Hyderabad, July 10: Eamcet parents won’t like this but we have it on the authority of a Nobel laureate that children must have the liberty to grow as normal kids and develop all faculties.
Interacting with about 60 students at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) today, Nobel winner for chemistry Prof. Y T Lee took questions from them on a variety of issues. Becoming strong on fundamentals is the key to excellence, he told a student.
“When I entered my university and decided to pursue research, the first thing I wanted to do was to become an excellent scientist.’’ The programme was organised as part of Inspire, an initiative by the Department of Science and Technology, to inculcate a scientific temper among students.
The Nobel laureate was peppered with a variety of eager queries ranging from the laws of science to the end of the world. One even asked for tips to win the the Nobel prize.
Admitting that the world is endangered by global warming, Prof. Lee said world temperatures might rise by 2-3 degrees C as a result of it. “But it is difficult to predict whether the laws of science will hold true or not as it depends on what kind of change the world is going to witness,’’ he said.
Responding to one student’s wish to have a global platform on which students around the world can join hands to work for the people, he suggested we must be realistic.
“Almost all research institutes are funded by the government. But for you initiative, the funding should come from all over the world. Politics should also be globalised so that world will become a global village,’’ he told the student.
Prof. Lee said he found the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology in Japan an ideal place to do his work as more than half of its students and faculty came from across the world.
Responding to a suggestion put forward by a student that the developed nations should help the developing countries with technology, he said the scientist fraternity ought to take the initiative in that direction.
Earlier in the programme, Prof Lee shared his experiences with the scientists of NGRI. Prof Lee, who has visited India on several occasions, said India was making remarkable progress on the science and technology front and its future looked bright.
NGRI acting director Y J Bhaskar Rao coordinated the event. Former directors Prof. Harsh Gupta and VP Dimri and several scientists were present.
–Agencies