Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (IC) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences today flagged off, in New Delhi, the 14th batch of Indian students/ young researchers for participation in the 64th Meeting of the Nobel Laureates & Students scheduled to be held at Lindau, Germany during June 30- July 5, 2014. Dr Singh, while congratulating the group of young scientists for their selection for the meeting, urged them to make best use of this opportunity to meet the best brains in the field of Medicine and appropriately apply the ideas in their own research. He said science need to be used as an instrument of social transformation while keeping in mind the interests of society at large. He termed Jitendra Singh termed all these talents as ambassador of future India and a future of Indian Science.
While recalling the enriching experience of the teams which were sent previous years, he expected that the forthcoming meeting would be an inspiring and motivating experience to this Medicine group as well, to take up scientific endeavours with renewed vision and greater resolve. He also mentioned that the work that has been recognized with the Nobel Prize has generally been done by the Nobel Laureates while they were graduate students or postdocs. This interaction, therefore, would help demystify the Young Scholars that a Nobel Prize is achievable. Dr Singh also emphasized that the new government has a vision for building India as a `Knowledge Society` and the present government is committed to empower the youth of the country and provide equal opportunity to women. The next generation needs to develop adequate skills, competency and confidence to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
The Department of Science & Technology is deputing a team of 20 Young Indian Scientists/ Students to Germany to represent India at the 64th Meeting of Nobel Laureates and students in Medicine & Physiology and related subjects at Lindau. This is the 14th batch that India is sending such young scientists’ team. The scheme was launched in the year 2001 as “DST Awards for participation of young Indian Scientists in the Annual Meetings of Nobel Laureates and Students in Lindau, Germany” which is jointly sponsored by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) from the Indian side and German Research Foundation (DFG) & Committee for the Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students from the German side.
Since 1951, such meetings of Nobel Laureates with students and young researchers in science disciplines of Chemistry, Physics, and Physiology or Medicine are being organised in Lindau, Germany, in turn at intervals of three years. These meetings usually last for one week, always at the end of June / beginning of July and are aimed at open and informal contact between Laureates and young researchers through round table discussions, lectures and personal small group interactions.
About 35 Nobel Laureates and about 600 young scientists from 80 countries are participating in this meeting. The Indian team is comprised of 20 graduates/ postgraduate / doctoral students or postdoctoral researchers, including 8 female student. They are in the age group 20-30 yrs and in their early science careers. The participants in the team were short-listed by a selection committee from a large number of applications received from all over India against an open advertisement released by the DST.
The Indian team of students would also visit several premier German institutions during the week following Lindau Meeting in the field of Medicine and related subjects. The team would be back in India on 13th July 2014