Monthly Archives: May 2015

SJCE Professor bags best PH.D Thesis Award

Education, Science & Technology

Mysuru :

BITES Best Ph.D Thesis Award, one of the prestigious awards, was conferred on Dr. B.S. Mahanand, Associate Professor, Department of Information Science & Engineering at Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE), Mysuru, for the year 2012-13 by the Government of Karnataka’s Board for IT Education Standards (BITES).

Every year BITES gives away awards for the best Ph.D thesis. Dr. Mahanand’s thesis titled “Alzheimer’s Disease Detection from Magnetic Resonance Images Using Machine Learning Approaches” won the award in the category of Computer Science and Engineering Area.

Dr. Mahanand has extensively researched on the detection of Alzheimer’s Disease using computational intelligence approaches and has pursued research on Alzheimer’s disease as an incipient of the visiting research fellowship at Helsinki University of Technology, Finland, as Post-Doctoral Research Associate at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in 2012. He has several peer reviewed research publication to his credit and has presented his research at National and International conferences.

Prof. B. S. Sonde, Chairman, Ph.D Thesis Evaluation Committee, presented the award to Dr. Mahanand at a function held at PESIT, Bengaluru on May 16 which carries a citation and a cash prize.

Dr. Mahanand is also visiting the National Magnetic Resonance Research Centre, University, Turkey as Visiting Researcher in June 2015.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Saturday – May 23rd, 2015

NIE Professor receives Research Award

Records, All, Science & Technology

ProfSureshaBF29may2015

Mysuru :

S. R. Patil, Minister for Infrastructure, Information Technology, Biotechnology, Science and Technology, Planning and Statistics, recently handed over the prestigious “Award for Best Research Publication” instituted by the Vision Group of Science and Technology (VGST), Karnataka government, at Vikasa Soudha in Bengaluru, to Prof. Suresha, Department of Mechanical Engineering, NIE, Mysuru. The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 25,000, a memento and a citation.

Prof. Suresha specialises in Polymer Composites Technology, Micro and Nano-based Polymeric Composites for automotive applications, non-materials and materials science. He has contributed 206 research articles to various international and national journals.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Saturday – May 23rd, 2015

Students develop rotating solar panel

Green Initiatives / Environment, Records, All, Science & Technology

Hubballi :

Students of electrical and electronics of SDM College of Engineering and Technology have developed a solar tracker solar panel that rotates in the direction of the sun and taps maximum energy.

While conventional solar panels fixed to face at one direction and hence capture limited energy, rotating panels can absorb energy all through the day as they move from east to west in the direction of the sun. Speaking to TOI, team member Vallabh Kulkarni said, “We noted that conventional panels do not absorb energy fully. If the panel is facing towards the east, it harvests minimum energy when the sun moves towards the west after 12 noon. This made us think of coming out with a rotating panel.”

The project, named as Harnessing Maximum Energy from Solar Panel took five months for completion. Another teammate Nikita Pinto said that they approached their faculty members and browsed internet for supporting information. “We found that there are hardly any attempts in adopting micro controller in the panel in the country whereas demand for solar energy is increasing by the day. Then we started working on the project,” she added.

Arun Chachadi noted that the new model would produce 25-30% more energy as compared to the conventional model.

Another team member Sushma G S said that they bought a micro-controller from the market and programmed it by using the flow code software, which is freely available on internet. “We used components like solar panel of 3 watt capacity, DC geared motor, LCD display and micro-controller. We spent Rs 2,100 for this project and a prototype is ready in our college,” she added.

Prof Mrutyunjay R Kappali, guided the team. Prof SB Vanakudri, principal, SDM College of Engineering and Technology, Dharwad, said the principle of the rotating panel is based on sunflower, the flower which tracks sun up to 180 degree.

“We will send a proposal to the Union government to consider the model in research and development works in its institutions. If Karnataka State Council of Science and Technology sanctions some aid, we will improve this model in coming years.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubballi / by Sangamesh Menasinakai, TNN / May 22nd, 2015

Bengaluru-based band all set to rock it in Singapore

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion

Bengaluru :

Four buddies join hands to make rocking music in a heady mix of creativity and passion – that’s Space Behind the Yellow Room, a city-based band exploring new frontiers. The foursome will represent the country in Singapore on Saturday at Music Matters Live, 2015, an independent fest.

Fresh into college, Shoumik Biswas, a music lover from Kolkata, along with three others from Srishti Institute of Art Design and Technology decided to set up this band in 2011. While lead vocalist Shoumik also plays the drums, Devasheesh Sharma and Nihar Apte strum the guitar; Eshaan Sood, bass guitarist, joined the trio in 2013 after one of the band members quit.

“We are the first band from Bengaluru to win the Pepsi Un-box talent hunt that’s into its 5th edition. We were selected from among 450 teams from across the country,” says an elated Shoumik.

On Friday, the quartet attended a pre-event conference which saw discussions on various aspects of music, online marketing of music and branding. “There were many takeaways from the conference. It’s the best award we could have received for winning the competition back home,” added Shoumik.

