Renowned scientist and Director General of Aeronautical Systems at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Tessy Thomas has emphasised the potential of research and innovations in spurring the development of the country.
Inaugurating the Kerala University Researchers’ Fest, Heights 2023, which got under way at the Karyavattom campus on Monday, Dr. Thomas said the development and prosperity of any nation hinged on education and the development of science and technology.
Paying rich tributes to the country’s visionaries who had dreamt about nurturing different capabilities for its welfare, she reminisced about the early stages of the missile development programme at DRDO, the premier agency entrusted with the military’s research and development.
Led by the former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam when he was the Director of DRDO, the agency had successfully undertaken the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme that had paved the way for the development of several missiles that were subsequently inducted in the Armed Forces.
“We lacked the knowledge back in the 1980s when the technology (for missile development) was non-existent. However, APJ Abdul Kalam had dreamt about having technology developed indigenously in the country. His vision led to the development of missiles like Prithvi, Agni and Akash that have all been inducted and operationalised,” Dr. Thomas, an alumnus of Kerala University, said.
Delivering the keynote address, former Director of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru P. Balram spoke of how disciplines are being increasingly intermixed in science and social sciences.
“Every discipline of science and humanities has become one continuum in the progress of human knowledge. This is the approach one should take to research. The questions we try to answer in one discipline is sometimes related to those that are being asked in a related discipline,” he said.
Citing the impact the Raman effect has had on technological advancement, he opined that esoteric and basic research could sometime lead to unanticipated technological applications.
Kerala University Vice Chancellor in-charge Mohanan Kunnummal presided over the function. Kerala University Vice Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran, festival organising committee convener S. Nazeeb, chairman Gopchandran K.G. and internal quality assurance cell (IQAC) director Gabriel Simon Thattil were among those who spoke at the inaugural ceremony.
Earlier, A.A. Rahim, MP, and Higher Education Department principal secretary Ishita Roy inaugurated the R&D exhibition and research gallery respectively.
