The invitation letter emphasizes that this is not a rehearsal for the award ceremony, but one of the frontier science outlook series lectures organized by the committee, aimed at giving committee members and the Swedish scientific community a deeper understanding of the full scope of the candidate's work.
But anyone with insight knows that inviting shortlisted candidates for a special report a month before the final vote has an obvious symbolic and actual impact.
"This is a very strong positive signal," Manstein couldn't hide his excitement over the transoceanic call. "Although this series of lectures has been held in the past years, inviting shortlisted candidates to give a lecture before the vote has only happened twice in the last decade. Both times, the speakers eventually won the prize."
"But I don't have time to go," Yang Ping said, stretching lazily.
