BAEC relocation proposal

The development, maintenance, and utilisation of wonderful facilities in BAEC are very challenging with the country's limited resources. Although some of these facilities are world class, but due to limited resources and insufficient scientific and technological infrastructure in the country, it is very challenging for the scientists to show the optimum output of those wonderful laboratories. The location of Atomic Energy Centre (AEC) provides a great easy resource for teachers and students both in terms of laboratory and library facilities in Dhaka University and the Engineering University. It might be simply not very obvious in Bangladesh how much it is rewarding to have a national laboratory near a university. But in the developed world such a national facility near any university is always considered as a great match, since laboratories need talents and talents are the greatest resource of a laboratory. A laboratory also provides the hands-on experience to the students at different levels.

Probably a great success story to mention in this context is the side-by- side locations of the University of California at Berkeley (UCB) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), which orchestrated 9 Noble laureates from 1931 to-date and playing a leadership role in the field of basic sciences. At present, UCB without LBNL is unimaginable. Of course, in Bangladesh context the stories are not that exciting as LBNL, but the benefits of exchange from such a side-by-side locations are always there, whether we recognise it or not.

I strongly oppose the BAEC relocation proposal.