GW CHEMISTRY STUDENT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 51^st ANNIVERSARY MEETING OF NOBEL LAUREATES

Craig Westphal One of 31 Students Nationwide Invited to Take Part in the Lindau, Germany Meeting

WASHINGTON - GW Department of Chemistry research assistant Craig S. Westphal is one of 31 students nationwide invited to participate in the 51^st Annual Meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany. The meeting, to be held June 25-30, will bring graduate students from around the world together to hear lectures and participate in small group discussions with Nobel Prize winners.

"I was thrilled when I heard that I had the opportunity to go to Lindau and talk with some of the people who have truly played an influential role in shaping science," said Westphal. "The prospect of meeting the Laureates, along with the other young researchers from around the world, in such a stimulating atmosphere will certainly play a large role in shaping both my graduate studies and future goals."

Currently working on his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry, Westphal came to GW in 1999 after graduating from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio with a B.A. in Chemistry. To date, he has contributed to six research papers, which have been presented at conferences in Lillehammer, Norway; Nashville, Tennessee; and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. His awards include the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (Baltimore-Washington Section) Graduate Student Award and the Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies Graduate Student Travel Scholarship. 

Each year since 1951, Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry, Physics, or Physiology and Medicine have met in Lindau to discuss issues of importance in their fields with students from around the world. This year's featured discipline will be physics. Members of the Swedish royal family are expected to attend part of this year's meeting. 

This is the second year that a significant number of U.S. students will attend the Nobel laureate meeting. The Department of Energy (DOE) is sponsoring the U.S. student participants, who were nominated by their research directors and are currently conducting research with funding from DOE. Westphal was nominated by his research director, Akbar Montaser, GW professor of chemistry, and becomes the second GW student extended an invitation to attend. Last year, Billy Acon, also a Ph.D. student in GW's chemistry department, was invited and traveled to Lindau to take part in the meeting.

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