Nobel Laureate Stefan Hell, while addressing the ongoing 107th Indian Science Congress in Bengaluru, said governments need to back “blue sky” science. He emphasised that real giant leaps in science were unplanned and were a result of curiosity.
Hell, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing fluorescence microscopy that allows for detailed observation of processes occurring inside living cells, said, “All governments – not just Indian or German – usually are interested in short-term outcomes of science. They are interested in applied sciences, which is understandable. However, past experience shows that the big leaps usually do not come in a planned way. It is unplannable.”
The German physicist who is also one of the directors of the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, further added, “It is very important to understand that in order for science to flourish, it has to be free. We cannot give directions as to where to go. There must be room for, say, blue sky research or basic research.”
Israeli chemist Ada E Yonath, who won the Nobel Prize in 2009 for her work on understanding the structure and function of ribosomes, which are minute particles in a living cell that links amino acids together to form various proteins in order specified by the RNA also pointed out that governments need to understand and like science.
“First of all, we need a government that understands science and likes it. That’s not always the case. Governments are made of politicians, politicians who have a short-term existence and hence look for short term results,” she said.
Yonath said that governments can help scientific attitudes flourish by increasing fundings across universities. She further added, “Science is usually longer and not always something scientists thought about before the experiments. Scientists have to have curiosity. But governments can of course help by increasing the fundings and improving the atmosphere in the universities.”
Yonath said that children should not be afraid to ask questions. She said, “Curiosity and originality of thought have to be encouraged. Children have to be taught to not be afraid of their teachers, not be afraid to ask questions and challenge them.”
Highlighting the role of parents in this process, she said, “When children come back from school instead of asking how their day was and what their teacher taught them, parents should ask them what were the questions they asked. This will encourage them and teach them to ask what they need to understand.”
Honorary president of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research Prof CNR Rao, while addressing the inaugural lecture of the Children’s Science Congress, said that dedication, doggedness, and tenacity is needed for one to become a good scientist.
Rao said that science only needs good human minds. He said, “Science does not know religion, caste or colour, just good human minds. A degree is not important. Where you come from or how much money you have is not important. There are so many children in our villages and some of them must be brilliant, we have to find them.”
