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New Nobel Laureates InscribedBy RENI ShulmanIn a society where admiration and celebrityare so often reserved for actors, athletes andmodels, it was heartening to attend a gatheringof people paying tribute to the six newAmerican Nobel Prize recipients and their intellectualachievements, at the Nobel MonumentInscription Ceremony recently. The newlyinscribedLaureates included Mario R. Capecchiand Oliver Smithies for Medicine, Al Gore forPeace, and Leonid Hurwics, Eric S. Maskin, andRoger B. Myerson for Economics.The ceremony honoring the most recent NobelLaureates took place at the Nobel Monumentin Theodore Roosevelt Park in New York City.With endorsement from former Consul Generalof Sweden in New York, Dag Sebastian Ahlander,and former New York City Parks Commissioner,Henry J. Stern, the Nobel Monument was conceivedin 2001 and soon after inaugurated onOctober 14, 2003. As the United States hashad more Nobel Prize recipients than any othercountry, the monument honors past and presentAmerican Nobel Laureates, as well as the founderof the Prize, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel.In his opening remarks at the 2008 inscriptionceremony, New York City Parks CommissionerAdrian Benepe noted the suitability of RooseveltPark to accommodate the monument, alludingto the park as “the Agora,” a place where,he explicated, relationships are developed andminds come together. Consul General of Swedenin New York, Ambassador Ulf Hjertonsson, followedthe Commissioner and attributed the academicsuccess of the United States to, “its unparalleled…ethnicand cultural diversity.” As such,he explained that New York City was and remainsthe most appropriate location for the monument,as it is “a formidable example [of this diversity].”June 2008 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ COLLEGES & GRADuate Schools 17Dr. Roger B. Myerson, one of the 2007Laureates in Economics, discussed the implicationsof the Nobel Prize in his address. “Theintrinsic quality of my work is no better orworse,” he explained. Rather, he said the prize“belongs to humanity.” He further reflected uponthe inspiring nature of the Nobel Prize and theNobel Monument. Myerson humbly expressedhis conviction that “the real prize is the prizeof helping the next generation in our field…tosee things more clearly.” He did remark that theLaureates were “treated like rock stars” whilein Sweden this past December at the NobelBanquet. Myerson modestly concluded with theassertion that Nobel Laureates are merely “thedevoted servants of the muses of science andcreativity.”In this spirit of inspiring the next generationtoward achievement in science, literatureand peace efforts, the fourth grade class fromRodeph Sholom School attended the ceremony.Additionally, Mingzhu Li, a high school studentand winner of the 2007 Laureates of Tomorrow-Nobel Essay Contest, was present. “It was soexciting to go to the Nobel Banquet in Swedenand meet the Laureates and talk to them,” shetold Education Update. “I feel like I am onestep closer to entering the scientific world andmaking a contribution.” Commissioner Benepetold Update that the distinguishing feature of theNobel Monument is its dedication to “pure intellectualachievement, which serves as an inspirationto the next generation of New York.”The morning ceremony concluded with a performanceby choral ensemble, Sound of Sweden.The Swedish natives melodiously sang, in acapella mode, Sa Skimrande Var Aldrig, Education a piece Updatecomposed by Evert Taube. After a April buffet 2008 luncheonhosted by Swedish Consulate P.O. General, #:Issue205255 5 ⁄8 x 7 1 ⁄4Ms. Li introduced Dr. Oliver Smithies, the 2007Nobel Laureate in Medicine.The event was inspirational and joyous, yetcasual and tranquil. The acme of academicachievement of the Laureates was recognizedEarn aNobelists Myerson and Smithies at unveiling of monumentBank Streetand immortalized in the unveiling of the newLaureate names. Furthermore, the collaborationof Swedish and American interests, especially inthe academic master’scosmopolis of New York City, washighlighted and celebrated. #degree.Learn howto bring outthe best inall children.Graduate School Open HouseThursday, May 1, 2008, 5:15PMBank Street College Graduate School of Education610 West 112th Street, New York, NY 10025-1898www.bankstreet.edu 212.875.4698INNOVATION INTEACHING AND LEARNING