The 22nd College, held in Islamabad from 28ths July to 9th August 1997, had a special significance in view of the golden jubilee celebrations of the independence of Pakistan. In this context, the subjects discussed in the College revolved around the developments in various fields of science and engineering over the last fifty years and their projection into the twenty-first century. The relevance to the needs of the developing countries was given special emphasis. Visiting Pakistani scientists also delivered lectures.
The century that came to an end has rightly been termed as the era of physics. The first quarter of this period saw the emergence of two momentous theories, the theory of relativity and the quantum theory. Based on these theories, the last fifty years or so have witnessed some bizarre and stunning new ideas about space and time, mind and matter, order and chaos, simplicity and complexity, etc. There have been profound changes in our understanding of fundamental and important aspects of physics.
The revolutionary technological innovations accompanying the outbursts in basic sciences formed the theme for the second week entitled “Fifty years of Technology; Physics and Contemporary decade surpass the golden ages of the past. The technological renaissance that gathered momentum in the 1990s is exemplified by the fields of information technology, biotechnology and genetic engineering. These subjects have transformed the socioeconomic fabric of our society. Linked to the technological revolution is the inevitable demand for more energy and the problem that the human race has inflicted upon the environment. The burning and important issues related to energy , environment and water resources, multiprocessing and Internet, etc., were also taken up.
While the pace of the scientific breakthroughs in the developed nations has been breathtaking, developing countries like Pakistan have been left far behind in this race. Apart from some isolated cases of success stories, science in Pakistan has been given a low priority. Side by side with the discussions of fifty years of global physics, the College also highlighted the achievements of the nation in science and technology during the last half century. Special sessions were held daily for this purpose. Experts from research and development organizations, universities and industry discussed developments made in different fields. At the start of the second week, a special presidential session was held where scientists from abroad discussed fifty years of global science and technology in Pakistan over the last five decades.