Mitio Inokuti
Argonne National Laboratory
The Lindau Meeting

Lake Constance (Bodensee in German) lies on the southwest border of Germany, the western border of Austria, and the northern border of Switzerland. The entire coast of the lake is famous as a resort for its beautiful landscape and mild climate. Lindau is an island city near the eastern end of the lake. There a Meeting of Nobel Prize Winners takes place in the first week of July each year. The theme of each Meeting alternates among the three fields of research named in Nobel�s will: physics, chemistry, and physiology or medicine. The 53^rd Meeting in 2003 concerned physiology or medicine, and the 54th Meeting in 2004 will concern physics. The purpose of the series of the Meetings is to provide a special opportunity for Nobel Prize winners to interact with many students and junior scientists. Over a dozen of Nobel Prize winners come to each Meeting, give lectures, and conduct sessions for personal discussion with students and junior scientists. Originally conceived to help Germany in the cultural reconstruction after the World War II, the Meeting now addresses a growing part of the international community, with regular participation from European nations, the U. S., India, and other countries. For nearly a decade the Department of Energy has been supporting the participation of about 30 students and junior scientists each year. For the first time in 2003, a delegation from Japan including 20 students plus 3 leaders attended the Meeting, under support of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Science and Technology. The lecture will provide a summary of the history of the series of the Meetings as well as some impressions and observations.

General accounts of the Meeting and Mainau are seen at www.lindau-nobel.de and www.mainau.de. Information about the participation of U. S. students is found at www.orau.gov/lindau2004/. Extensive information about the Nobel Prize and winners is available through www.nobel.se.