This year we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Foundation by reflecting on the great discoveries, works of art, and accomplishments in the pursuit of peace that, in the words of Alfred Nobel's will, "conferred the greatest benefit on mankind" and led to the award of a Nobel Prize.

In a century that produced two world wars, the atomic bomb, and tremendous social upheaval, we've also seen the virtual elimination of once-feared contagious diseases, unheard-of increases in the speed of transportation, and forms of communications completely unimagined by previous generations. As my 80-year-old father put it after marveling at the things he could do with his new computer, "I can't imagine any generation that has lived through more changes than I have." He may be right.

To get into the spirit of this conference, I invite you to reflect on what you consider to be the greatest changes during the past century. In fact, you can vote for your favorite discovery by visiting our "A Century of Great Discoveries" Web page.

The companion thought, of course, is: "What's next to come?" "What can science possibly discover in the next century?" Or, "What are the really pressing global issues that need to be addressed in the next century?" "Can science and technology be counted upon to improve conditions as they did in the last century?" Or, if you're on the pessimistic side, "Can we survive the next century without harming ourselves with the discoveries made in the last century?"

These questions will be discussed by a distinguished panel composed of five Nobel Prize laureates, the secretary general of the Nobel Foundation, the longtime editor of arguably the world's foremost science journal, and the head science writer of one of America's premier newspapers. I can't think of a better-qualified group to consider these questions.


Tim Robinson, Director
Nobel Conference