The 2024 World Laureates Association (WLA) Forum kicked off on Oct 25 with an award ceremony honoring the contributions of Professor Jon Kleinberg from Cornell University and Professor Jeremy Nathans from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the fields of computer science and life medicine, respectively.

Both laureates graced the ceremony in person to receive the 2024 WLA Prize, an international science award initiated by the WLA and funded by the venture capital firm HongShan. The WLA Prize was established at the 4th WLA Forum in 2021 and has been presented annually since 2022, recognizing exceptional individuals in the realms of computer science or mathematics, as well as life science or medicine, with a substantial award of 10 million yuan ($1.39 million) for each category.

During the award ceremony, Randy Schekman, the vice-chair of the WLA, emphasized the significance of the WLA Prize, stating that it aims to celebrate profound discoveries in fields that may not have received adequate international recognition, while also encouraging creativity and innovation in unraveling the mysteries of the natural world.

In his acceptance speech, Kleinberg expressed his gratitude for the WLA's acknowledgment of the pivotal role of computing science and highlighted the responsibilities that come with being a computer scientist.

"Computing is becoming increasingly central to the workings of our society and our everyday lives," said the laureate. "As computer scientists, we have a deep responsibility to ensure that the algorithms we build and the design choices we make lead to better outcomes for all people."

Nathans, the recipient of the WLA Prize in life science or medicine, spoke passionately about the tangible and intangible benefits of scientific research. He highlighted how scientific advancements have revolutionized various aspects of life, such as agriculture, communication, and healthcare, while also emphasizing the intangible benefits of scientific research, that is the profound impact of scientific thinking on human psychology and society at large.

"These are the benefits scientific thinking has on human psychology and on human society. They include a desire to discover the people, a skepticism of superficial explanations, a willingness to abandon favorite hypotheses when they are not proved by the data, an open-minded attitude regarding new observations and new ideas, and a deep appreciation to the beauty of the natural world," said the molecular neuroscientist. "Incorporating this style of thinking can be helpful in many realms of human endeavor and it can serve human society at all size sales from families, the nations."

Nathans, whose father is Nobel laureate Daniel Nathans, also related his growing up experience to the WLA mission, inspiring the next generation of scientists.

"Children are natural scientists. They are innately curious about the world," said the newly awarded molecular neuroscientist. "If their parents, siblings, friends, and mentors encourage that curiosity, people enormously enrich their lives, both as children and years later as adults."

Themed "Excellence in Science," this year's WLA Forum has brought together nearly 300 participants, including 11 Nobel laureates, over 50 renowned scientists from nearly 20 countries and regions, and about 100 promising young scientists.

The opening ceremony also featured keynote speeches by Nobel laureates David Gross, Carol Greider, and Christopher Pissarides, as well as other distinguished figures such as UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize laureate Qiao Jie and National Science and Technology Award winner Xue Qikun.

Over the course of the forum, which runs through Sunday at the forum's permanent site in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area, attendees will engage in over 10 thematic conferences and off-site exchanges, welcoming a diverse array of government officials, university representatives, and members from research institutions, innovative companies, and venture capital firms.

Following the conclusion of the forum in Shanghai, participating scientists will be invited to the 2024 World Laureates Greater Bay Area Forum on Oct 29 in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.