What's it like to win a Nobel Prize? (with Richard Ernst)

TL;DR

Winning the Nobel Prize gave Professor Richard Ernst a public voice and, after retirement, a new role speaking about responsibility, though he felt uneasy about being singled out for collective achievements. He learned of his 1991 award aboard a flight from Moscow to New York and continued his usual professional work until retiring in 1998. Read on for his family’s reaction and his candid view of Nobel fame.

Transcript

we're at the Asian science camp in Mumbai used to be called Bombay in India and I've just listened to a lecture by the Nobel Prize winner Professor Richard erst and I'm introducing Brady to him so that he can tell us a bit about what he was telling the students how did you hear that you'd won the Nobel Prize uh that was very well staged indeed I wa... Read More

Key Insights

• 👻 Professor Erst values the platform and attention that comes with being a Nobel laureate, as it allows him to speak up and share his thoughts with the world.
• 🦸 He feels uneasy about being singled out as a hero and believes that achievements are often collective efforts.
• 🥡 Professor Erst emphasizes the importance of admitting errors and the difficulty of maintaining responsibility when everything said is taken seriously.
• 🙊 Nobel laureates often stick to their respective fields in their lectures, but Professor Erst believes in diversifying topics and speaking about other areas.
• 🤔 While his work is primarily in chemistry, Professor Erst aligns more with the thinking and approach of a chemist rather than a physicist.
• 🧑 People initially treat Professor Erst differently upon finding out about his Nobel Prize, but they soon recognize that he is just a normal person.
• 🏆 Professor Erst considers the Nobel Prize important, but he believes that achieving something is more crucial than receiving an award.
• 😪 Although Professor Erst sometimes gets tired of repeating his Nobel Prize story, he recognizes that it comes with the territory and has become accustomed to it.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is it like to win a Nobel Prize, according to Richard Ernst?

Richard Ernst says the prize brings attention and gives a laureate a voice that people will listen to. However, he feels uneasy about receiving individual honor because achievements usually involve collaborators, competitors, and others who provided inspiration.

Q: How did Richard Ernst learn that he had won the Nobel Prize?

He was dozing aboard an airplane from Moscow to New York when the captain woke him and announced that he had won. Ernst went to the cockpit and spoke with the committee in Stockholm, which confirmed that the news was true and that he was the only recipient.

Q: How did Richard Ernst’s wife and children react to his Nobel Prize?

His wife was washing dishes when Stockholm called, and she disliked having to leave for Zurich by train to appear before cameras. His children resisted his new fame and did not tell their friends that their father had won the prize.

Q: Did winning the Nobel Prize change Richard Ernst’s life?

It did not immediately change his professional life: after receiving the prize in 1991, he continued business as usual until retiring in 1998. After retirement, he traveled and described speaking about responsibility as a second profession.

Q: What did Richard Ernst consider the best part of being a Nobel laureate?

The best part was gaining enough attention to speak publicly about what he believed was true. He used that voice to try to change something in the world, even though he considered his effects minimal.

Q: What did Richard Ernst consider the negative side of being a Nobel laureate?

He felt guilty and uneasy about having so much honor placed on him alone. He argued that society likes heroes, but scientific achievements are normally produced through collective work and inspiration.

Q: What responsibility comes with being heard as a Nobel laureate?

Ernst says that being taken seriously makes speaking publicly difficult and demanding. He tries hard not to make too many errors and believes it is important to admit mistakes because nobody is without them.

Q: How did Richard Ernst differ from some other Nobel laureates?

He tried to address social issues and speak beyond his own achievements and scientific field. He said many laureates remain focused on their fields and repeat their Nobel Prize lectures for years instead of discussing other areas.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Professor Richard Erst recalls receiving the news about winning the Nobel Prize while on an airplane and his initial disbelief.

• His wife and children had mixed reactions to the news, with his wife being initially angry and his children resisting the fame that came with the prize.

• Winning the Nobel Prize did not significantly change Erst's life until his retirement, where he became a missionary advocating for responsibility.