प्रेस विज्ञप्ति

National Science Day Celebrations at ARIES Nainital

Highlighting important role and contribution of women towards science, senior scientists from ARIES Dr. Snehlata and Dr. Kuntal Misra delivered talks to the audience, followed by discussions. Scientists Dr. Neelam and Dr. Haritima Guar from ARIES highlighted the role of ARIES towards research training of women scientists in the field of astronomy and atmospheric sciences. A post-doc fellow Dr. Anjasha highlighted India's moon mission and contribution of women towards this mission.

On this occasion, former directors of ARIES Prof. Ram Sagar, Dr. Wahab Uddin, and other scientists were also present. The overall program was planned by Director ARIES Prof. Dipankar Banerjee, and the program on the day was coordinated by Dr. S. B. Pandey through the public outreach division of ARIES Nainital.

Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) Nainital is an autonomous research institute funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) Govt. of India and is deeply involved towards front line research areas in astronomy & astrophysics and atmospheric sciences. Like previous years, National Science Day was celebrated at ARIES Nainital under the theme decided by the DST called “Women in Science.”

The program was started in the morning by lighting a lamp for Prof. C. V. Raman and remembering his great discovery called “Raman effect,” for which he was awarded Nobel Prize. Scientists of ARIES further talked about various scientific discoveries and their impact on the society and contributions of women towards society and scientific discoveries.

Around 50 college and school students, particularly girls, were invited from local St. Mary's college and Rashtriya Uchhatar Vidyalay Jadapani Devasthal on this occasion and telescope viewing and planetarium shows were conducted on this occasion. Scientists, researchers, and staff members from ARIES also actively participated throughout the day as it was an open-day at ARIES. The main theme of the program was “Women in Science,” and all the programmes were organized under the given theme, and women scientists were honored, and various talks were given by them during the first half of the day.

Date:

Friday, February 28, 2020

Prof Gagandeep Kang highlights need for preparedness, response & research when epidemics & news go viral

Professor Gagandeep Kang, the first women FRS from India, delivered a special talk on Preparedness, Response, and Research when Epidemics and News go Viral on the occasion of National Science Day, which was celebrated with the Focal Theme Women in Science at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The National Science Day celebration was organized by Department of Science & Technology.

Professor Kang, Executive Director of the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), an autonomous institution of the Department of Biotechnology, highlighted the role women play in health care. “About 75% of the health care community is made up of women, and women play a great part of health care responders,” she said.

Elaborating on the drivers that spread epidemics, she said, “Today’s world is deeply connected, and people are in direct contact all the time. In such a scenario, epidemics are and will continue to become more frequent, more complex, and harder to prevent and contain. Current demographic transitions--driven by population growth, rapid urbanization, deforestation, globalization of travel and trade, climate change and political instability have fundamental effects on the dynamics of infectious diseases. She said that in a changing world, these drivers ensure that pathogens can and will cross barriers and spread in increasingly unpredictable ways, and to contain these preparedness and prevention are better for controlling epidemics.

Dr. Kang pointed out how, in the last twenty years, the SARS, MERS, Ebola, and COVID-19 outbreaks have shown that our concept of epidemics must evolve from crisis response during individual outbreaks to an integrated cycle of preparation, response, and recovery. “For rapidly evolving, high-impact events, preparedness, and collaborations designed and defined ahead of the outbreak are essential to bring together communities, responders, and researchers who do not currently interact,” she mentioned.

“Preparation, as with platform technologies for vaccines and diagnostics for sharing data and samples, sequencing and capacity for new diagnostics, can be key drivers of rapid innovation for tools to protect our populations,” she added further.

She highlighted about the international Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a public-private coalition which is working by coordinating resources of academia, industry, and governments, prioritizing platform technologies and facilitating advanced developments for emerging infectious diseases to derail epidemics by speeding up the development of vaccines.

She emphasised that confidence in our health systems, our agencies, and our scientists is vital, which is enhanced by working together to protect our people, advance science, and enable the development of technologies to protect the world.

She cited the successful example of MenAfrivac, a vaccine developed by India which completely eradicated the Meningitis disease from Sub Sahara Africa and said that “We have a lot to be proud of but a lot more to do.”

Professor Kang has served on the scientific advisory of several national and international institutions, including the World Health Organization, Wellcome Trust, International Vaccine Institute, and International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. She currently chairs the Immunization Technical Advisory Group of the WHO Southeast Asian Region. She is Vice-Chair of the Board of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global partnership seeking to proactively develop vaccines for epidemics.

