Laureates honored at Kyoto Prize Symposium gala

The San Diego Hilton Bayside hosted the 11th annual Kyoto Prize Symposium gala on March 20. The three-day symposium provides an opportunity for an international audience to learn about the achievements of the current Kyoto Prize Laureates and to discuss the relationship between their accomplishments and the common quest for peace and harmony in the world.

Irwin Jacobs, co-founder of Qualcomm, served as honorary chairman of the event, co-hosted by San Diego State University, UC San Diego, University of San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene University.

The three 2012 laureates are U.S. materials scientist John W. Cahn, 84; astrophysicist, with citizenship in Russia and Germany, Dr. Rashid A. Sunyaev, 69; and Japanese Kabuki actor Tamasaburo Bando V, 61.

Japan’s non-profit Inamori Foundation presents the Kyoto Prize to individuals and groups worldwide who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to the betterment of society in the categories 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 $625,000) per category, making it Japan’s highest private award for global achievement.PHotos by Carol Sonstein