A "Nobel" Day in the life of Berkeley Professor Randy Schekman

hello Susie Randy congratulations thank you thank you I just woke up and news was on and that was the first thing I heard yeah yeah amazing huh well we've been up for a few hours yeah my son says yeah crazy my daughter says holy bleep my son says front page of the New York Times my daughter says recognize ex several exclamation points at first I heard some noise and my wife said this is it and I jumped up and heard the phone ring and picked up the phone and uh I was shaking and you know speechless which is for me quite an unusual situation hey hi oh congrats graduate student of mine come on in so when are you going to get your free parking spot first things first here's the lab hello there congratulations congratulations thank you thank you thank you sort of vaguely heard something and then Nancy yelled out that's it this is it and uh then I uh I got up and the phone rang again and I started to get really nervous and picked up the phone and uh and the you know there was a reassuring Swedish voice on the other end hello hello going to give you a hug this is hi Nancy this is so fantastic yeah this is my high school biology teacher wow what a trip you have taken from high school science fair award to the Nobel Prize oh I love it I imagine you've loved every minute I'm so proud and happy keep going you going to cry I can't read you've pushed oh here it is you've pushed Tiger Woods aside as Western High's most famous alumnist H now now I made they live hi hi to meet you come with me we'll congratulations Randy thanks thanks good to see you good to see you too I feel giddy it hasn't it hasn't dawned on me yet probably it will tonight when I try to sleep so on behalf of the University of California Berkeley I not only recognize Professor Randy sheckman for his Grand accomplishment as a Nobel laurate but confering you a lifetime parking permit the greatest honor we can bestow Randy [Applause] thank you Chancellor Dirks when I started though I had no experience in this I was uh full of confidence perhaps too too much confidence I wrote My First Federal grant to the NIH uh and um was rebuffed with a u what basically was a triage telling me that I didn't know what I was talking about and I may know how to pip Petty coli but that I certainly didn't know anything about yeast uh fortunately again with a little bit of money that came from the department and a generous those the um small Grant to begin with from the National Science Foundation novic and I were able to uh embark on a several year project to isolate mutations that block secretion culminating in 1979 with a publication in a journal called the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences onethird of the world supply of human insulin is produced by secretion and yeast these were unanticipated but nonetheless inevitably the direct product of the investment not only of this institution but of the federal government in basic science many of us are here will stay will continue to invest in public education and I intend to use whatever Glory comes to me to the benefit of this institution to spread the word about him how important public education is in this country thank [Applause] you things all got started I I never had a black mustache do it Randy congratulations and thanks so much

Channel: UC Berkeley

Views: 49,384

Keywords: uc berkeley, Nobel Prize (Award), University Of California Berkeley (College/University), ucberkeley, berkeley, randy schekman, nobel, Nobel Prize In Physiology Or Medicine (Award Category), medicine, hepatitis, insulin, molecular biology, biology, cell

Id: DRADDqc_D3M

Length: 4min 28sec (268 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 07 2013