Greater investment in science, research stressed

Pakistan needs greater investment in science and research to unlock the country's potential, MIT physicist Dr Nergis Mavalvala has said, stressing that every person is born with an instinct for research but needs opportunity to pursue it. Speaking at the 10th Yohsin Lecture at Habib University, Mavalvala, Dean of MIT's School of Science and a leading figure in the Nobel Prize-winning LIGO collaboration, said curiosity-driven research had historically produced discoveries whose eventual benefits could not have been foreseen. Between 4,000 and 5,000 people attended the lecture, with long queues forming at the campus. Speaking about the human desire to pursue knowledge without an immediate practical application, Mavalvala said many important scientific discoveries had begun with questions whose eventual significance was not apparent. "Every single person is research-minded," she said during a question-and-answer session, adding that access to opportunity determined whether people could continue pursuing research in adulthood.