Contributed Photo The speakers gather for the 2017 Nobel Conference at Gustavus Adolphus College.
Eight Shawano Community High School students and teacher Angela Kowalewski recently attended the two-day Nobel Conference at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota.
They were sponsored by the Mielke Family Foundation and were joined by students from various high schools and colleges in Appleton. Students attending from SCHS were Meagan Beaulieu, Isabella Burr, Corrine Hutmaker, Levi Johnson, James Krueger, Lina Liu, Morgan Meyers and Matthew Schwitzer.
To encourage intergenerational discussion and understanding, additional community members from both cities accompanied the students. Shawano community members attending were Kristin Brickl, Glen Gilbert, Diane Heikes, Kari Krueger and Chris Marcks, as well as Ed and Gloria Grys, who serve on the steering committee for the annual event.
The Nobel Conference focuses on a scientific topic and brings together world-renowned speakers to share their research and lead discussion and debate. This year’s topic was “Reproductive Technology – How Far Do We Go?” Four female and two male speakers addressed such topics as gene editing, disability rights versus DNA research, reproductive technology regulation in the United Kingdom (a 40-year review of the first IVF infant), prospects for male contraception, and the future of reproductive technology and its moral implications.
This conference has been held at Gustavus Adolphus for 53 years to share scientific research and knowledge with people of all ages. Next year’s topic is “Living Soil: A Universe Underfoot.”
The Mielke Family Foundation will provide funding for students and a teacher from SCHS to attend the event from Oct. 2-3. Any community members who are interested in attending at their own expense are welcome to contact Diane Heikes at dheikes@hotmail.com