List of 2014 Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Award Winners

The winners of the 2014 edition of the annual Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Award were announced by CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) at its 72nd Foundation Day celebrations on 26 September 2014. The 10 awardees have been chosen from various prestigious research institutions in India. The list of awardees of this years prize are as follows:-Biological Sciences Roop Mallik Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Mumbai

Chemical SciencesKavirayani Ramakrishna Prasad Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru.

Souvik Maiti Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) New Delhi.

Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences Sachchida Nand Tripathi Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.

Engineering SciencesS Venkata Mohan Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT) Hyderabad.

Soumen Chakrabarti Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai.

Mathematical SciencesKaushal Kumar Verma Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru.

Medical SciencesAnurag Agrawal Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) New Delhi.

Physical SciencesPratap Raychaudhuri Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Mumbai.

Sadiqali Abbas Rangwala Raman Research Institute Bengaluru.

This award is given in the memory of Sir Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar, who was Founder -Director of CSIR and first Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). He is known as Father of Indian Research Laboratories, remembered for having established various chemical labs in the country. The award is conferred on individuals for their pathbreaking contributions to the world of science and technology. The award consists of a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh, a citation and a plaque.

Jean Tirole wins Nobel Prize for Economics -2014Jean-Tirole The Nobel Prize for Economics was awarded to Jean Tirole for his analysis of market power and regulation. He will be awarded prize money of 8 million Swedish krona.Jean Tirole is the second Frenchman to have been awarded a Nobel Prize this year. Tirole has been very vocal about the need for greater regulation of banks, and has been in the news for his views ever since the financial crisis of 2008.Work of TiroleTiroles area of study has been markets which are dominated by a few large and powerful firms or which have a single monopoly. When left unregulated by the government, these firms tend to distort the markets and have generally adverse consequences. Since the mid 1980s, Tirole has been researching such market failures. He analysed these firms in order to determine the best way to regulate them effectively. Governments of most nations had a tendency to place the same set of regulations on the firms in different sectors/industries. Tiroles work suggested that such a method would be ineffectual, and that there need to be different regulations and restrictions on firms in different sectors like banking, telecommunications etc. His work has helped governments develop a better framework to protect the rights of both competing firms, small size firms and consumers.Jean TiroleJean was born on 9 August 1953, in France. He did his doctorate from MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is currently with the Toulouse University in France where he is the Scientific Director at Institut dconomie Industrielle in the Toulouse School of Economics.Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic SciencesThe Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences is officially called the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. It is not one of the original Nobel Prizes established by Alfred Nobels will in 1895. The Economics Prize was established only in 1968, and is funded by Swedens central bank, Sveriges Riksbank. The bank created an endowment for the Prize on its 300th anniversary.However, the Economics prize follows the same rules governing the original Nobel Prizes and is awarded at the same ceremony. Also, in consonance with Nobels will, the Economics Prize is also given to persons who have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind. The selection is done by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, who pick the Nobel laureates in chemistry and physics.

Nobel Peace Prize 2014

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. The Committee specifically pointed out how commendable it was for a Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common struggle for education and against extremism. The Committee also hoped that their fight for the rights of children will contribute to the larger goal of fraternity between nations that Alfred Nobel has explicitly mentioned in his will as one of the criteria for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize.Malala and Satyarthi will be awarded a medal and $1.4 mn at an special ceremony in Oslo.Malala Yousafzaimalala17 year old Malala Yousafzai is the youngest Nobel Laureate in the history of the prize. She is also the third Nobel laureate who was born in Pakistan.Malala fought for the rights of girl children in Swat Valley, Pakistan to attend school. She was shot by gunmen there, and later moved to Birmingham, UK. Since then, she has published her autobiography, addressed the UNGA, been named one of Time magazines most influential people in 2013, and awarded the EUs Sakharov Prize for human rights.Kailash Satyarthikailash satyarthiSatyarthi is the eighth Nobel laureate to have been born in India. He is an adherent of Gandhian philosophy. He has upheld Mahatma Gandhis practice of engaging and conducting peaceful protests. He has focused his agitations against the exploitation of children for financial gain. He is the founder of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement). Through his NGO, he campaigns for protection of child rights and to abolish illegal human trafficking.

