PSU and IPF co-hosted special lecture by Nobel laureate on "The Importance of Science for Peace-building"

International News 18 January 2024 Hits: 1835

On 29 November 2023, the PSU Faculty of Science, in collaboration with the International Peace Foundation (IPF), and with support from Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., Dusit Thani Hotel and Resort, Kasikornbank, and BMW, hosted a special lecture by Prof. Takaaki Kajita, a Nobel laureate in Physics. The talk, titled "The Importance of Science for Peace-building" was held under the JAPAN-ASEAN BRIDGES Event Series in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Japan-ASEAN relations and the 55th anniversary of PSU. The event was opened by PSU President Asst. Prof. Dr. Niwat Keawpradub, while Mr. Uwe Morawetz, Founding Chairman of the International Peace Foundation, provided a reporting speech, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anchana Prathep, Dean of the Faculty of Science, gave welcoming remarks. The event was held at the PSU Faculty of Science, Hat Yai Campus.

Prof. Takaaki Kajita is a Japanese physicist and professor at the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of neutrino oscillation, demonstrating that these fundamental particles have mass and can transform from one type to another.

His team at the Super-Kamiokande neutrino detector discovered that cosmic rays interact with the Earth's atmosphere, the neutrinos produced shape-shifting between two types before reaching the detector beneath the Ikenoyama moutain in Kamioka, Japan.

This discovery proved the existence of neutrino oscillations and highlights the shortcomings of the widely accepted standard model which had assumed that neutrinos had no mass.

The experiments of Prof. Takaaki and his colleagues have become the most promising, powerful, versatile, and efficient method for studying particle physics, including the universe itself.

PSU President Asst. Prof. Dr. Niwat stated that PSU is a leader in innovation, research, and higher education at both regional and national levels, and attributed some of this success to the Faculty of Science, whose members have played a crucial role in driving the university since its establishment.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anchana expressed hopes that co-hosting the event by the Faculty of Science will inspire faculty, staff, and students to contribute to the betterment of the scientific community and society.

In the near future, PSU will host the following three special lectures by Nobel laureates:

1.   Faculty of Pharmacy
Date: January 31, 2024
Time: 2:00 PM
Topic: Personalized medicine revolution: Are we going to cure all diseases and at what price?
Speaker: Prof. Aaron Ciechanover, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry
Venue: Thongchan Hongladarom Room, Conference Center, Faculty of Medicine

2.   Faculty of Economics
Date: March 1, 2024
Time: 2:00 PM
Topic: The prospects for global financial stability
Speaker: Prof. Robert F. Engle III, Nobel Laureate in Economics
Venue: Conference Hall, PSU International Convention Center

3.   Faculty of Medicine
Date: March 27, 2024
Time: 3:00 PM
Topic: The role of basic science in biotechnology
Speaker: Prof. Randy W. Schekman, Nobel Laureate in Medicine
Venue: Thongchan Hongladarom Room, Conference Center, Faculty of Medicine