy

Technion (Israel Institute of Technology), haifa, Israel

Drug Development in the 21st century. Are we going to cure all diseases?

Many important drugs such as penicillin, aspirin, or digitalis, were discovered by serendipity — some by curious researchers who noted an accidental phenomenon, some by isolation of active ingredients form plants known for centuries to have a specific therapeutic effect. Other major drugs like statins were discovered using more advanced technologies, such as targeted screening, yet, the discoverers were looking for a different effect. In all these cases, the mechanisms of action were largely unknown at the time of their discovery, and were discovered only later. With the realization that not all patients with diseases that physically and histopathologically appear to be the same —different malignancies for example— respond similarly to treatment, and their clinical behavior is different, we have begun to understand that their molecular basis is distinct. Accordingly, we are exiting the era where our approach to treatment is “one size fits all”, and enter a new one of “personalized medicine” where we shall tailor the treatment according to the patient’s molecular/mutational profile. here, unlike the previous era, the understanding of the mechanism will drive the development of the new drugs. This era will be characterized the development of technologies where sequencing and processing of individual genomes will be cheap (US$ <1,000) and fast (a few min), by identification and characterization of new disease-specific molecular markers and drug targets, and by design of novel, mechanism-based, drugs to modulate the activities of these targets. It will require a change in our approach to scientific research and development and to education, where interdisciplinarity will domineer and replace in many ways the traditional, disciplineoriented approach. aaron ciechanover was born in Haifa (israel). He received his Msc (1971) and Md (1975) from the Hebrew university in Jerusalem, and his dsc (1982) from technion of which he is a distinguished research Professor. there, as a graduate student with Prof. avram Hershko and in collaboration with Prof. irwin a. rose from the fox chase cancer center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (usa), they discovered that covalent attachment of ubiquitin to a target protein signals it for degradation. they deciphered the mechanism of conjugation, described the general proteolytic functions of the system, and proposed a model according to which this modification serves as a recognition signal for a specific downstream protease. as a post doctoral fellow with Prof. Harvey lodish at the Massachusetts institute of technology (Mit) in cambridge, Massachusetts, Prof. ciechanover continued his studies on the ubiquitin system. through further research it became clear that ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis plays major roles in numerous cellular processes, and aberrations in the system underlie the pathogenetic mechanisms of many diseases, among them certain malignancies and neurodegenerative disorders. consequently, the system has become an important platform for drug development. among the numerous prizes Prof. ciechanover has received are: the 2000 albert lasker award, the 2003 israel Prize, and the 2004 nobel Prize in chemistry which was shared with Prof. Hershko and Prof. rose. ciechanover is member of the israeli national academy of sciences and Humanities, the Pontifical academy of sciences of the Vatican, the american academy of arts and sciences, the national academy of sciences (usa), and the institute of Medicine of the national academy of sciences.

BIO

Monday 19:00

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Juan Ignacio Cirac 2006 PRInCE OF ASTURIAS AWARD

Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics Garching, Germany

Quantum Physics: A new view of Nature and much more Quantum Mechanics is a theory for the microscopic world which was developed during the last century. Most aspects of such theory are exploited in most of the electronical devices we use in our everyday life: computers, television sets, lasers, etc operate thanks to the laws of Quantum Mechanics. however, there exist other aspects of that theory, more misterious and even exotic, that could give rise to completely new applications in the fields of communication and computation. Those are related to the existence of superposition states; that is, situations where an object seem to be in two places at the same time, or to have two opposite physical properties. Phenomena related to superposition states have been recently tested giving rise to a series of results which defy our basic understanding. In this talk I will explain what we know about those phenomena, some of their philosophical implications, and the consequences they may have in the future of computation and communication.