Professor Kang has built strong inter-disciplinary research programs on enteric infections, nutrition, and child development. She is internationally recognized for her contributions to vaccine development for rotavirus and vaccine policy. Her work has been recognized through several awards and, most notably, the Infosys Prize in Life Sciences. In 2019 she was the first Indian woman elected as a fellow of the Royal Society.

Date:

Friday, February 28, 2020

President to award scientists for translating research to popular write up

Eight Ph.D. scholars and postdoctoral fellows will be receiving awards for by the Hon’ble President Shri Ram Nath Kovind on National Science Day for translating their research into a popular write up.

Shri Kovind will confer the Augmenting Writing Skills For Articulating Research (AWSAR) award to the winners at the National Science Day Celebrations on February 28 at Vigyan Bhawan. While six awards will be given for Ph.D. Scholars, two awards will be given for Post Doctoral Fellows.

The Ph.D. scholars receiving the awards are Ms. S. Chris Felshia, from CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai, Mr. Anand Abhishek, from the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) at CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani, Mr. Sayantan Sur, from Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Mr. Chitrang Dani, from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and Mrs. M. L. Bhavya, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru, India. The postdoctoral fellow receiving the awards is Dr. Chandran Rethnaraj from Marine Biology Regional Station, Zoological Survey of India, Chennai, and Dr. Joyita Sarkar, from the Department of Physics, Savitribai Phule Pune University.

AWSAR award is an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and it attempts to disseminate Indian research in Science, Technology & Innovation being pursued by Ph.D. Scholars and Post Doctoral Fellows in popular science writing format.

DST has been celebrating 28 February as National Science Day (NSD) each year. It is the day Raman Effect, a landmark in scientific discoveries, was announced by eminent scientist Sir CV Raman. The celebration consists of lectures, demonstrations, exhibitions, quiz programmes, and so on for students and also the masses. The focal theme of NSD-2020 is "Women in Science."

Following are the brief profiles of AWSAR awardees –

Ms. S. Chris Felshia, Ph.D. Scholar from CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai, is pursuing her research on “Microbial Mediated Management of Phenol and its Derivatives in Aqueous and Soil Phase: An Approach using free and Encapsulated Cells.” Her research findings are published in International journals and also presented at various National and International conferences. The story entitled “Baci: The Fight for Earth” is a story, details environmental pollution and its impact. In brief, a horrendous incident happened after the industrialisation and globalisation and its resultant pollution by chemicals which are let out of the industry. Day by day, its effect was turning fatal. The story describes the meeting between Chris and Baci, and the efforts to combat the effect of the chemicals and protect the environment and humanity.

Mr. Anand Abhishek is a Ph.D. scholar under the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) at CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani. He has worked in the field of high-frequency converter design, digital control design, and embedded solutions for renewable resources-based power generation. He has published more than ten research papers in various National and journals. His popular science story entitled “Empowering Rural India with Decentralized Energy Systems” narrates the problems of access to electricity in rural India and a possible solution through DC microgrid. During a usual train journey, he found a striking insight into the crisis of electricity in the countryside. Under the ever-lasting impact of that journey, he started dwelling on the possible causes and solutions for rural electrification. This led him to develop renewable energy-based DC microgrid with power-sharing capability among houses for extra-power demand.

Mr. Sayantan Sur is a Ph.D. scholar at Department of Zoology, University of Delhi - His primary research focus is to unravel and understand the mechanistic details of temperature modulated changes in the physiology of migratory finches. He has published two papers in peer-reviewed journals, participated in national and international conferences, and has worked at Salk Institute under the Indo-US exchange program. His popular science story entitled “A Century of Global Warming and its Impact on Bird Migration,” recounts how the changes in ambient temperature might affect the general physiology of birds. His published article highlighted the involvement of a key temperature sensing the molecule, TRPM8, in altering the seasonal reproduction. Another published article showed for the first time how temperature might affect metabolism at the gene level in a migratory finch.

Anirban Sarkar, a PhD scholar at Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), Kolkata, is pursuing his research on “Immunometabolism in cancer and its modulation by Neem leaf glycoprotein (NLGP).” He has one research paper in an international journal to his credit. His popular science story entitled ‘Guardian of the Malady’ is a conversation between him and his curious teenage cousin brother, discussing cancer, how it initiates and progresses, and different approaches to counteract the disease. It details the immunotherapeutic approach to treat cancer by using a naturally derived product named Neem leaf glycoprotein (NLGP), a promising, economic, nontoxic, immunomodulator in simple language. Title and references from popular Marvel Comic Movies make his narration very witty and interesting.

