Category Archives: Science & Technology

NIT adds another feather in its cap

Education, Science & Technology

The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Warangal has scored another milestone in its annals on Tuesday by commencing Electronics and ICT Academy activities by Padma Shree Prof. D.B. Phatak, a renowned computer professor of IIT, Mumbai.

Mr Ajay Kumar, Joint Secretary, Department of Electronics and IT under Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, New Delhi also graced the occasion. The academy strengthens brand of NIT to train faculty of electronics and computer science in advanced areas, enabling other faculties of engineering to use ICT in their teaching and modern research.

The president of the function, Prof. T. Srinivasa Rao, Director of NITW narrated the chronology of events that culminated into to today’s commencing of activities ceremony.

The guest of honour Dr. Ajay Kumar gave the background with which DeitY concluded to have seven academies spread across the country and the method of selection of four institutes initially to understand pros and cons attaching about seven to eight nearby states for each academy. “Two such academies are in operation at Tamilnadu and Kerala the success of which led to the birth of these new generation academies,” he said.

The Chief guest Prof. D. B. Phatak acclaimed the efforts of technical institutions and government machinery to bring the fruits of ICT into teaching learning process to overcome the huge shortage of faculty to a large extent. He illustrated his point by mentioning the success of online courses through e-outreach, MOOCS, MOODLE and Coursera. “We aim to bring awareness amongst the faculty the advantages of using these online tools to 10,000 teachers all over India,” he said.

Representatives from industry, institutes, state and central governments, deans, heads of departments and centers, officers and other staff members were also present.

The academy strengthens brand of NIT to train faculty of electronics and computer science in advanced areas

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Warangal – August 19th, 2015

Chronicling the milestones of SCCL

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology

Former director writes a book highlighting the glory of the State-owned coal company

After an illustrious career spanning over 36 years in the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), Jammalamadaka Dattatreyulu, former Director of the SCCL, has taken to literature to spread the glory and trailblazing production endeavours of the State-owned premier coal production company.

He has penned a book titled Mining ideas and coal – Journey with Singareni chronicling the many significant milestones and benchmarks achieved by the SCCL in coal production.

Mr. Dattatreyulu, who did B.E (Mining) from Osmania University, joined the SCCL as Mining Graduate Trainee in 1976.

He served as a Director on the board of SCCL for over eight years in the fag end of his career. He was widely appreciated for his significant contribution to upgradation of technology and enhancement of coal production in the company besides pioneering initiatives in other realms such as coal exploration dispatch, welfare and safety of workmen, in addition to corporate social responsibility.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Telangana / by P. Sridhar / Khammam – August 24th, 2015

TS Bags Rs 500 cr Investment from Swiss Major As Industrialists Lap Up Spiel

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Hyderabad :

The state has bagged a big ticket pharma investment worth Rs 500 crores as Switzerland-based Ferring Pharmaceuticals will begin operations here. Ferring is engaged in formulations.

Earlier, the state gave permissions to around 39 companies in two weeks as part of the new industrial policy, TS-iPASS.

“The representatives of Ferring Pharmaceuticals visited the 12-acre land parcel allotted to them in Genome Valley before giving their nod. It will take two months for Ferring to get the other permissions,” sources said.

Another pharma major too is in touch with the Industries Department. “We will reveal the name of the second pharma company only after an agreement is signed. Otherwise, some other state may resort to poaching,” officials confided.

“Several industrialists in textiles, solar, life sciences, plastics and pharma are making serious enquiries. We will reveal the names of the firms only after confirmation,” sources added.

The mobile manufacturer Micromax has started its construction activity in the city. Officials of Industries Department are in touch with other mobile companies as well.

Sources said that another mobile company is also likely to invest in Hyderabad. The Industries Department is now in the process of inviting industrialists who made serious queries. “The industrialists enquired with those who got permissions in two weeks and are serious in investing in the state. All this happened due to word-of-mouth publicity,” sources said.

The State government recently announced a single window industrial policy, which works in a transparent manner without giving scope for corruption or red-tapism. The government has already allocated 10 per cent water in major projects for industries and a land bank of 1.5 lakh acres has been created for industrial needs.

