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San Diego's Sixth Annual "Kyoto Laureate Symposium" to Showcase American Biotech Pioneer, Japanese Statistical Mathematician and Japanese Designer 22nd Annual Kyoto Prize Laureates to make public presentations at SDSU, UCSD and USD March 14-16, 2007 SAN DIEGO — January 17, 2007 — The Inamori Foundation and the Kyoto Symposium Organization today announced that they will host the sixth annual Kyoto Laureate Symposium here March 14-16, 2007, bringing the latest laureates of the Kyoto Prize to San Diego for a three-day celebration of their lives and works. Event registration is available at www.kyotoprize.org. The Symposium will open at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 14, with a benefit gala at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina, continuing with complimentary public presentations by the laureates March 15-16 on the campuses of Symposium co-hosts San Diego State University; University of California, San Diego; and University of San Diego. "The Kyoto Laureate Symposium brings some of the world's greatest minds to the Southern California/Baja area," said Malin Burnham, chairman of the Burnham Companies, who serves as volunteer chair of the Kyoto Symposium Organization. "These events promise to contribute to the intellectual and cultural development of our region. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, the laureates' presentations will be open to the general public at no charge, on a space-available basis." QUALCOMM Chairman Dr. Irwin Jacobs is honorary chair of the event's benefit gala, joined by Burnham, Fat City President Tom Fat, Esq., and Washington Mutual Vice President and Corporate Affairs Manager Arturo Rivera, as the gala's co-chairs. The event will assist in funding the Kyoto Scholarships, available to San Diego and Tijuana-area high school students who have been inspired to pursue the betterment of humanity through their life's work as the laureates have done. Six Kyoto Scholarship recipients will be recognized at the gala – three from San Diego and three from Tijuana – in the Kyoto Prize categories of Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences, and Arts and Philosophy. Presentations by the latest Kyoto Prize Laureates in each category will be hosted over the following two days. "The Kyoto Laureate Symposium is more than a celebration of the laureates' lives – it is a tri-national event that fosters cultural understanding and cooperation between the U.S., Japan and Mexico," Fat stated. "This Symposium serves as a testament to the mission of the Kyoto Prize by uniting academic, community and business leaders from San Diego, Tijuana, and Japan with the purpose of bettering society." This year's Kyoto Prize laureates are U.S. immunologist and geneticist Dr. Leonard A. Herzenberg, of Palo Alto, California; Japanese statistical mathematician Dr. Hirotugu Akaike, of Tokyo; and Japanese designer Issey Miyake, an artist whose innovative creations transcend time, culture and social status, also of Tokyo. Advanced Technology Dr. Leonard A. Herzenberg, 75, a professor of genetics and immunology at Stanford University, received the 2006 Kyoto Prize in "Advanced Technology" for his outstanding contributions to the life sciences. Dr. Herzenberg took the lead in developing a flow cytometer called the Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorter (FACS) that automatically sorts viable cells by their specific properties. This technique has facilitated dramatic progress in medicine, becoming instrumental in investigating the pathological condition of HIV-infected patients and classifying leukemia and certain other malignant tumors. The arrival of this groundbreaking flow cytometer made it possible to rapidly count and sort cells with specific attributes, and to isolate and analyze DNA, RNA, and protein from a single cell in a viable condition. More recently, FACS has been applied not only to genomic science research — specific chromosomes have been separated from cells to allow the construction of a DNA library from each chromosome — but also to proteomic analysis of specific cells, thereby underpinning the continuous progress of post-genomic research. Many of today's most promising life science disciplines would remain undeveloped without FACS technology, underscoring its monumental impact on the fields of biotechnology and medical technology. Basic Sciences Dr. Hirotugu Akaike, 79, a professor emeritus at the Institute of Statistical Mathematics in Tokyo, received the 2006 Kyoto Prize in "Basic Sciences" for his contributions to statistical science and modeling. In the early 1970s, he formulated the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), a practical yet versatile criterion for selecting statistical models, based on fundamental information science. This criterion established a new paradigm that bridged the worlds of data and modeling. Today, the AIC is built into commercial statistical software packages, and is widely used in such areas as gene analysis; image compression; and vehicle stability-control technologies, among others. It is also increasingly important in economic fields such as finance and insurance; health and safety-related fields, such as pharmaceuticals, food and transportation; predicting natural phenomena, such as weather, natural disasters and environmental change; and in managing huge systems. Today's researchers routinely obtain and process enormous amounts of data very quickly thanks to advances in statistical mathematics. Dr. Akaike's criterion and the modeling methodology it permits will undoubtedly grow even more important in the future. Arts and Philosophy Mr. Issey Miyake, 68, an international artist and designer, received the 2006 Kyoto Prize in "Arts and Philosophy" for his tremendous contributions as a designer to the innovative development of clothing. As a highly original designer, Mr. Miyake has recaptured the relationship between two-dimensional fabrics and the three-dimensionality of the human body by formulating the epoch-making concept of "A Piece of Cloth," rooted in Eastern culture. Applying this concept with cutting-edge technology, he has succeeded in weaving designs and forms into fabrics themselves to create clothing that becomes a part of people's lives, transcending time, national borders, and social classes. He has thus introduced an ideal form of clothing for the new era, as opposed to conventional clothing that, by comparison, remains bound by preconception and stereotype. Mr. Miyake's broad-ranging activities have elevated clothing to a philosophical level. His work demonstrates that clothing design is an excellent medium of expression in contemporary art, and his enormous influence is felt in a wide range of other art genres — as evidenced by his exhibits at eminent museums throughout the world. About the Inamori Foundation The non-profit Inamori Foundation was established in 1984 by Dr. Kazuo Inamori, a Japanese entrepreneur and humanitarian. He created the Kyoto Prize in 1985, in reflection of his belief that human beings have no higher calling than to strive for the greater good of society, and that mankind's future can be assured only when there is a balance between our scientific progress and our spiritual depth. It is characteristic of the Kyoto Prize that it is presented not only for outstanding achievements, but also for excellent personal characteristics, including the motivating desire to contribute to mankind. The laureates are selected through a strict and impartial process considering candidates recommended from around the world. As of November 10, 2006, the Kyoto Prize has been awarded to 72 laureates from 12 nations – ranging from scientists, engineers and researchers to philosophers, painters, architects, sculptors, musicians and film directors. The United States has produced the most recipients, with 32 laureates, followed by Japan (ten), the United Kingdom (nine), and France (seven). Download photos at: http://www.kyotoprize.org [ back to top ] [ back to press releases ] |
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