Mr. Chitrang Dani is a Ph.D. research scholar at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru. He is a curious and aspiring chronobiologist, studying the evolution of circadian rhythms of fruit-flies Drosophila melanogaster in natural conditions. Apart from his academic work, he is interested in science and nature photography and in popularising circadian biology and scientific thinking among common people. His popular science story entitled “Out of the Lab: a Clock Conversation” is an informal dialogue between him and his cousin, which is an amalgamation of a few real conversations. Chitrang got interested in rhythms and chronobiology by wondering about the same fundamental questions which his cousin asks and as the conversation progresses, he seems to be reliving the curiosity

Mrs. M. L. Bhavya is a Ph.D. Scholar at CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru, India. She is passionate about taking up challenging research problems and tasks associated with food science and technology in particular. She has research experience in the field of food safety and food processing by exploring the effects and efficiency of non-thermal preservation technology. She has also published seven research papers in peer-reviewed international journals and presented her research work in various National and International conferences. Her popular science story entitled “Lights! Sound! Action! - Germ killer light and sound make food safe” is a story which narrates how we can inactivate disease-causing microorganisms in food using cold techniques. In the story, two bacteria discuss strategies to avoid the dangers of novel decontamination techniques, namely the use of light and ultrasound for food decontamination.

Dr. Chandran Rethnaraj, is a Post Doctoral Fellow from Marine Biology Regional Station, Zoological Survey of India, Chennai, pursuing his research on “Resilience Assessment and Identifying Local ‘Stock Reefs’ a Novel Proactive Management Approach on India’s Coral Reefs Conservation, In Response to the Ever Increasing Global Warming.” He has 19 years’ experience in coral reefs of India. He has published more than 28 research papers on national and international journals and books. With opportunities to study the status of all the coral reef regions along the mainland coasts of India, he is keen to conserve the coral reefs' wealth of our country. His popular science story entitled “Save Coral Reefs, The Paradise on Earth to Save Ourselves” describes a science-based novel and systematic approach which can save our coral reef resources for forthcoming generations.

Dr. Joyita Sarkar, is a Post Doctoral Fellow from the Department of Physics, Savitribai Phule Pune University. She is experienced in the multidisciplinary areas of biotechnology, chemistry, and material sciences and has applied her knowledge to work in biomaterials, drug screening, and chromatography. She has published eight research articles in international journals and has presented her work in many national and international conferences. Her popular science story entitled “Coming Soon: Animal Model Free System for Pharmaceutical Testing” is a story that portrays a small step towards artificial organs. “A large number of animals being sacrificed to discover medicines” have been her major driving force. Her work has unfolded how important is it to mimic the conditions inside the human body in the laboratory to develop an animal-free system.

Date:

Thursday, February 27, 2020

SCTIMST sensitises scientists about harm benefit analysis in animal experimentation

The core principles, importance and scientific essence of Severity Classification and Harm Benefit Analysis in Animal Experimentation were discussed at the India Regional Workshop on the topic at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum (SCTIMST) an autonomous institution of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

International regulations and guidelines strongly suggest that the use of animal models in scientific research should be initiated only after the authority responsible for the review of animal studies has concluded well-thought-out harm–benefit analysis (HBA). Laboratory animal veterinarians and scientific communities in India are being sensitized about the issue.

The one-day workshop on the topic organized by SCTIMST and funded by Laboratory Animal Scientists Association, India Regional workshop Grant was attended by 50 participants including Scientists, Veterinarians, CPCSEA nominees, MSc, MVSc and Ph.D. Students from organizations across the South Indian states viz Hyderabad, Bangalore, Tumkur, Padappai, Chennai, Kumaracoil, Nagerkovil, Trichur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Kottayam, and Trivandrum.

Dr. Klas Abelson, Associate Professor at the Department of Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Denmark lead through the sessions. The important principles of Severity classification and Harm Benefit Analysis were demonstrated to the audience and case-studies were presented. The group discussions led to a better understanding of core principles. The trainees were made aware of the importance and scientific essence to adhere to these principles and exercises.

