Research and the benefits of wondering

Applied research will help improve the lives of thousands in the region, but there must still be room for what seems like pointless wondering too.

Applying international advances in medical research to ailments disproportionately afflicting those living in Arabia is a cogent example of the benefits flowing from the global nature of modern science. Combining that kind of expertise with generous financial support, as demonstrated by the Dh8 million fund announced by Al Jalila Foundation on Sunday, will prevent early deaths and improve the lives of thousands.

The UAE-based fund will provide seed grants of up to Dh300,000 for biomedical researchers investigating regional health issues like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, mental illnesses and cancer. It is just one example of how local ingenuity is combining with international advances in science to boost quality of life for people here and globally.

In the last few days, the Think Science fair held in Dubai revealed the efforts of more than 500 young innovators whose projects ranged from ultrasound-guided shoes for blind people, a glove than can convert sign language into spoken words and environmentally friendly dye created from rubbish. Around the same time, Masdar Institute announced the development of heat-reflective paint that makes buildings more energy efficient and an Omani audiologist created a test for hearing loss that takes into account the phonemes of Arabic.

All this demonstrates the benefits of applied science, in which research is embarked upon with a specific goal in mind.

But there is also a need to balance this kind of applied inquiry with what the academic world knows as blue sky research: investigating a subject purely for the benefit of learning more about it. This kind of left-field research has led to breakthroughs in unexpected areas.

This affects philosophies of education and childraising, in which the young ought to be imbued with a sense of wonder about the world and be encouraged to have a sense of inquiry. Seemingly pointless activities found in the fringes of the Guinness World Records are in fact about pushing boundaries and reconsidering the world, which has to be beneficial.

This sense of inquiry can involve both mental and physical forms but the essential component is curiosity. Encourage that and who knows what we will be able to discover?