Return to Campus Means Gear-Up for 46th Nobel Conference at Gustavus Adolphus College - 'Making Food Good'

ST. PETER, Minn., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As most colleges are preparing for the influx of students, the idyllic campus of Gustavus Adolphus College, sitting above tiny St. Peter, Minn. is also transforming itself into the very nerve center of science and research for the 46th Nobel Conference scheduled for Oct. 5-6.

And students at Gustavus Adolphus have a unique opportunity to not just be observers to this happening, but to participate – as hosts, as entertainers, as academic peers – and to take advantage of the opportunities presented as they explore career choices.  

Amanda Varley, a 2008 graduate from Northfield, Minn., was a host to arctic explorer and environmentalist Will Steger at the 2007 Nobel Conference, "Heating Up: the Energy Debate."  

"The experience had quite a lasting impact. It was pretty surreal to see President Obama appoint Steven Chu (another speaker at that same conference) as his Secretary of Energy and to think, '18 months ago I was listening to him lecture and having a meal with him at Gustavus,'" said Varley. "Co-hosting Will Steger organically turned into an internship opportunity with the Will Steger Foundation.  It helped me to realize that I do want to be involved in advocacy work as a profession and now I am in graduate school for Public Policy. "

A current student at Gustavus, Kristin Schwagerl is an Anthropology and Sociology major from Beardsley, Minn.  She hosted Professor Curtis Marean for the 2008 Nobel Conference discussing human evolution from our African origins to modern humans.  

"Working with Professor Marean has opened up new opportunities for me, such as the upcoming archeological dig in South Africa, where I will be working with a team of other students under the direction of Professor Marean," said Schwagerl.  "This opportunity has shaped my own interests as I pursue independent research in preparation for the dig, encouraging my interest in archaeology and focusing my attention on the study of human origins."

The Nobel Conference annually brings together the brightest minds in the world to discuss an issue important to all – and it takes place in the college's massive hockey arena.  

"It's an amazing transformation of the arena, of the college, of our people," said Gustavus President Jack R. Ohle. "The Nobel Conference sets the tone for an entire year of academic discourse and the learning that takes place in the classrooms, in the residence halls and in every corner of our college community."  

Some of the world's leading food experts, scholars and researchers will take a global look at "Making Food Good" at the event. Exploring issues of everything from the stigma of obesity to gender roles associated with agriculture in the third world, Conference speakers will engage their audience on practical, theoretical and empirical levels.  

Seven distinguished presenters will keynote the event:

• Bina Agarwal, Professor of Economics and Director of the Institute of Economic Growth at the University of Delhi, India
• Linda Bartoshuk, Presidential Endowed Professor of Community Dentistry and Behavorial Science at the University of Florida, Gainesville
• Cary Fowler, Executive Director of Global Crop Diversity Trust in Rome, Italy
• Jeffrey Friedman, Marilyn M. Simpson Professor and HHMI Investigator at the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Director of the Starr Center for Human Genetics at The Rockefeller University in New York
• Frances Moore Lappe, co-founder of the Small Planet Institute in Cambridge, Mass.
• Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health and Professor of Sociology at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University, and Visiting Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
• Paul Thompson, W.K. Kellogg Chair in Agricultural Food and Community Ethics at Michigan State University.

Beyond the keynote speakers, other events associated with the Nobel Conference include local speakers, a concert, an art museum opening, and performing arts events. The entire event will be webcast live at gustavus.edu/nobelconference. Tickets are available at gustavustickets.com or by calling 507-933-7520. Individual tickets range from $60-$100. High school and college student delegation rates are $40 for a block of 10 tickets. Full conference information is available at gustavus.edu/nobelconference.

About Gustavus Adolphus College

Established in 1862 by Swedish Lutheran immigrants, Gustavus Adolphus College is a private liberal arts college that provides an undergraduate education of recognized excellence for more than 2,500 students. Following the dedication in 1963 of the Alfred Nobel Memorial Hall of Science at the College, the Nobel Conference was launched at the College, which continues to set a standard for timeliness, intellectual inquiry, and free debate of contemporary issues related to the natural and social sciences.

SOURCE Gustavus Adolphus College