Juan ignacio cirac was born in Manresa (spain). in 1988, he graduated in theoretical Physics from the

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complutense university of Madrid, and subsequently received his Phd in 1991. Prof. cirac is a member of the Max Planck society since 2001, when he was appointed director of the Max Planck institute of Quantum optics in garching (germany). as an expert in quantum computation and its application in the field of information, the focus of his research work is the quantum theory of information. His theories propose that quantum computers will bring a new revolution to the field of information, as it will lead to more efficient communication and far greater security in both data processing and bank transfers. He is a corresponding member of both the spanish and the austrian academies of sciences, as well as the american Physical society. Prof. cirac has won many awards including the felix Kuschenitz Prize at the austrian academy of sciences (2001), the Quantum electronics from the european science foundation (2005), the Prince of asturias Prize for scientific and technical research (2006), the frontiers of Knowledge and culture award for basic science given by the BBVa foundation (2008) and, most recently, the 2010 Benjamin franklin Medal in Physics.

Tuesday 17:00

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Claude Cohen-Tannoudji 1997 nOBEL PRIzE In PhySICS

Collège de France and École normale supérieure Paris, France

Using light for manipulating atoms Understanding the nature of light and its interactions with matter has always been a challenge for Physics. new concepts have emerged from these investigations, such as the wave particle duality. new mechanisms for the generation of light have been discovered, leading to the realization of new light sources, called "lasers", with remarkable properties. It has been also realized that light is not only a source of information on atoms but also a tool for manipulating atoms, for controlling their polarization, their position and their velocity, This has opened the way to a wealth of applications like optical pumping, magnetic resonance imaging, ultra-precise atomic clocks, atomic interferometers, Bose Einstein condensates. This lecture will describe in a simple way how these developments having occurred during the last few decades. It will be also shown how advances of fundamental research can open the way to new unexpected applications which transform our daily life.

claude cohen-tannoudji is a french physicist born in constantine (algeria). in 1962, he completed his Phd in 1962 at the École normale supérieure (ens) in Paris. in 1960, he joined the centre national de la recherche scientifique (cnrs), a connection he maintained until 1964 when he was appointed Pro-

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fessor at the university of Paris. in 1973, he was elected Professor of atomic and molecular physics at the collège de france in Paris, a position he held for many years. Prof. cohen-tannoudji’s teaching experience led him to publish several textbooks, which are appreciated by undergraduate and graduate physics students. He pioneered the research into the various mechanisms that can be used to slow down, cool and trap atoms with a laser beam. cohen-tannoudji and his team, were among the first to cool atoms to very low temperatures, lower than one millionth of a degree above absolute zero. the techniques designed by cohen-tannoudji and other scientists have resulted in various specific applications, such as more accurate atomic clocks and more precise atomic interferometers and gyrometers to measure the force of gravity and a rotation speed. these techniques have also been essential for producing new states of matter like Bose-einstein condensates. Prof. cohen-tannoudji has received many distinctions, among them the 1997 nobel Prize in Physics shared with steven Phillips and steven chu for the development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light.

encounter Wednesday 10:30

Thursday 18:00

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Luis De Pablo 2003 PRIx MUSICAL InTERnATIOnAL ARThUR hOnEGGER

Jakiunde (Basque Academy of Science, Arts and humanities)

Passion for music: another kind of “knowledge” We should not overlook the fact that the first statement is taken from the modern scientific world, where the word “knowledge” has a clear, precise meaning: research in order to understand part of reality, through proven theories which, in certain cases, can actually help us to use that reality. In the music world, this “knowledge” only exists in the field of performing, and as basic training during the learning period: you cannot be a musician if you cannot read and write music, and neither is it a good idea to compose music without knowledge, mastery of past techniques, for example.

Apart from this kind of knowledge, which is more concerned with craftsmanship, the word has no meaning when we refer to “creation” (also quite a “dubious” word in its own right) or enjoyment.

Does that mean music is of no use for achieving “knowledge”? Or could it be that the word “knowledge” transcends the field of science, and that human beings are not using their full ability to reason or their sensitivity in science, and that there are infinite ways of attaining “knowledge”? Could it perhaps be necessary (or beneficial, at least) for us to dare to explore — albeit reticently — the meaning of some of our words? I’m not a Wittgensteinian (I don’t make the grade), even though I’m quite annoyed by Stephen hawking’s comments on one of the philosopher’s statements, “The sole remaining task for philosophy is the analysis of language,” to which hawking retorts: “What a comedown from the great tradition of philosophy from Aristotle to Kant!”. Although it is also true that a few paragraphs further on he almost seems to aspire to “know the mind of God”. That’s not bad, is it? In spite of all this and from my humble, although constant — 60 years — stance as a composer, I would like to “stick my oar in” on this issue, perilous as it may be and unfathomable perhaps, but fascinating all the same.

