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Today's chemists might work at a computer as often as in a
laboratory, medical researchers studying conditions such as diabetes
rely on understanding how cells carry and deposit materials within the
body, and average investors in the market increasingly buy index funds
to average out the short-term ups and downs of individual stocks. The discoveries that led to these changes are among the work that was honored by this year's Nobel Prizes.
On Nov. 6, six University of Delaware faculty members — each with
particular expertise in one of the prize-winning areas of study —
explained the work and its significance to an audience in UD's new
Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Laboratory (ISE Lab). The
location, which allowed for informal seating and convenient viewing of
slide presentations on large wall-mounted monitors, was chosen in part
to emphasize the interdisciplinary nature both of the Nobels and of the
teaching and research housed in the building.
The College of Arts and Sciences
sponsors this series of short lectures each fall, shortly after the
Nobel Prizes are announced. Doug Doren, senior associate dean of the
college who organizes the event, said the talks offer the general public
the opportunity to learn about the prize-winning work in more depth
than most news coverage provides.
"Our faculty speakers do research in areas that are closely connected
to the work being recognized, and they bring their personal insights to
the talks," he said.
The following are the lectures in the natural sciences.