After entering university, many students assume that finishing the syllabus is enough. They think if they get good grades, their future is secured. But the world of research is quite the opposite. Here, the curriculum is just the starting point. True learning begins outside the boundaries of textbooks. Drawing from his own experience, Dr. Bashar Emon gives an important piece of advice to young people: “You need to learn much beyond the curriculum.”
Research is not just about applying what’s taught in class. Research means striving to uncover the unknown. Often, the problems solved in textbooks have answers that are already known. But research raises questions for which no one has the answer yet. At this stage, a student’s initiative, self-driven learning mentality, and curiosity become their greatest assets.
This approach is clear in Dr. Bashar Emon’s own journey. During his studies and teaching at BUET, he didn’t confine himself to only the classroom syllabus. He got his first taste of research through his thesis work. Later, while pursuing his PhD abroad, he had to learn about entirely new fields—biology, biophysics, microfabrication technology—none of which were directly related to his primary area of civil engineering. But in modern research, the walls between disciplines have largely broken down.
Today, research is a multidimensional field. For example, in cancer research, not only medical science but also physics, engineering, and computer science all play crucial roles. That’s why students should develop the habit of gaining basic knowledge beyond their own fields from the very beginning. For instance, if a biology student is familiar with basic data analysis, their research opportunities expand significantly.
Dr. Bashar Emon offers another important piece of advice to young people: you have to create your own opportunities. Even if opportunities are limited in the country, nowadays there are countless open courses, research papers, and lab tutorials available online. Using these, it’s possible to build a solid foundation in your field of interest. At the same time, it is crucial to start looking early for scholarships or fellowships for higher studies abroad. Often, students miss out on opportunities when they wait until the last minute to apply.
The greatest challenge in research is patience. Many of us are used to seeing quick results. But in research, results take time. You have to face multiple failures. If you can accept failure as part of the learning process, you gradually evolve into a mature researcher.
Dr. Bashar Emon’s message to young Bangladeshis is clear: don’t think of yourself just as a degree-holding graduate; see yourself as an inquisitive human being. Open your eyes to the world beyond the classroom. Ask new questions, learn new things. If this mindset develops, more world-class researchers will emerge from Bangladesh in the future.
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