Of scientists and rock stars

LIVING and working near the National Stadium Bukit Jalil is a mixed bag of blessings and challenges. On the positive side, residents get to enjoy the ambient sounds of concerts and energetic cheers during football matches.

The challenge is in the form of traffic gridlocks, especially before and after the events. An encounter with the traffic snarl associated with the Coldplay performance in November last year is an example of this double-edged situation. Many were ensnared in a traffic jam, where a 10km drive took a staggering one and a half hours!

While waiting for the vehicles to inch forward, we let our thoughts wander: What if society was as captivated by lab coats as it is by leather jackets?

In a whimsical scenario, envision the use of a Rick and Morty-style portal gun to transport us to a dimension where research conferences draw crowds of autograph seekers, Nobel laureates are pursued by paparazzi hungry for their signature, and headlines celebrate scientific discoveries with the fervour usually reserved for celebrity gossip.

These traffic jam musings led to a broader contemplation of societal priorities and the potential for a cultural shift towards celebrating knowledge and innovation with the same enthusiasm that is shown for entertainment.

Science, the unsung rock star, consistently delivers chart-toppers like vaccines and smartphones, and effortlessly tackles problems with the finesse of a Rubik’s Cube virtuoso on overdrive, propelling humanity forward at a velocity that rivals a rocket launch.

Yet, despite their groundbreaking and world-saving discoveries, scientists often find themselves overshadowed by singers and actors. Perhaps science lacks the drama of a reality show or the catchy tunes of a pop song. Alas, we can only imagine a revolutionary breakthrough going viral on social media.

A deduction arises – artistic products effortlessly touch people’s emotions, making marketing them an emotional appeal. Scientists, being materialists and pragmatists, create products for practical betterment, often devoid of emotional resonance.

A cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy might not experience the emotional highs of a Coldplay song despite the life-saving nature of the treatment.

Here lies the societal challenge: How can we infuse passion into marketing scientific progress, using emotional appeal to propel science into the limelight?

How do we cast the spotlight on the researchers and innovators who are reshaping the world with their discoveries?

Let’s metamorphose laboratories into vibrant concert halls, transmute research papers into catchy jingles, and catapult scientific breakthroughs into viral sensations.

The world is currently grappling with a worrying decline in STEM students as today’s youths gauge success through matrices such as TikTok or YouTube subscribers, channel views, and more.

These metrics, defined by sponsors to attract lucrative opportunities, dominate the contemporary definition of success.

However, for humanity to advance, nurturing future generations of scientists is imperative.

Scientists merit acknowledgment not solely within academic journals but also in the collective consciousness of humanity. Envisaging a collaborative landscape where artists regularly team up with scientists, becoming rock stars together, and fostering a connection between scientific work and emotional resonance, can pave the way for enhanced funding opportunities.

Such a collaborative endeavour has the potential to forge a groundbreaking, revolutionary future, perhaps even more exhilarating than a Coldplay concert (apologies, Chris Martin).

DR GOH BEY HING

Sunway Biofunctional Molecules Discovery Centre

Sunway University

and DR LOW LEY HIAN

Biogenes Technologies Sdn Bhd, Serdang