NEWS JNC Issue - 38 Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research May 2012 Jakkur P.O., Bangalore-64 (A Deemed to be University) Focus Dear Colleagues The Centre has been recording an impressive growth in research and academic programmes. The recognition that the faculty members have received is an evidence of such progressive endeavour. Prof. CNR Rao has been honoured with the Einstein Professorship of Chinese Academy of Sciences. It’s heartening to know that JNCASR is ranked one among the top 10 Indian institutions in quality proxies as per SCImago Institutions Ranking (SIR) World Report 2011 based on Scopus data. Let me congratulate all the faculty colleagues for this unique distinction. The new infrastructural facilities like CCMS, EOBU Lab, Nano Sciences, Seminar/Lecture Hall Complex are coming up and a new visiting students hostel is already ready and functional. M R S Rao President inside this issue... From the Editor’s Desk Fluid Dynamics Colloquia Short Term Appointments Discussion Meetings Intellectual Property Schools/Workshops/Symposia Awards and Recognitions Seminars International Centre for Materials Other Programmes Science Forthcoming Meetings Endowment Lectures Annual Faculty Meeting From The Editor’s Desk The Centre has recorded some significant progress in MoUs have been signed with RAK-CAM in December academic and extension activities. The current student 2011 and with DFRL in January 2012. strength is 268. 8 students had joined the Centre for the mid-year admissions of 2011 -12 during January "Chemistry Program" in celebration of IYC-2011 was 2012. organized at C N R Rao Hall of Science on December 7, 2011. Prof C N R Rao, Prof Anthony K Cheetham and 12 students have been awarded Ph D, 3 M S (Engg) Prof Uday Maitra delivered their respective lectures. degree, 4 M S (in Materials Science), 3 MS in Biological Science and 1 MS in Chemical Science. "Inspire Program" was organized at C N R Rao Hall of Science on December 29, 2011. Prof G U Kulkarni and In the newly launched programme – Post Graduate Dr Rajesh Ganapathy delivered their lectures respectively Diploma in Science Education (PGDSE) 2 students followed by visit to the Chemistry of Materials Exposition had joined during August 2011. One student will be & Prof C N R Rao Archives. awarded the Diploma certificate this year. For the year 2012, advertisement was released in several Under Science Outreach Program, Prof K S Valdiya has newspapers. Around 700 applications were received. delivered lectures at various places in Uttarakhand. This programme is presently offered in the areas of The Book ‘Rasayanshastrada Arivu’ authored by Prof C N Chemistry, Physics and Biology. R Rao was translated by Mrs Indumati Rao, edited, FELLOWSHIPS AND EXTENSION formatted and made print-ready at ETU for Karnataka Rajya Vignyana Parishath (KRVP). The book sponsored by PROGRAMMES Vision Group on Science & Technology, Dept. of Science Under SRFP and JNCASR-CICS (formerly known as & Technology, Govt. of Karnataka to commemorate CCSTDS) fellowship programmes 2012, 84 and 5 International Year of Chemistry-2011 was released at a fellowships have been offered and utilized respectively. function held at AMRL Conference Hall, JNCASR 11 fresh fellowships under POCE and 10 fellowships The C N R Rao Hall of Science & Education Technology under the POBE programme, were offered for 2012. Unit along with SOP-ETU took up a project of Ten students in POCE and 10 students joined the conducting four workshops for 100 pre-university teachers POBE programme on May 14 and 21 2012. Batch of from different places in Karnataka in using the College 2010 will receive their Diploma in Chemistry and Chemistry Kit. The project sponsored by the Vision group Biology and the batch of 2010 have returned for their on Science & Technology, DST, Govt. of Karnataka and training during this period to work under their was taken up by ETU and SOP-ETU jointly. respective faculty in the Centre. So far, 26 students have received the Diploma certificate in Chemistry Mrs Indumati Rao presented a 30-minute Multimedia and Biology each. In 2011-12 for Visiting Fellowship presentation of excerpts from the CD-ROM ‘Nanoworld’ programme, the Centre had selected 7 scholars under for students at the Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi the Physical Sciences category and 3 under the Foundation for Policy Research and Ras Al Khaimah Biological Sciences category. 