Nobel laureate Peter Agre discusses return to JHU, fight against malaria
Aquaporins work as a molecular "plumbing system" for the cells. The proteins act like a sieve, allowing water through but preventing the passage of larger molecules into the cell. The pores accelerate the movement of water by osmosis. There is no ion-pump or co-transport system driving this process.
In 2003, Agre received the Nobel Prize for his discovery of aquaporins.
He considered the award "a pleasant surprise. People would look at the research and say 'this is a big breakthrough in science' but I didn't believe it. I certainly didn't go to medical school thinking I was going to win a Nobel Prize."
According to Agre, there is an element of luck in science. "There are many, many scientists who are far more proficient than I am and have made important observations, but these observations wouldn't be considered the basic discoveries that the Nobel [judges] look for," he said.
So what is the key to winning a Nobel Prize?
"It is being in the right place at the right time, with your eyes wide open," Agre said.
Since winning the award, Agre's presence has been felt nationwide.
He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2000 and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2003.
He is a founding member of Scientists and Engineers for America (SEA), and serves on its board of advisors.
"The SEA is meant to be a constructive organization. It is something I would love to see here at Johns Hopkins," Agre said, adding that he was willing to help students interested in forming a chapter.
In 2006, Agre was a guest on The Colbert Report.
"At first, I didn't know what it was," Agre said.
After taking advice from his children, Agre appeared on the show, bringing his Nobel Prize medal by request. When asked by Stephen Colbert if one can get a Nobel Prize for throwing his own feces, Agre said, "that is the economics prize."
But the fame that comes with winning a Nobel Prize has a downside.
In 2003, Agre received the Nobel Prize for his discovery of aquaporins.
He considered the award "a pleasant surprise. People would look at the research and say 'this is a big breakthrough in science' but I didn't believe it. I certainly didn't go to medical school thinking I was going to win a Nobel Prize."
According to Agre, there is an element of luck in science. "There are many, many scientists who are far more proficient than I am and have made important observations, but these observations wouldn't be considered the basic discoveries that the Nobel [judges] look for," he said.
So what is the key to winning a Nobel Prize?
"It is being in the right place at the right time, with your eyes wide open," Agre said.
Since winning the award, Agre's presence has been felt nationwide.
He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2000 and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2003.
He is a founding member of Scientists and Engineers for America (SEA), and serves on its board of advisors.
"The SEA is meant to be a constructive organization. It is something I would love to see here at Johns Hopkins," Agre said, adding that he was willing to help students interested in forming a chapter.
In 2006, Agre was a guest on The Colbert Report.
"At first, I didn't know what it was," Agre said.
After taking advice from his children, Agre appeared on the show, bringing his Nobel Prize medal by request. When asked by Stephen Colbert if one can get a Nobel Prize for throwing his own feces, Agre said, "that is the economics prize."
But the fame that comes with winning a Nobel Prize has a downside.
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