Scientists should be recognised in their life time****
Friday, 20 May 2011
Prof Lutfor Rahman
Some deaths remind us the importance of the persons concerned. The death of the nuclear scientist Dr MA Wajed Miah is one of such example. He had left us two years back around this time in May 2009. People from all corners were found to discuss his honesty and sincerity. His child-like simplicity and power of attracting people indicated real scientific characteristics. Bangladeshi scientists and the scientific communities at home and abroad are proud of him. At the present crisis of electricity generation and transmission, the knowledgeable persons are feeling the necessity of the nuclear scientist Dr Wajed Miah who had vast knowledge and experience in his area of expertise and he established world- wide networks with the best scientists and technologists. As a student, he was extremely brilliant and obtained matriculate in first division and higher secondary certificate securing second position in the merit list. He obtained First Class in BSc (Hons) and MSc in physics from Dhaka University. He earned his PhD in nuclear physics and joined the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) as a scientific officer in Dhaka. In 1969, Dr Wajed Miah got associate-ship of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and was engaged in a research project under the world renowned scientist Nobel Laureate Prof Dr Abdus Salam who was extremely visionary. Dr Wajed Miah wanted to set up a nuclear power plant at Rooppur, Pabna under guidelines of ICTP. Unfortunately, he was not given that opportunity. But the necessity reminds us the lack of a scientist like Dr Wajed Miah when we are going to set up the Nuclear Power Plant of 2000 MW in joint collaboration with Russia in Rooppur, according to a national daily. After 37 years of participation of Dr Wajed Miah at ICTP, I was searching the lists of the participants from my country at the ICTPTWAS library located at the top of the Strada Costiera hill in Trieste, Italy and found the name of Dr Wajed Miah as a researcher in nuclear science. I was thinking if Dr Wajed Miah was given the opportunity to establish a position at ICTP, our entrance into ICTP could be easier. The TWAS Fellowship was awarded me based on my paper entitled "Capacity Building for Sustainable Development through empowerment of women scientists, researchers and technologists with ICT in Bangladesh" at an international workshop on Capacity Building for Sustainable Development held at the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) based in Trieste, Italy in October 2006. Let us take Dr Wajed Miah as an ideal scientist. We can benefit through discussion on his life as a student and a scientist. Hundreds of young graduates in science and technology are coming out from the universities every year. But they seem very frustrated. They do not know what future is waiting for them and where to approach to sell their expertise. Many brilliant students with unique results in the very attractive subjects like Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Biotechnology and Pharmacy are not getting jobs. They are about to loose confidence on science education observing their guardians' frustrations as well. At least they need some guidelines and someone to give them hopes that they have not done mistakes or lost paths in choosing science as their career goal. In such situations, a scientific foundation or institution can be established in the name of Dr MA Wajed Miah. For example, it can be referred that Dr C V Raman University has been established at Raipur, India to educate the new generation on nuclear science as well as to follow the life of a famous scientist of South Asia. As a nuclear physicist (nuclear instrumentation) and former engineer of the US Geological Survey, this writer had a chance to work with Dr MA Wajed Miah, Chief Scientist (team leader) on a national project on exploration of Beach Sand Minerals (Zircon, Ilmenite, Rutile, Garnet, Titenium etc) in 1993-95. He also worked with Prof Shubash Chowbey, Vice-Chancellor of Dr CV Raman University on ICT related event in Bhopal, India. Dr MA Wajed Miah is the founder President of the Bangabandhu Sikkha-O-Gobeshona Parishad (Bangabandhu Education and Research Council, BERC) which was established with the objective of reaching the benefits of science education to all, particularly among people in the rural areas. Dr Wajed Miah's vision was to establish a sound and sustainable research organisation based mainly on effective science and technology. To turn his dream into reality, an initiative should be taken by the BERC through modification of BERC to BERSC meaning Bangabandhu Education, Research and Science Council. To make the issue more transparent, we can raise the example of UNESCO that stand for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Initially there was no UNESCO rather it was UNECO that means Science was not under consideration even in the developed countries of Europe and America. The delegates meeting at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London on 1st November 1945 were invited to the founding conference of UNECO. Several scientists, including Julian Huxley, who was to become first the Director General was campaigning for months for inclusion of science both in the name of the new organisation and its programme of action. The President of the Conference, Ellen Wilkinson, Minister of Education of the UK, proposed in her augural address to put S for Science between the E of education and C for culture. Thus, UNECO was transformed to UNESCO. The writer is chairman of the CSE department at Stamford University. He can be reached at email: lutfor@agni.com
