Not for publication
Media invited to unveiling of Nobel Prize medals display at UNC-Chapel Hill
Carolina Nobel laureates loan awards to Davis Library to inspire students
(Chapel Hill, N.C.— April 11, 2016) – Media is invited to join University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill leaders, students, faculty and staff at the unveiling of a Nobel Prize medal display honoring Dr. Aziz Sancar and Dr. Oliver Smithies. The event will take place on Wednesday, April 13 at 1:30 p.m. in Walter Royal Davis Library. Sancar and Smithies loaned their medals to UNC-Chapel Hill for the one-year display, “Be Inspired: Carolina’s Nobel Laureates,” with the goal of motivating students to focus, work hard and persevere in their chosen fields.
Chancellor Carol L. Folt and both Nobel laureates will participate in the event. Sancar and Smithies will also be available for questions following the program.
Sancar, a native of Turkey, earned the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2015 for his work mapping the cellular mechanisms that underlie DNA repair, which occur every day due to outside forces, such as ultraviolet radiation and other environmental factors. In particular, Sancar mapped nucleotide excision repair, which is vital to prevent UV damage to DNA.
Smithies, a native of England, earned the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2007 for his co-discovery of a technique that introduced specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells. This led to the creation of “designer mice,” which replicated human disease, and “knock out mice,” where specific genes were removed to study what happened when they were missing.
Wednesday, April 13
1:30 p.m. ET
Davis Library
208 Raleigh St.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Media Check-In: Media must check-in at the main entrance to Davis Library no earlier than 1:00 p.m. MC VanGraafeiland (Cell: 646-345-2802) will be the on-site contact.
Parking: Media parking will be available on Raleigh St., in the metered spaces by the ATM machines adjacent to Davis Library. A limited number of meters will be hooded and meters turned off to accommodate media. Please do NOT park in the lot directly behind Davis Library.
-Carolina-
Photo Links:
Sancar:
http://unc.photoshelter.com/image/I0000oeqt9lyZ7CY
Smithies:
http://unc.photoshelter.com/image/I0000aQpbMga5clk
Nobel Medals:
About the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation’s first public university, is a global higher education leader known for innovative teaching, research and public service. A member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, Carolina regularly ranks as the best value for academic quality in U.S. public higher education. Now in its third century, the University offers 77 bachelor’s, 113 master’s, 68 doctorate and seven professional degree programs through 14 schools and the College of Arts and Sciences. Every day, faculty – including two Nobel laureates – staff and students shape their teaching, research and public service to meet North Carolina’s most pressing needs in every region and all 100 counties. Carolina’s more than 308,000 alumni live in all 50 states and 150 countries. More than 167,000 live in North Carolina.
Communications and Public Affairs contact: MC VanGraafeiland, (919) 962-7090, mc.vangraafeiland@unc.edu