Staff Reporter
The 45th ‘International Nathiagali Summer College (INSC) on Physics and Contemporary Needs’ was inaugurated here on Monday to give opportunity to the young and senior scientists of Pakistan as well as the developing world to interact and have scientific discourse through webinars.
The INSC was inaugurated by Chairman PAEC Muhammad Naeem (HI, SI), said a news release.
INSC was a yearly activity being organized regularly since 1976 by Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). Chairman PAEC Muhammad Naeem appreciated the efforts of the organizers of INSC to hold this scientific discourse through webinars and continued the tradition of holding this college on regular basis because, unlike the previous years, Covid-19 made it impossible to gather participants from around the world at one place.
The INSC 2020 will cover six technical activities including applications of synchrotron radiation, the modern trends and techniques for exploration of minerals, pulsed power technology and applications, laser produced plasmas and its applications, renewable energy, environmental monitoring, advances in medical physics and biomedical optics.
The distinguished faculty of INSC consists of 28 speakers from abroad like Austria, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan, UK, Turkey, USA and other countries.
There will be a total of 1200 participants from different universities of Pakistan. About 50 participants from abroad have also registered for the webinars,it added.
Foreseeing the brain drain of scientific elite from developing countries like Pakistan to the advanced scientific hubs in search of greener pastures, the Nobel Laureate, Professor Abdus Salam was a staunch believer in the utility of periodic gathering of scientists from developing countries with those from developed nations. This was the guiding spirit behind the idea of organizing a science college at Nathiagali, one of the most beautiful and picturesque hill resorts of Pakistan near Islamabad, on regular basis. In 1974, the distinguished professor proposed that an international forum for scientists from developing countries be organized to break their isolation and provide them with an opportunity to interact with their peers from advanced countries.