4 Visiting Fellows have Centre for Advanced Materials, Ras Al Khaimah. completed the 1st spell of the programme, 3 are yet to join, 2 are presently undergoing the programme and 1 A new building of the Centre's Clinic, ‘Dhanvantari’ was has completed the programme. inaugurated on December 09, 2011. Prof C N R Rao Education Foundation has announced the Outstanding Science Teachers Prize for the year 2011. The awardees for the year 2011 are Shri S V Burli from Bijapur, Karnataka and Smt Meka Susatya Rekha from Rajamundry, Andhra Pradesh. Sheikh Saqr Career awards have been given to Prof A Sundaresan and Prof Tapas Kumar Maji. Sheikh Saqr Student Fellowships have been awarded to Mr Anshuman J Das and Ms Urmimala Maitra. RAK-CAM Sheikh Saqr Senior Fellowship has been awarded to Prof G U Kulkarni. RAK-CAM Sheikh Saqr Junior Fellowship has been awarded to Mr Rama Krishna Matte H S S. 2 Short Term Appointments Visiting Scientists Markus Hosel Prof Namita Surolia (Fellowship & Extension Programme) Dr Priyanka Shukla Research Associates Prof K S Narayan (Research & Dr Dinesh Jagadeesan Dr Sanyasinaidu Boddu Development) Dr Thirumurugan Dr Kishore V Chellappan Dr Soumyajit Roy Dr Ram Murthy A CPMU Chairman Dr M.A. Shah Dr Ganapati Natarajan Prof S Balasubramanian Dr Mohd. Ikram Dr Arti Baban Dumbrepatil Vigilance Officer Dr Anil Kumar Dr Santhosh Sathe Prof Anuranjan Anand Dr Prasenjit Ghosh Dr Ashish Malik Dr Vikram Sarabhai Professorship Dr Jay Ghatak Dr Krishnendu Biswas Prof K B Sinha Dr B E Amitha Rani Dr G Parameshwarappa Dr Sharvan Kumar Paycli Hindustan Lever Research Research Associates (Provisional) Visiting Scholars Professorship Dr S Bharath Prof S Chandrasekaran, IISc, Mr Anirban Ghosh Dr Himadri Barman Bangalore Mr Pradeep Balaji Dr Moumita Maiti DST Ramanujan Fellow Mr Shobith Rangappa Deans Dr Kanishka Biswas (NCU) Mr Vivek Rohidas Vartak Mr Siva Pradyumna Prof GU Kulkarni (Academic Miss Apurva Talgery Affairs) Intellectual Property The Centre has obtained one European Patent (No. 1694622) for the invention ‘Polyisoprenyl Benzophenones as Inhibitors of Histone Acetyl Transferases and Uses Thereof’ developed by Prof. Tapas Kundu and his group recently. Five Indian Provisional Patent Applications were filed in respect of inventions of faculty members Prof K S Narayan, Prof G U Kulkarni, Prof Ranga Udaykumar, Prof Tapas Kundu and Dr Jayanta Haldar as Principal Inventors. National Phase Applications were filed for three inventions: (a) ’Optimal wing planforms for reducing the induced or total drag of the wing of an aircraft driven by wing-mounted tractor propellers/rotors’ by Prof R Narasimha, filed in USA, Europe, China, Brazil, Japan, Korea; (b) ‘Inhibition of Histone Acetyltransferases by CTK7A and methods thereof’ by Prof Tapas K Kundu, filed in USA, Europe and China; (c) ‘A novel process for micropattern generation on polymer thin films using pulsed laser diffraction’ by Prof G U Kulkarni in collaboration with IIT-K, filed in USA. During the last six months the Centre has successfully licensed 5 inventions of Prof G U Kulkarni, Dr Subi J George and Dr T Govindaraju as principal inventors. (Fig: ‘Optimal wing platforms for reducing the induced or total drag of the wing of an aircraft driven by wing-mounted tractor propellers/rotors’ by Prof. R. Narasimha, filed in USA, Europe, China, Brazil, Japan, Korea.) 3 AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS Dr Rajan Datta ICMS-Second Annual Materials Science Lecture: transition, Prof V Vasanta Ram, Ruhr University, Prof C N R Rao Associate of Indian Academy of Sciences Prof Satishchandra B Ogale, Centre of Excellence in Bochum, November 22, 2011. Solar Energy, Physical and Materials Chemistry 4. Climate Science, Waves, and PDEs for the Ernesto Illy Trieste Science Prize, 2011 for his Dr Ravi Manjithaya Division, National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Tropics: Observations, Theory, and Numerics, monumental contributions to the Chemistry of Awarded DBT Wellcome Trust Fellowship. Pune, March 20, 2012. Materials for over 50 years Prof Andrew J Majda, Morse Professor of Arts Mr Sachin S Belvadi Diploma and Insignia of the Honoris Causa Prof M K Chandrashekaran Memorial Lecture: "A and Sciences, Department of Mathematics and Doctorate Degree from the University Joseph Young Achievers Award 2012 by KKS Social Brief History of Internal Time", Prof Serge Daan, Climate, Atmosphere, Ocean Science (CAOS), Fourier, Grenoble. Welfare Trust Niko Tinbergen distinguished honorary chair in Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New Behavioral Biology, Linnaeusborg, University of York University, December 9, 2011. Einstein Professor of Chinese Academy of Sciences Awards Received by Students Groningen, The Netherlands, January 19 - 20, 2012. 2012 5. Some insights into wetting hysteresis - experiments 1. Vijay Kumar S (PhD student, NCU) received A V Rama Rao Foundation Lecture in Chemistry: and modeling, Prof Mahesh Panchagnula, Invited as a speaker in the celebrations of the 100th Second Prize in the poster competition held at “Fluorescent Molecular Architectures with Exceptional Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras, anniversary of the first Solvay Conference on Catalyst 2011 - Dr Reddys Technical Conclave on Properties”, Dr A Ajay Ghosh, CSIR-Outstanding January 13, 2012. Physics in Belgium (October 18, 2011). Chemistry, Hyderabad, December 16-17, 2011. Scientist, Chemical Sciences & Technology Division, 6. Optimal Path to Turbulence in Shear Flows, Prof Erudite Visiting Professorship from Mahatma 2. Mr Ramakrishna Matte (PhD student, CPMU) has NIIST, Trivandrum and Prize Lecture: “Luminescent Gandhi University, Kottayam Dan Henningson, Professor in Fluid Mechanics, received Malhotra Weikfield Foundation Award at Nano Materials for Photonic Applications”, Dr FLOW, KTH Mechanics, Sweden, January 17, Prof P Rama Rao 4th Bangalore Nano 2011.