THERE are scientists whose works people readily appreciate: molecular biologists and pharmaceutical scientists who develop medicines, vaccines and cancer treatments; climatologists and environmental scientists who track the weather and combat climate change; and engineers who invent faster electric vehicles and thinner devices.

And then there are those like Dr. Andre David, a particle physicist whose research deviates into unfamiliar realms of science and prompts questions like 'What for?' and 'How will this benefit me in my everyday life?'