News & Events
April 17, 2019
Student delegates for the 69th Annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting
Every year, a group of Nobel Laureates gathers in Lindau, Germany to meet with young scientists and researchers from all over the world. The 69th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting (#LINO19) is dedicated to physics and will take place 30 June–5 July 2019. 40 Nobel Laureates including Arthur McDonald and Donna Strickland will meet 580 young scientists from 88 countries for inspiring dialogue.
The commitment of Nobel Laureates to foster the exchange among young scientists has been the mainstay of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings ever since their beginnings in 1951. To date, over 430 Nobel Prize recipients have followed the annual invitation to meet the next generation of leading scientists at Lindau.
Applications and nominations for young scientists (aged up to 35) to attend the meeting are open every fall and this year, Dr. Arthur McDonald was invited to nominate 6 outstanding students to attend the meeting. The McDonald Institute facilitated the nomination process and will be contributing to the travel expenses of the selected students.
Tarnem Afify
York University
Tarnem is in her third year at York University, pursuing a Bachelor of Science with a Specialized Honours in Biophysics. She has an enormous passion for research and innovation, and she views science as a crucial and valuable existence. During her undergraduate studies, she had the honour of assessing the research of three great professors at York University: Dr. Sean Tulin, Dr. William Pietro, and Dr. Christopher Bergevin. This summer, Tarnem will be assessing the research of Dr. John Sled, a Senior Scientist in the field of Translational Medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children.
“To me, pushing the boundaries of knowledge and developing beneficial technologies to humanity is one of the most honourable things that can be done in life. Thus, there exist no enough words to describe my appreciation for a prize like the Nobel Prize that is awarded for “the Greatest Benefit to Mankind”. Attending the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting is of indescribable importance and value to me because it is not only an opportunity to meet the Nobel Prize Laureates who made honourable discoveries, but is of a unique opportunity to meet and share knowledge and ideas with scientists and researchers from different nationalities, backgrounds, and areas of expertise. It is only at places like the Lindau meetings where one can find dialogues that can nurture the dynamics of thought. It will truly be an eye-opener and attending it is indeed an honour.”
Damian Goeldi
Carleton University
Damian completed his Ph.D. at the University of Bern, Switzerland on the research and development of liquid argon time projection chamber neutrino detectors. Damian loves tinkering in the lab, which is why he’s currently testing new photosensors for future liquid noble gas dark matter and neutrino experiments at Carleton University in Ottawa.
“I’m looking forward to learning from the experts what’s going on in other fields of physics, and how to succeed in a career in the highly competitive environment of contemporary science.”
Vanessa Graber
McGill University
Originally from Germany, Dr. Graber received her Ph.D. from the University of Southampton, UK, before moving to Montréal as a McGill Space Institute Postdoctoral Fellow in 2016. As a Theoretical Astrophysicist, she uses neutron stars as cosmic laboratories to study matter under extreme conditions.
“I am honoured to be one of this year’s participants at the 69th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting and not only excited about meeting the Nobel Laureates but also looking forward to connecting with other Early Career Researchers from all over the world and learning about their inspiring stories.”
Helena Koniar
McMaster University
Helena is in her fourth and final year of Honours Integrated Science at McMaster University, where she has concentrated her studies on the interdisciplinary field of biophysics. Helena is completing her undergraduate thesis in Dr. Cecile Fradin’s molecular biophysics group in which she has been studying the diffusion of proteins in early fly embryos using Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy.
“I am very excited and honoured by the opportunity to attend this year’s Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. I am especially looking forward to meeting and connecting with like-minded young physicists from around the world. This is an incredible opportunity to learn directly from Nobel Laureates and hear their stories of success, as I begin my academic career beyond undergraduate studies.”
Tetiana Kozynets
University of Alberta
Tetiana is a fourth-year undergraduate physics student at the University of Alberta, passionate about coding, mathematical modeling, and their applications in astroparticle physics problems. For more than a year now, Tetiana has worked with Dr. Carsten Krauss on various simulations for the PICO dark matter search experiment. It is this invaluable experience that keeps guiding her research interests and shaping her personality today.
“The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting is undoubtedly the most exciting thing I have ever put into my schedule planner. Although the event itself will only take six days in June 2019, the opportunity to learn from the laureates and interact with other meeting participants will surely give me lots of inspiration for months and years to come!”
Connor Stone
Queen's University
Connor Stone is a Ph.D. student at Queen’s University, he is passionate about bringing people together to discuss science. In his research, supervised by Stéphane Courteau, Connor studies the intricate patterns that galaxies exhibit and what these tell us about galaxy formation and evolution. He hopes to use machine learning to find new relations that galaxies obey, which can be used to compare with models from theory and simulations. Along with his research, Connor organizes the local graduate physics student Journals Club, a discussion group for data science and machine learning, and the Queen’s Observatory public outreach program.
“As a young scientist, I am constantly seeking opportunities to conduct meaningful and impactful research that benefits the broader academic community. Like no others, the Nobel Laureates have taken this commitment to the highest level in vastly different areas of research. They are an extraordinary group to learn from and enlighten my own views. I revel at the chance to interact with such a diverse group of scientists and to discuss how top research is conducted in different fields. With my focus on machine learning, such an experience would be especially transformative and long-lasting, as concepts and techniques are easily transferred between fields.”