Six Nobel winners confirm participation in VGS-17

AHMEDABAD: Vibrant Gujarat Summit (VGS)-2017 is set become a knowledge-driven event with six Nobel prize winners confirming their participation in summit to be held in January 2017. These Nobel laureates are from the fields of chemistry, physics and medicine (physiology). The state government is expecting more confirmations in the days to come.

Those who have agreed to participate are India-born

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

and Ada Yonath, who shared the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2009. Other names include Harold E. Varmus, Randy Schekman, David Gross and William E. Moerner.

Dr Varmus and Dr Schekman received Nobel Prize in medicine (physiology) in 1989 and 2013, respectively. Theoretical physicist and string theorist Gross was awarded the Nobel prize in 2004 for physics and chemical physicist Moerner for chemistry in 2014.

Gujarat government has planned a Nobel Exhibition at the

Science City

in Ahmedabad as part of the summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the exhibition on January 9, 2017.

"As of now, we have 6 confirmations and the number is likely to go up in the coming days. The Nobel Laureates Exhibition and Symposium will boost the morale of the youth of Gujarat," said

Dhananjay Dwivedi

, secretary, science and technology, Gujarat government. In an official statement, the state government further said that the Science City in Ahmedabad is being prepared for the event. A separate exhibition area is being set up where the Nobel Media team will set up exhibits. The Nobel Media team will also depute mentors and guides to give a different experience to the visitors for the Nobel exhibition. The state is also working closely with officials from Nobel Media as well as the central government's biotechnology department to ensure a grand success of the event.