Annual-Report-2024 - Flipbook - Page 11
For the #LINO24 Opening Ceremony, Young Scientist Debatri Chattopadhyay joined co-moderator Adam Smith in guiding participants
through the speeches, greetings and musical pieces
Celebrating the Passion Behind Curiosity and the Joy of Knowledge
by Debatri Chattopadhyay
Being selected first by Cardiff University, then by the
Royal Society, and finally by the Lindau Council was a
dream realized. Little did I know that even greater surprises were in store. I was already on my way to the airport a week and a half before the event when I received
the invitation to co-host the Opening Ceremony with
Adam Smith – the first time a Young Scientist was given
this role! Naturally, I said yes! My stage experience as a
dancer since childhood may have helped with my later
academic and public speaking, but this was an entirely
new and daunting challenge – appearing in front of more
than 30 Nobel Laureates and over 600 scientists from
around the globe.
I arrived a day before the ceremony and was aptly and
elegantly briefed by the organizers. Adam was incredibly patient and supported me both on and backstage
throughout the appearance. After the ceremony, I had
a surreal conversation with Saul Perlmutter and Brian
Schmidt, who congratulated me on my hosting and inquired about my work!
The week was filled with unforgettable moments:
Bill Phillips discussing fundamental constants at 22:00
outside, Steven Chu leading an impromptu science walk
on Mainau Island, and one-on-one lessons from Saul
Perlmutter on dark energy. Meeting icons like Didier
Queloz, Anne L'Huillier, and John Mather was extraordinary. This experience was about more than recognition;
it was about celebrating the passion behind curiosity and
the joy of knowledge.
I will cherish the memory lifelong and carry the
inspiration into my work, serving science to the best of
my ability.
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