Inspired by the band’s work, Thomas Jose, also from Srishti Institute of Art Design and Technology and an aspiring movie-maker, has planned to come up with a music video and documentary on the team. Explains Thomas, “I have been with these guys from the time the band was formed. Their dedication has taken them to where they’re today. Finding an international platform in four years is amazing.”

The band delves into experimental and space rock music and is known for creating magic sans fanciful recording rooms or costly production process. “These music fanatics work from a hostel room, doing all pre- and post-production work themselves,” says Thomas.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru / TNN / May 23rd, 2015

‘B V Pundit An Ethical Businessman’

Business & Economy, Leaders

Bengaluru :

Usha Prasad, B V Pundit’s granddaughter-in-law, remembers the Ayurveda scholar fondly. She says, “Though I was raised in Kolkata, I was brought up on Nanjangud Tooth Powder. I never used toothpaste in my life.”

B V Pundit was associated with the Ayurveda College in Mysuru. He started Sadvaidyashala, which is celebrating its 100th year, in Nanjangud. Since then, Sadvaidyashala has become synonymous with effective Ayurveda products.

The tooth powder is well-known in Karnataka and outside the State, so much so that the Nanjangud train to Mysuru was called the Tooth Powder Express. The tooth powder is made from paddy husk ash.

Seema Rao, a singer in Bengaluru, finds the company’s Srikara Amodini cough drops soothing when nursing a sore throat. She says, “I learn music and those little pellets soothe my throat and take care of my voice.”

Shankar Prasad, B V Pundit’s grandson, says, “My grandpa was ethical in all his dealings. He was a businessman, but he was a man of integrity and dealt honestly in every business deal.”  B V Pundit was born on February 23, 1887 in Nanjangud.

Pundit used to take the early morning train to Mysuru so he could buy all he needed to make his medicines and then kept his medicines in a small room, which he had rented. He took the evening train back to  Nanjangud. Around 1918, the demand for these medicines increased as Sadvaidyashala’s Kasturi helped people stay healthy during the influenza epidemic in India after the first World War.

Pundit and his family were much liked by people of Nanjangud. He had 12 children – four girls and eight boys. “Sadvaidyashala has completed 100 years and the grandsons and their children are waiting to pass their grandfather’s legacy to future generations,” says grandson and chairman of the company, Dr B V Srikantan.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Papiya Bhattacharya /May 25th, 2015

Homes for all children was Nomita Chandy’s dream

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

Bengaluru:

From finding adoptive families for destitute children to providing creches for kids of migrant workers, child welfare activist Nomita Chandy had an inimitable way of addressing issues that otherwise got little attention from the authorities.

Nomita, who passed away on Monday, set up Bengaluru-based Ashraya which has been providing solace to hundreds of homeless children since its inception in 1982. A tireless crusader, Nomita put her heart and soul into social work. She believed that “every family has children, but every child does not have a family. As an institution, we can give just that much of attention, whereas a family can give a lot more. Take a child from anywhere and give love; the child will flourish.”

Born on August 21, 1946, to a general of the Army Medical Corps and married to a naval officer, Nomita was instrumental in setting up private adoption centres in Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam, Pune, Delhi and London. These centres were the arenas where she worked to overcome the stumbling blocks that plagued the country’s adoption process. “Since my aunty was the president of SOS Children’s Village, she mentored me in social service. I worked on setting up organizations for children wherever I went as a naval officer’s wife,” she had said after receiving the Padma Shri in 2011.

Nomita set up Ashraya, one of the first private adoption centres in Indiranagar, with the help of activists Shanti Chacko and Rama Bhattacharya. Struggling for words on Monday, Shanti could only share Nomita’s message: “Empower yourself and believe you can make a difference because only then you can. Each one of us can do something for the community, neighbourhood and society.”

Nomita was instrumental in starting mobile creches in Bengaluru as the city didn’t have any such facility for children of construction workers who barely had enough food, education and safety.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru / TNN / May 26th, 2015

Matriculate develops borewell scanner system

Science & Technology

Hubballi :

Clueless about the water level and expected flow, many a times, farmers are in a dilemma while planning to dig a borewell. Some resort to unscientific methods to detect “borewell points”. Having born in an agricultural family in Vijayapura, Girish Badragond was well aware of the problem. An electrician, who has studied till matriculation, he has developed a borewell scanner system, said to be the first of its kind in the country.

Now, the National Innovation Foundation (NIF), an autonomous body of department of science and technology, is helping Badragond patent the borewell scanner system.

Badragond says that poor and sporadic rainfall in Vijayapura district motivated him to come up with the innovation. “Vijayapura suffered drought in 2006. Farmers were in dilemma to install motor pumps. I tested the presence of water at different places using manual sound reflection. I realized that there is a need to carry out underground testing. Then, I thought of a device that could also withstand underground conditions like pressure, temperature and can be monitored from a remote place. This led me to design a borewell scanner system,” he says.

Currently, the device, which costs about Rs 2 lakh, is not for sale. Badragond, 36, takes it to fields when requested by farmers and issues a report on the water level. The Central Ground Water Board, south western region, has opined that the technology is innovative and can be used at a very low cost. “It is useful to know about the depth of well, depth of casing, water yielding zone/zones and depth of fractures, temperature, etc,” reads the board’s letter to NIF.

