Viggo, Ribosomes and the Nobel Prize

I had today perhaps one of the most interesting days in weeks! I skipped all of my classes today to volunteer and help out for my university's Israeli cleantech conference. I didnt really know what it was about until I arrived there this afternoon, and apparently it was a conference about cleantech in general, and the signing of MoU to collaborate in extensive R&D for cleantech.

I didnt do anything pivotal of any sort, me and another guy became the person in charge of registration and leading people from one place to another. When candidates are safely seated in the conference room, we had to stay outside just in case someone comes in late and need their name tags. At this point, there were the 3 of us, me, him and another lady. We were so bored we started talking about stuff. And I have to admit I enjoyed every second of it. We were continually laughing, with some serious intermezzo in between about life, aging and cultures.

Did I mention also the Minister of Science and Technology from Israel was also there? Yes, it was indeed very amusing to see securities running around just to 'sweep' the place. And one of them men in black was completely and incredibly CUTE. No, I'm not exagerating this time. This guy looks exactly like Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises, only younger and without the scars on his face. Oh my lord.

I was walking behind them at one point, and I realized then how humongrous he was. My fellow name-tag-attendants caught my eyes, and they started laughing and I started giggling. I GIGGLED. What is the worst thing you can do when you are right behind an extremely dreamy and intoxicatingly attractive bodyguard? Oh, I dont know, YOU GIGGLE?

At this point, he turned back and smiled at me. The next second, the entire team of 5 bodyguards turned and smiled at me, curious of WHY was that loser giggling. My cheeks were unsalvageably burning, and people told me I look like a strawberry. We laughed at it for almost 15 minutes straight afterwards. Who knows how much fun can one have while waiting for people to show up and get their nametags!

All the laughter aside, next I actually participated in a little conference/talk given by the Minister himself. I have to say it was really fascinating to hear him talk about balancing his religiousness, politics and academic curiosity. He spoke passionately about academic discoveries, of the two Israeli researchers who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (Ada Yonath in 2009, Aaron Ciechanover and Avram Hershko in 2004). I was actually very interested, his short talk made us think of the wonders in scientific discoveries, of how they contribute to humanity as a whole with an infinite applications of their discoveries.

His little story about the ribosomes caught my attention. Ada Yonath studied this for more than 30yrs, amidst all critiques, failures, lack of funding, jeering peers. "It was her stuborness as a scientist," he said. I like how he phrased it, that regardless the odds, the persevering scientist Ada Yonath kept going just because of her own curiosity. She did not care what others say, what circumstances bring, what failures she encountered. She just did it. And to think that the other 2 people who won the Prize with her actually critized her before.

At the end of the talk, people questioned him rigorously. For most of us, we heard how science and religion do not really ride the same wagon. But he told us that is not the case with him, as his religion actually encourages him (them) to research and discover new things about the world. To understand what makes the world tick a little bit better, yet still realize that these discoveries does not entail that we are God.

I thought it was really nice to see how differences can be bridged and conflicts avoided for this one very passionate mathematician.