The Fiji National University (FNU) reaffirmed its dedication towards ensuring learning and teaching facilities it provides assists in the realisation of this significant goal.

Speaking at the recent National Science and Technology Competition launch 2017, the FNU vice chancellor Professor Nigel Healey said the university takes its duty to the nation seriously.

“As Fiji’s national university, we know that it is critically important to provide a comprehensive range of tertiary courses in science and technology, so that we cater for those who want to become technicians and mechanics through to those who aspire to be research scientists,” Professor Healey said.

Scientific and technological advances were transforming our daily lives, he said, and highlighted the following examples:

             Gamification and virtual reality will reshape not only the way we play, but increasingly the way we learn in the future. Imagine learning how to manage a busy restaurant by entering a virtual reality game where your teachers can test you with a range of simulated scenarios, from an angry guest to a power outage.

             Global connectivity means that we can connect with and work on a range of challenges with people from around the world. The human genome, for example, was sequenced by interconnected research teams in twenty universities and research centres in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Germany, Canada, and China.

             Robotics will continue to replace humans, but in increasingly sophisticated tasks. Robots took over assembly lines in the 1980s and already we have pilotless drone aircraft and driverless taxis. Robotics and artificial intelligence will change the way we use human labour in the years ahead.

             Biotechnology is allowing us to reshape nature, to eliminate plant disease and increase productivity. Coupled with nanotechnology, which allows us to design molecules, we can cure Cancer, eliminate Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. With stem cells, we can restore sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf.

             Advances in electricity generation, for example through the low-energy splitting of water molecules to create hydrogen gas and the 3D printing of tiny silicone batteries, could transform the way we produce and consume energy.

If someone had doubts regarding the pace of scientific advancement, one would just have to think back a few generations, he said.

Personal computers and cell phones were items that were really costly and the internet still had to be invented.