BIO

luis de Pablo was born in Bilbao (spain). entirely self-taught, he began studying music at the age of seven and composing at the age of twelve. He attended composition classes with Max deutsch in Paris and courses in darmstadt (germany) from 1956 onwards. in 1964 he founded spain’s first laboratory of electronic Music and in 1965 he created the alea Private centre, where modern chamber music and music of non-european cultures were performed for eight years. de Pablo has composed over 150 works in all genres, including orchestral, chamber music, soloist, concert performances, vocal, electronic and five operas, all of which have been performed many times by renowned musicians. de Pablo received an Honorary doctorate from complutense university of Madrid (1996) and numerous merits including the Honegger Prize (2003), the Prince Pierre foundation of Monaco’s Prize of Musical composition (2004), the guerrero foundation Prize for Music (2006) and most recently the tomás luis de Victoria award (2009).

Thursday 19:00

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Sylvia Earle 2009 TED PRIzE

national Geographic Society, USA Mark Thiessen

The urgency of exploring the deep frontier More has been learned about the nature of the ocean in the past century than during all preceding human history, but at the same time, more has been lost owing to the growing impact that people are having on the sea through what is being put into it, and what is being taken out. Less than 5% of the ocean floor has been explored or mapped with the degree of accuracy known for Mars, but enough is known to realize that in the past fifty years, nearly half of the coral reefs have been lost or have seriously declined, 90% of many commercially-fished species are gone and more than 400 dead zones have appeared in coastal zones globally. Rapid global warming, sea level rise, ocean acidification and other troubling trends require urgent attention. This presentation will consider new technologies and a new era of ocean exploration vital to understand these phenomena, as well as the changes in ocean chemistry, biodiversity and the composition and structure of marine ecosystems, with special reference to the present and future consequences to humankin.

sylvia earle was born in gibbytown, new Jersey (usa). she earned her Bsc degree from st. Petersburg college and florida state university. she holds a Msc and Phd from duke university and 19 honorary doctorates. Prof. earle is an oceanographer, explorer, author, and lecturer, explorer in residence of the national geographic society (ngs), leader of the ngs sustainable seas expeditions, council chair for the Harte research institute, founder of the deep search foundation, and formerly the chief scientist of national oceanic and atmospheric administration (noaa). founder of three companies, she serves on various corporate and non-profit boards. Her research concerns marine ecosystems with special reference to exploration and the development and use of new technologies for access and effective operations in the deep sea and other remote environments. named as time Magazine’s first Hero for the Planet and a living legend by the library of congress, she has more than 100 national and international awards. Honors include the netherlands order of the golden ark, inclusion in the national women’s Hall of fame and the american academy of achievement, and medals from the explorers club, the Philadelphia academy of sciences, the lindbergh foundation, the national wildlife federation, sigma Xi, Barnard college, the new england aquarium, the seattle aquarium, the society of women geographers, and the national Parks conservation association.

encounter Wednesday 10:30

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Tuesday 20:00

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Richard Ernst 1991 nOBEL PRIzE In ChEMISTRy

Passion and responsibility.

Education, magnetic resonance, and Central Asian painting art Passion and responsibility were two major driving forces in my professional and private endeavours.

Passion has an emotional origin. It leads to curiosity and the desire to understand. Responsibility, on the other hand, originates from the recognition of societal connectivity and interdependence.

It stems from the need to serve society by educating future leaders and by solving urgent problems that might even threaten global survival. Education is by far the most relevant academic task, while research is a most efficient educational tool.

