A little flare to scientific temper

Updated on: Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Erudite, the scholars-in-residence programme initiated by the State Higher Education Council, seems to have opened up new knowledge horizons for students and faculty members of various universities and colleges in the State. The project aims to provide the teachers and students of the universities an opportunity to interact with eminent academics within the country as well as abroad. Thanks to the increasing number of scholars visiting the campuses across the State, the initiative has shifted to its top gear. Nearly 30 renowned academicians from the country and abroad have already joined the first phase of the programme.

Elaborating on the objectives of the Erudite programme, Education Minister M. A. Baby said that the eminent academicians including Nobel laureates will be invited to spend not less than one week in a university department, where they are intended to deliver lectures on topics of their expertise and to interact with the students, both research scholars and postgraduates.

The programme is strictly residential in character, with the universities providing all facilities required for the visiting scholars. The programme is not conducted in a seminar/conference/workshop model, and it will provide students, researchers and faculty members opportunity to get in-depth knowledge on areas of the scholars' expertise.

According to K. N. Panikkar, Vice Chairman of the State Higher Education Council, the programme is intended to provide the students and teachers exposure to thought-provoking lectures, which could elevate them to new horizons of knowledge. It is aimed at fostering a new tempo of research in our young generation, Dr. Panikkar said.

Reminding the stakeholders that the Erudite programme should not narrow down to the level of only touching the Nobel laureates or having a photograph with them, Roger Y. Tsien, Nobel Prize winner in chemistry (2008), who visited the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) recently, said that efforts should be made to use the services of visiting scholars for problem-solving in various areas.

Terming the initiative, as a ‘great experiment', Prof. Tsien suggested ensuring the quality of interaction with eminent academicians and Nobel laureates rather than focussing more on quantity during the implementation of the programme.

Stating that it was very difficult to get researchers to stay on campuses for weeks, Prof. Tsien said that faculty members, researchers and students should use the opportunity to seek advice from the eminent academicians including Nobel laureates visiting the campuses.

Explaining that the Nobel Prize winners were lucky to have come up with solutions, Prof. Tsien said that he can help the researchers by guiding them to other experts who can address various issues faced by the students during their research.

Urging the researchers to produce relevant data regarding their research and present it before the visiting faculties effectively, Prof. Tsien suggested that they (researchers) should ask the experts on how to overcome research obstacles. “You can learn and they can also learn from you,” he said.

Zhores I. Alferov, Nobel Prize winner in Physics (2000), who had an extensive interaction with faculty and students of Cusat, recommended stepping up fundamental education in basic sciences in the State.

Describing that the society required a new kind of educational system, he requested the government to invest a lot of money on development of science and technology. Prof. Alferov advised the young researchers to learn more about their areas of study and encouraged them to come up with new devices in fields like nanotechnology.

Expressing his difficulty in using English language, Prof. Alferov told the students and teachers that he had studied his subjects in Russian language. Pointing out that he had felt the need to learn English language, he said that it was required while interacting with the global scientific community.

Emphasising the role of mathematics in science, Prof. Alferov said that he had learnt about Mathematical modelling and its use in his area from the legendary Prof. Peter Kapitza. This knowledge helped him a lot in his research, he said.

Urging the students to find out their area of specialisation according to one's ability and interests, Prof. Alferov said that he would like to go back and become a student given an opportunity. I would take up physics and spend more time in the laboratory, he said.

Answering a question on whether he had expected to win Nobel Prize, Prof. Alferov said that he knew the importance of his discoveries and hence had expected it. The Nobel laureate also said that he used to spend long hours in the laboratory during his days of research, practically living in the laboratory on several occasions.

Prof. Alferov said that the credit for his Nobel Prize goes to his wonderful parents, and his brother who lost his life in the battle field during the Second World War. He also recalled the contributions made by his teachers in shaping up his career.

The student community also got a chance to interact with George Cardona, an expert in Sanskrit language, who visited the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit and Calicut University in connection with the Erudite programme.

Author of works like ‘Panini: a survey of research', and ‘Panini: his work and its traditions', Dr. Cardona, who is Professor of Linguistics at Pennsylvania University, US, spoke extensively on comparative linguistics during his visit. Pointing out that comparative linguistics involves the learners in areas that can inspire them to take up specialised studies in various fields, he said that comparative linguistics has the powers to inspire human mind. The study of comparative linguistics is fascinating. It can help one take up specialised studies in various areas, Dr. Cardona said. He said that language is a human tool and it can be found in the people's minds. The study of comparative linguistics will also influence the society and its culture. And the interest in comparative linguistics and its allied areas will continue for years, Dr. Cardona said.

He also interacted with the faculty and students with reading of Sanskrit classics related to grammar and language philosophy. The texts selected include the Astadhyayi of Panini and Vakyapadiya of Bhartrhari. An ardent admirer of the Indian grammatical traditions, Dr. Cardona believes that the Paninian grammar is superior to any other system in the world.

Some of the renowned academicians participating in the Erudite programme include U. R. Ananthamurthy, former Vice Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University; Maneger Pandey, former Professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (Hindi/Humanities); M. Santhosh of Kochi University, Japan (marine geology); D. V. R. Murthi, General Manager, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Chennai (marine geology); Thomas Mathew, Department of Statistics, University of Maryland, U.S.A. (statistics); S. P. Mukherjee of Calcutta University (statistics); Alessandro Guiliani, TEC Laboratory, Italy (Bio-Informatics); Laheurte from France (electronics); Ajay Chakraborty of IIT, Kharagpur (electronics); K. J. Vinoy of IISc., Bangalore (electronics) and Michael R. Hoffmann, James Irvine Professor, W. M. Keck Laboratories, Caltech (chemistry)

A little flare to scientific temper

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