Student blogs

In December 2019, I had the pleasure of ticking off an item off my bucket list: attending a Nobel Lecture.

The lectures by William Kaelin Jr., Gregg L. Semenza, and Peter Ratcliffe told stories of the connections between the most inner workings of our cells, and one of the most vital substances for human life: oxygen.

They brought to the audience and revealed, footstep after footstep, the journey they had taken which brought them to the stage of Aula Medica on that Saturday afternoon.

Every year, the Nobel Prize Committee at Karolinska Institutet is responsible for choosing the winner(s) of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and for hosting the Nobel lectures.

The Nobel Prize Committee sits in the Nobel Forum, and the Nobel Lectures take place in Aula Medica…

If you’re going to attend a Nobel Lecture…

Other than insights into the field of cellular biology, what can I tell you? Well, in case you happen to have the good fortune of being in Stockholm around Nobel Prize time and want to attend a lecture (they’re free and anyone can attend), here are some tips!

Be early! 🕚🕠

I reached 2 hours before the doors opened, so that meant 3 hours before the actual lecture started. I was one of the first 50 in line, but the line grows quite suddenly and very fast so better early than late.

Do a little research 📜

Read the summary beforehand, especially you’re super unfamiliar with the topic. It makes the lecture super enjoyable and you can focus on the story and the subtleties of the discovery.

Get some good company👫

Go with a friend! Makes standing in line a much more enjoyable experience, and you have someone to chat with about the lectures too.

Be comfy and prepared to be in line

Make sure you’re wearing warm clothes — little is worse than standing in line with your teeth chattering. December tends to be a chilly time in any Scandinavian country. I’d also recommend that you bring a snack, because if you’re there as long as my friends and I were, you will have some very hungry people by the end of the talks.

And lastly, enjoy!✨

It’s not often that one gets the opportunity to watch someone’s story of hard work, coincidence, luck, and success come together so fluidly. So sit back, and take in the stories of those who have opened up doors beyond which lay many exciting things to explore.

Inika ❤️