In the European Union, Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes mandatorily requires that a prospective assessment be made on the severity of each procedure in a Project and that a severity classification is assigned, which may be either “non-recovery,” “mild,” “moderate” or “severe.” Guidance on the factors to be taken into account in consideration of prospective severity is well defined.

Use of animals in research is generally accepted by policymakers through regulations, and is based on the presumption that harm–benefit analysis (HBA) warrants such use. The need to perform an HBA has been explicitly mentioned in EU Directive 2010/63,2 the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Code and the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences–International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (CIOMS–ICLAS) International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals, and is implied in the NRC Guide.

The Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International, AAALAC has communicated its expectation to all programs participating in accreditation that an HBA based upon the EU Directive should be performed at least in some instances, and underlined advice in the NRC Guide indicating that ‘the IACUC is obliged to weigh the benefits of the study against potential animal welfare concerns.’ More widely, 178 countries participated in the World Assembly of Delegates to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) which recently revised the Terrestrial Animal Health Code to include harm benefit analysis under use of animals in research and education which anticipates inclusion of HBA in the national guidelines of signatory countries by agreement.

Classifying experiments in severity categories aids in the identification of harmful experiments that require extra attention or resources. Such classification systems have been developed both in Europe and in the USA. Experiments causing severe harm warrant careful evaluation and the incorporation of applicable refinements such as the selection of alternative experimental parameters of satisfactory value, early intervention and other more humane endpoints.

Such refinements can also be used as means to down-classify a specific experiment from a severe category to a moderate or mild category, with the overall goal of maximizing harm reduction in all cases as the objective in mind. Categorization also helps in the communication on how HBAs and evaluations are made in a transparent manner. These measures provide opportunities to improve the quality of science and welfare through prospective review of project proposals and, by inclusion of the actual suffering experienced by the animal, should provide greater transparency and understanding of the impact of scientific procedures on animal welfare.

The benefit is obvious from some experiments where the hypothesis presents a cure to incurable diseases or vaccines to diseases like Novel Corona Virus. Here, we can sanction experiments, but still, by learning nuances of Humane Endpoint assessment, we can minimize the harm caused to animals and yet get the full benefit out of using them.

There is consensus that sentience and ability to suffer are relevant. There is also agreement that harm is more than pain and suffering, and includes all sources that can cause negative impact on animals, and harms can be related to all domains provided by the five freedoms. Several models for comparing and weighing harm– benefits were presented. Animal experiments can be simply categorized as ‘low harm–high benefit’, ‘low benefit–high harm’, ‘low harm–low benefit’ or ‘high harm–high benefit’.

The low harm–high benefit experiments elicit minimal controversy. Although there are ways to grade harm and benefit presented both here and by others, there is no common ‘currency’ or value system for comparing the different realms of harm and benefit. Therefore, HBA remains intractably context-dependent. When implementing HBA the responsible entities should be represented by different stakeholders to give a balanced evaluation and a group consensus should be the desired outcome.

The teacher of the course explained in depth the advantages and techniques to implement this in real work situations taking example from his Scientific background. Science can be better, and animal experiments can be harmonized and resources best utilized by adapting to these core principles while judiciously planning or evaluate experimentation protocols. Several faculties, technical staff, and students from SCTIMST attended the training.

Date:

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Graphene from sugar, a sweet protocol

Scientists from the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Bengaluru, an autonomous institution under the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India have synthesised reduce graphene oxide (rGO) by the combustion of table-sugar.

The group led by Prof. C. N. R. Rao consisting of Dr. P. Chithaiah from CeNS and Prof. G. U. Kulkarni from JNCASR, Bengaluru has developed a rapid and simple route for the synthesis of rGO by the combustion of table-sugar. This method being single-step and reproducible is advantageous compared to the reported protocols used presently. Further, the synthesis doesn’t involve any metal catalysts, expensive reagents, solvents, hazardous chemicals, and, most importantly, it has the ability to produce graphene oxide in large quantities at rapid rates.

Graphene, a one-atom-thick, two-dimensional sheet of sp2 hybridized carbon atoms is known as a wonder material, as it is stronger than diamond, conducts better than copper along with many other interesting properties. However, the production of graphene in large scale has many challenges to address.

Till date, methods like chemical vapor deposition, arc discharge, aerosol pyrolysis, mechanical exfoliation, solvothermal, hydrothermal synthesis, laser reduction of graphite oxide have been developed to prepare graphene (reduce graphene oxide, rGO). All these methods either involve hazardous chemicals, high temperatures, and inert atmosphere making them expensive and thus becoming irrelevant for bulk scale applications.

