Category Archives: Education

Bengaluru boy beats the world to win science prize, Rs 2.9 cr

Amazing Feats, Education, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion
Samay Godika.
Samay Godika.

Bengaluru boy Samay Godika (in picture) has emerged as the winner of the Breakthrough Junior Challenge with $400,000 (over Rs 2.9 crore) as the prize money.

While Samay, 16, a student of National Public School-Koramangala, will receive a $250,000 (over Rs 1.8 crore) college scholarship, his ninth and tenth grade science teacher, Pramila Menon, who encouraged his interest in life sciences and tutored him after school to encourage his curiosity about scientific ideas, will win a $50,000 (over Rs 36 lakh) prize.

In addition, his school will receive a state-of-the-art science lab valued at $100,000 (over Rs 72 lakh).

The Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global science video competition designed to inspire creative thinking about fundamental concepts in the life sciences, physics, and mathematics. Students between 13 and 18 years are invited to create original videos (up to three minutes) that illustrate a concept or theory in the physical or life sciences. The submissions are evaluated on the students’ ability to communicate complex scientific ideas in the most engaging, illuminating, and imaginative ways. Samay’s video, submitted in the life sciences category, focused on circadian rhythms, the 24-hour biological processes that can affect simple daily experiences such as waking up for school or jet lag.

As he has family members who suffer from Parkinson’s and other neurological diseases, Samay is particularly interested in the correlation between circadian rhythms and the effectiveness of medical treatments.

Samay was, on Sunday, recognised alongside some of the world’s top scientists and mathematicians Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, Samay said, “It feels amazing and unbelievable. I’m very happy to be among these great scientists. Our school is very science-centric and laid the foundation right from the beginning, shaping and guiding me to be the person I am today.”

“Participating in and now winning the Breakthrough Junior Challenge is life-changing, thrilling and such an honour. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to be recognised. I thank my teachers and family, and my little sister Sia, for shaping me,” he added.

Nikhiya Shamsher, 16, a student of Greenwood High school won this year’s Popular Vote. Her video on space-time and gravity garnered more than 25,000 likes, shares and positive reactions on the Breakthrough Facebook page. She received automatic entry into the final round of judging. Last year, Samay had won the Popular Vote contest. “I didn’t win last year, but I came back this year, and I am fortunate to be here,” he said, crediting sheer perseverance for his success.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Others / by Bangalore Mirror Bureau / November 05th, 2018

Bengaluru student to get USD 400,000 prize for self, teacher, school

Education, Records, All, World Opinion

Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global science video competition designed to inspire creative thinking about fundamental concepts in the life sciences, physics, and mathematics.

Bengaluru :

Sixteen-year old Samay Godika, a city school student, will receive USD 400,000 in educational prizes for himself, his teacher and his school, as he emerged the winner in the fourth annual “Breakthrough Junior Challenge”, a global science video competition.

The US-based Breakthrough Prize announced Godika, a junior at the National Public School-Koramangala here, as the winner of this year’s ‘Breakthrough Junior Challenge’ for his video submitted in the life sciences category on circadian rhythms, which are physical, mental, and behavioural changes that follow a daily cycle.

Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global science video competition designed to inspire creative thinking about fundamental concepts in the life sciences, physics, and mathematics.

“As the winner, Samay will receive USD 400,000 (approx Rs 2.92 crore) in educational prizes for himself, his teacher and his school,” Breakthrough Prize said in a release posted on its website Sunday.

Samay will receive a USD 250,000 college scholarship while his ninth and tenth grade science teacher Pramila Menon will get USD 50,000 prize.

Additionally, his school will receive a state-of-the-art science lab valued at USD 100,000.

Menon had encouraged his interest in life sciences and tutored him after school to encourage his curiosity about scientific ideas.

Recognising him as a Boston native who now lives in India, Breakthrough said, Samay’s video, submitted in the life sciences category, focused on circadian rhythms, the 24-hour biological processes that can affect simple daily experiences such as waking up for school or jet lag.

Because he has family members who suffer from Parkinson’s and other neurological diseases, Samay is particularly interested in the correlation between circadian rhythms and the effectiveness of medical treatments, it added.

