Hard work, creativity, research are key to winning Nobel Prize
dubai — It is one of the most respected and valued prizes in the world — the ‘Nobel Prize’. It remains an object of desire for almost every scholar or learned person. Recently, a workshop on ‘how to get the Nobel Prize’ drew crowds of experts, professionals and influential stakeholders in the field, in addition to university students and representatives from local media.
It was conducted by Gustav Kallstrand, senior curator of the Nobel Museum in Sweden and Anna Sjostrom Douagi, programme director of the Nobel Center at Children’s City in Dubai Creek Park on Sunday morning. The workshop shed light on the ideas that changed the world, exploring their characteristics and the driving forces behind them, and citing examples from nominees and laureates of the Nobel Prize in Physics.
During the workshop, Gustad Kallstrand spoke of renowned physicists, such as Albert Einstein, who was known to rely on his imagination in scientific experiments. Kallstrand identified several key factors that led to innovation such as working hard, having faith in what we do, investing time in research and educating ourselves about studies that have already been conducted in the field.
Furthermore, Kallstrand urged decision makers in the education system to do away with the traditional education framework, and to transform the role of teachers to better enable them to support students’ creativity and excellence, to create a stimulating creative environment.
Meanwhile, Anna Sjostrom Douagi cited the Nobel Center as an example of an environment that encourages innovation, teamwork and a focus on solutions. She described the centre as a platform for seminars and educational discussions with a creativity-friendly “incubator environment”.
Osman Azeem, a grade 10 student from Al Sadiq Islamic English School, Dubai, after the session said: “The workshop was motivating and it gave that confidence to think ‘out of the box’. We always hear to be creative but this one-hour session really touched all those important points which we generally ignore or pay less heed. I am looking forward to many more workshops like this in future.”
Uzma Mirza, grade 9 student from New India Modern School, said: “I will implement what I learned from the workshop and I wish I will achieve the prize one day and will represent my country.”
Ismam Omar Othman (Jordanian), a teacher from one of the schools in Ajman, who attended the workshop with students, felt activities like this are very important for the development of the children, as it gives them platform to not only learn but also express their creativity.