The team believes that the process developed may have a significant impact on various products, including batteries. Their work has been published in the ‘Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology.’

Date:

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Women Scientists to be awarded for research achievements & technology application on NSD

Honourable President Shri Ram Nath Kovind will be conferring awards to women scientists for their research achievements and for application of technology for the societal benefits at the National Science Day (NSD) function at Vigyan Bhawan on February 28, 2020.

The focal theme of NSD 2020 is Women in Science. Five women scientists will receive awards under two categories – SERB Women excellence awards and National Award for Young Woman Showing Excellence through Application of Technology for Societal Benefits.

Serb Women Excellence Award

SERB Women Excellence Award has been instituted to recognize and reward outstanding research achievements of young women scientists in frontier areas of Science and Engineering. The award strives to serve as a source of inspiration to women scientists who have the potential to become world-class leaders in their field of research. The awardees are supported with a research grant of Rs. 5 lakh per annum for a period of three years. This year’s awardees are Dr Niti Kumar, Central Drug Research Institute Lucknow, Dr Deepa Agashe, National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bangalore, and Dr K Geetharani, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.

Dr Niti Kumar is a biologist, working as an independent group leader in CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute (CSIR-CDRI), Lucknow. Her research is focused towards understanding protein quality control machinery in human malaria parasite for exploration of alternative drug targets for malaria intervention. She is also involved in antimalarial screening for identification of scaffolds effective against drug-resistant malaria. She received her PhD from CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi. Having been a Postdoctoral Fellow at Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Munich, Germany, she is a recipient of various National and International awards and fellowships such as Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award (IYBA-2015), Ramalingaswami Fellowship, INSA Young Scientist award, EMBO Postdoctoral, Humboldt and Marie Curie fellowships.

Dr Deepa Agashe is a biologist, working at the interface of evolutionary biology, ecology, and molecular biology. Using diverse tools such as experimental evolution, genomics, molecular analyses and phylogenetics, she aims to understand how bacteria and insects adapt to new environments. Dr. Agashe received her Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from Abasaheb Garware College (University of Pune) in 2003, followed by a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin, the USA in 2009. Her thesis work showed that genetic diversity could stabilize animal populations and facilitate adaptation to new niches. During her postdoctoral work at Harvard University, USA, she proved that so-called “silent” mutations could have enormous effects on bacterial evolution. In 2012, she returned to India to lead a research group at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS–TIFR), where her team is dedicated to unravelling the causes and mechanisms of evolution.

Dr K.Geetharani is an inorganic chemist, and her research focuses mainly on the development of cost-effective, earth-abundant, less toxic base metal catalysts or main group catalysts for the synthesis of organoboranes, which are important synthetic intermediates in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, liquid crystals, and organic light-emitting diodes. She obtained her PhD from Indian Institute of Technology Madras in 2012 and carried out postdoctoral research at University of Wurzburg, Germany. She began her independent research career as Assistant Professor at Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, India, in 2016. She is a recipient of DST-Inspire Faculty Award, Young Associate-Indian Academy of Sciences, INSA-Young Scientist medal and NASI-Young Scientist Platinum Jubilee Award.

National Award For Young Woman Showing Excellence Through Application Of Technology For Societal Benefits

National Award for Young Woman Showing Excellence Through Application of Technology for Societal Benefits will be given to Dr Shweta Rawat, DRDO DIPAS, Delhi & Dr Shalini Gupta, IIT Delhi.

Dr Shweta Rawat from Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), DRDO, Timarpur, Delhi and her team developed a female-specific Full Body Protector (प्रबला) to safeguard the Female troops deployed in riot control actions for the first time. This gear has been developed in collaboration with the Rapid Action Force using the ergonomic design principle based on anthropometric dimensions specific for female troops. The Full Body Protector has unique properties of anti-stab, anti-puncture, flame retardant and acid resistance. It is designed to assure greater comfort and flexibility to the women forces while deployed in law and order maintenance duties.

