Published Online on 28 September 2016 Proc Indian Natn Sci Acad 82 No. 4 September 2016 pp. 1325-1338 Printed in India. ACADEMY NEWS INSA MEETINGS Science, Bengaluru. Several meetings were held during July 25-29, 2016 For developing new classes of Li- and Na- in the Academy premises. These included meetings cathode materials for next generation battery of the different Sectional Committees for and storage application. recommending names of new Fellows and Young 4. Dr Sivaraman Bhalamurugan (b 29.03.1981), Scientist Awardees to be elected by the Council of PhD, Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics the Academy. The Advisory Boards for the various Division, Physical Research Laboratory, INSA Awards also met. These were followed by Ahmedabad. meetings of the Council and General Body on July 29, 2016. For his contributions in low temperature astrochemistry and planetary science and to INSA Medal for Young Scientists 2016 understand the occurrence of IC objects on The Council at its meeting during July 28-29, 2016 planetary surfaces. approved the award of INSA Medal for Young 5. Dr Ashima Bhaskar (b 23.07.1982), PhD, Scientist 2016 to 22 young researchers below the age National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi. of 35. The award carries a medal, a certificate and cash prize of Rs. 25,000. For developing a genetic biosensor to measure cellular and sub-cellular redox changes in HIV/ The following 22 young scientists were selected Mtb/HIV-TB infected macrophages that for the INSA Medal for Young Scientists. provides meaningful numerical indicators of 1. Dr Nazia Abbas (b 18.08.1982), PhD, Plant redox potential changes required to induce HIV- Biotechnology Division, Indian Institute of 1 reactivation from persistence. Integrative Medicine, Srinagar. 6. Dr Kanishka Biswas (b 25.10.1982), PhD, For his research on interaction of CAM7 and New Chemistry Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre HY5 transcription factors in light-dependent for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru. control of plant seedling development. For probing and developing new 2. Dr Sadeem Ahmad (b 22.09.1985), PhD, thermoelectrics for energy harvesting. Boston Children’s Hospital/ Harvard Medical 7. Dr Abhishek Bohra (b 15.06.1983), PhD, Crop School, Centre for Life Science Building, Improvement Division, Indian Institute of Boston, USA. Pulses Research, Kanpur. For his discovery of the mechanism by which For his significant contribution in the area of D-amino acids are uncoupled from tRNA and a development and application of molecular tools primordial mode of function of RNA- protein for facilitating hybrid pigeon pea improvement, hybrid enzymes. and for having developed molecular markers in 3. Dr Prabeer Barpanda (b 24.06.1981), PhD, large number and construction of first genetic Materials Research Centre, Indian Institute of as well as consensus map in pigeon pea that are 1326 Academy News being used in practical breeding and cited Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian widely. Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. 8. Dr Soumitra Ghosh (b 23.06.1983), PhD, For his contributions to High-Performance, Department of Biochemistry, University of Energy-Efficient, EMI-Aware Mixed-Signal Lausanne, Switzerland. Dynamic Power Management. For providing the critical insights into the 14. Dr Praveen Kumar (b 14.09.1982), PhD, regulation of genome organization in Department of Materials Engineering, Indian mycobacteria by nucleoid-associated proteins Institute of Science, Bengaluru. (NAPs) and for demonstrating that DNA For discovering electric-field induced changes architectural protein HU is a novel target for in mechanical behavior of CNT cellular anti-bacterial drug development. materials and developed instrumentation to 9. Dr Sai Siva Gorthi (b 05.08.1981), PhD, study the behavior in detail. Department of Instrumentation and Applied 15. Dr Nirbhay Kumar Kushwaha (b Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. 04.02.1981), PhD, Molecular Virology For his contributions to Innovative Optofluidic Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Technologies: In-vitro Diagnostics, Green Nano Nehru University, New Delhi. Synthesis, Analyte Detection. For his significant contribution in elucidating 10. Dr Aditi Gupta (b 25.02.1986), PhD, interactions among chilli leaf curl virus Interdisciplinary Center for Plant Genomics, (ChiLCV) and for developing highly efficient University of Delhi, South Campus, New Delhi. infectious constructs of ChiLCV for screening chilli germplasm that identifies resistant For her studies in sugar signalling to sustain sources. early development and seedling fitness under different environmental conditions. 