At the World's Top Scientists Science Congress held tonight, Michael Levitt, winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, taught the first lesson of science to teenagers on the spot.
"My wife and I quarantined in Shanghai for 14 days, and now it's worth it to see all of you young people, and face-to-face communication is a very good experience." Levitt's opening speech instantly narrowed the distance with teenagers, talking about his own scientific research process, he did not talk about talent, did not talk about background, but talked about a very important thing in scientific research - choosing a mentor, choosing the right mentor is to stand on the shoulders of giants.
Levitt recalls that on a vacation trip to England, he saw a news story on the biological structure on television. Levitt was immediately intrigued, and he wanted to stay in England to study, and his mentor was John Kendrew, a biologist at the University of Cambridge.
Reluctantly, Kendrew rejected his application and instead suggested that he go to Israel for further study. At first, Levitt refused, but in the end he accepted, and it was there that he came into contact with computers and learned about computational structural biology. Since then, the 19-year-old Levitt has been deeply involved in this field until now.
Of course, Levitt also admits that luck is very important in scientific research. How do I get lucky? He says that in science learn to focus on details, beyond your comfort zone, and you'll be lucky. Over the past 9 months, Levitt has been working for 260 consecutive days to study the new crown virus, and he is not tired at all, but very excited, because this is a study that is beneficial to all mankind.
Levitt said that on the road to scientific research, you must always believe in yourself, "If you don't even believe in yourself, then why should others believe in you?" He encourages young people not to be afraid of risks, but to take risks, "if you don't make mistakes, maybe it means you don't make an effort." ”
Author: Li Chenyan
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Source: Wen Wei Po