Kavli Prize-2024:

Why in News? The 2024 Kavli Prize was recently announced. Eight winners were awarded for their contributions to astrophysics, neuroscience, and nanoscience.

• The Kavli Prize is named after Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist Fred Kavli.

About Fred Kavli:

• The Kavli Prize is awarded in honour of Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist Fred Kavli (1927-2013).
• Born in Erejsford, Norway, Kavli moved to California in 1956 after getting an engineering degree. In the US, he began working for a company which built high-tech sensors for missiles, becoming its chief engineer within a year.
• In 1958, he started his own enterprise, founding Kavlico. Today, the company is a leading manufacturer of pressure sensors and related systems, which are used in all kinds of industries, from aviation to home appliances.
• Kavlico’s pressure transducers (devices which convert pressure into an electric signal) are known for their high accuracy, stability, and reliability.
• In 2000, Kavli sold his company for $ 340 million, and established the Kavli Foundation, with the aim to support wide-ranging basic research to improve the quality of life for people worldwide. The foundation runs 20 institutes which specialise in astrophysics, neuroscience, nanoscience, and theoretical physics.

Nobel comparisons:

• The Kavli Prizes are awarded in three areas: astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience — the largest, the smallest, and the most complex.