Nobel Prize

[chiunlin]

Our former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir once set the target for our country to produce a nobel laureate by 2020, do you think that it's possible? And if so, in what field?

[gatecrasher]

Do you mean to ask if the answer to the question of whether there'll be a Malaysian Nobel laureate by 2020 is yes or no?
It's a bit confusing. The yes/no could be interpreted as yes/no, a far-sighted vision or yes/no, a megalomaniac dream.

[zAiTsEv]

no. not that early. medicine. let's wait & c...

[cquayhl]

Oh, most definitely, I would say. Except that they would no longer be Malaysian by the time they win the Prize. They'll be American if it's a physical sciences prize and maybe British if it's the bio prize. :-P

I'm only half joking. If you look at the biographies of the science Nobel laureates, most of them are currently in the UK or US, but are originally from other countries that were not able to support their research.

The other possibility is that one of our longsuffering opposition leaders will win the peace prize because it seems to me that that prize is usually given out to make some sort of political statement. If we become Myanmar (God forbid), then maybe whoever the Nobel committee decides is our 'Aung San Suu Kyi' will get the peace prize. But the human rights situation in Malaysia, although not ideal, is far from warranting something like that. And I hope it never will.

Literature...forget it.

Econs....I don't know enough.

Two other things I'd like to say: (1) We can't really plan to 'produce' Nobel laureates. Most of the discoveries that led to prizes were serendipitous. We can, however, try to improve the research culture in local universities. (You don't want me to get on that soapbox though.) (2) People like Mahathir take the Nobel prize more seriously than the scientists themselves do. I feel like there is sometimes a certain stigma that goes with the prize, but that could also just be sour grapes on the part of people who didn't get it.

[gatecrasher]

We can, however, try to improve the research culture in local universities. (You don't want me to get on that soapbox though.) (2) People like Mahathir take the Nobel prize more seriously than the scientists themselves do. I feel like there is sometimes a certain stigma that goes with the prize, but that could also just be sour grapes on the part of people who didn't get it.
Yeah R&D is what produces prize-winning discoveries. There doesn't seem to be much - if any - local research making the news (at least what little that i read). So... considering that 2020 is just 14 years' time - not a lot, i think the answer is no, if the current situation continues.
Unless
they would no longer be Malaysian by the time they win the Prize.
Besides, is Dr M trying to prove something to the world again? Looks like he's eyeing the prestige that comes with the Nobel prize. Don't get me wrong - it would be great if Malaysia could produce a Nobel laureate. But trying to do that for the prestige is doing the right thing for the wrong reason

[zAiTsEv]

the 1st malaysian 2 win the nobel prize will b conferred tunship. possible?

[ElansarGelmir]

Well, just hope that the Nobel prize winners are the winners who truly deserve the prize. The ones who make significant discoveries that may bring a massive impact to the world, or at least Malaysia. Not just some guy who discover better ways to harvest plants and is awarded just because he is in a wheelchair or whatsoever (else, I believe Herring would be awarded as a Nobel prize winner too).

[chiunlin]

the 1st malaysian 2 win the nobel prize will b conferred tunship. possible?

Hehe, needless to say,it all depends on who the winner is.

Now I'm not an ardent supporter of Tun Dr. Mahathir but behind all his slightly megalomanic visions, I understand that all his visions, whether far-fetched or merely impractical, serve the psychological purpose of providing us with a direction to head towards, to work for, also to remind us not to be satisfied and to inspire us to achieve greater heights.

Let me make my question clearer. Can Malaysia produce a nobel laureate by 2020? I list this forum under the education section with intention to discuss whether our present education is capable of producing such a talent in any field.

One of the positive aspect of winning a Nobel prize (in the sciences)is the ability to be a prominent spokesperson for science. Of course, you don't need to be a Nobel laureate to do that, but it helps.

While there may be a couple of Malaysian-born scientist doing world-class research, we rarely hear of them partly because they do not make an effort to promote basic scientific research back home in Malaysia. What we really need is not a Nobel prize winner (though that helps), but world-class Malaysian-born scientists willing to expend energy and effort in promoting basic research in Malaysia.

The Nobel prize is a little unaffair in that it only awards achievements in a selected few areas. Few people are aware of Nobel-equivalent awards such as the Fields medal for mathematics, and the Turing award for computer science. The Nobel prize is world-famous, I suspect, due to the Peace prize category. When you have people like Yasser Arafat and Henry Kissinger getting the Peace prize, you sometimes wonder what "peace" really means.

FYI, President Clinton was a top contender for the Peace Prize, if not for the infamous Monica's blowjob. Lesson if you're an aspiring Nobel prize winner -- clean up your evidence (you know with Kleenex or whatever that's available)! :twisted: (ok, I'm getting off topic here).

[jagganatha]

maybe possible. could be one of us.. you never know right but by 2020-don think so maybe 2040

[digimushu]

Hrmm..
Nobel Laureate...maybe
There is funding in Malaysia for thos who want to do research. I have friends who are professors in UPM/UTM who tell me that research funding is available back home BUT there is not a lot. In the US, the students are the one who do research for the profs to secure funding but in m'sia, you have profs doing the research themselves. The problem in m'sia is that people with Ph.D tend to take the route to academia as a final option since jobs are scarce for Ph.D holders.

as Yoda says, hard to see, the future is. we most likely will have to wait and see, how the government's policy is dictating the direction of our education. For those Government officers reading this, you might want to start something like the NSF.

i have a feeling that research funding back home is dependent on the color of your skin as well(not trying to be racist) but i maybe wrong.

Please bear in mind, the creators of the things that made the 20th century what is did NOT win the nobel prize.

Jet Engine - Von Ohain and Frank whittle

Computers - Alan Turing

internet - some guy working for ARPA

IMHO, the internet is the greatest achievement of the human race. it single handedly changed the way we do/see things. Without the internet, our world would only be the size of our television screens

So, my conclusion is..maybe.

[digimushu]

P.S. - Good luck for all those trying to get it, may you see the light at the end of the tunnel!

[phantom]

nobel prize?

well,there's hype on it for sure.i am currently enroll in my major becoz i wanna win that too.anyway,as time flew by,i realized,all i want to win is a nobel prize in peace.especially after watching what those secretaries general of UN failed to accomplish.

it's possible for malaysian to win the nobel prize.we need hard working dudes,those who care to work smart.we need great thinkers,those who are willing to question things rather than accepting e'thing without questions.we need true samaritans who at the end of the day,live for others.

[phantom]

the 1st malaysian 2 win the nobel prize will b conferred tunship. possible?


well,not sure.i never call anyone with dato' or datuk or tun seri or nik or syed or tengku or tuan.dont give a s***

but if it's Dr,then i refer him that way.all these pangkats are just stupid.the same goes with the gelaran in the malay society, eg: engku,megat.