On July 19th, 2022, University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH) honored to welcome Prof. Duncan Haldane visited and delivered a public lecture titled “Topological quantum matter, entanglement, and the second quantum revolution”.
This is an activity in response to the United Nations Resolution “Celebrating 2022 as the international year of fundamental sciences for sustainable development” by USTH in collaboration with International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE), Vingroup Innovation Foundation (VINIF), Institute of Physics (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology), School of Engineering Physics (Hanoi University of Science and Technology), Faculty of Physics (Hanoi National University of Education), Faculty of Physics (University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi).
Speaking at the opening of the event, Prof. Jean-Marc Lavest, Principal Rector of USTH, said that the goal of USTH is to become a research university with the main missions of conducting research at the international level, training young talents in the field of science and technology in order to contribute to the sustainable development of Vietnam. Therefore, USTH always tries to invite leading scientists in the field of science and technology to share experiences and inspire young lecturers and students of the university.
He appreciates the importance of fundamental science: “Each discovery of fundamental science opens a new door, helping people to better understand the universe as well as showing us there are still many things that we haven’t known yet. At USTH, we believe that technology solutions are built on solid foundations of fundamental science.”
Prof. Jean-Marc Lavest expressed the honor as USTH welcomed Prof. Duncan Haldane – a scientist who received the Nobel Prize in 2016, and hopes that through his public lecture, the attendees will see “the beauty of fundamental scientific research”.
Speaking to more than 400 participating scientists and students in person and online through the Zoom platform, Prof. Duncan Haldane shared scientific content related to Topological quantum matter, hot issues in modern physics research, quantum mechanics when electrons move in a magnetic field…
At the same time, Prof. Duncan Haldane shared many interesting stories about his journey to the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics. In the early stages of his career, he also encountered many difficulties in publishing publications and received mixed opinions from the scientific community. Some even think that his work is absurd. However, with his persistence and unwaved determination, he worked hard to show experimental results to prove his research until he received recognition.
Sharing on the sidelines of the event, Prof. Duncan Haldane said that he clearly feels that Vietnam is a dynamic country that is on a strong development momentum as well as that Vietnamese young people are full of passion and enthusiasm. To follow the research career, he advised young people “must believe in your own research. If you find that the results are meaningful, the results are correct, you need to protect them”.
“You don’t have to be a special genius, the opportunity comes from your dare to go out of your comfort zone to find something new,” he emphasized.
Prof. Duncan Haldane believes that in fact science often has both opposites and contradictions. Therefore, when we propose a new understanding, a new solution to an old problem, it is difficult for others to accept. Therefore, it is very normal. He notes that science is not about right or wrong, not about believing or not believing. It must be determined by the research results. In his case, he feels very lucky because “my research results proved that I was right.”
After the public lecture, Prof. Duncan Haldane had an exciting discussion and Q&A with scientists and students participating in the event.
The event ended successfully and has contributed to inspire young people to continue pursuing their passion for science.
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