Dr Shalini Gupta from Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, has successfully led the development of a technology SeptifloTM, which offers fast and affordable assay for point-of-care diagnosis and treatment of bacterial septicaemia. Bacterial septicaemia is one of the biggest in-hospital killers worldwide. This has led to the incubation of the start-up Nano DX Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. She is pursuing unconventional approaches to design novel bio-systems for medical diagnosis, drug delivery and biomaterials fabrication on a chip. A prototype diagnostic kit, using naturally amplified pathogen-derived endotoxins for early bedside diagnosis of bacteremia has been developed, which is currently undergoing clinical trial. In drug delivery systems, cancer and bacterial therapies have been combined into a single delivery platform in order to co-eliminate cancer and bacterial infections residing inside cancer.

The Department of Science & Technology (DST) has been celebrating 28 February as National Science Day (NSD) each year. It is the day Raman Effect, a landmark in scientific discoveries, was announced by the legendary scientist Dr CV Raman. The celebration consists of lectures, demonstrations, exhibitions, quiz programmes, awards and other activities for students and the masses. This year, Honourable President will be awarding science communicators and women scientists on occasion.

Date:

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

SCTIMST develops device for mending hole in the heart without surgical intervention

A team of Scientists from Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Science and Technology (SCTIMST), an autonomous institution under the Department of Science and Technology, have developed a nickel-titanium alloy based occlusion device for non-surgical closure of Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) in the heart.

Atrial Septal Defect or in common language, a hole in the heart is the most common type of heart disorder that occurs congenitally. The device was developed by the Technical Research Centre for Biomedical Devices functioning under the Biotechnology Department at SCTIMST, and applications have been submitted for getting the Indian patent for the device.

The general structure of an ASD occlusion device consists of a braided two-lobed structure. A number of wires are braided together and shaped to form the device. The free ends of the wires are held together on both sides of the device.

Device migration and atrial roof erosion are two major issues that are reported with currently used ASD devices. The device developed by SCTIMST is aimed to mitigate these common issues and risks. The device has been designed with no hub on the left side of the device, which ensures a smooth tissue layer formation over the device in-due course of time after implantation in the left atrium. The hub on the right side has been retained as part of the release mechanism while delivering the device.

In ASD, the hole is on the wall separating the upper chambers of the heart, i.e., the left and right atria. The defect occurs during the development of the heart chambers when the growth of the wall (septum) separating the left and right atria might become incomplete, causing the formation of defects like ASD and Patent foramen ovale (PFO), another type of hole in the septum. Though there is often no clear cause identified so far, genetics and environmental factors might play a role. Small defects have a probability of healing up without any intervention during infancy or early childhood.

Presently the demand for the device is met chiefly by imports with one domestic manufacturer. Also, the current price of the device is around Rs 60000, which is expected to be reduced with the ASD occluder developed at SCTIMST.

Date:

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Leading scientists from Indian & abroad discuss Modern Approaches in Chemistry & Biology at JNCASR

An International Symposium at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) Bengaluru, a multidisciplinary research institute funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, discussed Modern Approaches in Chemistry and Biology- MACB-2020.

The three-day symposium organised from February 18-20, 2020, saw 25 leading researchers from all over the world in the areas of chemistry and biology like CNR Rao from JNCASR, Roberto Car from Princeton University, USA, Anthony Cheetham from University of Cambridge, the UK deliberate on the subject.

The Symposium had participants affiliated to the University of Texas at Austin, University of Singapore, Temple University, ETH Zurich, University of Cambridge, JNCASR, IISc, IITs, IISERs, IIITs, TIFR, NISER and so on. One hundred registered participants, including internationally renowned professors from India and abroad, graduate students, Post-docs, and scientists, attended the event.

The symposium included 23 talks by eminent scientists followed by question-answer session and fruitful discussions. More than sixty posters were presented by graduate students, post-docs, and young faculty during the symposium.

Interaction among participants at the symposium led to the exchange of ideas and generated possibilities of collaborations in the future.

Date:

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Science communicators to be awarded on National Science Day

Science communicators across different media who have dedicated their lives to the popularisation of science will be awarded by President Ram Nath Kovind during the National Science Day celebrations at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on February 28.

The awards include National Award for Outstanding Efforts in Science & Technology Communication through Print Media including Books and Magazines which will be Dr Suryamani Behera from Odisha & Dr Amiya Rajbongshi from Assam.

The National Award for Outstanding Efforts in Science & Technology Popularization among Children will be received by Sh. Deepak Sharma from Uttar Pradesh and an organisation KisanSewaSansthan also from Uttar Pradesh.

