Sidney Altman, a biochemist from Canada who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1989 jointly with Thomas R. Cech "for their discovery of catalytic properties of RNA", has come to learn more about NSU, which has become an institution under his auspices. In a recent audience with the university鈥檚 officials Sidney Altman was informed about the features NSU strives to develop and the sustainability plans.
Speaking about international ratings, the scientist evaluated NSU as a university of high level which is to take higher rating positions. The Medicine Department of NSU deserved his special attention as teaching medicine to students is expensive enough, and the fact of hosting such a department adds to the status of the university.
Altman visited some of the NSU laboratories and commenced his duties as a member of the International Academic Council. Sergey Netesov, NSU鈥檚 Pro-Rector for Research, mentioned that they had a fruitful discussion with Sidney Altman giving valuable advice on different aspects of university life including interaction with the alumni.
A winner of a last year鈥檚 Russian government megagrant, an eminent molecular biologist Altman is going to work at the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine in Novosibirsk.
3 interesting facts about Sidney Altman [sorce: ]
Growing up in Montreal, Canada, he used to be a hockey player and a fan of the game. Not anymore. 鈥淧rofessional hockey now is a much rougher game. The finesse and beauty have disappeared from the upper levels. It鈥檚 not the same game as it was in the 1960鈥瞫 and 1970鈥瞫 when big Russian players like Vladislav Tretiak and Valeri Kharlamov ruled the rinks鈥�.
He studied Russian for two years so he could read the great masters of prose and poetry: 鈥淧ushkin, Turgenev, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky. I read them all, in Russian.鈥�
His only word of advice to students boils down to two words: 鈥淗ard work. You cannot work with any concept of public recognition, fame, money and all that. That鈥檚 a terrible curse. You have to focus on the science and the problems you鈥檙e trying to solve.鈥�
