Focus on fusion

Updated on: Monday, November 30, 2009

The scientific community today needs professionals who can effectively work across the traditional boundaries of academic

Dr RA Mashelkar, former director general of Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and president of Indian National Science Academy (INSA), aptly summarises the course of scientific development and research around the world as ‘borderless.’ He substantiates by illustrating the example of Venkatraman Ramakrishnan. Winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize for chemistry, his work on the structure and function of the ribosome successfully combines the traditional domains of physics and chemistry.

"Even modern biology has become very mathematical, based on genetics, quantum mechanics and other streams. Also, it is unlikely to come across people in the West who believe that traditional disciplines can work in isolation. Unfortunately, in India, the compartmentalisation starts very early as students study biology because they do not like maths. Given the way scientific developments are taking place all over the world, this is a serious handicap,” agrees professor PJ Narayanan, dean (R&D ), IIIT-Hyderabad.

Timesofindia

Focus on fusion

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