Nobel Prize Literature 2014Patrick-Modiano The Nobel Prize in Literature for 2014 has been awarded to the French author, Patrick Modiano, for the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the occupation.The last time a French author won a Nobel for Literature was in 2008 when Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio won.Modiano has also been the recipient of other awards including Grand prix du roman de lAcademie francaise in 1972 and the 2010 prix mondial Cino Del Duca by the Institut de France for lifetime achievement. In 2012, he won the Austrian State Prize for European Literature.Patrick ModianoModiano was born on July 30, 1945 in a suburb of Paris. He studied at the Lyce Henri-IV in Paris. His private geometry coach, Raymond Queneau, was also a writer and had a significant influence on Modianos career. His writings are in French, though some have been translated into English and other languages.He made his writing debut in 1968 withLa place de ltoile. His first work was widely discussed and well known but it hasnt been translated into English. Most of his work centres around ambiguous themes such as memory, oblivion, identity and guilt.His stories also tend to be of an autobiographical nature and draw upon his city and its history. Some of Modianos works have been translated into English, among themLes boulevards de ceinture(1972;Ring Roads:A Novel, 1974),Villa Triste(1975;Villa Triste, 1977),Quartier perdu(1984;A Trace of Malice, 1988) andVoyage de noces(1990;Honeymoon, 1992). His latest work is the novelPour que tu ne te perdes pas dans le quartier.Other than an author of novels, Modiano has also written childrens novels and movie scripts.

Richard Flanagan wins Man Booker PrizeRichard Flanagan The Man Booker Prize 2014 for fiction was awarded to Australian author Richard Flanagan, for his novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North.The Narrow Road to the Deep NorthFlanagans book centers around the themes of love and war. It is set in the background of World War II, in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp. Flanagan worked on the novel for 12 years, and wrote five different versions before settling on the final one. The book is inspired by the personal experiences of Flanagans father, who was a prisoner-of-war.Richard FlanaganFlanagan was born in Tasmania in July 1961. He is the third Australian to win the Man Booker Prize. Flanagans previous novels, Death of a River Guide, The Sound of One Hand Clapping, Goulds Book of Fish, The Unknown Terrorist and Wanting have been published in 26 countries.Flanagan also directed a movie title The Sound Of One Hand Clapping in 1998.NominationsThe Man Booker formulates a longlist, from which a shortlist is further made, finally leading to one winner. The other nominations in the shortlist in 2014 were How to be Both by Ali Smith, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler, The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee, To Rise Again at a Decent Hour by Joshua Ferris and J by Howard Jacobson.Judging processThe selection process for the winner begins with the formation of an advisory committee comprising of a writer, two publishers, a literary agent, a bookseller, a librarian, and a chairperson appointed by the Booker Prize Foundation. This committee then selects the judging panel, whose membership changes every year. Judges are selected from literary critics, writers, academics and leading public figures.This year, the Prize was chaired by A.C.Grayling. The judges this year were Jonathan Bate, Sarah Churchwell, Alastair Niven, Daniel Glaser and Erica Wagner.Man Booker PrizeThe Man Booker Prize is a literary award given to the best original novel in English, that has been published in the UK. It is presented by the Man Group, which is a British alternative investment management business. The Booker Prize was first awarded in 1969. It is generally presented in Guildhall, London. The award is open to all authors of English books, regardless of their nationalities.

Chemistry Nobel Prize 2014The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has announced that the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the year 2014 is being awarded to Eric Betzig, Stefan W. Hell and William E. Moerner for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy. For years, it was assumed that the resolution that could be achieved by optical microscopy was limited to half the wavelength of light. These three scientists overcame this perceived limitation with the help of fluorescent molecules. Their work has made it possible to study molecular processes in real time according to the Nobel Committee Chair. The winners will share the prize money of 8 mn kroner.nobel-prize-chemistry-winneLimitation on ResolutionIt was assumed by the scientific community that it would be impossible to study living cells in its tiniest molecular detail. The microscopist Ernst Abbe had set 0.2 micrometres as the maximum resolution that could be achieved through optical microscopy. This development took place in 1873, and for decades no scientist could achieve a better resolution. These three scientists surpassed Abbes limitation and enabled scientists to analyse the nanoscopic world. The scientists have been awarded for their work with two different approaches, namely, stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy and single molecule microscopy.Work of Stefan HellStefan Hell developed the STED microscopy method in 2000. To better Abbes resolution, he used two laser beams. One beam stimulated the fluorescent molecules to grow, while the other beam cancelled out all fluorescence except that in a nanometer sized volume.Work of Betzig and MoernerBetzig and Moerner worked with single molecule microscopy. This method is based on the ability to turn the fluorescence of molecules on and off. A couple of different molecules are allowed to glow each time the image is recorded;. Then, all the recorded images are superimposed to form one complete image covering all molecules. This method was first tested in 2006.Breakthrough workThe work done by these scientists enables researchers and other to analyse individual molecules, thus enabling them to carry on further research. With the ability to look at individual molecules, we can better understand the human anatomy and the occurrence of various diseases.About Eric BetzigEric Betzig is an American citizen who born in 1960 in USA. He is a Group Leader at the Janelia Research Campus at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in USAAbout Stefan W. HellStefan W. Hell is a German citizen who was born in Romania in 1962. He is Director at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Gttingen, and Division head at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, Germany.William E. MoernerWilliam E. Moerner is an American citizen who was born in USA in 1953. He is the Harry S. Mosher Professor in Chemistry and Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University in USA.

