1981 Nobel winner Prof Torsten visits Cambodia

1981 Nobel Laureate for Medicine Prof. Torsten Lectures on Science for Peace

1981 Nobel Laureate for Medicine Prof. Torsten Nils Wiesel on February 2 delivered the keynote on the science for peace with hundreds of Cambodian students at the University of Cambodia. His visit here under facilitating the Vienna-based international peace foundation and the University of Cambodia for the program of bridges dialogues toward a culture of peace.

Before Prof. Torsten lectured his topic, Dr Kao Kim Hourn, Personal advisor to Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, secretary of state for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and President of The University of Cambodia conferred honorary doctorate degree of science to him for his work on medicine research and science of for peace.

At the venue, Dr Kao said that Prof. Torsten will share his important experience and science research and wisdom on science. It will help inspire the young generation of Cambodians at this university,” Dr Kao said. We are working closely with international Peace Foundation from November 2009 to April this year to bring the series of the world figure, art and movie producers and scientists to lecture with young generation, he said, adding that our young will get benefit from this program to have international minds,”. Medicine plays important role for Cambodia at this stage about the development,” he noted.
Uwe Morawetz, Founding Chairman of the International Peace Foundation also said that the program inspire the young generation to work for culture of peace and this time hosted by the university of Cambodia. The international foundation engages independent contribution and work on the culture of peace and non-violence,’ he said, adding that the program has engaged over 45 university and schools and institutions to process work of peace. We need to cooperate with each other to learn and know about building bridge of the peace, he said, adding that Prof. Torsten will contribute for working on peace.

Prof Torsten was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1981 in recognition of his pioneering work on the neural basis of visual perception, carried out the Harvard Medical School in collaboration with Prof. David H.Hubel. Their studies showed how visual information collected by the retina is transmitted to and processed in the visual cortex of the brain. Their experiences greatly expanded the scientific knowledge of sensory processing and showed that the ocular dominance develops irreversibly early in childhood development. These studies opened the door for the understanding and treatment of childhood cataracts and strabismus. They were also important in the study of cortical plasticity.


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2007 Nobel Laureate for Economics Prof. Eric delivers speech in inequality of global market

Nobel laureate for economics in 2007 Prof. Eric Stark Maskin in January 20 delivered his speech about the topic “why global markets have failed to reduce in equality” at the University of Cambodia.

At the same time, Dr Kao Kim Hourn, Personal advisor to Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, secretary of state for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and President of The University of Cambodia conferred honorary doctorate degree of science before Prof Eric had a lecture with hundreds of students at the University of Cambodia.
Prof. Eric Stark Maskin said in his lecture. “We have to train people with high education and skills that will help them to gain benefits from the global market and minimize in inequality in the globalization,” The investment in education is a key to push up the equality and it share the benefits from the global market,” he noted. “The rich countries have more abilities than the developing countries in education because the people could access the good education services and gain benefits from this situation and we thanked the government interventions in the economic downturn and it has sign to improving the situation, he added. He also urged Cambodia to expand more market for its product from this global economic downturn.

Prof. Eric Stark Maskin is an American economist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for 2007 Nobel Laureate for Economics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton who has laid the foundations of mechanism design theory. He has worked in diverse areas of economic theory such as game theory, the economics of incentives, monetary theory, contract theory and the economics of the intellectual property protection. His current research project includes comparing different electoral rules, examining the causes of inequality and studying coalition formation.

At the venue inside the conference hall of the University of Cambodia, Uwe Morawetz, Founding Chairman of the International Peace Foundation, said that we have successful in Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines to lead this kind of program. “Through this program, we invited the key from Nobel prize winners, arts, scientist and world leaders to visit here and have key lecture with the students. The program of bridges “dialogues towards a Culture of Peace and it lasts November 2009 to -April 2010 and the figures included Prof. Torsten N. Wiesel, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Dimitri Ashkenazy and Vovka Ashkenazy, Prof. Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, H.E. President Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta. Moreover “Prof. Aaron J. Ciechanover, Jackie Chan, Prof. David J. Gross already visited here. We are working with the University of Cambodia to with other partners to facilitate this program in Cambodia,” he noted.

Additionally, Dr. Haruhisa Handa, advisor to Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Founder of President of International Foundation for Arts and Culture in Tokyo, Japan, and Chairman of Broad of SEATV and he also is Chancellor of The University of Cambodia said that “We all are trying to promote culture and peace in society like through the program. We help to promote and support to build the peace and our youth learn from this program,” he said.

In 21 January, Prof. Eric met with Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen and he talked on globalization, an increase in financial and social inequality. At the same time,
Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen told Prof Eric that Cambodia has been constructed from the empty handed until we have the current achievement and the impacts from the global economic crisis which affected on the tourism, construction, garment, and investment flow from foreign countries,” Eang Sophalet, assistant to Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen told reporters after the meeting at national assembly. Samdech Techo also expressed the concerns from this crisis which is moving forward,” Eang Said. Prof Eric told Samdech Techo that the financial crisis has not occurred from Cambodia and the Cambodian garment product has dropped its export to the United States. Moreover, Prof. Eric highly expressed about Samdech Techo’s leadership in building schools, human resources development that are two main factors in helping to speed up the development in the country and helping to provide the knowledge for the local people.
In a separating case, Prof Eric also joined as key speaker for the 6th Asia Economic Forum. He focused on the matters of growth failed to reduce poverty in the world even the globalization lasted over 20 years ago. And the measures were set up to deal with the equality in global market on the way. “The benefit and education are still keys to improve inequality for people” he said. ##