Dr Mahesh Verma from National Capital Territory (NCT), Dr S. Nagarathinam from Madurai Kamaraj University, Tamil Nadu, & Dr Rajendra Kumar from NCT of Delhi will receive the National Award for Outstanding Efforts in Science & Technology Communication through Innovative and Traditional methods.

Dr Uma Kumarn from NCT of Delhi will be awarded the National Award for Outstanding Efforts in Science & Technology Communication in the Electronic Medium. The monetary compensation for each of these awards is Rs.2,00,000.

The awards are being given following the tradition of Department of Science & Technology (DST) to honour scientists and science communicators on National Science Day (NSD) on 28 February. Every year, National Science day is celebrated with lectures, demonstrations, exhibitions, quiz programmes, and other activities for students as well as masses. This time the celebrations have been organised in Vigyan Bhawan and President Ram Nath Kovind will present several awards for science communication and popularization as well as for women scientists. Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Science & Technology, Health and Family Welfare and Earth Sciences and Smriti Irani, Cabinet Minister for Textiles and Women & Child Development will also grace the occasion. The focal theme of NSD-2020 is "Women in Science".

Brief Profile of science communication and popularisation awardees

Prof. Suryamani Behra, a retired professor and popular science writer, has been recognized as an excellent popular writer - both in Odia and English languages – and has been continuously writing articles and books for more than thirty years. He has published more than forty-one books and more than a thousand published articles. His latest books “Vigyan Ru Gyana”, “Jantra Karuchi Mantra”, “Vigyan Sahitya Darpan”, “Bigyan Mela” and books on Medicinal Plants cultivation have become very popular. Articles on Food Processing and Preservation are his notable contributions which are followed by many people as help to a cottage industry. He has also established Janapriya Vigyan Manch to impart training to budding popular science writers & Journalists.

Dr Amiya Rajbongshi’s science communication efforts are extended for the dissemination of science to masses through print media and popular talks. A regular writer for almost all science magazines and prestigious newspapers of Assam, she has published 396 scientific articles and authored popular science books from NBT, India, Assam Publication Board and Assam Science Society. As President of Lakhimpur Science Society and of Assam Science Writers’ Association, besides organizing many programmes for science communication, she has published 12 books on popular science and co-authored 25 books. She also wrote on Lives & Activities of Nobel Laureates on Physiology or Medicine in three volumes.

Deepak Sharma, a science teacher in N.A.S. Inter College, Meerut is popular among students for last 30years for making science easier and interesting by relating it to day-to-day life and through activities. Science-based reality show-Vigyan Ghar and science channel 'Vigyan AaoKarkeSikhe' and his own science magazine are some of his key achievements. The experiments for measuring the distance between the Earth and the Sun during transit of Venus and the circumstance of the Earth and Analemma Sun dial made him very popular. He also continues to inspire people to work as a resource person for science communication.

Kisan Sewa Sansthan (KSS) is Uttar Pradesh based a pioneer organization that develops and spreads scientific temper among children. It spreads scientific awareness using a variety of unique tools and techniques. With the central aim of benefitting people, they have reached the masses through their training, campaigns, lectures, orientations and workshops on specific initiatives like communicating science through puppetry and explaining the science behind so-called miracles. KSS has encouraged students from villages to visit the Science Express of DST at various railway stations in UP. It popularized science among millions of rural and urban children through Science Express, science fairs and melas, science debates, talks, essay competitions, science inspires tours, community radio programmes, notably Chalo Gaon Ki Aur and also the Mobile Science Exhibition Bus (MSE) for school students and people at large.

Prof. Mahesh Verma is the Vice-Chancellor of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. He has been instrumental in promoting the scientific temperament and awareness among students, youth, health professionals and community at large as he has organized Dental Health Melas for over 25 years, dental camps in schools and underserved areas and initiated Mobile Dental Clinic Project with six mobile Dental vans for rural areas in 3 districts of Delhi to bring about awareness for masses. Dr Verma has authored many books and appeared in more than 150 programmes on TV, Radio and contributed press articles and media reports bringing education and scientific awareness about dental health. He established the Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences for education, patient care and awareness. As past President of the Indian Dental Association, Dr Verma led over 75,000 Dental professionals in community-directed projects such as Tobacco cessation, Oral Cancer Awareness & many more.

