WKU News

Julia Gensheimer, Gatton Academy Class of 2015 alumna and South Warren High School graduate, has been selected to attend the 72^nd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Physiology/Medicine June 25-30 in Lindau, Germany.

In this multi-stage process, Gensheimer was first selected by an internal committee at UCLA, where she is a part of the UCLA-Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program. She was then selected by the UC President, Michael V. Drake, to represent the UC system. 635 young scientists from 98 countries were selected to attend the meeting and represent the emerging generation of leading scientists and researchers. Around 40 Nobel Laureates are expected to attend the week-long meeting.

"The meeting of scientists from many countries, different cultures and several generations is at the core of the Lindau Meetings. We know from our alumni that they take their time at Lake Constance home with them as an unforgettable source of inspiration, not least because of the
global network they establish here," says Countess Bettina Bernadotte af Wisborg, President of the Council, describing the importance of the meetings.

Gensheimer worked in a research lab for the first time at The Gatton Academy, sparking an interest in biology and chemistry. After graduating from Gatton, Gensheimer completed a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry at Emory University. Gensheimer’s participation in the UCLA-Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program will allow her to earn a PhD in Molecular Biology as well as an MD in 8 years.

In reflecting on her path to this remarkable opportunity, Gensheimer stated, “For the past decade, I have been working toward my goal of becoming a physician scientist. Attending the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in 2023 is particularly meaningful, as it will be 10 years since I started at Gatton. I first learned about the MD-PhD path and joined my first research lab at Gatton in 2013. Gatton is where I fell in love with research and met lifelong mentors and friends who helped me get started and continue to provide encouragement today. I would not be where I am today without Gatton and WKU.”

About the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings: Since their foundation in 1951, the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings have developed into a unique international scientific forum. The annual Meetings provide an opportunity for an exchange between different generations, cultures, and disciplines. The theme of the Lindau Meetings alternates between Physics, Chemistry or Physiology and Medicine – the three Nobel Prize scientific disciplines. Every five years an interdisciplinary Meeting takes place, while the Lindau Meeting on Economic Sciences is held every three years. Through the medium of various declarations (2020 for Open Science, 2015 on Climate Change, 1955 Against the Use of Nuclear Weapons) the scientists have
repeatedly joined in the public debate with political appeals.

It was the Lindau physicians Franz Karl Hein and Gustav Wilhelm Parade who approached Count Lennart Bernadotte af Wisborg with the idea of a meeting of Nobel Laureates and proceeded to jointly implement this with him – since 1953 with the participation of young scientists. Some 35,000 students, PhD candidates and post-docs have since taken part. Their experience of the Meeting may be literally once-in-a-lifetime, but they remain permanent members of the Lindau
Alumni Network and ambassadors for scientific dialogue. All year long the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings continue to pursue their ‘Mission Education’ aimed at emphasizing the importance of science and advocating science and research. This is also the purpose of the Lindau Mediatheque as a learning platform with teaching materials for schools.

About The Gatton Academy: Established in 2007, The Gatton Academy is Kentucky’s first residential two-year program for gifted and talented juniors and seniors. The Gatton Academy’s students enroll as juniors and are full-time WKU students pursuing their interests in advanced science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The Gatton Academy is a recipient of the 2022 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from Insight Into Diversity Magazine and the Innovation Partnership Award from the National Consortium for Secondary STEM Schools.