ASEAN Youth Researchers Get Ready to Exchange Ideas with Nobel Laureates

from ASEAN Secretariat, 25 June 2010

In two days’ time, ten of ASEAN’s brightest scientific young researchers will experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet and learn from Nobel prize winners and fellow bright minds from around the globe. The ASEAN youths, together with more than 650 other young researches, will be attending the 60th Nobel Laureate Meetings in Lindau, Germany.

The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, held annually since 1951, provide a globally recognised forum for the transfer of knowledge between generations of scientists. This year, from 27 June to 3 July 2010, the youths will have a chance to meet over 60 Nobel Prize winners from the fields of chemistry, physics and medicine/physiology. The Nobel Laureates will be lecturing on current scientific developments, from which the youths can also draw inspirations for their future researches. The youths will also participate in panel discussions, seminars and other social programmes.

During the programme, the young researchers, who were nominated by a global network of Academic Partners of the Meetings, will interact with Nobel Laureates. These youths have passed a multi-stage international selection procedure. A Council workgroup examines about 1,500 profiles for every Meeting before finally inviting the top applicants to Lindau to meet the Laureates.

The ASEAN’s youths’ participation was coordinated by the ASEAN Secretariat and supported by their respective universities, CIMB Thailand, Thai International Airways and OPEC Fund for International Development.

The participants may have been motivated by different reasons, but they share one common aim: to contribute to the society through their scientific endeavours. Hear what the ASEAN youths have to say about their passion for science and research:
34-year-old Tonni Agustiono Kurniawan from Indonesia

“As youth is a driving force in the development of society, young researchers have potentials to make a difference to society through their fields.”

38-year-old Yusril Yusuf from Indonesia
“As young researcher in the field of soft matter physics, I have a genuine interest in both fundamental and application researches and have strong commitment to find new results in liquid crystals and liquid crystal elastomers …”

20-year-old Rachel Nge Sing Wei from Malaysia
“Interest in chemistry and medicine has propelled me forward and to thirst for what others think is impossible. My main goal is to contribute back to my people and country. With that in mind, nothing is impossible.”

23-year-old Er Chern Han from Malaysia
“With two years’ experience in research, I have learnt the importance of peer interaction, as well as specific knowledge and ability. It sparks ideas and provides different perspectives on certain topic.”

23-year-old Low Kit Yee from Malaysia
“ …‘Ancora imparo’ which means ‘I am still learning’ attributed to Michelangelo is my inspiration to enrich my knowledge.’

25-year-old Mohammad Anwar Mohamed Iqbal from Malaysia
“…desire to learn new things open my mind to explore more on the beauty of chemistry and its connection with other field of sciences …”

25-year-old Lee Sau Har from Malaysia
“Science knowledge allows us to understand ourselves as human, as well as all living things in nature, in a better way. ….. research is the only bridge to all the valuable answers that we are looking for.”

25-year-old Ian Harvey Arellano from Philippines
“One’s research experience would not be complete without even occasional exchanges of knowledge among interested minds, may it be among students, between a professor and a student, or between a researcher and a co-researcher.”

30-year-old Voraphoj Nilaratanakul from Thailand
“I have been training and practicing as a physician for more than 10 years. Even I do my best, many patients still have unsolved problems because of too many gaps in knowledge and controversial issues in medicine.”

25-year-old Zhang Zhengyang from Singapore
“Independent learning was essential to clearly understand my projects and their applications. With full appreciation of their potentially revolutionary impact, I decided to pursue further education in order to make significant contributions to these work.”