Dr S. Nagarathinam wrote and edited science articles regularly since 1996 and practiced S&T Communication. He was instrumental in running a Daily science column. He has been tirelessly connecting the scientific world with common people, particularly through innovative and traditional methods. He has been popularizing and communicating Science & Technology related to water bodies, rivers, tanks, ponds and eco sites among youth and communities. His efforts culminated in the pan India mobilization of Groups of Experts & volunteers, especially the Eco Vision Indica, to help protect natural ecological resources. These efforts also resulted in awareness on eco system and on palmyra palm - an eco-friendly and alternative resource to plastics. Overall, he made outstanding efforts to using ecological places as a creative medium. He has successfully built peoples’ everyday understanding of nature and communicated science & technology of a wide transdisciplinary range and in-depth knowledge as a people’s professor through Field Immersive Innovative Models, practices, outreach, fostering communities of learning, and special interest groups, for a far-reaching visible impact.

Prof Rajendra Kumar, an agricultural scientist, has made an outstanding contribution in the popularization of science & technology through several innovative & traditional approaches. He has published 7 books, 116 research articles, more than 100 popular articles, 28 volumes of newsletters, more than 500 newspaper articles, delivered more than 100 television-radio talks along with more than 150 conference lectures, numerous poster presentations, and more than 500 public lectures. He popularised science among children, women, illiterate elderly people in rural, urban & sub-urban localities by organizing more than 180 Goshthees, corner or roadside meetings & Chaupals in farmers fields, village ponds, fish ponds, grain threshing places, sugarcane cutting places, cattle sheds, Primary/Junior/High schools, through UPAAS, ISGBRD, SRDA, SSSD, etc.in English, Hindi & Vernacular languages leaving very large impact across the state/nation. He has been instrumental in motivating students, teachers, scientists and the general public in popular science reading, writing, and utilization at learning centres, and outreach activities and created a significant spread over 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh demonstrating a typical “Boom– Bust” cycle.

Dr Uma Kumar has created an indelible mark in the area of popularising medical science amongst the masses through electronic media. She has participated in more than 100 health programmes on national TV channels and radio, apart from writing innumerable articles in magazines and newspapers about rheumatic diseases, and publishing easy to understand booklets in Hindi & English in the electronic form to increase awareness about autoimmune diseases, air pollution, role of physical activities and right postures. She has delivered more than 300 lectures for physicians, specialists, schools, and the general public to increase awareness about non-communicable diseases and conducted workshops in schools and organizations involved in rehabilitation of underprivileged youth to propagate health science and awareness about musculoskeletal health. She participated in medical camps in tribal and remote areas like Leh Ladakh, Kargil, UP, Chhattisgarh etc.

Date:

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

WIHG International workshop to discuss landslide hazard studies, policy planning & practices

Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), Dehradun, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India is organising an International Workshop on the ‘Assessment and Mitigation of Landslides in the Himalaya’ during March 13-14, 2020.

The two-day workshop would provide a platform for sharing scientific knowledge and experiences through case studies and best practices by experts of different institutes, including ministries, international agencies, and landslide researchers.

About 75 researchers from across India and abroad, including researchers working in the Himalayan terrain from Norway, Netherland, and UK will be participating in the International workshop. The two-day deliberation will include invited talks, special talks on landslides in Uttarakhand and Sikkim Himalaya, and presentation of contributory papers (oral and poster) on a range of themes which includes ‘Landslide Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk Evaluation, Landslide Mechanism and Modelling, Climates, and Landslides, Current Practices for Landslide Studies and Prediction of landslides and Early Warning System’.

Landslide is one of the major geological hazards in the Himalaya and is one of the primary causes of environmental degradation. It poses a serious threat to the infrastructure and socio-economic conditions of the people residing within. It is estimated that around 30% of the world's landslides occur in the Himalayan terrain, and the monetary loss incurred in India is approximately 100 million $ per year.

With the ever-increasing pressure of development in the form of construction of roads, tunnels, dams, bridges, hydropower projects, and so on, the losses incurred due to landslides are increasing exponentially. There is thus an immense need to assess the landslide susceptibility and hazards in the pan Himalayan region, as the slope conditions vary regionally along and across the Himalaya. This requires regional-scale assessments of landslide susceptibility and hazard. Developing prevention strategies for mitigating the impact of related hazards has also become essential.

The workshop would add value to the present understanding of different approaches used in landslide studies and policy planning & practices. It will enable the stakeholders in preparing a roadmap for addressing risks and vulnerability in the region. It would also help in developing a network of institutions and experts around the thematic areas of the workshop.

Date:

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

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