Undergraduate / "the camp as a milestone in my academic and social evolution" - experience, risk [2]

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
Asian Science Camp (ASC), 2009.
Sinful, rebellious, satanic, heretic. If these words match you, then you're a blessing to science because 'Science won't progress until students rebel against the ideas of teachers' Prof Lee, Nobel Laureate Chemistry 2002, told us at the Asian Science Camp, 2009.Selected students from all Asia had a chance to discuss, learn and interact with Nobel laureates in Physics and Chemistry.

I was expecting the camp to be a milestone in my academic and social evolution. It became slightly more than that.

I had thought that they would teach us cutting edge Physics and Mathematics. But 7 days were insufficient for this. Instead, I gained something more valuable: inspiration and a research oriented attitude. We acquired a burning desire to know more (specifically about the sub-atomic world), to observe, to question and to solve. During lectures like 'How to win a Nobel Prize?' and 'Enhancing creativity be ignoring scientific classifications', our creative juices overflowed. We were inspired to 'create' and to expand knowledge. I now believe that, in research, we must learn to make mistakes, and we're young enough to be wrong. We should make 99 wrong bold guesses; maybe the 100th will solve some mystery. Now, whenever I read an article, an equation, a graph or even a couplet, I try to look deeper into it, and develop my 'own' understanding of it. But if you convince me that I'm faltering somewhere, I would be flexible enough to alter my view. With this lust for research and creation, I see to integrate the objective science with the subjective literature. I seek to find a connection between these two seemingly opposite descriptions of truth. It might be another creative failure, but the struggle is what counts.

I was awed by the humility of the Nobel Laureates .Clearly, I had to offer more respect to my juniors now that the icons of Physics had treated a high school student like me so well. Despite the sergeant-to-private culture in our school, I tried to pay more attention and respect to what my juniors had to say, much to the discontent of my colleagues. Nevertheless, I lost the 'Best Prefect' non-official election by one vote

(The winner had never penalized the boys).

Whenever I have a scuffle with my brother, or a friend dumped me, or if my mood's bad, or there's a heavy rain, however bad the circumstances, I am able, at least to a minimum degree, to attend my class, to focus on my lecture, to do my homework. I am reminded of Leo Esaki. When in 1945, Tokyo was bombarded by the US, Leo went to the university for the Physics Lecture, barely escaping death himself. 27 years later, in 1973, he was awarded the Noble Prize in Physics.

The other impact of ASC was social. ASC universalized my tunnel vision. From Bangkok to Tokyo, I had a very fruitful and scholarly talk with a professor of University of Maryland. It was a highly productive and respectful interfaith and intercultural dialogue. My faith in our own social values was strengthened. I'm still in contact with him and cherish the happy memories.

The camp was 'not' a 24/7 lecture on Particle Physics. Rather, one of the objectives of ASC was to promote international friendship and cooperation. In those 7 days, we were not nationals, we were ASCians. I ate with Egyptians and played football with Japanese. Together with the Indians, we Pakistanis lamented the non-spiciness of Japanese food. I came to know how a New Zealander loved to collect sea shells, or how much the Thai people loved their Queen.

Upon returning home, I was desperate to infuse the same spirit of research and open-mindedness into our academic culture. I carried out orientation sessions in my school, trying to motivate my fellows through what I had learnt.

When I taught village kids this summer, the ASC spirit made me tell them in my first class that ' the book is not right' and that 'I ,too, am not always correct'. ASC shifted my teaching to be child centered and more open.

Now I feel myself to be part of a global culture where every single human being is akin to the other. We share human values together and we are like a tapestry in which all humanity is interwoven with a harmony that is orchestrated by science.