Nobel Laureate Prof. Gerardus 't Hooft to Inaugurate Chandigarh University's 3-Day 4th Global Education Summit 2024 from 3rd October

CHANDIGARH, India, Sept. 30, 2024 -- Chandigarh University, India's premier university globally recognized for academic excellence, will host a three-day 4th Global Education Summit (GES) 2024 with the theme 'Sustainable & Equitable Education', from 3rd October to 5th October, which will feature 60 renowned global academic leaders from 50 top-ranked foreign universities of 30 countries.

Divulging details, Deepinder Singh Sandhu, Senior Director, Chandigarh University, said that the Dutch Nobel laureate in Physics, Professor Gerardus 't Hooft, will be the chief guest and inaugurate the summit at the university campus. Thirapath Mongkolnavin, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission, Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi, and Josel F. Ignacio, Ambassador-Designate, Embassy of the Philippines, New Delhi, will also attend the summit as guests of honour.

"As per its theme, the 4th Global Education Summit (GES) 2024 will focus on sharing innovations, expertise and technologies for a unified future. This summit is in line with the New Education Policy, 2020, which calls for collaborations between top ranked Indian institutions like Chandigarh University and globally ranked foreign institutions, to provide global exposure to students. With this summit, Chandigarh University is providing a unique platform for top academicians representing 55 global universities, to share their futuristic ideas to create a common roadmap for joint research programmes and projects," Sandhu said.

"During this summit, Chandigarh University will also sign Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with foreign universities for joint research, academic collaborations and student exchange programmes under the New Education Policy 2020," he said.

The chief guest of the summit, Professor Gerardus 't Hooft, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1999 for "elucidating the quantum structure of electroweak interactions in physics". A Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, he has also taught at Harvard, SLAC, and Caltech. Apart from the Nobel Prize in Physics, Prof. Hooft has also been awarded with Dannie Heineman Prize, Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Chicago, Wolf Prize of the State of Israel, Pius XI Medal (Vatican), and Lorentz Medal (KNAW, Amsterdam).

Sandhu said that the 4th edition of the Global Education Summit at Chandigarh University, ranked among India's top 20 universities in the NIRF Rankings 2024, will provide a platform for academic leaders to engage in meaningful discussions, build strategic alliances, and explore new ways to enhance the quality and accessibility of education worldwide.

He said that the main issues to be discussed during the three-day summit include customized models to empower students for sustainable development; role of universities in promoting empathy, women empowerment and social engagement; repositioning of universities for the achievement of SDGs with local technologies and manpower; global collaboration for enhancing sustainability through research and innovation; and engaging with national governments towards the use of innovative technologies for social welfare.

Sandhu said that 60 academic leaders who will attend the summit, in offline and online modes, include Presidents, Vice Chancellors and Rectors among other senior leaders from 50 top-ranked foreign universities from more than 30 countries.

The 30 countries from where the academic leaders will participate in the summit include the United States (USA), United Kingdom, France, Canada, Italy, Australia, Spain, Russia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, South Africa, Ireland, Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, Brunei, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Georgia, North Macedonia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Kenya, Ethiopia, Gambia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Bangladesh, United Kingdom, Sierra Leone, UAE, and others.

Deepinder Singh Sandhu said that the first session on day one of the summit would be on 'Global collaboration for enhancing sustainability through research and innovation'. In the second session of the day, academic experts would be delivering a talk on 'Engaging with national governments towards the use of innovative technologies for social welfare'.

On the second day of the 4th Global Education Summit, the first session will be on 'Customized models to empower students for sustainable development'. The second session will be on 'Role of universities in promoting empathy, women empowerment and social engagement'. The final session on day two will be on the topic 'Repositioning universities for the achievements of SDGs with local technologies and manpower'.

Sandhu said that being a research intensive university, Chandigarh University has a unique policy of inviting Nobel laureates who are also often active educators and researchers whose ground-breaking work continues to shape policies and theories worldwide.

"Visits of such Nobel laureates not only provide a platform for them to share their invaluable insights and knowledge from the respective fields but Chandigarh University students also get a unique opportunity to learn directly from such renowned global figures who have profoundly influenced various fields," he added.

Sandhu said that so far, nine Nobel laureates have visited Chandigarh University from different fields, including Bangladesh's interim government chief Prof. Muhammad Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for the pioneering the use of microcredit, and Tibetans' spiritual leader Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

Sandhu said that the seven other Nobel laureates who have visited Chandigarh University to give students the chance to learn directly from them include Sir Michel Mayor, who won the 2019 Nobel Prize for Physics; Wole Soyinka, the first Black African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986; Roger D. Kornberg, who won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Prof. Jean-Marie Lehn, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1987; Prof. John C. Mather, who won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics, for discoveries supporting the big-bang model; Richard John Roberts, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1993; and Prof. Leland H. Hartwell, Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine in 2001.

"Chandigarh University, known for its commitment to academic excellence, continues to strengthen its global partnerships, promoting innovative approaches to learning and research. The 4th Global Education Summit underscores Chandigarh University's role as a significant player in shaping the future of global education," Sandhu said.

Chandigarh University, a leading university in research and innovation in India, has filed over 2600 patents, which is the second-highest number of patents filed by any institution in India.

Chandigarh University is the first university in the country to forge 502 partnerships with top ranked international universities in popular study-abroad destinations, in order to provide international exposure to its students and enhance employment opportunities abroad.

About Chandigarh University

Chandigarh University is a NAAC A+ Grade University and an autonomous educational institution approved by UGC and is located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. It is the youngest university in India and the only private university in Punjab to be honoured with an A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in the fields of engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce, and others. It has been awarded 'The University with Best Placements' by WCRC.

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