journal of science education

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Information and Announcements

Physiology or Medicine: has been jointly awarded to

Leland H Hartwell, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Seattle, USA

R Timothy (Tim) Hunt, Clare Hall Laboratories, Cell Cycle Control Laboratory, UK

Paul M Nurse, Lincoln's Inn Fields Laboratories, Cell Cycle Laboratory, UK

for their discoveries of key regulators of the cell cycle.

Chemistry: has been awarded for the development of catalytic asymmetric synthesis, with one half jointly to

William S Knowles, Monsanto Company, St. Louis, USA

Ryoji Noyori, Research Center for Materials Science, Nagoya University, Japan

for their work on chirally catalysed hydrogenation reactions.

The other half to

K Barry Sharpless, Scripps Research Institute, USA

for his work on chirally catalysed oxidation reactions.

Physics: has been awarded to

Eric A Cornell, University of Colorado at Boulder, USA

Wolfgang Ketterle, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA

Carl E Wieman, University of Colorado at Boulder, USA 

for the achievement of Bose_Einstein condensation in dilute gases of alkali atoms, and for early fundamental studies of the properties of the condensates.

Summer Research Fellowships 2002

To motivated and talented students in Science, Medicine and Engineering

Sponsored by: Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research

(In association with DST and Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, New Delhi)

Areas of Research:

Life Sciences: Developmental biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, ecology, evolutionary biology, immunology, chronobiology, animal behaviour, biomedical research, environmental science.

Chemical Sciences: Solid state chemistry, inorganic and physical chemistry, organic chemistry, theoretical quantum chemistry, computer simulations of materials.

Physical Sciences: Elementary particle and nuclear physics, relativity and cosmology, condensed matter and statistical physics, semiconductor physics, materials physics, astronomy and astrophysics.

Engineering Sciences: Turbulence, stability of fluid flows, two phases flow, thermal science, biochemical engineering, polymer engineering, chemical reactor analysis, transport phenomena, Interfacial phenomena, process metallurgy, physical metallurgy, ceramics, composite materials and topics in electronic/electrical engineering and computer science.

Mathematics

Atmospheric Sciences

Eligibility: Students presently studying in II and III year BSc, BVSc, BE, BTech, MBBS, BPharma, MCA and I year of MSc courses.

Selected students will be given an opportunity to pursue a research project with faculty chosen by the Centre for two months during the April-July 2002 period in the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore or other institutions in the country. The total number of Fellowships offered will be up to 100.

The 10 best students selected will be named Rajiv Gandhi Science Talent Research fellows.

Travel assistance and a stipend of Rs 3,000/- per month will be provided.

Only selected candidates will be intimated by early March 2002. No other enquiries or correspondence will be entertained.

Mailing address: The Programme Co-ordinator, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur PO, Bangalore 560 064, India.

Last date for receipt of completed applications 10^th December 2001.

Applications can be downloaded from the website 
http://www.jncasr.ac.in. 

Email: academic@Jncasr.ac.in ; Fax: 080-8462766.

Microscale Experiments in Chemistry: Initiatives in Implementation

There is widespread concern that student interest in science and science-related careers has waned almost to the point where the future of science and technology in India is in jeopardy. Strenuous efforts are being made to remedy the situation. The emergence of Resonance is itself an important development with this laudable objective.

One of the major factors in stirring young pupils' imagination and interest is the facility to observe and understand chemical processes through experiments in the laboratory. Traditionally students are required to conduct experiments with set parameters using life-size equipment in a laboratory. The demand for space and the cost of establishing and maintaining a laboratory have meant that a large number of high schools and undergraduate colleges do not have laboratories.

A recent development, pioneered in India by Professors Kelkar and Kamat in Pune and Goa Universities promises to get over this problem by conducting experiments using microscale tech-niques. This technique was first widely disseminated in India by an article in Resonance in October 2000. Since then, the application of this technique to a variety of experiments has been described in several follow-up articles by Professor Kelkar. Initial trials in a few schools in Maharashtra and in Goa have been reported to be encouraging. The equipment and chemicals required for experiments for high school classes costs only in the range of a few thousand rupees; this fact makes it feasible to bring this facility within the reach of large numbers of students at low cost.

Rotary Club of Bangalore Cantonment (RCBC)

RCBC is a service-oriented group with a strong focus on ground level work aimed at improving educational attainments in schools and also toward rendering primary and secondary education of good quality accessible to segments of society who are currently denied such facilities. The article in Resonance on `Microscale Experiments in Chemistry' caught the attention of RCBC members who recognised its potential for promoting Rotary's objective of creating awareness. Accordingly, RCBC took the initiative to contact several schools in the Bangalore area and invited Professors Kelkar and Kamat to demonstrate the new technique at a workshop in Bangalore and also hold demonstrations in a few schools where students could also participate. The workshop and the demonstration in three schools were held on 19/20 January 2001. The workshop was attended by twenty five science teachers from eleven schools and Principals of two schools.

With the enthusiastic support of the authorities of Frank Anthony Public School, the Little Angels Modern High School and the Mahila Seva Samaj School, the professors demonstrated several experiments in these schools. Students of standards 9 and 10 from these schools as well as a few others in the vicinity participated. Over 125 students were thus provided an opportunity to acquire a feel for the technique. The demonstrations covered the following experiments:

1. Generation and detection of NO-x (nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide).

2. Generation of oxides of sulphur, and oxides of carbon.

3. The generation of an enclosed polluted environment and its chemical behavior.

Demonstrated benefits

1. It is possible to devise these experiments to match requirements of existing syllabi e.g., the activities prescribed in each chapter in NCAER textbooks.

2. The material required for a class of forty students (say) could be carried out in a suit case to the classroom, thereby avoiding the need for an elaborate laboratory and the movement of students during school-hours.

The students were particularly excited by the facility for direct observation of chemical reactions in progress at their desk rather than be content with noting end results. This is perhaps a very important benefit for inspiring students in the pursuit of science and in sparking their innovative impulses.

RCBC plans

The feedback from teachers has been uniformly enthusiastic and RCBC feels encouraged to proceed further to catalyze the implementation of the technique. RCBC is in touch with the professors for this purpose and has drawn up a plan for the implementation of this technique this year, at least in a few other schools. The first step will be to bring out operation manual's that describe the experimental procedures in a standard format. RCBC thereafter proposes to invite participation by as many schools as possible for a detailed familiarization camp for teachers, which could span a few days. By keeping the fee for participation at a nominal level _ just adequate to recover the cost of publication and related conference arrangements _ it is hoped that a large number of schools, including some government schools, will participate.

For further information contact:

R Parthasarathy

S/23, Golden Enclave, Airport Road, Bangalore 560 017, India

Email: santhaparthy@hotmail.com 

Indian Academy of Sciences
C.V.Raman Avenue, Post Box No. 8005,
Sadashivanagar Post, Bangalore 560 080