University of Utah Nobel winner introduces himself in Stockholm

Editor's note: Award-winning Deseret Morning News writer Lois M. Collins is in Sweden this week covering the awarding of the Nobel Prize in medicine to Mario Capecchi, distinguished U. professor of human genetics and biology.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — "A husband," "a father" and "a scientist" are the phrases the University of Utah's Nobel Laureate selected when asked to describe himself during an international get-acquainted press conference today as part of Nobel Week.

"What I enjoy doing is science," said Mario Capecchi, distinguished professor of human genetics and biology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the U. "It's a passion. It's something that gives me an enormously good feeling and a sense of discovery. ... Working on new things all the time is exhilarating."

Science, he added, "comes naturally to me."

The forum featured Capecchi and the two scientists with whom he shares the Nobel Prize in Medicine, Sir Martin J. Evans of Cardiff University in the United Kingdom and Oliver Smithies of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Tomorrow, they'll share a more formal podium as they deliver their Nobel Lectures. And early next week, they'll share a substantial cash prize, as well. They also each receive a Nobel Prize medal.

The trio brought a light touch to the rather formal setting at the Karolinska Institute, where their selection as Nobelists had been made and announced in early October.

When a reporter asked what the men would do with their medallions, Evans quipped that "I shall carry it closely upon my person." That prompted Smithies to joke that he would have a replica made "so no one will know which one to steal."

At that point, Capecchi started laughing and didn't answer, beyond a quiet, "I can't beat that."

But when the predictable "how are you going to spend the money" came up, Capecchi earned a laugh by noting that he would give half of it to the U.S. government, referring, of course, to taxes.

Capecchi said the most important traits for good scientific research are attention to detail, which determines whether the research is successful, and imagination. "Think about the future, not today or tomorrow, but look way into the future."