“Participating in and now winning the BreakthroughJunior Challenge is life-changing, thrilling and such an honour. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to be recognised alongside so many of the world’s top scientists and tech industry leaders,” Samay said.

Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global initiative to develop and demonstrate young people’s knowledge of science and scientific principles, generate excitement in these fields and engage the imagination and interest of the public-at-large in key concepts of fundamental science, it said.

www.newindianexpress.com/ The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by PTI / November 05th, 2018

Mphasis ties up with IIMB’s incubation centre

Business & Economy, Education, Records, All, Science & Technology

Mphasis, an IT services and solutions provider, has partnered with NSRCEL, the start-up incubation centre at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore to support early-stage social venture.

The programme aims to incubate and support ‘for profit’ social ventures and startups that have been in operation for one to three years, said a press release.

Over 550 applications were received for this programme and 16 of them were shortlisted for the three-month pre-incubation. They were then given an opportunity to pitch before an advisory council for selection to the programme which will be for 12-18 months, the release said.

TAXSHE Services Pvt. Ltd., ECONUT Coconut Producer Company Ltd., Blink Research and Services Pvt. Ltd., ThinkZone, and Rural Caravan Pvt. Ltd. are the selected ventures. They will receive an entrepreneurial grant and will be supported through a series of events and workshops aimed at addressing specific challenges.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru – November 01st, 2018

Bengaluru-based Trashonomics wins international waste educators award

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Bengaluru-based Trashonomics, representing India at the Waste Education Awards,won the first prize, beating Greece and USA.

Trashonomics session in progress at a government school
Trashonomics session in progress at a government school

Bengaluru :

Bengaluru-based Trashonomics, representing India at the Waste Education Awards, won the first prize, beating Greece and USA. They were one of the shortlisted teams for The International Solid Waste Association Young Professionals Group’s (ISWA YPG) ‘Waste Education Award’.”We were awarded at the ISWA World Congress 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This was part of their global campaign #WhatHappensToMyWaste. We are happy to represent our country. We sent them all our work at Trashonomics, including the illustrative guide for children, our trainer programmes and workshops,” said Archana Prasad Kashyap, co-author of Trashonomics.

“We sent a presentation of our impact as well. For example, we have reached out to 20,000 students in government schools across Bengaluru, Mysuru and Delhi. As a part of training of trainers (TOT) programme, we have trained 300 people to in turn train other volunteers and conduct classes at other schools. This competition had waste educators participating from across the globe,” Archana added.

Of all the applicants, three were shortlisted. PCAI Junior from Greece and The Six R’s from USA, grabbed the second and third place respectively. People could vote for these organisations by sending an e-mail or voting on polls conducting on social media. The five-chapter guide titled Trashonomics, describes itself as a simple guide on solid waste management. It is used to teach children how to manage their waste in the above cities, with Bhubaneswar joining the list recently.

The idea behind Trashonomics is to make children relate to the concept of waste management. They learn to dispose of all kinds of waste – wet, dry, biomedical, electronic – in a responsible manner. The volunteers use hands-on activities in the classrooms such as asking the kids to bring dry waste from their homes and segregate them in the school.

The project is supported by The Anonymous Indian Charitable Trust (TAICT) and has recently received a grant from Millenium Alliance to train 150 government school teachers on the subject, so that they can take it forward without depending on volunteers. Their illustrative guide will soon be available in Tamil and Bengali as well.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Ranjani Madhavan, Express News Service / October 23rd, 2018

Student’s device to detect eye issues shortlisted for Accenture Innovation Challenge

Amazing Feats, Education, Records, All, Science & Technology

Students of two engineering colleges in Bengaluru have had their projects shortlisted for the Accenture Innovation Challenge.

Bengaluru :

Students of two engineering colleges in Bengaluru have had their projects shortlisted for the Accenture Innovation Challenge. Under the theme ‘Innovate for Societies’, Nihal Konan and Pujari Kiran Sai of Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology, as well as Sabari Prabaaker R, Pranith H, Priyanka S and Deivanai A of Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology, have been chosen from the city, among 16 other teams across India.

