Professor ‘t Hooft encouraged UWC students not to fear making mistakes or even failing in something that’s challenging.  He said that through failures, success can be achieved if one can relentlessly and persistently pursue his or her goals. 

On September 23rd, Professor Gerard ‘t Hooft, 1999 Nobel Prize laureate in physics visited UWC Changshu China and interacted with UWC students and faculty.  Professor ‘t Hooft encouraged UWC students not to fear making mistakes or even failing in something that’s challenging.  He said that through failures, success can be achieved if one can relentlessly and persistently pursue his or her goals.

Professor Gerard‘t Hooft（Third on the left in the front row） visited UWC Changshu China         

Prof. ‘t Hooft is a Dutch theoretical physicist and a professor at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.  His research focus is on quantum gravity, including black holes, superstring theory, and holographic principle. 

Prof. ‘t Hooft interacted with students   

Prof. ‘t Hooft answered many questions from students on various aspects of physics.  He also took time to share his own experiences from childhood and his endeavors to reach the level of expertise that he owns now.  He showed extraordinary degree of patience in answering intriguing questions from students, with his composure and brilliant articulation of complex knowledge in simple terms.

When asked about his feelings for the Nobel Prize, Prof. ‘t Hooft replied honestly, “Well, being nominated just means that you have a friend who thinks your work is important.”  His sense of humor truly encapsulates his great personality and attitude towards the students’ questions.

Prof. ‘t Hooft visited physics lab   

Led by Dr. Mohammed Zawid Naseem, Head of Science, Prof. ‘t Hooft also visited the physics labs.  Students continued to bombard Prof. ‘t Hooft with more intriguing questions.  Prof. ‘t Hooft urged UWC students to follow their passion and strive for excellence.  He said: “I hope that all of you are excited by something you want to specialize in; you want to be a special person, and you want to do something that’s useful in society.” 

Reflecting on this visit, one pre-DP student said: “It’s amazing to see a Nobel Laureate standing just beside you, talking to you and answering your questions patiently.  I feel inspired to work harder, because everything is possible.”

Mr. Yi Wang, co-founder and Vice Chair of UWC Changshu China, who accompanied Professor ‘t Hooft during the visit said afterward: “We are honored to have Prof. ‘t Hooft visit UWC Changshu China to share his perspectives with our students.  I found his comments insightful, practical and inspiring.  I hope his visit will inspire some of our students to explore the frontier of science in the future.”

Written by Oliver Wang, Pre-DP; 

Photo: Dr. Mohamed Zawid Naseem