Some deaths are heart rending that touches our minds and reminds us the importance of the person. Death of the Nuclear Scientist Dr. M.A. Wajed Mia is one of such examples. People from all corners are found to discuss on his fame, honesty and sincerity. His child-like simplicity and power of attracting people indicate scientific characteristics based on honesty. The scientists and the scientific communities at home and abroad are proud of him. At the present crisis in generation and transmission of electricity, the wise and knowledgeable persons are feeling necessity of the nuclear scientist Dr. Wajed Mia. He had vast knowledge and experience in his area of expertise and world wide networks with the best scientists and technologists.
As a student, he was extremely brilliant and he obtained his Matriculate from Rangpur Zilla School in First division in 1956 and higher secondary from Rajshahi Science College securing second position in the merit list. Wajed Mia got admission to Physics department of Dhaka University and obtained First Class First position in B.Sc (Hons) in 1961 and also First Class First in M.Sc in Nuclear Physics from same university in 1962. He obtained Ph.D in Nuclear Physics from Durham University of UK and joined as scientific officer at the Atomic Energy Commission in Dhaka.
In 1969, Dr Wajed Mia got the Associate ship of the Italy based International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and he was engaged in a research project under the world renowned scientist Nobel Laureate Prof. Abdus Salam at ICTP in Trieste, Italy. The Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) is also located in the same campus. Nobel Laureate Dr. Abdus Salam was a man of vision among the world famous scientists. Dr. Wajed Mia wanted to set up a nuclear power plant at Ruppur, Pabna under the guidelines of TWAS. Unfortunately, he was not given the opportunity to establish the Nuclear Power Project at that time. But the necessity reminds us the lack of a scientist like Dr. Wajed Mia when we are going to set up the Nuclear Power Plant of 2000 Mega Watt in joint collaboration with Russia at the same place, Ruppur of Pabna district according a recent report published in a national daily.
After 37 years of participation of Dr. Wajed Mia at ICTP, I was searching lists of the participants from my country at ICTP/TWAS library located at the top of the hill of Strada Costiera, Trieste, Italy and found the name of Dr. M.A.Wajed Mia as a researcher in Nuclear Science. I was thinking if Dr. Wajed Mia were given the opportunity to establish a position at ICTP, our entrance into ICTP could be easier. I was awarded the TWAS Fellowship based on my paper entitled “Capacity Building for Sustainable Development through empowerment of women scientists, researchers and technologists with ICT in Bangladesh” that I had to earn through participation in a global competition at the International Workshop on Capacity Building for Sustainable Development held at TWAS from 10-13 October 2006.
Let us take Dr. Wajed Mia as an ideal scientist. We can benefit through discussion on his life on youth as a student and later as a scientist. Hundreds of young graduates in science and technology are coming out from the universities every year. But they seem very frustrated. They don’t know what future is waiting for them and where to approach to sell their expertise. I have seen many brilliant students with unique results in very attractive subjects like Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Biotechnology and Pharmacy are not getting job. They are about to loose confidence on science subjects observing their guardians’ frustrations as well. At least they need some guide lines at the moment and some one to give them hopes that they have not done mistakes in choosing science as their career path
In such situations, a scientific foundation or institution can be established in the name of Dr. M.A. Wajed Mia. In fact there are lots to learn for the science students and the scientists as well in Bangladesh from life of Dr. Wajed Mia. Just as an example, it can be referred that Dr. C V Raman University has been established at Raipur, India to educate the young generations on nuclear science as well as to follow the life of a great scientist.
As a Nuclear Physicist (nuclear instrumentation) and former engineer of U.S. Geological Survey, I had a chance to work with Dr. M.A. Wajed Mia as our Chief Scientist (team leader) on a national project on exploration of Beach Sand Minerals (Zircon, Ilmenite, Rutile, Garnet, Titenium etc) in 1993-95. I had also scope to work with Prof. S. Chowbey Vice-Chancellor of C V Raman University on ICT development in Bhopal, India
Dr. M.A. Wajed Mia is the founder President of the Bongobondhu Sikkha-O-Gobeshona Parishad (Bongobondhu Education and Research Council, BERC) which was established with the objective of reaching the benefits of science education to all, particularly to the remote people. The Nuclear Scientist Dr. Wajed Mia’s vision was to establish a sound and sustainable research organization based mainly on effective science and technology. To give his dream the reality, an initiative must be taken by the members of the BERC through modification of BERC to BERSC where ‘S’ stands for Science that means the Bongobondhu Education and Research Council will take the shape of Bongobondhu Education, Research and Science Council (BERSC). To make the issue more transparent, we can raise example of UNESCO that stand for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Initially there was no UNESCO rather it was UNECO that means Science was not under consideration even in the developed countries of Europe and America. The delegates meeting at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London on 1st November 1945 were invited to the founding conference of UNECO. Several scientists, including Julian Huxley, who was to become first Director-General were campaigning for months for inclusion of science both in the name of new organization and its programme of action. The President of the Conference, Ellen Wilkinson, Minister of Education of the UK, proposed in her augural address to put S for Science between the E of education and C for culture. (Ref: World Science). Thus UNECO was transformed to UNESCO.
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