Badragond is now involved in research and development work in Bengaluru. “I have been making electrical gadgets since my childhood with the help of my father, who is a farmer and part-time electrician. When I was in class VII, I started reading the ‘Electronics For You’ magazine. I could make my first project of IR sensor in 1996, he recalls.

In 2005, Badragond was also involved in a road light saver project with financial support from friends. Then he developed automated agriculture products like bird repeller, energy saver, mobile phone and solar-controlled irrigation devices.

He was recently honoured with the state biennial award, instituted by NIF.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubballi / by Sangamesh Menasinaka, TNN / May 06th, 2015

TechXpo to host Chinese delegates

Education, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Mangaluru:

Delegates from China will attend TechXpo 15 that gets under way at P A College of Engineering (PACE) on Friday.

The college’s mechanical engineering department will host an auto engineering show. Chinese delegate Schichun Tao, sales director, Asia Pacific, Middle East, North Africa and Latin America of Launch Tech Pvt Limited will be the chief guest .

A seminar will be conducted on technologies related to high performance lubricants, automobile diagnostics evolution and future trends.Indoor exhibits on latest technologies in the automotive industry, outdoor exhibits on modified and vintage cars and bikes will be open to public. Free auto diagnostic scanning for new generation cars with OBD 2 and Entice 15, a technical competition, will be held. Joy Yan, sales manager, Launch Tech, Sasi Menon, retail head, Mobil 1, and Shamnas Mohammd, managing director, Candour Auto Tech, will be present.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangaluru / TNN / May 07th, 2015

IISc Professor Now a Royal Society Fellow

Science & Technology, World Opinion
Bengaluru :
A physics professor from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Ajay Sood, who has had a career spanning over four decades, was chosen for his work on nanotechnology and for initiating several contemporary researches and providing deep insights into some of physics’ long-standing questions.

The Royal Society is the United Kingdom’s national academy of science and includes several prominent scientists and engineers from the Commonwealth. So far, 42 Indians including Srinivasa Ramanujan, Sir C V Raman and C N R Rao have been elected Fellows of the Society.

This year, 47 new Fellows and 10 new foreign members were inducted. In its citation, the Royal Society has said “the originality, diversity and significance of Professor Sood’s contributions are truly remarkable and noteworthy”. It recognises him as “one of the important leaders of Indian science in general and physics in particular”.

Reacting to the honour, Prof Sood told Express, “I feel happy, honoured and humbled. It is humbling because of the other people elected as Fellows.”

He called this a recognition of Indian science. “I not only feel good for me, I feel good for my students, collaborators, department, the institute, and the country.”

In 2003, Sood and his team at IISc generated electricity by allowing liquid and gas flow over carbon nanotubes, thereby unveiling a new kind of physics. The discovery, often called the ‘Sood Effect’, finds application in many areas, from medical appliances like pacemakers to gas pipelines.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / May 07th, 2015

Writer to author in just 7 days

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Sitting on something you wrote dreaming of finding a publisher? Or are you hoping to take an independent road to self-publish the material? A bridge of sorts is what the Sapna Book House is offering. Writers across ages can turn to ‘SapnaINK’, a new launch medium for wannabe authors. Once a manuscript is accepted, a writer becomes an author in seven days flat!

What began in December 2014 has seen almost 40 titles being approved. Among the ones published under SapnaINK are 12-year-old Manaswini’s Bedtime Stories for Children and 79 year-old A.R. Chandrasekar’s Society or Self – Which should we care for more?

“Writers who have had a longing to see their book published but are on a sticky wicket can hope to take a quick run with SapnaINK, as the novel medium promises to publish their work,” explains Nijesh Shah, founder and CEO of Sapna Infoway.

SapnaINK also builds a virtual road where writers can follow the course of the book sale, says Nijesh Shah, CEO of Sapna Infoway.
SapnaINK also builds a virtual road where writers can follow the course of the book sale, says Nijesh Shah, CEO of Sapna Infoway.

SapnaINK not just helps writers realise their dream of seeing hard copies of their book, but also builds a virtual road where the writers follow the course of the book sale through Sapna’s e-books division, that promises to cut across geographies and platforms to reach global readers, says Mr. Shah. Writers are enabled with editorial needs, creative and design assistance, e-books facility,MARKETING and distribution, book launch platform and print-on-demand.

An editorial team filters the worthy ones for print. “Depending on the services that a writer chooses, we fix the primary fee for the publishing work to take-off,” he says.

“In 25 years of our publishing history, we have 5,500 titles from leading authors, which comes to one-and-a-half books per day with a 50 per cent rejection rate. Mainstream selection is based on having ‘books that are engaging’ or ‘books that can sell’. We are looking at nearly five books a day. The dearth of publishing is balanced by offering a service as SapnaINK, through which we get to publish more and a writer’s dream is achieved,” Mr. Shah says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Ranjani Govind / Bengaluru – May 06th, 2015