Honoring Scientific 'Giants':.

Fostering New Discoveries Can Change the World

Our Nobel Laureates have used their enormous curiosity, intellectual brilliance and creative drive to make discoveries that have greatly expanded our understanding of the universe. This year, we celebrate their remarkable achievements by observing the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize, and the upcoming California Nobel Prize Centennial Program pays tribute, particularly, to the astonishing number of individuals in this state whose accomplishments have earned them the most coveted honor in the world.

We have made great strides in science and medicine as a result of the work of our Nobel Prize winners. Discoveries related to the formation of ozone have enabled us to take crucial steps to protect our environment, and the invention of the integrated circuit has revolutionized the way we exchange information globally. In medicine, Nobel Laureates have developed knowledge about the immune system that helps fight cancer and insights about nerve cell signals that open new avenues for treating neurological and psychiatric diseases.

These are just a few of the breakthroughs we can attribute to Nobel Prize winners, but they illustrate why The Kavli Foundation is so proud to support the celebration that will honor California Nobel Laureates and their contributions to science and society. The Foundation was established in the same spirit in which the Nobel Prizes are given--with a commitment to encouraging and supporting the pursuit of knowledge that can have significant long-range benefits for all human beings.

The Foundation supports work that explores basic scientific laws as well as the origin, evolution and life expectancy of the universe. We are also interested in gaining a better understanding of the aging process, and especially in the possibility of increasing human life spans. Other key focuses include expanding knowledge in the emerging field of nano-quantum-biotechnology and improving the quality of education around the world.

The work of the Foundation is enhanced by the research and educational seminars conducted at The Kavli Institute, which is concerned with such issues as overpopulation, environmental pollution, and the need to improve health and nutrition and introduce agricultural and industrial innovations in developing countries as well as disadvantaged communities within the United States.

The Foundation will establish chairs at some of the best universities around the world to promote scientific inquiry in areas where we see tremendous potential for progress over the next century. And, in the Nobel tradition, we will give prizes to help generate the highest level of excellence in research and scientific achievement in the fields of study that the Foundation has identified as top priorities.

By honoring scientific heroes, the Nobel Prize has provided many role models for young people who aspire to be tomorrow's leading scientists. The Kavli Foundation hopes to do the same with prizes that bring recognition to and expand the explorations of great thinkers.

You may remember the words of Isaac Newton: "If I have seen further, ...it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." Our Nobel Laureates are all giants. Let us honor them in this centennial year of the Nobel Prize-and do what we can to inspire others to reach for the stars.

Fred Kavli, founder and former CEO of Kavli-co Corp., has endowed two chairs at the University of California, Santa Barbara and is the founder of The Kavil Foundation and The Kavli Institute.