In my professional engagement, I was enormously lucky that my contributions in the development of magnetic resonance led to novel tools of undeniable societal importance. Magnetic resonance has today an extremely broad spectrum of applications ranging from solid state physics to chemistry, molecular biology, and to brain imaging. It was evident to me from the beginning that only broad, comprehensive approaches and interdisciplinary engagements will lead to advances in science as well as in the humanities. So to say, as a counterbalance to my scientific activities, I became deeply fascinated by Central Asian painting art. During the past millennium, it has developed an enormous virtuosity in the graphical representation of emotions and of aspects that are beyond a mathematical scientific description. In this way it is complementary and addresses human domains not properly addressed by science. however, my overarching thoughts are dominated by deep concerns regarding a beneficial future of mankind. Undeniably, we are living today on the account of future generations and follow a frightfully non-sustainable track. To find avenues toward a better world and toward more conscience, compassion, and foresight among our fellow-citizens should be a most important goal of all academic endeavours.

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richard ernst was born in winterthur (switzerland). He studied and subsequently served on the faculty of the swiss federal institute of technology (etH-Zurich) from which he is now retired. Prof. ernst received both his diplomas in chemistry (1957) and Phd in physical chemistry (1962) from etH. from 1963 to 1968 he worked as a research chemist at Varian associates in Palo alto, california (usa). in 1968 he returned to switzerland to teach at etH and became professor in 1976. He is a Honorary doctor of the technical university of Munich and the university of Zurich. Prof. ernst was awarded the nobel Prize in chemistry in 1991 for his contributions towards the development of fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance (nMr) spectroscopy while at Varian associates and the subsequent development of multi-dimensional nMr techniques. these underpin applications of nMr both to chemistry (nMr spectroscopy) and to medicine (Mri). Prof. ernst also received louisa gross Horwitz Prize in 1991. He is member of the world Knowledge dialogue scientific Board and foreign fellow of the Bangladesh academy of sciences. the 2009 Bel air film festival featured the world premiere of a documentary film on ernst; science Plus dharma equals social responsibility.

Wednesday 17:00

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Theodor hänsch 2005 nOBEL PRIzE In PhySICS

Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Garching, and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany

A passion for precision Fifty years ago, the inventors of the laser were motivated by curiosity. They could not foresee that lasers would become indispensible tools for technology and science. During the last decade, lasers have revolutionized precision measurements of time and frequency. Laser frequency makes it possible to accurately count the ripples of a light wave, and they have become the most precise measuring tools available to man. Their invention has been motivated by precise optical spectroscopy of the simple hydrogen atom, which is yielding accurate values of fundamental constants and permits stringent test of fundamental physics laws. Today, laser combs provide the long missing clockwork for optical atomic clocks, with applications ranging from new tests of Einstein’s theory of relativity to telecommunications and satellite navigation.

Laser combs are revolutionizing molecular spectroscopy by dramatically extending the resolution and recording speed of Fourier spectrometers. high harmonic generation promises to extend frequency comb techniques and precise spectroscopy into the extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray regime. The calibration of astronomical spectrographs with laser combs will enable new searches for earth-like planets in distant solar systems, and may reveal the continuing expansion of space in the universe. By offering control of the electric field of extremely short light pulses, laser combs have become key tools for the emerging field of attosecond science. theodor Hänsch was born in Heidelberg (germany). He obtained his diploma and Phd from the ruprecht-Karls-universität in Heidelberg in 1969. He subsequently worked as a professor at stanford university in california (usa) from 1975. in 1986, Prof. Hänsch returned to germany, both as director of the Max-Planck-institut für Quantenoptik and as Professor of experimental physics and laser spectroscopy at the ludwig-Maximilians-universität in Munich. in 1970, he invented a new type of laser which generated light pulses with an extremely high spectral resolution. using this device, he managed to measure the transition frequency of the Balmer line of atomic hydrogen with a much higher precision than any previous techniques. in the late 90s, he developed with his team a new refined method to measure the frequency of laser light even more accurately, using a device called the optical frequency comb generator. He then used this new technique to measure the lyman line of atomic hydrogen to the extraordinary accuracy of one part in one hundred trillion. with this precision we can now detect changes in the fundamental physical constants of the universe. Prof. Hänsch received the nobel Prize in Physics in 2005 for his contributions in the development of laser-based spectroscopy.

