The two medals representing the two Nobel Prizes connected to the University of Szeged are now available for public viewing in the same exhibition space, with Albert Szent-Györgyi’s 1937 Nobel Prize and Katalin Karikó’s 2023 Nobel Prize both on display at the university’s exhibition Katalin Karikó's Journey to the Nobel Prize and Beyond. The revamped exhibition was unveiled before the opening ceremony of the new academic year at the University of Szeged.
The permanent exhibition Katalin Karikó's Journey to the Nobel Prize and Beyond at the University of Szeged has been updated and expanded ahead of the start of the academic year. It showcases the life and scientific accomplishments of Katalin Karikó, along with documents and other items from the history of the University of Szeged. It also features objects once belonging to Albert Szent-Györgyi, the 1937 Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, including his Nobel Prize medal and professor’s gown. The exhibition now includes interactive panels and displays, offering insights into the lives and careers of these two Nobel-laureate researchers.
First visitors to the exhibition. Photo by István Sahin-Tóth
The exhibition is worth both visiting and revisiting, as the unique space has been thoroughly reimagined, complete with new, sophisticated, and creative displays and lighting. The documents and objects, ranging from items that recall the University of Szeged’s origins in Cluj (Kolozsvár) to the empty display case labeled “The Place for Your Nobel Prize”, are now not only capable of evoking poignant feelings and inspiring awe but also serve as a veritable shrine to the academic values upheld by the university.
The updated exhibition was launched on September 7 as part of the opening ceremony of the new academic year. It was officially opened by rector Prof. Dr. László Rovó, chancellor Dr. Judit Fendler, Prof. Dr. Gábor Szabó, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for the University of Szeged, and Deputy State Secretary for European Policy Dr. Balázs Péter Molnár, in the presence of the university’s full professors.
                              |
| Pictures from the opening of the exhibition “Katalin Karikó's Journey to the Nobel Prize and Beyond” at the University of Szeged. Photos by István Sahin-Tóth and Ádám Kovács-Jerney |
Before the unveiling of the exhibition, Dr. Gábor Szabó reminisced about knowing Katalin Karikó since their student days, noting that they were in the same year, both lived in the Herman Ottó Dormitory in Szeged, and even worked together on the student committee. “No one could have predicted the path Kati would take, but it was evident that she was persistent and determined. At the original opening of the exhibition, standing before all those students, she was, indeed, overly modest when, reflecting on her university years, she said, ‘I wasn’t the best. It doesn’t matter who the best is in your year! Just pursue what you want, and you’ll see how it unfolds.’”
“Kati is not just one of the Nobel laureates,” continued Professor Szabó, a Széchenyi Prize-winning professor of physics at the University of Szeged. “Her unique personality, along with her scientific achievements, elevates her to a special status among Nobel laureates. I often say I am convinced that in ten or fifteen years, Katalin Karikó will be part of the curriculum for English secondary school students, simply because what she has done will benefit mankind so greatly that she will be regarded in the same way as Pasteur and other prominent figures in science – a figure who deserves to be incorporated into general literacy. This makes us particularly proud, and I truly hope that the University of Szeged will continue to be worthy of exhibiting the objects and documents showcasing her life’s work here. I also trust that, seeing our university’s ongoing and future achievements, Kati will always say with confidence: this is her alma mater.”
Photo by István Sahin-Tóth
As has been widely reported, Katalin Karikó announced, at the ceremony held in her honor on April 16, 2024, that she would donate a replica of her 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to her alma mater. At the same time, she also revealed that she would establish the JATE Award, funding it with the full $500,000 she received as prize money. It was during this April visit that the original exhibition was officially opened on the ground floor of the József Attila Study and Information Center at the Klebelsberg Library of the University of Szeged, where it has since been viewed by thousands of people.
Similarly to the original exhibition, the current exhibition is open to visitors at the Klebelsberg Library of the University of Szeged during the library’s regular hours.
The newly enhanced exhibition is a project overseen by the Directorate for International Affairs and Public Relations at the University of Szeged and the University’s Klebelsberg Library, with assistance from various institutional units and creative specialists at the University of Szeged, as well as the Móra Ferenc Museum in Szeged.
Source text by Sándor Panek
Top image: Katalin Karikó’s Journey to the Nobel Prize and Beyond – exhibition at the University of Szeged
Photos by István Sahin-Tóth and Ádám Kovács-Jerney
