We made it to the finals for this year's edition of October Madness, Sigma Xi's Nobel Prize prediction contest. Thanks to all who voted last week! Everyone is invited to vote this week to help complete our predictions for the 2016 Nobel Prize in chemistry, physics, and physiology or medicine. We're also predicting the winner of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences.
Voting for this round will close at 11:59 p.m. PDT on September 25.
Make sure to check back on this blog on September 27 for the announcement of our October Madness champions!
Final 4 Results
Chemistry
Economic Sciences*
Physics
Physiology or Medicine
A tie in Economic Sciences between Jennifer Hunt and Gary S. Fields was broken based on the number of votes each received in the Elite 8 round. Fields advanced to the finals.
Finals Voting
Chemistry
Vote here for your predictions for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
The final chemistry match-up is:
Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier for the CRISPR gene editing tool
VS.
Paul J. Reider for the discovery and development of approved drugs, including those for treating asthma and for treating AIDS
Economic Sciences
Vote here for your predictions for the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences.
The final economic sciences match-up is:
Gary S. Fields for contributions on the importance of efficient labor markets to fight poverty and foster economic development in low- and middle-income countries
VS.
Roland Fryer for ground breaking quantitative analysis techniques that reveal causes and effects of economic and educational gaps based on racial discrimination and other inequities
Physics
Vote here for your predictions for the Nobel Prize in Physics.
The final physics match-up is:
Vera Rubin and Kent Ford for dark matter
VS.
Rainer Weiss, Kip Thorne, and Ronald Drever for the direct detection of gravitational waves
Physiology or Medicine
Vote here for your predictions for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
The final physiology or medicine match-up is:
Seiji Ogawa for the discovery of the principle for functional magnetic resonance imaging
VS.
Paul Quinton for significant contributions to the understanding of the mechanisms behind cystic fibrosis, particularly the discovery that the fundamental defect in cystic fibrosis is chloride impermeability
Heather Thorstensen is the manager of communications for Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society.