The grandson of Nobel Prize winner Frits Zernike (1888-1966) presented a microscope from his grandfather to the University Museum on Friday evening.
Frits Zernike, named after his grandfather, traveled from his hometown of New York to Groningen. His grandfather received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1953 for his discovery of the phase-contrast microscope, which allows living cells to be studied much more accurately.
Outgoing Minister of Education, Culture and Science Robbert Dijkgraaf, himself a physicist, was present at the presentation. The university will hold a symposium with lectures on Saturday to celebrate Frits Zernike’s anniversary.