Policy Pull

TS industrial policy spread by word-of-mouth

State is getting serious queries about investments

Switzerland’s Ferring Pharmaceuticals confirmed investment of Rs 500 crore

Textile, pharma, plastics, solar, mobile, life sciences companies looking to TS for investment

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by V.V. Balakrihsna / August 18th, 2015

First Cadaver Paediatric Liver Transplant Surgery at Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Science & Technology

Hyderabad :

Salama, a four-and-half-year-old girl from Hyderabad, became the first girl in the country to receive a cadaver paediatric liver transplant.

A team of transplant surgeons led by Manish C Agarwal at Apollo Hospitals, perfomed a paediatric liver transplant surgery on Salama, who was suffering from a rare liver disease called Ornithine Transcarbamylase (OCT), due to which liver lacks enzymes required for processing proteins. Due to the problem the child could not eat foods like chocolates or milk.

Upasana Kamineni with a four-yr-old girl, who underwent a complex paediatric liver transplant suugery, at a media conference in Hyderabad on Wednesday | A SURESH KUMAR
Upasana Kamineni with a four-yr-old girl, who underwent a complex paediatric liver transplant suugery, at a media conference in Hyderabad on Wednesday | A SURESH KUMAR

“Till her second year she was fine but problem started two years ago, when she was two-and-half years. When we consulted doctors we were told that liver transplant is the only option for her problem,” Mohammed Mujeeb, father of Salama, said. They had to wait for more than two years as it was highly difficult to get a liver donor for a child.
“Doing a liver transplant for a kid is highly complicated as we need liver only from a child. If there is no suitable donor in the family then a child donor has to be found, if not a split liver trasnplant, where an adult liver from a brain dead person is divided into two small parts and one is transplanted in a child. Surgeons need to be highly cautious while performing the surgery as body parts of kids will be about 25 percent of the size of elders’ organs,” said Manish, chief transplant surgeon.

In Salama’s case as there were no suitable donors in the family she was put on cadaver organ waiting list under Jeevandan, Telangana’s cadaver organ transplantation programme.

The long painful wait for Salama ended when liver transplanation was performed on her in July third week, following organ donation from a brain dead child.

“This is the first cadaver liver transplant for a child in India, and though it’s an achievement for us, the real credit goes to the cadaver organ donor kid, because of which the organ transplantation was possible.

A multidispcliary approach involving surgeons, doctors and support staff from various specilaistaions is needed for performing a pediatric liver tranpslantion. The surgey which was very complex but has been so succesful that Salama was moved out of the ICU in just three days and discharged after 12 post operative care,” Manish said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / August 13th, 2015

City Scientist Gets CRSI Award

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology

Hyderabad :

Dr B Mahipal Reddy, chief scientist at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad has been honoured with the Bronze Medal of Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI) for his outstanding contribution in the field of chemical sciences. Sharing his happiness with Express, Reddy said, “The award is special as it is given exclusively for chemical research. I am very happy to get this award and to join the eminent list of people, who have already received it.”

Reddy has been selected for this prestigious honour for his more than two decades of research efforts in basic and applied science which resulted in development of new catalysts for air pollution control, bio-mass conversion to value-added products and conversion of greenhouse gases into useful chemicals etc.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / August 12th, 2015

3 startups bag investments at TiE’s instant funding event

Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Hyderabad :

Three startups managed to impress investors at The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Hyderabad’s SmashUp event on Saturday, bagging investments worth Rs 15 lakh each. The startups are Carving Notions Technologies, which designs and assembles drones; SunwizTech India Pvt Ltd that designed a mobile app for car owners to locate the best place for getting their vehicles serviced; and driver solutions provider Driverr.

During the event, 10 startups with working prototypes pitched their business ideas to angel investors. These start-ups were given just five minutes to pitch to individual investors for a funding of Rs 15 lakh against 10% equity.

“TiE’s SmashUp event has been continuously nurturing early stage startups to move up the value chain. Through this platform, we aim to not only mentor these startups, but also connect them to the investor community. TiE Hyderabad will continue to bring together all stakeholders and play a proactive role in creating an inclusive ecosystem to promote the culture of entrepreneurship,” Rakesh Bhatia-TiE Hyderabad board member and event co-chair said.

