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Call to Pursue Science

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By Admin 24 Apr 2014 - 9:18am

Call to Pursue Science

By Express News Service - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Published: 24th April 2014 08:07 AM

Last Updated: 24th April 2014 08:07 AM

 
  • Dr G Madhavan Nair, former chairman, ISRO, delivering the valedictory address at the end of the three-day science learning camp organised by KSCSTE at Sasthra Bhavan, Pattom. Also seen is Prof V N Rajasekharan Pillai, Executive Vice-President of KSCSTE | EXPRESS
    Dr G Madhavan Nair, former chairman, ISRO, delivering the valedictory address at the end of the three-day science learning camp organised by KSCSTE at Sasthra Bhavan, Pattom. Also seen is Prof V N Rajasekharan Pillai, Executive Vice-President of KSCSTE | EXPRESS

Very few students are brave enough to choose a career in science, former chairman of ISRO G Madhavan Nair said here on Wednesday. He was speaking at the valedictory function of the three-day science learning programme organised by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE).

 “Though plenty of school students pass science talent search exams, very few pursue science,” Nair said, urging the participants to get off the beaten track and not to blindly pursue IT.

 He spoke to the students of institutions like Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) and the school to be started by Vikram Sarabhai Space Foundation in Kochi.

“Caltech is considered the premier institution for space research in the world, and that is the model  IIST should follow,” he said.

 There was a time, Nair said, when major discoveries in science were considered serendipitous. “But that is no longer so. Long hours of research and sophisticated laboratories are important,” he said.

 The former chairman of ISRO also answered questions posed by the students, from the technical - why hasn’t India sent humans to space - to the imaginative - could there be life on other planets that depends on, say, sulphuric acid, instead of water?

 The three-day event saw the participation of around 60 students in classes 8 to 10 of various schools in the city. They had sessions by experts from various bodies like KSCSTE, KSSP, KSBB, ISER  and Kerala University.

Source:http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/Call-to-Pursue-Science/2014/04/24/article2185237.ece