Nobel Prize for Physics 2014The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced its decision to award the Nobel Prize for Physics to Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura for the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources.nobel-prize-physics-winnersIsamu AkasakiIsamu Akasaki is a Japanese citizen. He was born 1929 in Chiran, Japan and educated in Japan. He is currently a Professor at Meijo University, Nagoya, and Distinguished Professor at Nagoya University, Japan.Hiroshi AmanoHiroshi Amano is a Japanese citizen. He was born in 1960 in Hamamatsu, Japan and educated in Japan. He is a Professor at Nagoya University in Japan.Shuji NakamuraShuji Nakamura is an American citizen. He was born in 1954 in Ikata, Japan and educated in Japan. He is currently a Professor at University of California in USA.Discovery of blue LEDsThe three scientists of Japanese origin have been awarded the Nobel for inventing blue light emitting diodes or LEDs.Although red and green LEDs have been in existence for decades now, development of blue LEDs posed a formidable challenge to scientists and researchers.Within a LED, current is applied to multiple semiconductor materials, which emit a particular wavelength of light depending on the chemical make-up of the semiconductor materials in question. Gallium nitride was the semiconductor used by the Japanese researchers to develop the blue LED. Growing adequately big crystal of gallium nitride was the challenge that many researchers couldnt figure out. Akasaki and Amano, worked together in 1986 to get the gallium nitride to grow to a big size, with the help of a specifically designed scaffold partially made from sapphire.In 1990, Nakamura also managed to induce the gallium nitride to grow to a big size by manipulating the temperature to induce its growth.Their work in discovering blue LEDs led to the combining of red, green and blue LEDs to form white LEDs.Significance of blue LEDsBlue LED is an extremely significant development on its own, and because it was a stepping stone in the development of white LED, it is a path-breaking milestone.Blue LEDs are used in many products nowadays. Smartphones, for example, use blue LEDs. White LEDs are used in a plethora of products from lamps tto television screen to computer screens.LEDs use much less energy than incandescent lamps, and are efficient enough to run on locally generated solar power. It is major development in the 21st century where energy conservation has become vital

Nobel Prize Medicine winners 2014

John OKeefe and Norwegian couple May-Britt and Edvard Moser have won the 2014 Nobel Prize for medicine for their work which has led to discovering the brains internal positioning system.About Nobel Prize in MedicineThe Nobel award for medicine is given to persons whose discoveries have significantly enhanced the understanding of life or the practice of medicine. The Nobel comes with prize money of 8 mn Swedish kroner or $1.1 mn. The winner is chosen by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute which is a group of 50 professors which has an 18 member working body that evaluates nominations from scientists around the world and proposes the names of top candidates for the award. The Nobel Prize for medicine is always announced before the Nobel Prize for other categories. The Nobel Assembly, made the announcement at Swedens Karolinska Institute saying that the discovery had provided a solution to an issue that has plagued the mind of researchers and philosopher alike for centuries : How does the brain create a map of the space surrounding us and how can we navigate our way through a complex environment?2014 Nobel Prize Medicine WinnersJohn OKeefeScreenClip[21]John OKeefe is a 74 yr old American-British Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College in London.In 1971, Dr. OKeefe was studying the hippocampus, when during an experiment on rats he discovered that certain nerve cells got activated when the rat was in a particular spot. If the rat changed its place, then different nerve cells in the rats brain got activated. This led to his conclusion that the cells werent just registering the location but they appeared to be making circuits that constituted an inner map or GPS of the place. He realized that the hippocampus was a spatial system where the memory of a certain place gets stored a particular combination of the nerve cells.May-Britt and Edvard MoserScreenClip[25]May-Britt Moser aged 51 and Edvard Moser aged 52 are a married team of neuroscientists working at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim.In 2005, the Mosers worked with OKeefe to further his work. They conducted similar experiments on rats, where they discovered that nerve cells in entorhinal cortex which is near the hippocampus got activated when the animals passed certain places. These nerve cells together laid out a grid like pattern enabling the rat to navigate spatially.ResearchBefore the work done by these three scientists, we didnt have a sense of how the brain processed maps at a cellular level. Their work helps researchers delve deeper into how strokes and Alzheimers affect the brain, with the help of their inner navigational chart.