The event witnessed a participation of around 300 people representing various stakeholders of the ecosystem, including startups and entrepreneurs.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / August 09th, 2015

The Indian Institute of Chemical Technology plans science park

Education, Science & Technology
Representational image
Representational image

Hyderabad:

The Indian Institute of Chemical Technology plans to set up a Science Park on its premises in Narayanguda to showcase technology developed by the 37 CSIR institutes across the country.

It is also meant to popularise science research among school and college students. The IICT said it has developed 150 technologies in organic chemistry which are in commercial production.

The Science Park will function from the IICT premises near Melkote children’s park in Vittalwadi.

Key projects of IICT to be showcased are membrane technology for pure drinking water in fluorosis affected areas, “Samadhan Kendra” a rural IT centre for the benefit of the rural populace and farmers, pheromones as alternatives to pesticides and generation of energy (biogas) from kitchen waste and from poultry litter.

Under Swachh Bharat, IICT will also provide safe drinking water to flouride affected areas.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / Deccan Chronicle / August 06th, 2015

First cadaver liver transplant at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences

Records, All, Science & Technology
P. Abhijeet, liver donor
P. Abhijeet, liver donor

Hyderabad:

Nims doctors on Saturday conducted their first cadaver liver transplantation under the Jeevandan scheme. The liver from a brain dead youth, engineering student P. Abhijeet, 20, was transplanted to a 60-year-old man who had liver cancer and cirrhosis.

The transplant was carried out by surgical gastroenterology head Dr Bheerappa and liver transplantation surgeon Dr Tom Cherian. Abhijeet, a student of Manipal University, had come home to West Maredpally on a holiday.

He died following a car accident on July 30. His parents and sister agreed to donate his heart, liver, two kidney’s and eyes.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / Deccan Chronicle / August 02nd, 2015

Paints soon that can generate electricity

Science & Technology
Representational image
Representational image

Hyderabad:

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, have developed a smart coating technology that is self-healing, hydrophobic and hydrophilic, eco-friendly, resists corrosion and more. Surfaces requiring these properties need only be coated by the polymers and their hybrids.

Scientists at the Polymers and Functional Materials Division of the IICT said projects on different types of coating materials were underway and could be altered as per the requirements of the user.

Smart coating polymers are under development around the world which respond to an external stimulus. “Self-healing property can be invoked with a small amount of heating. If there is a scratch, it can be removed just by applying heat from a hair dryer,” said Dr Ramanuj Narayan, senior scientist, Polymers and Fun-ctional Materials Division, IICT said.

Another kind of material being developed is transparent and hydrophobic which repels water so there is no wetting or blurring of the surface. Researchers have also developed an eco-friendly polymer paint with anti-microbial properties that is devoid of additives. Paint and coating uses many additives which may contain toxins and could even emit them apart from odours. “Additives also go away after some time, degrading the quality of the paint coat. But there is no degradation in our eco-friendly paint,” said Dr K.V.S.N. Raju, head of the Polymers and Functional Materials Division of IICT.

IICT researchers have also developed a self-recoverable polymer coating that can recover its original shape on slight heating. “Scientists were working on the development of composite materials but observed a self-recoverable behaviour. It will regain its original shape like rubber. We are thinking what kind of applications it can have,” Dr Narayan explained.

IICT is also working on developing a solar paint and ink that will completely do away with the need for solar panels and will directly generate electricity from the coated walls.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / Deccan Chronicle by Amar Tejaswi /July 30th, 2015

Techwave Consulting to open second centre in Hyderabad

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

US headquartered Techwave Consulting Inc. is opening its second office in Hyderabad, a key component of the firm’s global expansion plans that also involves a multi-fold increase in the headcount in the city.

“We have 300 people at our existing global delivery centre in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. Around 500 are to be added at the new facility [in Madhapur],” CEO Damodar Rao Gummadapu told The Hindu over phone on Thursday.

Global system integrator Techwave Consulting, specialising in ERP, Business Analytics, including Big Data, Cloud and mobility space, is acquiring a Hyderabad-based IT firm that has operations in Europe. The acquisition, expected to be closed by August-end, would bring on board 170 staffers from that firm. “Our goal is to increase the employee base in Hyderabad to 1,000 and globally 1,500 in December 2016,” he said, adding that the company is also looking at two more acquisitions. While one of the firms is in the US, the other is in Bengaluru. With the process in a nascent stage, he did not wish to elaborate on any details.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – July 31st, 2015