Acknowledging Indian scientist Satyendra Nath Bose's contribution to the discovery of Higgs boson or the 'God particle', Director-general of European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), Rolf-Dieter Heuer on Monday rued that despite immense contribution Bose did not get the Nobel.
"But, the absence of a Nobel doesn't in any way undermine his genius or his contribution," he added.
On July 4, the Geneva-based group had discovered a new sub-atomic particle, possibly the Higgs boson. Heuer said, "India is like the historic father of the Higgs boson project. I am impressed seeing the immense talent pool the country has."
"SN Bose has certainly contributed hugely to our understanding of particle Physics. He certainly deserved the Nobel Prize for his contributions in Physics," Heuer told journalists on the sidelines of a lecture at Calcutta University.
Heuer also spoke about India's possibility of becoming an associate member of CERN. "The Atomic Energy Commission, I hear, has agreed to the proposal and (former) president Pratibha Patil too visited CERN in October 2011. Now we hope India will soon apply for membership," he said.
To get associate member status, India will have to make an annual contribution of 10 million Swiss francs to CERN.
{{/usCountry}}To get associate member status, India will have to make an annual contribution of 10 million Swiss francs to CERN.
{{/usCountry}}Explaining how it will benefit India, Heuer said, "The biggest number of applications for internship CERN receives is from Indian students. Sadly, we can't accommodate most because India doesn't have the special quota of seats allotted to member nations. Also, the membership will benefit industry and the scientific community here."