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Scientific thinking a must to combat future challenges

Speakers tell international symposium

Staff Correspondent
A two-day international symposium started in the city yesterday with speakers stressing the need for propagating scientific method of thinking in the country to face future challenges.
Bangladesh JSPS Alumni Association (BJSPSAA) organised the symposium titled "Science for society" at Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (Bare) commemorating the 40th anniversary of Bangladesh-Japan diplomatic relations.
Supported by Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh, the symposium is being sponsored by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).
Around 300 researchers from Japan and Bangladesh will participate in the two-day symposium that includes two keynote papers, 10 plenary sessions and 18 sessions on biotechnology and nanotechnology, adaptation to climate change and food security, natural disaster, environmental management, poverty alleviation, e-society and society's mindset toward science, sustainable technologies in agriculture, health, energy and engineering.
Speaking at the inaugural session, Prof Dr M Muhibur Rahman, member of University Grants Commission, said Bangladesh can take a number of lessons from Japan.
Despite facing some bad episodes like natural disasters and world war, it did not take much time for Japan to build back the nation and the magic behind that was science and knowledge, he said.
He also said science gives the answers to inquisitive minds and should be applied for the benefit of mankind.
Climate change would be the biggest chaUenge for Bangladesh in future and the country needs the technical know-how to
face the challenge, he said, stressing the need for capacity building so that there would be enough technical skills to face any situation.
The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam said science may have given tremendous numbers of inventions and discoveries but the biggest contribution of science in human civilisation is scientific mind.
A scientific mind is one that questions, searches, enquires and challenges and does not take as granted whatever is seen, he said,
adding that the major component of scientific thinking is reason should prevail over prejudice.
He said the biggest challenge the country would face, perhaps, is global warming and the only answer to face the challenge will come from science.
The answers to building infrastructure, transportation and civil facilities in the changed circumstances will come from science, he added.
Tsutomu Kimura, advisor to ministry of education, sports, culture, science and technology, Japan, presented keynote paper
on "The state-of-the-art report on science and technology in Japan" and Prof Dr Naiyyum Choudhury, president of BJSPSAA and secretary of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, presented another keynote on "Science - an instrument of change for society" at the inaugural ceremony.
Charge d'Affaires of Japan in Bangladesh Hiroyuki Minami, Akihiko Satomi of JSPS, Tokyo and BJSPSAA General Secretary Prof Dr Tofazzal Islam also spoke at the ceremony.