Nobel Monument Inscription Ceremony

It’s become a fine tradition to gather at the Nobel Monument in New York's Theodore Roosevelt Park and uncover the latest inscriptions of American Nobel Laureates. 

  • Raised in 2003 in a joint project initiated and overseen by the Consulate General of Sweden and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, the Nobel Monument was designed by Swedish sculptor Sivert Lindblom, and salutes all American winners. Last year’s American winners now inscribed are:

  • Mario R. Capecchi – Physiology or Medicine
    Oliver Smithies – Physiology or Medicine
    Al Gore – Peace
    Leonid Hurwicz – Economics
    Eric S. Maskin – Economics
    Roger B. Myerson – Economics

  • Here they are: the newest American Nobel laureates! Helping to reveal the names are, from left to right: Roger B. Myerson winner in Economics, Oliver Smithies, winner in Physiology or Medicine, Ambassador Ulf Hjertonsson, Consul General of Sweden in New York, and Commissioner Adrian Benepe.

  • With its abundance of scientific and cultural institutions, New York is the perfect place to nurture intelligence and creativity. As Commissioner Adrian Benepe remarked:
    “The great conglomeration of New York has inspired many to dedicate themselves to a life in science. The first American ever to receive a Nobel Prize was Theodore Roosevelt, a native New Yorker (who won the Peace Prize in 1906 for negotiating the peace in the Russo-Japanese War). There is therefore perhaps no place more fitting than this park that bears his name, for the monument.”
    Ambassador Ulf Hjertonsson, Consul General of Sweden in New York, said he thought the reason why America has more Nobel laureates than any other countries (there are 296 American Nobel laureates, followed by the United Kingdom with 114) is diversity.
    “The unparalleled diversity of America, I think, is the reason why there are so many American Nobel laureates. And New York is especially diverse. As a friend of mine says ‘New York is the world.’”
    For last year’s Nobel Prize winner in Economics, Roger B. Myerson, it was great to again be a guest of Sweden.
    “I was treated like a rock star in Stockholm last year,” he joked. “Sometimes it seems inconceivable to be a Nobel Prize winner. We Nobel Prize winners are representing the muses of science, and what we all have in common is that we are possessed by the urgency of solving something we feel is very important. Winning the prize is good, but having someone else in your particular field win, is almost as exciting. All in all, I have come to understand that the Nobel Prize is so much more than a technical prize in a technical field.”
    This year’s winner of The Laureates of Tomorrow – Nobel Essay Contest, was Mingzhu Li. The choral ensemble Sound of Sweden provided musical entertainment.
    www.nobelmonument.com

  • Two of last year's American Nobel Prize winners Roger B. Myerson (Economics) and Oliver Smithies (Physiology or Medicine) were present at the Nobel Monument ceremony.