Participants were expected to demonstrate their tech skills by applying disruptive and emerging tech in areas such as advanced analytics, automation, artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain, crowdsourcing, digital ethics, cybersecurity, immersive reality, and Internet of Things (IoT).

The team from VIT developed a ‘cost-effective, ingestible, battery-less electronic health pill’ to predict and prevent sudden heart attacks. The data from the pill alerts family members or caretakers of an impending heart attack nine to 11 minutes before it happens.

EyeBF21oct2018

The team from NMIT developed a device that will detect eye problems such as blindness or glaucoma using a virtual reality app.

Mohan Sekhar, senior managing director and lead for Accenture Advanced Technology Centers, said, “Such challenges can help students transition to the industry seamlessly, as it gives them the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge of new technologies and spark their innovation potential.”

The two themes for this year’s event were innovate for business and innovate for society. “Prizes will be given to all the winning entries on October 24, which will be the grand finale. This will include prizes worth Rs 1,50,000 and Rs 75,000 to each member of the winning team and winners of the two themes respectively. Accenture will also setup a fast-track recruitment process for all eligible finalists,” Mohan added. There are six categories of prizes, including ‘grand prize winners’, ‘theme winners’, ‘best all-women’s team’, ‘jury’s choice and accenture employee’s choice’.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / October 20th, 2018

Bengaluru astrophysicists go on quest for rare herbs across the city

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology, Uncategorized

Team spots rare and endangered species of medicinal plants

Eight researchers from Indian Institute of Astrophysics cycled all the way from Koramangala to The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences & Technology in Yelahanka to explore rare and endangered species of ancient medicinal plants. The tour started at 6 am on Sunday.

The researchers reached their destination in three hours and their excursion proved to be worth the pain. They encountered rare medicinal plants that find mention even in Ayurveda and other Vedic texts.

Binu Kumar Nair, postdoctoral researcher at IIAP, says, “The campus has all those plants that can grow in the South Indian climate. Being an Astrophysics scholar, it was interesting to come across and know about so many plant species. These are plants that we come across every day, but we don’t know about their value.”
Since TDU also has a hospital on the campus, the patients are treated using the herbs and medicinal plants found here.

HerbsBF10oct2018

The university campus has about 1,600 species of medicinal plants and 600 of them available at their nursery for people to take at minimal costs. Of the 1,600 species available, 200 are endangered species.

When Ganesh Babu, Senior Research Officer, visited IIAP a couple of days ago to identify and name the plants available in IIAP, he had invited the researchers to come and explore a variety of species at the Trans-Disciplinary University. He explains, “We have a cure for almost all diseases through our medicinal plants. PterocarpusMarsupium is used for diabetes, Syzygium Caryophyllatum gives nutricious fruits like jamuns which are very sweet, and Wild Moringa helps in joint pains. There are 10 such trees with such rots that are used in medicines. We have 45 tree gardens in all demarcated according to the medicinal uses for example one for treating fever, one for diabetes, one that enhances water quality and so on.”

The researchers also came across the Seetha Ashok tree which helps with female infertility and is endangered, the Rudraksha tree which cures blood pressure, and the Camphor tree and four different types of incense stick trees.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore / by Reya Mehrotra, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / October 09th, 2018

‘Sensational’ Bengaluru teen sets karting race afire

Education, Sports, World Opinion

14-year-old Mihir S Avalakki, a Class IX student at National Public School, Rajajinagar, Bengaluru, driving for birelArt India, won the Round 2 of FMSCI Rotax Max National Karting Championship 2018 (Junior Category), at ChicaneCircuit, Hyderabad recently.

Being the fastest, he earned P1 position in the qualifying round. After finishing P2 in Heat 1 and P4 in Heat 2, he stared at P2 in the pre-finals and moved to P1 in the very first corner itself and held on to the same till the end of pre-finals.

The final was a closely fought battle where Mihir started at P1 and held on to the position, for a nail-biting finish.

Mihir started his professional racing a year ago where he finished the 2017 FMSCI Rotax Max Championship at a promising sixth place, being a rookie.

