Haris Bin Ashraf, aged 17 is a Grade 12 student at Defence Authority Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed College, located in the financial hub of Pakistan i.e. Karachi. He has been participating in Science exhibitions whole heartedly since childhood. This passion and enthusiasm has led him to discover the things around himself and observe them deeply. He believes that a true researcher does not belong to a specific field in science. On the contrary, a researcher is one who combines various aspects of scientific disciplines to induce “Innovation”.
His advice to all researchers would be, “To firstly observe things, then decide a topic which personally interests you and work on it with honest dedication. Stay consistent and focus on what needs to be done. Because after you have started something, giving up is simply not an option…”
“You also need to lay specific focus on presentation. Some students are great researchers and have everything in their mind but are unable to express. Therefore, a researcher must have command over his work. This is why the power of conversation is one of the most important weapons in an innovator’s cache.”
He believes that “Hard work never goes unpaid”. “I have experienced this personally since I have tasted defeat in many science fairs in school. After every defeat, I analyzed myself and tried to judge what could be improved and made better. Eventually I was introduced to Intel ISEF in 10th Grade and I enrolled my project for the National Science Fair. After rigorous competition, I finally got through and qualified to participate in ISEF 2013. I participated at the National level again in 2014 and moved on to ISEF again. I was hoping for a grand award but sometimes things do not go as we expect them to. Nevertheless, Intel ISEF was a life changing experience and I have learned a lot in these 2 years. I feel that socially interacting with other researchers from around the world has made me an altogether more mature person.”
Lastly, he would like to stress the importance of students to always keep their observation broad, not to confine the brain in a cage and don’t confine imagination. He feels human imagination is the key to success which leads to creativity and eventually innovation. Also he doesn’t want you to forget the importance of refreshing the brain once in a while, he feels that the most effective way of refreshment is to establish good social relations with friends and mates, and participate in sports and physical activities too.
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