Are we promoting Fundamental Sciences Enough?
05 April 2025
Are we promoting Fundamental Sciences Enough?
I am sometimes confused what world we live in. Is it a science world or a technology world? The rapidly changing world of technology makes us believe that science is also rapidly growing. Sadly that is not true. Technology as I understand is the outcome of scientific knowledge with direct application towards making human lifestyle seemingly simpler. So the cell phones, microlight aircrafts, robotics, computers, etc. are all technological outcomes from the basic understanding of Maths, Physics, Biology, and Chemistry - the building blocks of technology. So one can say that technology is application of scientific knowledge in an appropriate manner.
Alfred Nobel worked on the possibilities of nuclear energy which would help us meet the increasing future demands. However, the vicious minds of the political class used it to become super powers, converting the scientific understanding to create the atomic bomb technology. On the other hand Madam Marie Curie and her husband Pierre Curie lost their lives in the process of discovering the X -rays. This discovery was subsequently used and is in use even now in the technological advent of X-ray machines.
Millions of humans have and continue to benefit from this understanding of Nuclear Science of the Curies. Both Science and Technology are two sides of the same coin. Science is losing out to technology as it is not attracting the talent needed to pursue the fundamental sciences whereas technology is attracting more young minds as it has the glamour quotient, money possibilities, industry and government support. Thus undertaking research on the fundamental sciences finds few takers. Thus schools, colleges, industry and governments are not giving it due importance, little realizing that the basic pipeline of technology is in the area of increasing scientific knowledge in all spheres.
Some smart countries continue to invest in fundamental sciences like in the West, China, Japan etc. India is on the cusp. We are there and not there at the same time. We want to but are not sure. There are only a handful of the Indian schools and universities who will lead the scientific breakthroughs. The rest are all followers. Thus until some cool abbreviation did not come their way, we continued to prepare our children to be engineers and join the computer world. Like lemmings we followed.
Many schools even today continue to showcase how many children got 99% as though those that barely passed were failures. But wait we have a new cool abbreviation - STEM and schools all round have mushroomed with STEM laboratories. There is indeed a need to focus on STEM which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics. I have added three more letters to the abbreviation A, E & D so now we call it STEAMED i.e. Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics, Environment and Design. The world needs more students urgently to work on fundamental sciences and create a scientific thinking and curiosity. Applications will automatically follow. But this too will sound hollow (don’t mind the rhyming) if the children are not equally exposed to the Humanities and Social sciences. Together they will make a dynamic shift in society for the better. I hope the schools are listening.
By Ranjan Biswas
MANAGING DIRECTOR - TRAILBLAZERS ADVENTURE TRAVEL PVT. LTD.
TRUSTEE - TRAILBLAZERS FOUNDATION | EDITOR - ECOTRAIL