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Wednesday 18:00

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Dudley herschbach 1986 nOBEL PRIzE In ChEMISTRy

harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Taming wild molecules Chemical reactions ordinarily occur within vast mobs of molecules, obscuring what actually happens. This talk will describe how such molecular wildness has been tamed to reveal the intimate dynamics of single reactive collisions between pairs of molecules. Key tools have been supersonic jets that send beams of molecules traveling into high vacuum; spectroscopic techniques, especially exploiting lasers; and extremely sensitive detection methods. As well as illustrating some prototypical cases, my talk will emphasize beckoning frontiers.

Among them is pursuit of ultracold conditions which make the molecules, in accord with quantum mechanics, behave like waves rather than particles. Another exotic emerging area, dealing with “quantum information”, seeks to attain greatly enhanced computational power. Landmark episodes include interchanging light and matter waves as well as teleportation, called by Einstein “spooky action at a distance”. dudley Herschbach was born in san Jose, california (usa). He received his Bsc degree in Mathematics

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(1954) and Msc in chemistry (1955) at stanford university, followed by an aM degree in Physics (1956) and Phd in chemical Physics (1958) at Harvard university. He started lecturing in physics and chemistry at Berkeley university in 1958. in 1963 he returned to Harvard as Professor of chemistry where he became Baird Professor of science (1976-2003). He is now a research Professor emeritus at Harvard and has also joined the texas a&M university faculty in 2005 as part-time Professor of Physics. Prof.

Herschbach is a member of many academies and institutions and has received numerous international honors and awards. along with his collaborator yuan t. lee and the canadian chemist John c. Polanyi, he received the nobel Prize in chemistry in 1986 for their contributions concerning the dynamics of elementary chemical processes. Herschbach is a passionate advocate of science education and science for the general public. He frequently lectures students of all ages. He serves as chair of the Board of trustees of science service, which publishes science news and conducts the intel science talent search and the intel international science and engineering fair. Herschbach also lent his voice for the simpsons “treehouse of Horror XiV” episode, where he presents the nobel Prize in Physics to Prof. frink.

Tuesday 19:00

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encounter Wednesday 10:30

Roald hoffmann 1981 nOBEL PRIzE In ChEMISTRy

Cornell University, Ithaca, new york, USA

Chemistry’s essential tensions: Three views In this generously illustrated lecture several views of chemistry will be presented, stressing its psychological dimension and its tie to the arts: First of all, chemistry is, as it has always been, the art, craft, business of substances and, importantly, their essential transformations. It is now also the science of microscopic molecules, both simple and complex. And then there are people’s perceptions of chemistry — alternating between seeing the healing and the hurting aspects of this truly anthropic science. The underlying psychological tensions will be explored, as will the strong element of creation or synthesis in chemistry, which brings chemistry close to the arts. roald Hoffmann was born in Zolochiv (Poland). Having survived the war, he moved to the united states in 1949. He studied chemistry at columbia university and then at Harvard university where he received his Phd in 1962. Prof. Hoffman has been at cornell university since 1965. “applied theoretical chemistry”

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is the way roald Hoffmann likes to characterize the particular blend of computations stimulated by e xperiment and the construction of generalized models, of frameworks for understanding, that is his contribution to chemistry. in more than 500 scientific articles and two books he has taught the chemical community new and productive ways to look at the geometry and reactivity of molecules, from organic through inorganic to infinitely extended structures. His work continues, now close to condensed matter physics. in 1981 he shared the nobel Prize in chemistry with Kenichi fukui, for his theoretical work on the course of chemical reactions. as a writer, Hoffmann has carved out a land between science, poetry, and philosophy through many essays, four non-fiction books , five collections of poetry including the bilingual (spanish-english) “catalista”, and three plays.

encounter

Tuesday 10:30

Thursday 17:00

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Robert Langer 2008 PRInCE OF ASTURIAS AWARD

