Nine outstanding thinkers from four countries win Wolf Prize
Prize awarded for a "unique contribution to mankind and friendly relations among peoples."
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICHTHE WOLF PRIZE: President Shimon Peres (sixth from left) and Education Minister Shai Piron (fifth from left) award the Wolf Prize to nine winners in the fields of science, medicine, agriculture, mathematics and the arts at the Knesset.(photo credit: Mark Neiman/GPO)
The Wolf Prize, considered Israel’s Nobel Prize, was awarded in the Knesset on Sunday to nine prominent people from four countries, in the presence of President Shimon Peres and Education Minister Shai Piron.Each subject – in science, medicine, agriculture, mathematics and the arts – was worth a total of $100,000.The agriculture prize was shared by Prof. Jorge Dubcovsky (US), Prof. Joachim Messing (US) and Prof. Leif Andersson (Sweden); the chemistry prize was given to Prof. Chi-Huey Wong (Taiwan); the mathematics prize went to Prof. Clive Sarnak (US); the medicine prize was shared by Prof. Nahum Sonenberg (Canada), Prof.Victor Ambros and Prof. Gary Ruvkun; and the arts prize went to Olafur Eliasson (Denmark).Since 1978 the prize has been awarded for a “unique contribution to mankind and friendly relations among peoples... irrespective of nationality, race, color, religion, sex or political views.”The Wolf Foundation began its activities in 1976, with an initial endowment from Dr. Ricardo Wolf and his wife, Francisca.Piron said that the nine were joining the “prestigious family encompassing the best minds in the world. From Jerusalem, the center of the world, we call on you to continue your research and spread your knowledge to build another story to repair a broken world.”