International day of Non-Violence celebrated

mahatma-gandhi The International Day of Non-violence is being celebrated throughout the world on October 2, 2014 the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This Day is observed by all countries of the UN and it promotes the principles of non-violence through education and public awareness.About International day of Non-ViolenceA resolution was tabled in the UNGA in 2007 to establish the International Day of Non-violence in an effort to spread the message of non-violence. The resolution acknowledged the efforts of Mahatma Gandhi is spreading the message of non-violence, and it was decided to celebrate the International Day of Non-violence on October 2. This resolution passed in the UNGA, and since then October 2 has been globally observed as International Day of Non-violence.

Nation celebrates Gandhi and Shastri Jayanti

gandhi-shashtri On 2 October 2014, India celebrated the birth anniversaries of two of its greatest leaders and freedom fighters, Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri, on October. Multiple events across the nation were held in remembrance of the two leaders. Various schools and institutions conducted events and functions to commemorate the day. Politicians paid their respects to Gandhi and Shastri at Raj Ghat and Vijay Ghat respectively.Swachh Bharat AbhiyanA cleanliness drive under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was launched by the PM Narendra Modi. This also marks the launch of the programme itself. Many cleanliness drives across the nation were organized under the programme. Cleanliness pledges were taken by people over the country, including the PM.Lal Bahadur Shastri2014 marks the 110th birth anniversary of Shastri. He was an active participant in the Indian freedom struggle since 1920. He also has the distinction of being the second PM of India, when he took over after the untimely demise of Jawaharlal Nehru. HE has also been Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of External Affairs. He is most famous for his slogan, Jai Jawaan, Jai Kisan. He revolutionized the agricultural sector during his tenure. He also oversaw the florishing of the Amul Co-operative which heralded a White Revolution in the country. He led the country successfully through the 1965 war with Pakistan. He passed away on January 11, 1966, just after signing the Tashkent Pact. He was posthumously conferred the Bharat Ratna.Mahatma Gandhi2014 marks the 145th birth anniversary of Gandhi. Gandhi was one of the main leaders in the Indian national movement fighting for freedom from the British. A lawyer by profession, Gandhi had been educated in the UK and had a practice in South Africa before returning to India. The date of his return to India is celebrated as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to acknowledge the large Indian expatriate community spread across the world. Gandhis methods, that involved non- violence, non co-operation and civil disobedience, found mass appeal in India. He also criticized practices such as untouchability. He is considered by most Indians to be the father of the nation. He was assassinated in January 1948.

Tyeb Mehta painting sold at 11 crore rupeesModernist Tyeb Mehtas painting was sold at the Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art sale in Sothebys for a whooping Rs. 11 cr. The Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art sale marked the beginning of Sothebys Indian and Islamic Week, which will see three separate auctions dedicated to the works of established artists from the Indian sub-continent and the Islamic world.The blue painting was brought for a price far higher than its pre-auction estimate by an anonymous bidder. The painting is thought to be an important transitional work of Mehtas, and a departure from his pet themes of angst and suffering. The depiction of the female body is believed to be inspired from the works of international artists such as Barnett Newman, Kazimir Malevich and Henri Matisse.Tyeb MehtaTyeb Mehta was born in 1925 in Gujarat. He studied at the J.J.School of Art. He is one of the post-colonial group of artists in India. He was a part of the renowned Bombay Progressive Artists Group which is a grouping of influential modern Indian artists post-1947 who are known for their unique collection of work with certain similar characteristics. His work belonged to the Modernism school of painting. He is a Padma Bhushan awardee. Mehtas work was the first by a contemporary Indian artist to be sold for over a million dollars. One of his later paintings, Celebration, sold for Rs. 15 mn at a Christies auction in 2002. This set the record for the highest sale amount for an Indian painting at an international auction. He died in 2009 in Mumbai. Click Here to read brief Biography of Tyeb Mehta