Science Prize Worth Millions Awarded

Balzan Prizes 2013 awarded in Berne

19-Nov-2013 - Switzerland

The Balzan Prizes 2013 were presented by the Federal Councillor Alain Berset, during the Award Ceremony at the Federal Palace in Berne, to

Alain Aspect (France), École Polytechnique, Palaiseau, for Quantum Information Processing and Communication

Manuel Castells (USA/Catalonia), University of Southern California, for Sociology

Pascale Cossart (France), Institut Pasteur, Paris, for Infectious diseases: basic and clinical aspects

André Vauchez (France), Université de Paris Ouest Nanterre, for Medieval History.

The Balzan Prize was given to Alain Aspect for his pioneering experiments which led to a striking confirmation of Quantum Mechanics as opposed to local hidden-variable theories. His work opened the way to the experimental control of entangled quantum states, the essential element of Quantum Information Processing.

Manuel Castells received the Balzan Prize for his wide-ranging and imaginative thinking through of the implications of the great technological changes of our time: the digital revolution and the profound social and political challenges brought about by the emerging technologies of communication and information processing associated with computing, microelectronics and the internet. And for having proposed a general theory of the new global information society that has arisen out of these techniques.

Pascale Cossart was recognized for her seminal discoveries on the molecular biology of pathogenic bacteria and their interaction with host cells. Her research has provided very significant insights into the mechanisms underlying infectious diseases and how they might be combatted.

The Prize went to André Vauchez for his groundbreaking studies on medieval spirituality in Western Christianity and its central role in everyday life in the Middle Ages, for his research on the medieval conception of holiness and on the sacralization of space and time, for his contributions to research on monastic and women s piety, for his all-encompassing knowledge and masterly presentation of the life, work and influence of St. Francis of Assisi.

The International Balzan Foundation awarded 750,000 Swiss Francs (approx. EUR 610,000, USD 800,000) for each 2013 prize, a figure which places the Balzan Prize amongst the biggest prize funds in the world of Science and Culture. The winners are each required to allocate half of their prize money to funding research projects carried out preferably by young scholars or scientists in their respective fields.

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/145844/science-prize-worth-millions-awarded.html