U.S. Winners of 2024 Nobel Prizes Honored at Symposium Co-Hosted by the National Academy of Sciences

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U.S. Winners of 2024 Nobel Prizes Honored at Symposium Co-Hosted by the National Academy of Sciences

Feature Story| November 20, 2024

By Hannah Fuller

Several U.S.-based winners of the 2024 Nobel Prizes were celebrated recently at a scientific symposium in Washington, D.C., co-hosted by the National Academy of Sciences and the Embassy of Sweden. Although the work of the laureates spans different fields, the laureates explored some of the things their discoveries have in common - how they bring tangible benefits to individuals and society, and how they demonstrate the importance of collaboration in science.

In opening remarks, NAS President Marcia McNutt noted that the laureates' remarkable achievements were made possible by strong support of basic research. "While we're here to celebrate these amazing Americans who have won their Nobel Prizes, we have to make sure that we can continue to do so into the future," she said, stressing that "we have to have the workforce that turns all of these discoveries into benefits for humankind."

Among the honorees at the symposium was John Jumper, who shares this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry with David Baker and Demis Hassabis for developing an AI model that has greatly speeded up the ability to predict the structure of virtually all known proteins. Their discovery has profound implications for the accelerated development of new lifesaving drugs and biological tools.

Jumper said he got his start in biophysics because he was seeking work with an immediate impact. "Biophysics is interesting to study for me, but … [in] the end it will be about whether someone leaves the hospital or not - it has this direct and immediate meaning."

Simon Johnson - who, along with Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson, received the 2024 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences for studies of how institutions are formed and their impact on a nation's ability to become wealthy and prosperous - said that in his work, he also thinks about the impacts of technology on people's lives, but on a larger societal scale. "We have to be thoughtful about what we are making, inventing, and what jobs we want for the future," he said. "There is power and responsibility that comes with scientific leadership."

Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, also honored at the symposium, share this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of microRNA, which determines how cells function or malfunction. The breakthrough provided a new understanding of diseases, and treatments based on microRNA are in clinical trials for heart disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease.

The two researchers emphasized the importance of spontaneity and collaboration in science, noting that collaborative efforts like the Human Genome Project provided the foundation of data and understanding for their work. Future success in RNA research will be based on similar collaboration and "looking at biology in a different way," Ambros said.

Attendees of the symposium - including participants in several National Academies' initiatives aimed at nurturing the next generation of leaders in STEM - were able to interact with the laureates and take inspiration from their work.

"Watching Nobel laureates share their work with depth, humor, and authenticity showed how science thrives when it's accessible, engaging, and trusted by all," said Kiana Aran, a professor in bioengineering and medicine and a participant in the National Academies' New Voices in Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine program.

A recording of the livestream is available online.