Nobel laureate: Thailand needs to invest more in science education

[webfact]

'Invest more' on science education
Pravit Rojanaphruk
The Nation



Nobel laureate says such investment will pay over time, make Thailand richer.

BANGKOK: -- THAILAND needs to invest more in science education even though the rewards will not be immediately visible, 2011 Nobel laureate for physics Prof Brian P Schmidt said yesterday.

"We have to support good education. We have to support strong universities. The benefit will not be accrued overnight, but if you invest 3 per cent of your GDP [on science education], it will make the country rich," Schmidt said.

He played an instrumental role in discovering that an unknown force known as "dark energy" is countering the effect of gravity and pulling the universe apart at an accelerating rate.

Schmidt was speaking at Kasetsart Univer-sity as part of the programme entitled "Bridges: Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace" organised by the Vienna-based International Peace Foundation. He said Thailand had moved beyond its developing nation status and this was the time to invest in science.

Speaking humbly about his role in the discovery of the expanding universe, Schmidt admitted that he does not know exactly what "dark energy" is and hoped some day a brilliant mind would figure out why it is there.

"The thing I discovered - dark energy. I don't know what it is… [The] reality is a little confusing for me right now," Schmidt said.

The Nobel laureate explained that he and a team of 20 other scientists realised that the universe was pulling apart because they discovered that light from more than 50 distant supernovas was weaker than expected. Normally, a single supernova can emit as much light as a whole galaxy.

Playing down the notion of being a scientific genius, Schmidt said many of his fellow high-school students were brighter and that he never dreamt he would win the Nobel Prize.

"My high-school teacher was surprised that I won a Nobel Prize. There were better students," Schmidt, who grew up in Alaska and now teaches at the Australian National University, confided. "Did I think I'm gonna win a Nobel Prize [when I was] in high school? It wasn't my dream."

Schmidt said he was in the right place at the right time and he chose to ask questions, adding that if he had not made this discovery, someone else would have. "The team [made the discovery], not just me," he said, adding that the discovery was also based on thousands of other people's work. "So my uniqueness is not important."

Talent, circumstances and luck are vital, the Nobel laureate told the audience, which included hundreds of university and high school students.

"I am not unique. I had luck. Humanity works so well. If we put enough effort into it we will solve problems. That's why it's important to get governments involved."

Though Schmidt praised the Internet for being a repository of data, which is available at the click of a mouse, he said it was still a challenge for students and scientists to ask interesting questions. "The hard part is to be able to ask interesting questions."

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Invest-more-on-science-education-30252293.html


-- The Nation 2015-01-21

[NongKhaiKid]

Just a thought but wouldn't getting the basics right be first ?

[yellowboat]

The nuts and bolts of the educational systems needs to be examined. Reasonable budgets for teachers and curriculum need to be set aside. This alone will takes years. Doubt the elites of Thailand want a smart population, nor do they want to pay for it..

[Borzandy]

"invest more in science education " pls, could you explain slowly what is education ?? Thais didn't get it.

[trogers]

"invest more in science education " pls, could you explain slowly what is education ?? Thais didn't get it.

Yingluk and the PTP understood very well - a tablet (from China) for every child.

[maidee]

maybe the governement can come up with : thailand needs more nuclear physicists, more astronauts, .... lol

basic education is pretty much useless

[Johpa]

Clearly the esteemed Nobel Laureate knows absolutely nothing about the Thai education system if he thinks that simply spending more money on science education would change anything whatsoever. It is the Thai education system itself which needs to be reinvented, a result that will indeed require a significant investment. Just another example of a bright guy with displaying little knowledge or wisdom.

[atyclb]

Clearly the esteemed Nobel Laureate knows absolutely nothing about the Thai education system if he thinks that simply spending more money on science education would change anything whatsoever. It is the Thai education system itself which needs to be reinvented, a result that will indeed require a significant investment. Just another example of a bright guy with displaying little knowledge or wisdom.

as an invited guest speaker would he already be familiar with the dysfunctional education system? probably not therefore his words are still well intended knowledgeable and wise. Fixing thai education can only be done by nationals no matter how many nobel laureates speak.

[Suffinator]

Prof Brian P Schmidt is beating a drum that might be loud and clear to most but those in power are all deaf.

It's plainly obvious that even basic education here is woefully neglected and as a society that is driven by social class it's not surprising ... you cannot control an educated population.

As long as the ruling elite remains the driving force of all political decisions then issues such as education and poverty will never be adequately address; instead you'll witness continued propaganda campaigns regarding Thainess and how happy the people are.

Educations is a puzzle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma as far as the mainstream population are concerned ... they simply do not understand it or the benefits it can bring; but that's the way those ruling like it.

[KhnomKhnom]

I wish I could get a Nobel for just saying the obvious.

[binjalin]

did he mention the Ebola Cure? must be a Nobel coming Thailand's way for that right?