Science and peacebuilding process in a discussion with Japanese Nobel laureate
Scientists from many countries often have to collaborate on any large and complex experiment, independent of the political situation of the country or countries where the research is being conducted and their personal political views.
In a recent interview with the Nation, Nobel laureate Professor Takaaki Kajita, explained how such collaborations could be a model for peace.
The Japanese physicist was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering that neutrinos have mass, sharing the prize with Canadian physicist Arthur B. McDonald.
He is now forming a research project to dig deeper into neutrinos, hoping to find more answers to the big question about the origin of the universe.
Prof Kajita was recently in Thailand for the Japan ASEAN Bridges event series and delivered lectures to the next generation of scientists. His speech, however, focused on peacebuilding, not his new project.
Science and peacebuilding
The Nobel laureate explained that when scientists have to work together on a project, it is very important to learn about each other, put differences aside, and collaborate.
Back when he was researching neutrino physics with Super-Kamiokande (SK) Collaboration, he had to work with about 200 people from 11 countries.
The professor is currently working on a gravitational wave project called the KAGRA (Kamioka Gravitational Wave Detector), which aims to prove that such waves exist. The project requires significant international collaboration, with many of his scientific team drawn from Asian countries
There is one big project in the United States and another in Europe. KAGRA is the third and is located in East Asia.
“Actually, we are working for science and to be honest, we are not working for peacebuilding. But we think that our activity should contribute to peacebuilding. That is my point. Because we have to work together globally,” said the laureate.
Speaking out is important
With the Russia-Ukraine conflict about to enter a third year, and the escalating crisis in the Middle East, Prof Kajita thinks it is important to talk about peacebuilding, especially when he’s speaking to the next generation of scientists at universities.
His next generation of the neutrino project is under construction now in Japan with collaborators from 22 countries, including Russia and Ukraine.
“In principle, they can work together, but with the present situation I think it's not so easy to collaborate,” the professor explained.
Though hostility has never been obvious, there could certainly be some tension.
However, in the scientific community, geopolitics aside, when they share the same goal, they will try their best to adjust and work together.
Gravitational wave detector
His current project, KAGRA, is in a mountainous area 250 kilometres from Tokyo. He hopes this project will provide more understanding of the origin of matter in the universe.
“It's in the construction stage, we are building a very large detector underground,” he enthused.
“I think I have been very fortunate. I was involved in at least two big discoveries. One was the discovery of the neutrinos produced by supernova explosions. Another was the discovery of neutrino oscillation. This means neutrinos have very small mass and both of them are scientifically extremely important,” the laureate added, sounding humble.
Humility aside, those discoveries are what won him the Nobel prize.
