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Venkatraman Ramakrishnan Quotes
born 1952 England
Venkatraman "Venki" Ramakrishnan (born 1952), an Indian-born American and British citizen, is a molecular biologist. He is the recipient of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Thomas A.
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13 quotes
A life of science struck me as being both interesting and international in character.
That is the wrong question to ask…You can’t go into science thinking of a Nobel Prize. You can only go into science because you’re interested in it.
In the current debate about immigration, it is worth noting that this award is yet another example of the numerous contributions that immigrants make to British society.
People go into science out of curiosity, not to win awards. But scientists are human and have ambitions. Even the best scientists are often insecure and feel the need for recognition.
Indeed, many of the founding members of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology were immigrants themselves, and they helped to revolutionise modern biology."
Scientists work by a combination of intuition and insight in trying to understand a question.
I think it is the ability to tackle difficult problems in a sort of stable and supportive environment. I think that is the real key to it.
The ribosome does amazing chemistry, but I’m not a chemist…I’ve just learnt enough to work on my problem.
I then got a PhD in physics [from Ohio University] though it was hatt hatt and hatt not a very good one.
Dr. Ramakrishnan addressing an audience of 3,000 at the university’s Centenary Auditorium.
No. Geeks make huge advances in society. Newton was the ultimate geek. It should be a compliment.
It’s not about where you were born, or where you come from that makes you a good scientist. What you need are good teachers, co-students, facilities, [he said]. I honestly don’t think my roots have much to do with it. I’m sure this won’t make me popular, but this is what I think.
I was quite insistent. We have quite a few pranksters in the lab and I thought this was one of them. I even congratulated the man, ironically, on his Swedish accent.
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