World Science Festival announces 2010 Kavli Prize laureates

World Science Festival event: Keynote address -- Harold Varmus, co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on science and technology (live webcast)

WHAT: The World Science Festival launches its first full day with the announcement of the 2010 Kavli Prize laureates. This event will feature a keynote address by Harold Varmus, co-chair of President Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, as well as a live simulcast of the announcement of the laureates by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters from Oslo, Norway. A panel discussion follows, moderated by Elizabeth Vargas of ABC News and featuring acclaimed scientists Antonio Damasio, neurologist; Mostafa A. El-Sayed, nanoscience researcher; and Kip Thorne, theoretical physicist.

Also in attendance will be Fred Kavli, founder and chairman of The Kavli Foundation; -ivind Andersen, Secretary General of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters; and noted guests of the Festival, the Norwegian Academy and the Foundation.

The ceremony will be streamed live at www.worldsciencefestival.com, www.kavliprize.no and www.kavlifoundation.org, beginning at 8:30 A.M. EDT.

The Kavli Prizes recognize scientists for their seminal advances in astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience. Consisting of a scroll, medal and cash award of one million dollars, a prize in each field is awarded biennially. Recipients are chosen by three prize committees comprised of distinguished scientists recommended by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the French Academy of Sciences, the Max Planck Society, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and The Royal Society. The Kavli Prize is a partnership between The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, The Kavli Foundation and The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research.