UNESCO Kalinga Prize 2011 winner

On 4 January 2012, Mexican scientist René Raúl Drucker Colín was awarded the 2011 UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science, at a ceremony in Bhubaneswar (India).

A specialist in physiology and neurobiology, René Raúl Drucker Colín holds a degree in psychology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and a doctorate in medicine from the University of Saskatchewan (Canada). He is renowned for his work in identifying the role played by neurotransmitters during sleep.

Prof. Drucker Colín is also an ardent promoter of science. His work is published regularly in La Jornada, a leading Mexican daily, and he has participated over the past 12 years in the science programmes of Televisa, a national broadcaster.

Prof. Drucker Colín was selected by UNESCO Director- General Irina Bokova on the recommendation of an international jury.

The prize consists of US$20,000, together with a silver UNESCO Albert Einstein medal and certificate. It also includes the Kalinga Chair established by the Indian Department of Science and Technology, comprising a two-week visit to India by the laureate to meet with scientists and science communicators.

The UNESCO Kalinga Prize was created by UNESCO in 1951 and is awarded every two years. Financed jointly by the Kalinga Foundation in India, the Government of the State of Orissa and the Government of India, the prize rewards the efforts of writers, editors, lecturers, radio/television programme directors or film producers who have made a significant contribution to presenting science and technology to the general public.

For details: y.nur(at)unesco.org