The Falling Walls Conference 2014 to present scientific breakthroughs on the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall
Nobel Prize winner Stefan Hell, the Academy presidents from the Allied powers and 20 other top researchers set to discuss future horizons
Berlin, 21 October 2014. More than 20 top international researchers, 100 outstanding young scientists from around the world and 30 of the best science based start-ups will be presenting their impending breakthroughs on 8 and 9 November in Berlin at the Falling Walls Conference.
The Falling Walls science conference will be held on 9 November, the day of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall for the sixth time this year. For the first time, a Nobel laureate who received his award only this year will be giving a presentation.
A few days ago the Göttingen researcher Stefan Hell was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his role in developing STED microscopy. Hell will be talking about this scientific breakthrough and its many new areas of application at the Falling Walls Conference. Nanoscopy enables living cells to be examined in very high resolution, right down to the level of individual molecules. For example, the method is used for investigating proteins that play an important role in diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Other speakers include the Israeli psychiatrist Zahava Solomon of Tel Aviv University. She is researching the psychological impact of war imprisonment, participation in war, and the Holocaust. Together with an interdisciplinary team, she is looking for innovative therapeutic approaches to the treatment of mass trauma, which not only permanently damages the lives of those affected, but also that of their families over several generations.
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Falling Walls Foundation has invited the presidents of the science academies of the four former occupying powers to Berlin. Sir Paul Nurse, Nobel Laureate and President of the British Royal Society; Philippe Taquet, President of the Académie des Sciences in France; Diane Griffin, Vice President of the United States National Academy of Sciences; and the Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Lev Zelenyi, will be present on 9 November to discuss the scientific breakthroughs needed over the next 25 years in order to meet current global challenges.
The Falling Walls Lab for young researchers and innovators and Falling Walls Venture, the competition for science-based start-ups, will be taking place on the eve of the Conference, on 8 November.
For the list of speakers and the full programme, please visit: http://www.falling-walls.com/speakers
About Falling Walls Foundation
The Falling Walls Conference was first held in 2009 to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and has developed into a highly acclaimed platform for international research. The conference is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Helmholtz Association, the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the Berlin Senate and numerous other academic institutions, foundations and companies.
For preliminary reports or interview requests, please contact Lucie Menz at press@falling-walls.com or on +49-30-60 988 39-74. Accreditation can be obtained online at www.falling-walls.com/press/accreditation.
More information on the Falling Walls Conference on 9 November 2014, as well as on the expanded programme, can be found at www.falling-walls.com.
Press contact
Lucie Menz
Doreen Rietentiet
Falling Walls Foundation gGmbH
Chausseestraße 8e
D-10115 Berlin
Tel: +49 30 60 988 39 74
Fax: +49 30 60 988 39 79
press@falling-walls.com