16. Dr Aastha Mishra (b 06.02.1986), PhD, Prof. Randall Johnson’s Laboratory, Department of 11. Dr Rajat Subhra Hazra (b 12.03.1982), PhD, Physiology, Development and Neurosciences, Theoretical Statistics and Mathematics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge. Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. For her outstanding work on the apelin pathway For his significant contributions to the study of under conditions of hypoxia and the correlated spectral limits of patterned Gaussian free fields, aberrations of the same to maladaptation to high random matrix theory and free probability. altitude and the pathophysiology of high altitude 12. Dr Mohd Askandar Iqbal (b 06.04.1983), pulmonary edema and for providing a molecular PhD, Department of Biotechnology, Jamia understanding of disease susceptibility which Millia Islamia, New Delhi. act as a basis of genetic predisposition to the same. For demonstrating the key determinant role of mutation in the Pyruvate Kinase M2 (PKM2) 17. Dr Kiran Kumar Nakka (b 15.08.1982), PhD, isoform in promotion of cancer-specific Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research, Ottawa metabolism and tumour growth and for Hospital Research Institute, Ontario. identification of factors/pathways that mimic For his important work uncovering the way of PKM2 mutant condition in absence of mutation alternate splicing by specific factors and for in this gene which promote cancer metabolism. elaborating the role of tumor suppressor 13. Dr Santanu Kapat (b 08.11.1981), PhD, SMAR1 in performing such function in cancers. Academy News 1327 18. Dr Anshu Pandey (b 22.08.1982), PhD, Solid INSA Medal/Lecture Awards 2016 State and Structural Chemistry Unit, Indian The Academy announced the following 10 medal/ Institute of Science, Bengaluru. lecture Awards for 2016. For his outstanding contributions in the area of low threshold quantum dot lasers. International Awards 19. Dr Swathi Srinivasamurthy Rotti (b 1. INSA-Vainu Bappu Memorial Award to Dr 17.07.1982), PhD, School of Chemistry, Indian Anil Bhardwaj, FNA, Director, Space Physics Institute of Science Education and Research, Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram. Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. For her contributions on theoretical 2. JC Bose Memorial Lecture to Professor understanding of carbon-based and metal-based Kalyanmoy Deb, FNA, Department of nanostructures. Electrical and Computer Engineering, Michigan State University, USA. 20. Dr Chandan Saha (b 11.01.1982), PhD, Department of Computer Science and Subjectwise Medals/Lectures/Awards Automation, Indian Institute of Science, (A) Medals Instituted by the Academy Bengaluru. 3. The Srinivasa Ramanujan Medal to For his work on arithmetic circuit lower bounds, Professor TN Venkataramana, FNA, School polynomial identity testing and reconstruction of Mathematics, Tata Institute of Fundamental of arithmetic circuits that has led to the Research, Mumbai. discovery of new mathematical techniques and substantial progress on these problems. 4. The Jagadis Chandra Bose Medal to Professor P Chakrabarti, FNA, Department 21. Dr Somlata (b 31.01.1983), PhD, School of of Biochemistry and Bioinformatics Centre, Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Bose Institute, Kolkata. New Delhi. 5. The Silver Jubilee Commemoration Medal For elucidating the mechanism of phagocytosis to Professor Himanshu Pathak, FNA, in E. histolytica and discovering the recruitment Director, ICAR-National Rice Research of a calcium binding protein by the C2 domain Institute, Cuttack, Odisha. containing kinase to the site of phagocytosis and subsequently initiation of action dynamics at 6. The Golden Jubilee Commemoration Medal the site. (Chemical Sciences) to Professor Ashwini Nangia, FNA, Director, CSIR-National 22. Dr Srikanth Srinivasan (b 13.06.1984), PhD, Chemical Laboratory, Pune. Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai. (B) Endowed Medals For his work dealing with the complexity of 7. Professor K Naha Memorial Medal to “algebraic circuits’’ and studies in the problem Professor VP Dimri, FNA, Distinguished of computing the determinant (over non Scientist, CSIR-National Geophysical Research commuting domains), and iterated matrix Institute, Hyderabad. multiplication. He has also made substantial 8. The Chandrakala Hora Memorial Medal to progress in producing lower bounds for Dr SK Gupta, FNA, Emeritus Scientist, “threshold circuits”. Reproductive Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi. 1328 Academy News (C) Endowment Lectures 9. Professor Darshan Ranganathan Memorial Lecture to Professor Mannepalli Lakshmi Kantam, FNA, Dr. B. P. Godrej Distinguished Professor of Green Chemistry and Sustainability Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai. 10. Dr Biren Roy Memorial Lecture to Professor Avinash Khare, FNA, Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University