Why pure sciences are important?

You witness the trend every year. The clamour for engineering seats, especially information technology and allied courses, has many a student making a beeline for these courses. As a result, only a few students pursue a degree in the pure sciences, ie, subjects such as physics, chemistry and mathematics. An even smaller percentage of these students enter the field of research. This skewed trend has become a great cause for concern among academicians and scientists today. Perhaps, it’s time for India to take a close look at science and where it is headed.
The primary reason students shy away from pure sciences is the lure of the lucre. Prof G Padmanabhan, noted biotechnologist, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), adds that parents themselves want their children to pursue careers that will earn them higher salaries. "Obviously these fields are information technology, and management. Even IIT students often add on an MBA to their engineering degree," he says, adding, “Even in the engineering field, no one wants to work on the shop floor as engineers. They prefer to do management and administration tasks.”
"In terms of salaries, the returns are poor. You can't compare the salary of an entry level scientist with that of a software engineer," says Prof Padmanabhan. An assistant professor or a scientist at that level may earn Rs 20,000 a month. A software engineer at the same level could earn much more, and an MBA could even start at Rs 40,000- 50,000 a month.
A (science) secretary to the Government of India may not earn more than Rs 35,000 a month, in spite of being at the pinnacle of his or her service.
Apart from the low salaries, experts believe that there aren’t many students who have a passion for science or want to solve global concerns through science. In some cases, scientists move to foreign countries because the industry salaries are better abroad.

Few students pursue a degree in the pure sciences, ie, subjects such as physics, chemistry and mathematics. An even smaller percentage enters the field of research.

In terms of salaries, the returns are poor. You can't compare the salary of an entry level scientist with that of a software engineer.

Without science, basic knowledge cannot be created. Science will suffer since there would be no original inputs and as a result, so would technology.

THE REPERCUSSIONS?

Science will suffer since there would be no original inputs and as a result, so would technology. Says Dr K Balaveera Reddy, former Vice-Chancellor, Visvesvaraya Technological University, "Without science, there can be no technology. The growth of technology is based in science."
Putting it in simple terms, he explains the many advances in science after the invention of the wheel. "With the rotation of the wheel, we moved on to motor cars, thermodynamics led to internal combustion engines, magnetic laws led to electric motors. Research in oil (science) led to oil not only being used as a fuel but also as lubrication, which is an application of science. Even computers are an application of science and maths. Without science and maths, we wouldn't have had computers."
The lack of science can also affect the quality of leadership in the country. Explains Prof Padmanabhan, "Most industries are knowledge based and need highly qualified people. When there's a dearth of professionals, industries will suffer. In addition, we will not have leaders who can assume leadership."
There have been instances where industries come to science labs asking for professionals. And in some cases, Dr Reddy believes, BSc students are being absorbed in the industry along with BE students just because there are not enough MSc students.
Another problem is that most students join the outsourcing industry, and as a result, cater to the demands of other countries. As a result, India might soon have to look at other countries for inputs due to a lack of substantial research and development.
Whenever a new technology is developed by the industry, basic sciences must evaluate it. Otherwise there can be disastrous consequences, since there are no checks and balances in place. These can only be done if there is an established basic sciences culture.
Says Prof Roddam Narasimha, Chairman, Engineering Mechanics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, and Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), "A career in science in India does not appeal to many. The same repercussions will soon be seen in the field of engineering as well. Maybe not at the BE level, but at the ME/ MTech and PhD, where students will be on the decline. The sort of engineering that is required in a novel product development demands research, science and development."
Compare this to what is happening in China and South Korea. "The number of MEs and PhDs in China is almost 10 times that in India," he explains. That would perhaps explain why there are so many products coming out of these countries, and why they are accepted in the international market. Indian products, on the other hand, are not competitive in the international market.
Once again, this brings Prof Narasimha to the point of money. “By the time a scientist has completed his post-doctoral studies and found an opening at a reputed academic institution, he is in his 30s. A software professional would have an established career by his mid-20s”, he explains.
Perhaps it is these very concerns that propelled C N R Rao, scientific advisor to alert Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, to take another look at science. Rao predicted that Indian science would be in a dismal state in the next five years, with only a few science universities and a handful of scientists remaining. He added that even smaller countries such as Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea had become global players and overtaken India.
Rao also pointed out that India's performance in basic sciences had dwindled markedly both in terms of percentage of continuation to world science and percentage of high quality research papers. While China’s contribution to world science stood at 12 per cent, India lagged behind with a mere three per cent and the number of high impact papers from India was less than one percent.

TIME FOR CHANGE

Yet, the situation is changing. There is a definite trend towards the absorption of talent in some fields of science such as bio-tech. Experts also say the new pay commission may also help with an increase in salaries. The industry is also investing in research labs, as can be seen in the pharmaceutical industry. If this trend continues, there is at least some hope for those with a passion for pure sciences.

TO BOOST SCIENCE

• Increase investment in science significantly.
• Hike funding for research and courses.
• Lift restrictions on recruitment of scientists and teachers.
• Increase the retirement age for reputed scientists and engineers to 65 years.
• Set up autonomous research foundations.

Prof Goverdhan Mehta
Ptof. Goverdhan Mehta, Organic Chemistry Department, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, who recently won Gujar Mal Modi Innovative Science and Technology award, says:
“I was always inclined towards science, though I was not good at any particular field. Engineering was the field to go into. Even civil engineering was considered a great career. I had a great dislike for engineering. I studied science. I was always an independent person, and science was just right for this. Being a scientist, I have never had a boss. I am my own boss, nobody told me what to do, you can do what you want and very few professions give you this kind of liberty. Youngsters should know this aspect of being a scientist.
“But I wish science, and especially chemistry, was rid of the negative images it is sometimes associated with — the stinks in labs, the fumes, the acid ruining your clothes. People must know that though chemistry labs may smell bad, it is chemistry that also creates perfumes.
One of the reasons for such an image is that our labs are shabby, dirty and smelly. So improve the ambience. Some of the Pharma labs today are so well maintained.

“There are many ways of reversing the trend and get youngsters to take to science. Create better opportunities with better labs, restore inspirational roles of teachers and make content exciting.”
“Youngsters not taking up science is a very serious problem. We have a whole generation of missing scientists because of this. One reason is that faculty recruitment in universities is more or less frozen in the past 15 years. In some central universities, the youngest faculty is 45. If that is the scene in a central university, imagine the plight in state universities.”

Source: Education Times