Nobel laureate tells young scientists to believe in themselves

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Gerard ‘t Hooft advised young scientists to have faith in themselves that they can one day give “better answers” than their teachers.

Gerard ‘t Hooft, left, co-recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Physics “for elucidating the quantum structure of electroweak interactions in physics,” discusses women’s advancement in STEM fields with Ewha Womans University President Kim Eun-mee last Friday at the university in Seodaemun District, western Seoul. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Gerard ‘t Hooft advised young scientists to have faith in themselves that they can one day give “better answers” than their teachers.

The remarks were made as the 77-year-old Dutch theoretical physicist visited Ewha Womans University in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, last Friday to give a special lecture and discuss women’s advancement in STEM fields with Ewha President Kim Eun-mee.

‘t Hooft won the 1999 Nobel Prize for his contributions to the understanding of the quantum structure of electroweak interactions in physics.

During his conversation with Kim, ‘t Hooft, who has taught physics at Utrecht University in Utrecht, the Netherlands since 1977, emphasized the significance of contemplating unsolved problems in the world and finding ways to solve them as a crucial factor in conducting groundbreaking research.

“You have to use your brain,” ‘t Hooft replied when asked what advice he had to young female physicists. “This is not a gender issue. It’s how one can excel in their field. Study hard and try to figure out what the real answers are.”

Oftentimes, that process starts from the simple question, “Where can I make a difference?” he said.

“What problem should I solve? Where can I give better answers than my teachers? Not because I want to but because I know I think I have better answers,” said ‘t Hooft. “You need to have faith in yourself, and you have to realize that when you come up with a solution in a competition, yours will be better. That attitude will allow you to do anything in life.”

While elaborating on Ewha’s efforts to promote women in STEM fields, Kim mentioned the university’s recent establishment of a College of Artificial Intelligence and how the competition rate for admissions this year was 10 to one.

“Before we opened the college, people told us girls aren’t interested in AI,” said Kim. “But when it opened, contrary to what people told us, many bright girls flocked to the college. When I visited India and Vietnam, I was shocked to learn that women wanted to join the program.”

The Ewha president also touched upon the so-called Ewha Frontier 10-10 initiative, a multibillion-won project funding “10 leading research fields with global competitiveness and 10 challenging research fields in futuristic areas,” including quantum matter and low-carbon green energy.

“If there’s a female scientist, society should provide social mechanisms for her to pursue her academic career,” said Kim. “That’s what Ewha is trying to do.”

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]