Lindau 2016, and call for 2017 applications

Lindau 2016

The 66th meeting of Nobel Laureates from 26 June to 1 July in the German city of Lindau focused on physics. The meeting was attended by 31 Laureates—including Australian Professor Brian Schmidt AC FAA FRS—and more than 400 young researchers from nearly 80 countries.

The young researchers participated in the week-long program, giving them the opportunity to interact with their scientific heroes, exchange ideas, gain exposure to areas in their chosen disciplines and establish new contacts and networks with their peers. Professor Hans Bachor AM FAA led the delegation of eight outstanding young Australian scientists, including:

• Dr Paul Altin—Australian National University
• Dr Josie Auckett—ANSTO
• Dr Gregory Boyle—James Cook University
• Mr Joseph Callingham—University of Sydney
• Mr Jackson Clarke—University of Melbourne
• Mr Martin Ringbauer—University of Queensland
• Dr Samuel Yick—CSIRO
• Dr Adnan Younis—UNSW Australia

Following the meeting, Professor Bachor accompanied Josie , Gregory, Samuel and Joseph on a study tour in Hannover. The tour exposed the researchers to world class physics research and equipment, including the quantum laboratory at the Leibniz Universität Hannnover, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute), GEO Gravitational Wave Detector, Laser Zentrum Hannover and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (Germany’s national meteorology institute). The study tour was supported by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.

The inspiring Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, held annually in Germany since 1951, introduce Nobel Prize winners in chemistry, physiology, medicine and physics to younger generations of scientists. From 2004 the Academy has supported an annual delegation of young Australian researchers, accompanied by a member of the Academy's Council. Since 2013, the Science and Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF) has provided SIEF-AAS Fellowships for up to 10 Australian-based early career scientists in specialist discipline years, and up to 15 in multidisciplinary years.

Through the tours to PTB and LZH I learnt that industry in Germany tends to go to such agencies to look for solutions to problems they have identified, which is in contrast to the Australian situation where it is often the science agencies trying to push solutions they develop onto industry.J Cunningham

Realising that the Laureates are not superhuman, but real people who have made great advances through a combination of hard work, passionate research, and luck. The “rock stars” of the physics world (now) don’t feel like they would be out of place walking the halls of my university, or teaching classes. It gives hope that anybody with hard work, passion and luck can make significant contributions to science too.Greg Boyle

Lindau 2017—call for applications

Applications are now being accepted for travel to the 67th meeting of the Nobel Laureates (dedicated to chemistry), to be held 25–30 June 2017.