The surprising selection of Barack Obama as recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize has catapulted the international awards program to the forefront of worldwide consciousness.

Capitalizing on the Nobel attention, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay posted a mini-poll on his website asking people to vote for prominent local citizens he “nominated” for Nobel prizes in the areas of Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Economics, Medicine and Peace.

HOK Founding Partner Gyo Obata is one of five nominees in the Physics category for his design of the James S. McDonnell Planetarium. Completed in 1963, the thin-shell and hyperboloid structure is located on the St. Louis Science Center campus in Forest Park.

Last I checked, Gyo was leading his category, garnering 27 percent of the vote.

Won’t you do your part to help Mr. Obata follow in the footsteps of Mr. Obama?