KATHMANDU, Aug 23: Some 150 scientists from 40 countries will be in Nepal for an international conference slated to be held in the last week of September.
Professors and scientists from Tribhuvan University of Nepal, Liverpool University of UK and Tokyo University will participate in the 13th International Conference on Quasicrystals to be held from September 18-23.
Prof Dr Hemraj Sharma of Liverpool University said that the participation of Nobel Laureate Dan Shechtman has been confirmed. Shechtman had received Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2011 for the discovery of Quasicrystals.
Over 110 research papers on physic, chemistry, mathematics and engineering will be presented during the conference.
It is the second conference on Quasicrystals to be held in South Asia. Such conferences have been held in USA, France, China, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, Poland and India.
Quasicrystals is a special type of crystal that has a different molecular arrangement than normal crystals. Of late, it is used in preparing non-stick cookware.
Scientists believe that Quasicrystals can be most suitable in manufacturing aircraft parts as it is light and strong. The conference is being held in Nepal at a time when scientists are in research for using Quasicrystals in exterior of aircraft.
The inaugural session of the conference will be held in the Dhulikhel-based Kathmandu University. Following the inaugural session, workshops will also be held in the university.
“Nepali students and scientists will be able to take direct and indirect benefits from the workshops,” Sharma told Republica Online.
From the second day, sessions will be held at Dhulikhel Resort and Lodge. Nobel laureate Shechtman will deliver a speech at the auditorium of Tribhuvan University on September 21.
Organizers hope that the conference will be beneficial to spread out a message that Nepal is safe for tourists.
Likewise, the conference will also initiate attempts to formulate a network of non-residents Nepali scientists. Dr Sharma said that such network will work in the sector of science and technology in Nepal.
‘Nepal should invest in its human ingenuity’
