ISLAMABAD, June 23: A group of 10 students will visit Germany from June 24 to July 15 to meet 53 Nobel prize winners. The visit is sponsored by the Higher Education Commission (HEC). Talking to the students, the HEC chairman, Prof Attaur Rehman, asked them to keep themselves aware of the latest developments in physics and adopt a questioning attitude even about the established theories.

“One common thing among all Nobel laureates was that they dared to go where none had gone before. Question the established theories, do not believe in printed words. Question it but on the basis of knowledge,” Prof Ata said.

The HEC chairman said second commonality among the Nobel laureates was that they put in tremendous amount of energies and efforts but in the right field and at the right time.

Prof Ata asked the students to inculcate in themselves such habits and adopt these practices.

Each year, 20 to 30 Nobel laureates participate in a programme held in Germany where they meet students and deliver lectures to young scholars.

This leads to informal discussions and brainstorming sessions over a period of one week. The programmes target youth between the age brackets of 20 to 30 years, to motivate them to adopt a career in research (MPhil and PhD courses) in chemistry, physics and medicine/physiology.

The HEC will send 50 students (10 students each for five years) to Germany to meet the Nobel laureates.

The programme is an awareness raising activity whereby Pakistani youth from the disciplines of physics, chemistry and medicine gain exposure and interact with Nobel laureates and their peers at global level.

The HEC provides funds for managing the activities of selecting and training the candidates. They are provided with return air fare and daily allowance. Funds are directly allocated to Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Science (PIEAS), Nilore, which is the implementing agency and is responsible for all operations under this programme.

Students are selected through advertisements placed in the press and on HEC website.