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Novel biomaterials Advanced drug delivery systems are having an enormous impact on human health. We start by discussing our early research on developing the first controlled release systems for macromolecules and the isolation of angiogenesis inhibitors and how these led to numerous new therapies. For example, new drug delivery technologies including nanoparticles and nanotechnology are now being studied for use treating cancer and other illnesses. We then discuss new ways of using nanotechnology to deliver DnA and siRnA and novel microchips for drug delivery. Approaches for creating new biomaterials are then evaluated and examples where such materials are used in brain cancer and shape memory applications are discussed. Finally, by combining mammalian cells, including stem cells, with synthetic polymers, new approaches for engineering tissues are being developed that may someday help in various disease. Examples in the areas of cartilage, skin and spinal cord repair are discussed. robert langer was born in albany, new york (usa). He received his Bsc from cornell university in 1970

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and his scd from the Massachusetts institute of technology (Mit) in 1974, both in chemical engineering. He is now david H. Koch institute Professor at Mit. He served as a member of the united states food and drug administration’s science Board, the fda’s highest advisory board, from 1995– 2002 and as its chairman from 1999–2002. Prof. langer is considered as the father of smart drug release, following his development of innovative biomimetic materials, such as polymers, nanoparticles or chips, which enable a controlled distribution of drugs in the human body. His research has allowed for the successful treatment of various types of cancer, such as prostate and brain. He is also one of the pioneers of tissue engineering, leading to controlled reconstruction and growth of tissues and organs by means of new biodegradable materials used as scaffolds. langer has received over 170 major awards including the 2006 united states national Medal of science; the charles stark draper Prize, considered the equivalent of the nobel Prize for engineers and the 2008 Millennium Prize, the world’s largest technology prize. among numerous other awards langer has received are the dickson Prize for science (2002), the Max Planck research award (2008) and the Prince of asturias award for technical and scientific research (2008).

Monday 18:00

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Jean-Marie Lehn 1987 nOBEL PRIzE In ChEMISTRy

ISIS, Université de Strasbourg and Collège de France Paris, France

From matter to life: Chemistry? Chemistry!

The evolution of the universe has generated more and more complex matter through self-organization, up to living and thinking matter. Animate as well as inanimate matter, living organisms as well as materials, are formed of molecules and of the organized entities resulting from the interaction of molecules with each other. Chemistry provides the bridge between the molecules of inanimate matter and the highly complex molecular architectures and systems which make up living organisms. Synthetic chemistry has developed a very powerful set of methods for constructing ever more complex molecules. Supramolecular chemistry seeks to control the formation of molecular assembly by means of the interactions between the partners. The designed generation of organized architectures requires the handling of information at the molecular level in a sort of molecular programming, thus also linking chemistry with information science. The field of chemistry is the universe of all possible entities and transformations of molecular matter, of which those actually realized in nature represent just one world among all the worlds that await to be created.

Conceptual considerations on chemistry and science in general will be presented.

Jean-Marie lehn was born in rosheim (france). He studied chemistry at the university of strasbourg, where he obtained his Phd in 1963. following his post doctorate studies, he spent a year at Harvard university in cambridge, Massachusetts (usa) working with Prof. robert Burns woodward on the chem-

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ical synthesis of vitamin B12. He was appointed Professor of chemistry at the university of strasbourg in 1970 and joined the faculty at the prestigious collège de france in 1980. Prof. lehn shared the nobel Prize in chemistry in 1987 with charles J. Pedersen and donald J. cram for his studies on the chemical basis of “molecular recognition” (the way in which a receptor molecule recognizes and selectively binds a substrate), which also plays a fundamental role in biological processes. over the years his work led to the definition of a new field of chemistry, which he has proposed calling “supramolecular chemistry” as it deals with the complex entities formed by the association of two or more chemical species held together by non-covalent intermolecular forces, whereas molecular chemistry concerns the entities constructed from atoms linked by covalent bonds. subsequently, the area developed into the chemistry of “self-organization” processes and more recently towards “adaptive chemistry”. lehn is a member of many academies and institutions and has received numerous international honors and awards.

