Student blogs

One of the things that I was most excited about as I was applying to KI was the fact that KI has so much to do with the Nobel prize in physiology and medicine. As soon as I got here, I wanted to get as close to anything related to it as possible. In this blog I will be sharing the top 5 Nobel Prize related things that you can participate in as a KI student and in Stockholm in general.

1. Meeting Nobel Laureates through revisiting lectures

Earlier this semester I left one of our lectures a little early to run across campus and attend a revisiting lecture held by William G. Kaelin Jr., 2019 Nobel Laureate in physiology and medicine. Anyone at KI could attend this lecture for free, and it was absolutely amazing to get to hear Dr.Kaelin’s journey; from his research that earned him the Nobel Prize, to the work he does today and it’s impact. After the lecture there was a mingle, an opportunity to talk to the laureate and ask questions. It was an honour to get to speak with Dr. Kaelin and an overall very inspirational experience!

2. Nobel Prize Museum Pub

As part of a welcome to Stockholm, several students at KI were able to attend, for free, a pub at the Nobel Prize Museum the day before the Nobel prize in physiology and medicine was awarded. The museum itself is very interesting and inspiring to look through, but what made this visit even more special was that we got insight into how the Nobel prize winner is selected by the Secretary General of the Nobel Assembly from KI.  

3. Meeting this year’s Nobel prize winners!

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend this event as I was busy working with the Student Nobel NightCap. Several people in my course did attend…all you have to do is queue for an hour or two to get a seat. Again this is a free event, and must’ve been incredible to attend. I’ll make sure I don’t miss it next year!

4. The Nobel Lights

This is once again a beautiful and inspiring event, open to all during the Nobel Week Lights. It’s a free light festival which celebrates the power of ideas that change the world. It’s certainly something to see!

5. The Student Nobel NightCap – SNNC

This was by far my favourite Nobel-prize-related experience. The student Nobel Nightcap is the continuation of the Nobel Banquet on the 10th of December each year since 1978. It is an afterparty arranged entirely by university students who volunteer to organize this big event at one of the four student unions of the biggest universities in Stockholm; Stockholm University, Royal Institute of Technology,  Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm School of Economics. These universities take turns in hosting the Nightcap, and this year it happened to be at KI! I got the role of a decor room project manager and got to design the main room in the chosen theme (which is kept secret until the very night of the event.) It was a lot of work, but at the same time a really fun and unique opportunity to work with a lot of students equally driven to create a very memorable night.

And this is just 5 of the many events you can participate in related to the Nobel Prize. Studying in Stockholm means you’ll be surrounded with everything Nobel-Prize-related. It’s where the dream of standing beside a Nobel laureate and shaking their hand becomes a reality!