And the winners are...
HEINEKEN PRIZES
History; Medicine; Environmental Science;
Art and, most recently, Cognitive Science.
"My father loved reading," explains
Charlene, referring to the History Prize.
"He always had his nose in a book! He
was very interested in history and thought
people could learn from past mistakes.
Medical research was a natural extension
of the Biochemistry and Biophysics Prize."
On the Environment Prize, Charlene
reflects that her father's interest in that
subject came later. "He started getting
concerned with major environmental
issues. He felt these were things that
should be fixed. He'd find someone
relevant and have tea with them - his way
of getting things done - and give them a
contribution to work on a solution. Art was
another personal passion of his. That's
how that prize was added, to encourage
Dutch artists."
Charlene added the Cognitive Science
Prize herself. "I was persuaded by the
eminent Professor Levelt, President of
the KNAW from 2002 to 2005," she adds.
"Today we have the ability to look into
the brain more and see exactly how it's
working. There is more scientific evidence
in the field rather than guesswork."
There are no immediate plans for further
expansion of Prizes. Charlene sees that
as a role for her children as the next
generation of Prize guardians. "If possible,
they also attend the awards," she adds.
William Laurance,
professor at James
Cook University
in Cairns (Australia)
Prof. Laurance received
the Dr. A.H. Heineken
Prize for Environmental
Sciences for his research
on the effects of
habitat fragmentation,
deforestation, hunting
and fire on the
vulnerable Amazon
region. He also plays
a major role as a
science communicator
in the public debate
on the preservation of
the South American
rainforest.
Hans Clevers, director
of the Hubrecht
Institute in Utrecht
(Netherlands)
Prof. Clevers
received the Dr.
A.H. Heineken
Prize for Medicine
for his unique
understanding
of how tissue
growth is regulated,
both in normal
development and in
cancer.
Titia de Lange,
professor at Rockefeller
University in New York
(USA)
Prof. De Lange
received the Dr. H.P.
Heineken Prize for
Biochemistry and
Biophysics for her
research on telomeres,
the protective
DNA sequences
located at the tips of
chromosomes, which
play an important role
in such processes as
ageing and cancer.
30 World of HEINEKEN Edition 1 2013
