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H.R.H. Princess Madeleine and William Kaelin at t
he Nobel Banquet on 10 December 2019 oivunen credited Kaelin for passing on lessons about conducting research and oneself. “I learned about the careful design of experiments and control experiments and how to prove your point in several ways,” she says. “He is a master in argumentation, as in what conclusions can be drawn from your data and what not.” Kaelin’s inspiration for his own work came from growing up in the science-rich atmosphere in the U.S. in the 1960s, with the space program working at full throttle and competition with the Soviet Union on everyone’s mind. “It was a good time for science and engineering in the U.S.,” he says. “Science and engineering were celebrated and it had a profound impact on my scientific career. I had a lot of science-related toys. I had a scientist visit my school in the fifth grade and my high school had strong teachers in mathematics and science.” He also attended a summer program at Florida Atlantic University for students gifted in mathematics and computer science, and joked, “I was surrounded by a lot of people smarter than me.” 68 NORDICLIFESCIENCE.ORG A shift in attitudes towards science in the U.S., particularly in the past decade, concerns him, and Kaelin would like to replace the growing suspicion and skepticism towards science with the embrace of decades before. “I worry we have gotten away from the celebration of science. When I was young, supporting research was bipartisan – expanding knowledge was a gift we gave to ourselves and to future generations,” he says. “Now increasingly funding gets tied to impact, but when doing basic science, we can’t always say what the deliverables will be. I hope we don’t forget the importance of basic science.” In the past the U.S. has benefited from having many of the world’s best and brightest come to work there, but now those scientists can be discouraged by anti-immigration rhetoric coming from Washington, Kaelin says. Kaelin also worries when politicians attack scientists whose findings don’t align with their political agendas, such as during the climate change debate. He believes this can discourage people from going into science. “It’s a dangerous and unintended consequence of antielitism,” he states. Over and over, American science and engineering has kept the nation safe, and citizens need to ensure that ecosystem remains healthy. “I hate to think 11-and 12-year-olds would not pursue a career in science and engineering because we are no longer perceived in some corners as the good guys,” he says. NLS © NOBEL MEDIA AB PHOTO ALEXANDER MAHMOUD