Nobel Conference Blog

Author: heldke

  • Nobel Conference 56 Goes Digital

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    heldke

    The 2020 Nobel Conference is moving to an online format. Plans are being developed to deliver the Nobel Conference’s signature mix of expert lectures, audience engagement, and breakout sessions in a virtual format. Register for the virtual Conference The planning committee will prioritize opportunities for discussion and questioning among panelists and with the audience. If…

  • Bina Agarwal, 2010 Nobel speaker, interviewed in NEWSWEEK

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    heldke

    During the recent round of climate change talks in Mexico, Bina Agarwal was interviewed about the significance of climate change for women, particularly in developing nations like India.  Find it here: Bina-Newsweek-Interview[1]

  • Paul Thompson: Field Philosopher

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    heldke

    Nobel Conference lecturer Paul Thompson received a shout out in today’s New York Times, for his work as a “field philosopher.” In“The Stone” (an occasional opinion column written by philosophers), Robert Frodeman highlights the work of philosophers who, “rather than seeking to identify general philosophic principles …, begin with the problems of non-philosophers, drawing out…

  • Patenting Seeds: Conference Lecturers Weigh In

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    heldke

    Here are the first two responses we received to our query of the Nobel lecturers, regarding the matter of patenting seed life. Marion Nestle notes “I wrote about the patenting issue in my book, Safe Food, half of which is about genetically modified foods.” She also points to the film FOOD, INC., and the work…

  • Patenting Seeds: The Question Not Taken

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    heldke

    Shortly after the final lecture of the conference was completed, a woman approached me to ask “does Gustavus take money from Monsanto?” Is the college in the pay of the multinational agriculture biotechnology firm? She posed her sardonic question as offering the only explanation for the fact that I had not elected to read the…

  • “Farming Forward”: how to purchase a copy of the documentary

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    heldke

    Did you miss the Tuesday evening showing of “Farming Forward,”  the documentary film produced by Gustavus professor Martin Lang and student Ethan Marxhausen? Or did you see it and hope that you might have your very own copy? You’re in luck! For just $11, you can purchase a DVD. Follow this link to the Sustainable…

  • High-Fructose Corn Syrup: Is it or ISN’T it the same as other sweeteners, calorie for calorie?

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    heldke

    In the midst of the public debate about high fructose corn syrup (a.k.a. hfcs, but soon to be rebranded as corn sugar), many researchers have offered evidence to support the claim that sugar is sugar. That is, eat five hundred calories worth of beet sugar, honey or hfcs, and you’re eating five hundred calories. Your…

  • Frances Moore Lappe Day wraps up our week of Nobel eating!

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    heldke

    The MarketPlace is featuring feijoda, in honor of Frances Moore Lappe today. Feijoada (a Brazilian black bean dish) will be served with rice and green chili sauce and a harvest fruit crisp dessert. The Brazilian recipes are featured in Lappe’s book Diet for a Small Planet and the crisp gives a nod to farmers all…

  • Marion Nestle and Linda Bartoshuk: Today’s Focus of the MarketPlace Specials

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    heldke

    Meet the ideas of Marion Nestle and Linda Bartoshuk, by way of your palate! Today’s Nobel-inspired meals invite you into the research of Bartoshuk, the psychologist whose research into taste first led to the discovery of “supertasters,” and Marion Nestle, the biologist/nutritionist whose work focuses on nutrition, public policy and the food industry. Inspired by…

  • Bina Agarwal-inspired curry in the MarketPlace!

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    heldke

    Today’s Nobel-inspired meal in the MarketPlace honors Bina Agarwal, an economist at the University of Delhi, whose work has linked agriculture, gender, and land rights issues, among other things. So, look for Indian curry with fresh local vegetables.  When we asked Agarwal for her ideas, she replied, “I can share what I eat rather than…