Hofstra celebrates faculty members who were winners of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. // Alexandra Webb / The Hofstra Chronicle.

On Wednesday, Feb. 8, Hofstra University’s Provost Office hosted “The Nobel Prizes Explained” in the Leo A. Guthart Cultural Center Theater. The event carefully examined the 2022 Nobel awardees and their prize-winning work to understand the significance of Alfred Nobel’s legacy as it exists today.

As Charles Riordan, the provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs explained, the event provided a platform “to hear from our campus scholars and their unique perspectives and celebrate the impact of our work on society.”

Panelists included: Sabine Loucif, professor of Romance languages and literatures, Constantine Alexandrakis, associate professor of economics, Linda A. Longmire, professor of global studies and geography, Robert V. Hill, associate professor of science education, Yalan Xing, associate professor of chemistry, and Gregory C. Levine, professor of physics and astronomy. Each panelist highlighted the Nobel Prize as a reflection of the high academic standards Hofstra University is working to achieve.

Over the years, the prize itself has evolved far beyond the iconic Nobel Peace Prize into the domains of literature, economics, medicine, chemistry and physics.

Claire Thon, a political science and law student, said, “I used to just think of science when I thought about the Nobel Prize, but I know it’s not just for science anymore.”

Aside from the obvious contrasts between the branches of disciplines, the award carries over the very same significance it had originally intended for each respective field. According to Alfred Nobel’s will of 1895, a prize in his name should be awarded to “those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.” Almost 130 years have passed and the extraordinary contributions of these Nobel scholars to humanity are still being celebrated.

Loucif believes that class defectors and crusading reform seekers like 2022 awardee Annie Eranaux are worthy of such a distinguished honor since they “talk about the things that no one wants to talk about.”

Eranaux created her own unique writing style, using it as a vessel to legitimize real-world problems she cared about, from feminist issues and class divisions to abortion, sexual abuse, sexuality and rape. “I will write to avenge my people,” Eranaux said. It is that political human rights crusade writing that won her the Nobel Prize.

It is not so much the work itself but the impact of that work towards the betterment of humanity that is so invaluable. The domain worthy of a Nobel Prize only acts as a vessel to create a far more profound footprint on the world. According to sophomore Joseph Cicione, “The Nobel Prize is a prestigious award given to someone that should be seen as a role model to the whole world.”

Much of the same is true of all the 2022 Nobel Prize winners; they display courage in the face of suffering and the will to fight for something beyond one’s own self-interest for the benefit of humanity.

According to Longmire, any work meriting a Nobel title is explicitly addressing the urgent issues in the world. A Nobel Prize recipient “speaks the narratives of peace” in whatever manner their domain would afford them.

In the fields of natural science and economics, for example, awardees functioned as pioneers in their respective disciplines, made new discoveries and presented solutions to their real-world circumstances. Awardees found applications for their work in researching the treatment of cancer patients and restructuring bank loaning procedures to help struggling families get the money they need.

As Longmire put it, no matter the platform upon which the Nobel Prize is awarded, the sentiment of “empowerment to those who dedicate themselves to the betterment of humankind, and awarding them for their efforts” is invariable across the board.