Tuesday 18:00

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Sir John Pendry FELLOW OF ThE ROyAL SOCIETy

Imperial College London, UK

Invisible cloaks and a perfect lens Electromagnetism encompasses much of modern technology. Its influence rests on our ability to deploy materials that can control the component electric and magnetic fields. A new class of materials has created some extraordinary possibilities such as a negative refractive index, and lenses whose resolution is limited only by the precision with which we can manufacture them. Cloaks have been designed and built that hide objects within them, but remain completely invisible to external observers. The new materials, named metamaterials, have properties determined as much by their internal physical structure as by their chemical composition and the radical new properties to which they give access promise to transform our ability to control much of the electromagnetic spectrum. sir John Pendry as born in england. He has been working at the Blackett laboratory, imperial college

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london (uK) since 1981. He began his career in the cavendish laboratory at the university of cambridge, followed by six years at the daresbury laboratory of the science and technology facilities council (uK), where he headed the theory group. in collaboration with the Marconi company, he designed a series of completely novel artificial materials, or “metamaterials”, with properties not found in nature. successively metamaterials with negative electrical permittivity, then with negative magnetic permeability were designed and constructed. this project culminated in the proposal for a ‘perfect lens’ whose resolution is unlimited by wavelength. He is popularly known for his research into refractive indexes and creation of the first practical "invisibility cloak". John Pendry was head of the Physics department at imperial college london and principal of the faculty of Physical sciences. the long list of awards he has received includes, his post as fellow of the royal society (1984), Honorary fellow of downing college at cambridge university, the dirac Medal of the institute of Physics (1996), the royal Medal of the royal society (2006), as well as being knighted for his services to science (2004).

Friday 17:00

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heinrich Rohrer 1986 nOBEL PRIzE In PhySICS

Science, fascination, passion The engine of scientific progress is the fascination of what has been accomplished and still can be achieved, the devotion to achieve it, the passion to go beyond accepted knowledge, skills, capabilities, and truths, and the satisfaction of unique accomplishments. They are the seminal source of both novelty and discovery, the essence of scientific endeavors. Quite a bit of this scientific spirit got lost in recent decades. Science operates increasingly with financial and recognition incentives, with competition, with claims, with vain promises and assurances, and with other personal promotion schemes. none of them made science and scientists any better, thinking deeper and acting more progressive. Science has to find back to scientific values and believes, to communicate results as an obligation, not for personal or institutional profile, and generally to set and be again the standard of human action. Otherwise we loose the scientific freedom which is still left and the trust of society which we still enjoy. In the context of discussing these critical issues, I would like to express my wishes concerning some grand challenges in Science and Technology on the nm scale. We have to make tomorrow to today while we are thinking about and dreaming of the days after tomorrow.

Heinrich rohrer was born in Buchs (switzerland). He received his Phd in experimental physics in 1960 from the swiss federal institute of technology (etH-Zurich) with a thesis on superconductivity. after a two-year post-doctorate at rutgers university, new Jersey (usa), he joined the iBM Zurich research

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laboratory in 1963 as a research staff member. in 1974/75 he spent a sabbatical at the university of california, santa Barbara. His research interests included, in chronological order, Kondo systems, phase transitions, multicritical phenomena, scanning tunnelling microscopy, and, most recently, nanomechanics. Prof. rohrer retired from iBM in 1997. for the invention of the scanning tunnelling microscope, gerd Binnig and Heinrich rohrer were co-recipient of both the King faisal Prize and the Hewlett Packard europhysics Prize in 1984, of the nobel Prize in Physics of 1986, and of the cresson Medal of the franklin institute in Philadelphia (usa) in 1987. rohrer is a member of various academies and professional societies and has received honorary degrees from several universities.

encounter Wednesday 10:30

Friday 19:00

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Frank Wilczek 2004 nOBEL PRIzE In PhySICS

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Anticipating a new Golden Age Fundamental physics is poised to take a great leap forward in coming years. An extraordinary instrument — the Large hadron Collider, or LhC is just coming into operation. Future generations may come to view the LhC as the defining symbol of our culture, analogous our to the Pyramids of ancient Egypt; but it’s much better! It will enable us to see whether some gorgeous ideas about the ultimate laws of physics describe reality correctly.

I’ll start out by describing what the LhC is, viewed simply as an awesome physical object and engineering project. Then I’ll explain why it has to be that way, to do the job it’s meant to do. Then, in the bulk of the talk, I’ll discuss my vision for the next level of unification in physics. That vision suggests specific new phenomena that should become visible using the LhC. So there will be, at last, a crucial test for these ambitious ideas.

In a multimedia presentation including spectacular images, some amazing ideas, and a few jokes, I'll demonstrate why this is an especially exciting time to be a physicist.

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frank wilczek was born in Mineola, new york (usa). He graduated in mathematics in 1970 and received his Phd in physics from Princeton university. He later joined the faculty at the institute for advanced study at Princeton and the institute for theoretical Physics at the university of california, santa Barbara.

He currently is Herman feshbach Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts institute of technology’s theoretical Physics center. Prof. wilczek was awarded the lorentz Medal in 2002 and the High energy and Particle Physics Prize in 2003 granted by the european Physical society. He was co-recipient of the 2004 nobel Prize in Physics, together with david J. gross and H. david Politzer, for the discovery of asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction, a fundamental breakthrough which allowed for the development of quantum chromodynamics. His findings have come from an unusually wide range of areas within physics, such as condensed matter physics, astrophysics and particle physics. in 2005, he obtained the King faisal international Prize. Prof. wilczek contributes regularly to Physics

today and to nature, explaining topics at the frontiers of physics to wider scientific audiences. He received the lilienfeld Prize of the american Physical society for these activities. two of his pieces have been anthologized in Best american science writing (2003, 2005).

Wednesday 19:00

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Tuesday 10:30

Ada yonath 2009 nOBEL PRIzE In ChEMISTRy

Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

Everests, polar bears, unpaved roads, antibiotics and the evolving ribosome The way to elucidating the high resolution structures of ribosomes, the cellular machines that translate the genetic code into proteins, was far from being paved. It turned to be a sequence of Everest climbing, just to find out that there are taller Everests still to be climbed. hibernating polar bears, in which ribosomes are packed orderly inspired the intimation of these studies, which were widely considered formidable. Once determined, the ribosomal structures revealed the decoding mechanism, detected the mRnA path, identified the tRnA sites, elucidated the position and the nature of the nascent proteins exit tunnel, illuminated the interactions of the ribosome with nonribosomal factors, such as the initiation, release. recycling factors and the first chaperone encountered by the nascent chains. Furthermore, these structures proved that the ribosome is a ribozyme whose active site is situated within a highly conserved symmetrical region within the otherwise asymmetric ribosome structure, which seems to be the remnant of the proto-ribosome, an apparatus that functioned in the prebiotic are and formed peptide bonds and non-coded polypeptide chains. Structures of complexes of ribosomes with antibiotics revealed the principles allowing antibiotics clinical use, identified resistance mechanisms and showed the structural bases for discriminating pathogenic bacteria from hosts, hence providing valuable structural information for antibiotics improvement and the design of novel compound that can serve as antibiotics. ada yonath was born in Jerusalem (israel). after completing her Phd studies at the Massachusetts institute of technology and carnegie Mellon university in the united states, she established the first protein-crystallography laboratory in israel. she is currently director of the Helen and Milton a. Kimmelman center for Biomolecular structure and assembly at the weizmann institute of science in rehovot (israel). Prof. yonath is a renowned crystallographer known for her pioneering work with the structure of ribosomes. she successfully established the use of cryo-bio-crystallography, a new technique for crystallographic studies of biological structures. Her research focussed on the mechanisms underlying protein biosynthesis which led to the discovery of the ribosomal tunnel and revealed the dynamics involved at the different steps of protein synthesis. in parallel with her colleagues Venkatraman ramakrishnan and thomas a. steitz, she applied x-ray crystallography to decipher the structural basis for antibiotic selectivity, showing how it plays a fundamental role in both clinical usefulness and therapeutical effectiveness, thus paving the way for future structure-based drug design. she shared the 2009 nobel Prize in chemistry with Venkatraman ramakrishnan and thomas a. steitz for her studies on ribosome structure and functions. she is the first israeli woman to become a nobel laureate and the only woman to obtain the nobel Prize for chemistry in the last 45 years.

encounter

Thursday 10:30

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events Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal, 4

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