Mihir also got a great International exposure where he represented birelArt India at the EasyKart Championship in Europe.

He raced in six different International Racing Circuits in Italy and is currently placed at seventh in the championship among 32 total drivers. This international exposure has helped him raise his level of racing in India, which was evident in his win in the Round 2 of the Indian FMSCI Rotax Max Championship.

Earlier, Mihir was the National Champion at FMSCI National 4 Stroke Karting Championship 2017, which earned him a free ticket to the FMSCI Rotax Max Championship for 2017.

Marco Bartoli, Owner of birelArt India and Former Formula 3 Racer said, “He drove like an experienced driver and he handled the pressure really well. He is shown to have great mix of technical skills, speed, consistency and maturity which are very rare for a driver of his limited experience. He is definitely proving to be a bright star of the future”.

Preetham Muniyappa, co-owner of birelArt India and former Asia Karting Champion, said, “I have been monitoring him from the time he has been driving with our team and he has proved that he is a champion in the making, which was evident in the round 2 of the National Level Championship at Hyderabad. This is the beginning for his long career.”

He is the son of Sushmitha Narayana and Suman Avalakki . His father said: “Mihir is so dedicated, which gives my wife and I, the confidence that he is going to be a great Racer for India even in international circuits.”

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Others / by Bangalore Mirror Bureau / October 06th, 2018

Kalaburagi’s SBR School gears up for a alumni utsav, golden jubilee celebration

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All
A view of Sharnbasveshwar Residential Public School (SBR School) in Kalaburagi. | Photo Credit: Arun Kulkarni
A view of Sharnbasveshwar Residential Public School (SBR School) in Kalaburagi. | Photo Credit: Arun Kulkarni

Sharanbasveshwar Residential Public School, popularly known as SBR School, is gearing up for its alumni utsav and golden jubilee celebration.Activities are in full swing on the campus of Sharnbasveshwar Vidya Vardhak Sangh (SVVS), the parental body that runs the school, for making the five-day celebration a success. The event is scheduled to begin on November 9. A huge pandal that could accommodate around 5,000 people is being built for the purpose.

The SBR Alumni Association is playing a key role in organising the event. Attempts are on for inviting Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu for inaugurating the event.

Congress Leader in Lok Sabha M. Mallikarjun Kharge and former Supreme Court judge Shivaraj Patil have consented to be part of the inaugural session. Justice Patil would deliver a special lecture.

Swamy Nirbhayananda Saraswathi from Vijayapura would be the chief guest on the second day. Prominent alumni of SBR who have attained great heights in their careers would share the dais to share their experiences with the audience. Mohan Palesha, Past District Governor of Rotary International from Pune, would address the evening session which would be followed by cultural programmes.

Shivarathri Deshikendra Swamy of Suttur Mutt will be the chief guest on the third day. The heads of major educational institutions in the State, including Prabhakar Kore from Belagavi, Veeranna Charantimath from Bagalakot, M.B. Patil from Vijayapur, Syed Shah Khusro Hussaini from Kalaburagi and Shamanur Shivashankarappa from Davanagere would participate in the morning session. Lavanya Patel, motivational speaker, would address the gathering in the evening.

Siddeshwar Swamy of Vijayapura would be the chief guest on the fourth day.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Staff Reporter / Kalaburagi – September 29th, 2018

Young farmers feted as Krishi Mela ends

Agriculture, Education, Records, All
Young progressive farmers and farm women who were felicitated on the concluding day of Krishi Mela in Dharwad on Tuesday.
Young progressive farmers and farm women who were felicitated on the concluding day of Krishi Mela in Dharwad on Tuesday.

Farmers told to adopt the art of climate-smart farming

The four-day Krishi Mela organised by University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Dharwad, concluded here on Tuesday with lakhs of people, mainly farmers from across the State and elsewhere, visiting the agricultural fair and benefiting from it. According to a release from UAS, Dharwad, 16.65 lakh farmers, farm women, extension scientists, officers of various departments and students benefited from the fair organised with an objective of dissemination of information on the advancements in the field of agriculture.