Some deaths remind us the importance of the persons concerned. The death of the nuclear scientist Dr MA Wajed Miah is one of such example. He had left us two years back around this time in May 2009. People from all corners were found to discuss his honesty and sincerity. His child-like simplicity and power of attracting people indicated real scientific characteristics. Bangladeshi scientists and the scientific communities at home and abroad are proud of him. At the present crisis of electricity generation and transmission, the knowledgeable persons are feeling the necessity of the nuclear scientist Dr Wajed Miah who had vast knowledge and experience in his area of expertise and he established world- wide networks with the best scientists and technologists. As a student, he was extremely brilliant and obtained matriculate in first division and higher secondary certificate securing second position in the merit list. He obtained First Class in BSc (Hons) and MSc in physics from Dhaka University. He earned his PhD in nuclear physics and joined the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) as a scientific officer in Dhaka. In 1969, Dr Wajed Miah got associate-ship of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and was engaged in a research project under the world renowned scientist Nobel Laureate Prof Dr Abdus Salam who was extremely visionary. Dr Wajed Miah wanted to set up a nuclear power plant at Rooppur, Pabna under guidelines of ICTP. Unfortunately, he was not given that opportunity. But the necessity reminds us the lack of a scientist like Dr Wajed Miah when we are going to set up the Nuclear Power Plant of 2000 MW in joint collaboration with Russia in Rooppur, according to a national daily. After 37 years of participation of Dr Wajed Miah at ICTP, I was searching the lists of the participants from my country at the ICTPTWAS library located at the top of the Strada Costiera hill in Trieste, Italy and found the name of Dr Wajed Miah as a researcher in nuclear science. I was thinking if Dr Wajed Miah was given the opportunity to establish a position at ICTP, our entrance into ICTP could be easier. The TWAS Fellowship was awarded me based on my paper entitled "Capacity Building for Sustainable Development through empowerment of women scientists, researchers and technologists with ICT in Bangladesh" at an international workshop on Capacity Building for Sustainable Development held at the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) based in Trieste, Italy in October 2006. Let us take Dr Wajed Miah as an ideal scientist. We can benefit through discussion on his life as a student and a scientist. Hundreds of young graduates in science and technology are coming out from the universities every year. But they seem very frustrated. They do not know what future is waiting for them and where to approach to sell their expertise. Many brilliant students with unique results in the very attractive subjects like Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Biotechnology and Pharmacy are not getting jobs. They are about to loose confidence on science education observing their guardians' frustrations as well. At least they need some guidelines and someone to give them hopes that they have not done mistakes or lost paths in choosing science as their career goal. In such situations, a scientific foundation or institution can be established in the name of Dr MA Wajed Miah. For example, it can be referred that Dr C V Raman University has been established at Raipur, India to educate the new generation on nuclear science as well as to follow the life of a famous scientist of South Asia. As a nuclear physicist (nuclear instrumentation) and former engineer of the US Geological Survey, this writer had a chance to work with Dr MA Wajed Miah, Chief Scientist (team leader) on a national project on exploration of Beach Sand Minerals (Zircon, Ilmenite, Rutile, Garnet, Titenium etc) in 1993-95. He also worked with Prof Shubash Chowbey, Vice-Chancellor of Dr CV Raman University on ICT related event in Bhopal, India. Dr MA Wajed Miah is the founder President of the Bangabandhu Sikkha-O-Gobeshona Parishad (Bangabandhu Education and Research Council, BERC) which was established with the objective of reaching the benefits of science education to all, particularly among people in the rural areas. Dr Wajed Miah's vision was to establish a sound and sustainable research organisation based mainly on effective science and technology. To turn his dream into reality, an initiative should be taken by the BERC through modification of BERC to BERSC meaning Bangabandhu Education, Research and Science Council. To make the issue more transparent, we can raise the example of UNESCO that stand for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Initially there was no UNESCO rather it was UNECO that means Science was not under consideration even in the developed countries of Europe and America. The delegates meeting at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London on 1st November 1945 were invited to the founding conference of UNECO. Several scientists, including Julian Huxley, who was to become first the Director General was campaigning for months for inclusion of science both in the name of the new organisation and its programme of action. The President of the Conference, Ellen Wilkinson, Minister of Education of the UK, proposed in her augural address to put S for Science between the E of education and C for culture. Thus, UNECO was transformed to UNESCO. The writer is chairman of the CSE department at Stamford University. He can be reached at email: lutfor@agni.com