'It is important to make science education more enjoyable'

Nobel Prize winner Professor Oliver Smithies said at Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in Hyderabad that PhD is not about discovery but about learning new things

Nobel Prize winner Professor Oliver Smithies highlighted the need for making science education among students more enjoyable. “I tried to tell students wherever I go, if they don't like what they are doing in science, ask your advisers (tutors) to give another problem so that you enjoy doing it,” says Smithies. “If the advisers are not capable of doing this, better change them,” he suggests.

Delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, on ‘Where Do Ideas Come From’, Smithies says new ideas arrive from “who is your teacher and how they can inspire you.”

He also expressed PhD is not about discovery but about learning new things, and impressed upon the audience - “When an 88-year-old like me could continue to research, why not you?”

The Nobel laureate is currently working on the functional aspects of kidney, and cases of high-blood pressure among pregnant women and its affect on the baby among others. “Genetic sequencing helps to arrive at solutions for these problems,” he adds.

Willing to work with research institutes in India, Smithies termed Indian scientists as well-educated, intelligent and hard-working. “Indian scientists had been contributing greatly to the global science research.”

Investment in science is a well spent money

According to Smithies, countries that invest more in science reap new products, helping improve the quality of life. For a clarity, he says, “Politicians should see records and see companies which do research and those which do not. The more you put into science, the more you get. So, it’s a very well spent money.”

But, “if scientists spend a lot of time trying to make money, then it's a cause for worry,” he cautions.