While 547 quintals of various seeds for rabi season worth ₹ 20 lakh were sold during the Krishi Mela, 1,820 farmers visited the consultancy cell individually to seek solutions for various farm-related problems.

The maximum consultancies during the period were on plant protection followed by agronomy and horticulture crops. The UAS also sold publications worth ₹ 1.87 lakh and 1.64 lakh organic inputs.

As it has been a practice, on the concluding day, various progressive young farmers and young farm women from different districts in the region were felicitated. They subsequently shared their experiences with other farmers.

Honouring the award winners, Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner M.N. Nagaraj lauded the work of UAS and said that in the days of climate change, farmers should adopt farm technologies and the art of climate-smart farming.

The former MLA Chandrakanth Bellad stressed on the need for value addition to crops to make farming viable and rewarding. The former Vice-Chancellor of UAS, Dharwad, J.V. Goud stressed on the transfer of technology.

Presiding over the function, Vice-Chancellor of UAS, Dharwad, M.B. Chetti said that the awards were aimed at making the young farmers adopt newer technologies.

“In the coming years, the university will strive to attract more and more youths to take up innovative technologies,” he said.

On the concluding day of the mela, a special programme too was organised for the benefit of farmers on institutional support and support price provided by various financial and government institutions.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Dharwad – September 26th, 2018

A course for men to share, care, and cook

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All
The workshop is conducted by Murali Mohan Kati. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The workshop is conducted by Murali Mohan Kati. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Workshop aims to ‘provide young men the space to reflect on their lives and gain new perspectives’

Ever since he became a father a year ago, 33-year-old graphic designer Narayan has been reflecting on his role at home and traditionally assigned gender roles. Is his duty limited to being the sole provider for the family?

In his endeavour to seek answers and discover facets of himself, he has signed up for a weekend course, simply titled ‘Reserved for Men’. The two-month course aims to ‘provide young men the space to reflect on their lives as men and gain new perspectives’.

Participants will also be taught skills and values usually assigned to women: they will learn how to share, care and cook.

“The very fact that there is such a course speaks volumes on social mores and gender roles. But I’m excited and look forward to the course,” said Narayan.

The course is being taught at Baduku Community College, which is part of Samvada, an organisation that works with youth from marginalised groups and offers flexible course formats in subjects such as sustainable agriculture and waste management. Murali Mohan Kati, the principal of the college whose brainchild it is, said the idea of running such a course took root many years ago, but became reality only after he experienced fatherhood. It gave him new perspectives on gender roles.

“Globally, the focus is now shifting towards sensitising men. Masculinity is at the root of many problems in the social sphere, including trolls issuing rape threats on social media. Masculine studies is taking a big leap in gender studies academically as well. We are trying to help a set of men reflect on their lives,” Mr. Kati said.

Vineeth R., an economics lecturer who has signed up for the course, said that every time he washes up after dinner, he hears a little voice in his head telling him it’s not his job.

“I often see myself as helping my wife. That’s wrong. Doing the dishes is my responsibility as well. But the conditioning is too hard. I hope I gain a clearer perspective on this through the course,” he said.

‘Reserved for men’ will also equip men with skill sets to help them lead a more fulfilling life.

Mr. Kati gave the example of the simple act of expressing one’s emotions. The stoic man who does not indulge in sharing his feelings is a common cultural stereotype. To counter this, the course will enlist psychologists and relationship counsellors who will teach participants how to create a space conducive to talking about their feelings.

Group activities and theatre workshops will be tools to help men empathise with the women in their lives.

Participants will have to bring a female member of their family – a partner, mother, sister – during the last two weekends. “Many youth in their 20s face issues with their mothers and start screaming at them. They are even clueless about menopause,” Mr. Kati said.

To maintain diary

Those attending the course – men in the age group of 21 and 40 – will maintain a diary recording their reflections. “By the end of eight weeks, if they begin questioning themselves and their role even in small everyday tasks, the course will be a success,” he added.

The course will start from September 22 and will be held for a duration of eight weekends for Rs. 1,000.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by K.V. Aditya Bharadwaj / Bengaluru – September 21st, 2018