Elon Musk, Brian Eno, and Apollo 11 documentary will be
honoured by STARMUS with the 2019 Stephen Hawking Medal
for Science Communication
The 2019 Stephen Hawking Medal for science communication comes a year after the great
scientist’s passing
Brian May Message: Stephen Hawking Medal – Starmus 2019
– https://youtu.be/tGNt78JBAcg
Zurich, Switzerland—The STARMUS festival announces the 2019 winners of the Stephen Hawking Medal, one of the world’s most celebrated science communication awards. This year’s recipients are:
Elon Musk for his astounding accomplishments in space travel and for humanity
Brian Eno for his contribution to the popularisation of science
Apollo 11, a documentary by Todd Douglas Miller, for its breakthrough look at history’s most famous space mission
STARMUS will announce the winners at a press event in Zurich on May 10th, with the medal ceremony to follow on June 24 at the STARMUS V festival, also in Zurich. Celebrated scientist and educator Bill Nye will host the ceremony, and scheduled attendees include a remarkable roster of science and space luminaries, including Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins and six other Apollo mission astronauts.
STARMUS co-founder and board member Dr Brian May, the legendary Queen guitarist and PhD astrophysicist, will personally present the medal to Mr Musk, who has been hailed by no less than Richard Dawkins as a “hero for our times.” On hand as well will be Sir Michael Hintze, founder, Group Executive Chairman, and Senior Investment Officer of CQS, whose generous patronage helps make possible the Stephen Hawking Medal; and STARMUS founder Dr Garik Israelian. It will be a momentous occasion, with Dr May and Mr Musk flanked by the Apollo astronauts in a not-to-miss photo opportunity.
Sir Michael Hintze, Founder and Group Executive Chairman of CQS added “I am excited about our support for Starmus and the 2019 Stephen Hawking Medal. It is enabling us to better understand the origins and fate of our universe, where we have come from and where we might go. It is about intellectual curiosity, striving for knowledge and a journey of discovery about our planet and our place in the universe. For science to grow and prosper we must excite and engage with our youth, and capture their imagination. The work being done here connects into the global scientific community and facilitates global collaboration.”
One highlight among many expected at this year’s medal ceremony will be a one-of-a-kind performance, conducted by musical giant Hans Zimmer and featuring special guests, of his original composition “Once Upon a Time on The Moon,” an incredible 50th anniversary tribute to the Apollo missions and those who made them possible. This year’s awards are the first bestowed since the passing of Stephen Hawking; they are dedicated to his legacy and given in recognition of his affinity for applied technology. Before his death, Professor Hawking personally invited Mr Musk to STARMUS. Previous recipients of the Stephen Hawking Medal include Mr Zimmer, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jean-Michel Jarre, and The Big Bang Theory.
The press announcement event will happen in Zurich, May 10th at 10:15 (GMT+2). Interested media should contact the number below to arrange special, select interviews.
**STARMUS extends a special thanks for the amazing support from its title sponsors, CQS, Kaspersky Labs and Omega.**
ABOUT STARMUS V
: From 24 to 29 June 2019, the world-renowned science and music festival STARMUS celebrates a half century of lunar exploration through the theme “50 Years of Moon Landing.” Taking place in Switzerland this year for the first time, the festival gathers leading scientists, legendary astronauts, and musical greats and invites the general public to share in their passion and knowledge
. The 2019 programme will bring together some of the most intelligent, creative, and artistic people on the planet. Prominent attendees—all personally selected by the STARMUS board of directors—include an unprecedented public gathering of Apollo astronauts, including 2019’s keynote speaker Michael Collins, Charlie Duke, and Harrison Schmitt. STARMUS V will welcome 12 Nobel laureates to the stage, as well as luminaries from the worlds of art, science, and music — including Mr Eno, Dr May, Steve Vai, and Rick Wakeman — for six days of discussion, debate, and engagement across the sciences, from microbiology and biochemistry to astrophysics and neuroscience. Other speakers include Lord Martin Rees, Brian Cox, Emmanuelle Charpentier, and Helen Sharman
. [Members of the STARMUS board: Stephen Hawking (posthumous), Brian May, Peter Gabriel, Richard Dawkins, Alexei Leonov, Jill Tarter, Robert Williams, David Eicher, Emmanuelle Charpentier and cofounder Garik Israelian.]
According to Garik Israelian, STARMUS founder, the 2019 festival has been designed to ask tough questions about our place in the universe at a pivotal point in human history: “The importance of STARMUS V cannot be understated. At a time when the world retreats to isolationism, collaboration is needed to strategically present the ideas, evidence, and challenges we collectively face – and uniquely confront. We believe the biggest and best achievements of the human race are a result of that scientific collaboration.”
Tickets are now officially on sale and can be purchased at www.starmus.com.
STARMUS V HONORED PARTNERS
OMEGA and The Stephen Hawking Medal:
OMEGA is a prestigious Swiss watchmaker and member of the Swatch Group Ltd. Since 1848, the brand has been synonymous with excellence, innovation, and precision, as well as a pioneering spirit, demonstrated by its achievements in sports timekeeping, the oceans, and space. In fact, since 1965, the OMEGA Speedmaster has been worn on each of NASA’s manned missions including all six moon landings.
Kaspersky Lab:
Kaspersky Lab is a global cybersecurity company, which has been operating in the market for 21 years. Kaspersky Lab’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise are constantly transforming into next-generation security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.
The STARMUS festival’s other supporters include the International Astronomical Union, CERN, the European Space Agency, and the European Southern Observatory.
CQS:
CQS is an investment management firm founded by Sir Michael Hintze in 1999. The Firm’s deep experience allows it to offer solutions for investors across a range of return objectives and risk appetites. CQS is an active asset manager with expertise across corporate capital structures including corporate credit, structured credit, asset backed securities, convertibles, loans and equities. It is committed to delivering performance and high levels of service to its investors.
CQS has offices in London, New York, Hong Kong and Sydney. Our investors include pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, funds of funds, endowments and foundations, and private banks. www.cqs.com