“Nurture talent more”
G. KRISHNAKUMAR
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Thanu Padmanabhan, dean of the Core Academic Programmes at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), in an interview to The Hindu EducationPlus, speaks about the state of astronomy and astrophysics education and research in the country.
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I do not think we are doing badly. But we have to realise that the only Nobel Prize we got was in the pre-Independence era. Cleary, something needs to be done.
Thanu Padmanabhan wants universities to do more.
Here is some good news for all those who want to take up a career in astronomy and astrophysics. Thanu Padmanabhan, internationally-renowned cosmologist, says that “there is a great demand for trained personnel in the field.”
“We are not able to fill the gap (demand-supply),” he told The Hindu EducationPlus in an exclusive interaction. Padmasree awardee and winner of many coveted awards, Prof. Padmanabhan, one among the top-notch cosmologists in the world, was born in Thiruvananthapuram and had his school and college education there. Now Dean of the Core Academic Programmes at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), his interests range from quantum theory to gravitation and structure formation in the universe.
What is the scope of astronomy as a career option and how has it evolved in our country in the recent years?
Astronomy has now become much globalised. Data content is propagating very widely. Large number of people can make use of it. The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) by NASA has produced a wealth of cosmological information. Data is publicly available after a particular point of time for everyone. We have been analysing this data. These kinds of structures are becoming a rule in astronomy. We are an internationally competitive group at least in the area of cosmology, in which I work. Different expert groups working in cosmology research are scattered across the nation. These young groups are going to generate the next generation of progress in this area. All these developments are going to absorb a large manpower (pool) in different research institutions in astronomy and astrophysics.
There is a plan to have a 3.6 metre optical telescope at Nainital. That is going to be another growth point. IUCAA has a two-metre telescope at Girawali near Pune. All these large facilities require manpower. We are looking for trained astronomers. There is a great demand. We are not able to fill the gap. In my own institute (IUCAA), we can have twice the number of people we have now.
How can the country attract talent to the pure sciences, especially when many youngsters aspire to join high-paying jobs in IT companies?
There always was something that was more lucrative than an academic career. An academic career can never compete with (a career in) other areas like engineering, medicine or applied science. And that is the way it should be.
We are essentially being paid for doing something, which we would anyway be doing. We are passionate about science. You can always point and say that something else is taking away bright students from pure science. In my days, the Indian Institutes of Management and the Indian Administrative Service were taking away a lot of students. I would like people to come back to the pure sciences because they are passionate about it. Pure science is something that motivates them. If we have bright kids at the Plus Two level, parents might say that a B.Sc. programme is not good enough for him, as the kid is smart. They will say let us go somewhere else.
That is why the Indian Institutes of Technology and professional colleges have a little bit of feeling that they have a better facility and more focussed education than colleges offering B.Sc. courses.
We are having an educational system which does not cater to the bright students. If you take our B.Sc. and M.Sc. programmes, it caters to the average and slightly above average (student). But it does not cater to the imagination and creativity of the A++ students. This is a small fraction. But this is the fraction that is eventually going to get us a Nobel Prize. We definitely need to identify these talents from an early stage.
Do you think astronomy, as an academic course, has been relegated to a position of secondary importance in our country?
There are two aspects here. I do not agree that astronomy has been relegated to a secondary level at the national level. Funds were available whenever a worthwhile project was suggested to the government. Manpower was available. At the top decision making level, astronomy has been projected as a major thrust area in which research has to be fostered. But at the university level, that has not happened. Earlier, there were only a handful of universities offering serious astronomy courses. Now it has changed. We have been canvassing for this and there has been a positive response. For example, Pune University offers an M.Sc. course in astronomy. A person should have a broader base at the B.Sc. and M.Sc. levels. The astronomy focus can come at the Ph.D. level. I am quite happy if people do good physics and come to us at the Ph.D. level. We can train them at that level.
What should the governments do to foster interest in astronomy and related areas?
We have to start attracting talent from a very young age. Make sure that they join pure science. Then make sure they do physics. While learning physics, they should be encouraged to learn astronomy. We have to start with a much larger base. And funnel it to this process. You have to plan 10 years ahead of time. There is no point saying that you want the manpower tomorrow. It will not happen. Do long-term planning. Work at the school and Plus Two level. Supporting amateur astronomy groups is also important. I think that governments have to do something at the school level. The condition is so pathetic that it is very difficult to see teachers performing at the level they actually need to perform. The kind of salary is low for what we expect out of them. The teaching load is also very high. Even if a teacher wants to teach a particular subject in physics in an innovative way, which would require some time, he or she may not be able to do it because of the tight schedule. There must be a programme where school teachers get an opportunity to spend some time in a nearby research institution. Let them interact with the scientists and see what is happening there. And later they can go back and implement these ideas in their schools.
How do you rate the level of research in the country?
There are different ways of looking at it. I do not think we are doing badly. But we have to realise that the only Nobel Prize we got was in the pre-Independence era. Clearly, something needs to be done. Younger people have tremendous potential. Our education system and higher education establishments have not tuned themselves in resonance with this potential.
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