City, County High School Groups Eligible for Free Transportation to San Diego’s Kyoto Prize Symposium

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--San Diego’s non-profit Kyoto Symposium Organization today announced that it will provide local high schools with free group transportation to its Eighth Annual Kyoto Prize Symposium presentations, March 19-20, on local university campuses. Up to 20 buses will be available for student groups of 25 or more, until reservations are full. Teachers from San Diego City or County high schools, public or private, can reserve seats until March 10.

“The Kyoto Prize Symposium gives students a learning opportunity that will not be repeated anywhere else in the world.”

The Kyoto Prize is Japan’s highest private award for lifetime achievement, presented annually in technology, science, and the humanities. The Kyoto Prize Symposium, made possible by grants and local benefactors, will bring the latest laureates of the Kyoto Prize to San Diego next month for free, 90-minute educational presentations and Q&A:

• Dr. Richard Manning Karp, a computer scientist from UC Berkeley, will appear at SDSU on the morning of Thursday, March 19. He will discuss his epochal work in unleashing the power of the computer to solve difficult problems in engineering, logistics and medicine. To request group transportation to this event, call (619) 594-5744.
• Dr. Anthony James Pawson, a molecular biologist from Toronto’s Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital, will appear at UCSD on the afternoon of March 19. He will speak about fighting cancer and other diseases using his theory of intracellular signal transduction. To request group transportation to this event, call (858) 534-6386.
• Dr. Charles Margrave Taylor, a world-renowned social philosopher from McGill University of Montreal, will appear at USD on the morning of Friday, March 20. He will discuss multicultural understanding as the essential foundation for peace and harmony in today’s global society. To request group transportation to this event, call (619) 260-4681.

“These lecture events are designed to inspire our youth to make the world a better place, just as the Kyoto Prize laureates have done,” said Robert Horsman of San Diego National Bank, who chairs the non-profit Kyoto Symposium Organization. “The Kyoto Prize Symposium gives students a learning opportunity that will not be repeated anywhere else in the world.”

Visit www.kyotoprize.org for Symposium information and to register for events.

About the Kyoto Symposium Organization

The 501(c)3 non-profit Kyoto Symposium Organization was established in 2004 to support San Diego’s annual Kyoto Prize Symposium – a three-day event celebrating the laureates of the Kyoto Prize. Since 2002, the Symposium has brought 23 Kyoto Prize laureates to San Diego for free public lectures and demonstrations, and awarded $300,000 in Kyoto Scholarships to San Diego and Tijuana-area students.

About the Kyoto Prize

The Kyoto Prize is an international award presented each year by Japan’s non-profit Inamori Foundation to individuals and groups worldwide who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to the betterment of human society, in the categories of “Advanced Technology,” “Basic Sciences,” and “Arts and Philosophy.” The prize consists of academic honors, a gold medal and a cash gift of 50 million yen (about US$500,000). The Foundation was established in Kyoto, Japan, in 1984 by Dr. Kazuo Inamori, an entrepreneur and humanitarian, who created the Kyoto Prize in reflection of his belief that human beings have no higher calling than to strive for the greater good of society, and that mankind’s future can be assured only when there is a balance between science, technology and the human spirit.