A 'Material'istic Day

The very word 'materials' invokes a plethora of passions and aspirations, especially into novices like me who are quite oblivious of this ever-emerging discipline, that has encompassed a variety of inter-junctions of almost all the basic sciences. Hence for the alleviation of this widespread oblivion, the materials engineering department organized a day-long informative and educative program for the undergraduates on Saturday, 27th October, 2012, which was a perfect blend of instruction and interaction for all of us.
The program comprised of two lectures, one by Prof. Atul Chokshi and the other by Prof. Praveen Kumar, who discussed and described various astounding phenomena and aspects that occur within the realm of materials, followed by an elaborate visit to the major laboratories in the department, wherein research students and faculty described their research in a very pedagogical and exciting manner, which was equally enthralling, which was followed by a delicious luncheon. The afternoon session had a very fun-filled, yet illuminating quiz which featured several exciting questions and innovative quizzing about materials.
Indeed, the program was a very penetrative, yet succinct excursion into the vast world of the science of 'materials', which I have just gazed into.

Academy Lecture by Prof. Gadagkar at the Faculty Hall

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard;

                              Consider its ways, and be wise."[Proverbs-6:6]

              "गच्छन् पिपीलिको याति योजनानां शतान्यपि |
          अगच्छन् वैनतेय: अपि पदमेकं न मुञ्चते ||"

Ants, bees and some other well-known insects have been one of the perennial sources of inspiration for folklore and worldly advice. The general perception about ants and other social insects is that of some tirelessly, fearlessly hardworking organisms when observed from a narrow outlook, the incentive of whose broadening was provided by the Academy lecture by Prof. Gadagkar at the jam-packed Faculty Hall, brimming with people with largely diverse interests, united by the thread of considerate thought and careful contemplation.

The lecture was indeed aimed at diverse backgrounds- theory, erudition, engineering vitality and many more. There was a constant flux of  newer and newer perspectives in each one of us as we were shown the multifaceted, panoramic view of the mannerisms and tactics of bees, ants and other social insects within their activities of foraging, communication, conviviality and loyalty. It was exceptionally thrilling to know more about them and how their actions correspond with our societal practices. Some marvelous examples among them include their sense of the world around them as a collective unit, along with the way in which they have maintained their agriculture for millions of years, i.e. the agriculture of fungi by ants for food! We were gladdened to know about the several ways in which ants have inspired people, efficient "routing algorithms" being one of them!

Indeed, it was a memorable experience to know, contemplate on and explore the vast variety within which nature has poised us in a very fascinating and overwhelming way.      

संस्कृतभारत्या आयोजिता व्याकरणशाला

जूनमासे चतुर्विंशत्यां दिनाङ्के रविवासारे समासविषये एका लघुशाला अलसूरौ रामकृष्णमठे आयोजिता | तन्मध्ये समासविषये बोधनं चर्चा च अभवताम् | संस्कृतभारत्याः हेग्डेमहोदयः नः विविधानि विषयवस्तूनि बोधितवान् यथेष्टं च चर्चितवान् | मध्याह्नकाले पाणिनेः समाससूत्राणाम्  अपि  बोधनम् अभवत् |
शालायाः कृते सर्वेषां सञ्चालकानां अध्यापकस्य च धन्यवादं मन्ये |    

Looking through an Electron Microscope

"It is possible to see the cell organelles clearly though an electron microscope.", proclaimed the science teacher.

"Then why do not we get one in our school, madam?", asked I, oblivious of the intricacies involved with the word 'electron microscopy'.

"An electron microscope costs at least tens of lakhs! Hardly some one in the city, or even the state must be having it!"

As a high school student  I thought what an electron microscope could be like and why and how it could give such high magnifications. As of now I still have no idea how the complex, yet magnificent machine called the electron microscope actually works. Yet I have the content of having seen it and having seen "something" through it, the joy of which is quite inexplicable.

My privilege of having a raw gaze at the electron microscope came in the form of a demonstration workshop jointly held by Gatan Inc. and IISc at the Advanced Facility for Microscopy and Micro-analysis in the campus on 7th July, 2012, wherein modules of the Transmission Electron Microscope and the Scanning Electron Microscope were displayed. The instruments, owing to their gigantic nature, were thoroughly intimidating; yet it was equally bewildering and amazing to see the microscopic image of the aluminium piece through the Scanning Electron Microscope, which was full of textures and patterns that I could have never imagined or expected. Similar was the case with the sample displayed through the Transmission Electron Microscope, which seemed to me like some enigma of an art work, which was too encrypted to be deciphered.. It was simply thrilling to welcome the fact that it has become possible to visualize and maneuver such intricate structures within materials owing to the electron microscope, begetting me an experience that will be cherished for long.  

     

Screening of the Documentary 'PsyWar' at the Choksi Hall

A lazy afternoon spent in front of the 'idiot box'[with sincere apologies to the revered Lord श्री TRP(read:Television Rating Point)] would essentially seem harmless to anyone, barring the few dangerous radiations. Hardly would anyone imagine that a person/agency thousands of miles away is actually training its guns against us and trying to mutilate our mentalities and psyche, and eventually succeeding in it! Such malicious and ulterior propaganda have sneaked into our lives, which go today under the name of "psychological warfare", or psy-wars, which was the theme of the documentary screened by the IISc "Concern" group on June 6.
The entire 100-minute documentary was a real eye-opener, though in an American context, as we waded through the glimpses of dramatic incidents in world history including some devastating warfares, which were orchestrated by some powerful and influential unscrupulous elements, triggering bouts of severe massacre and drudgery, ultimately toying with public sentiments and psychologically tampering them. The experience indeed was an unsettling one and impinged upon us the dire need and responsibility of cultivating and spreading awareness in the right vein, ensuring "psychological" safety in our society, along with other safeties.  

Screening of a Documentary Film on the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant

Technology, as an ultimate solution to human misgivings, is often hypothesized to be foolproof and alleviating. amounting to a blatant imbalance in the society and inefficient implementations. Some of the consequences take humanity on their toll, one of the foremost being "nuclear power" itself. Awareness, in such trying circumstances, plays a crucial role in order to rack up our brains and reform our strategies, which indeed motivated R.P. Amudhan, a noted filmmaker and activist to spread the word of awareness and reform, concerning the cause of the people residing near the coming up Koodankulam nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu, through an enlightening documentary, who also presented his painstaking work at the institute(on 19th March, 2012). The documentary acted as an eye opener for many among the diverse audience who graced the occasion, discussing the sorry plight of the villages around the site allocated for the nuclear plant, comprising of children, women and ill-compensated farmers. The documentary also showed the brave fight put up by them in the face of dominant oppression, testifying the indomitable spirit of the people. In the end there was ample discussion on the various aspects of this people's movement involving the filmmaker R.P. Amudhan himself, concluding with a resolve to consolidate and empathize with their sentiments.
     

An Interactive Session with Dr. Binayak Sen

A stay in IISc, brief or prolonged, ensures exposures of several kinds-one of them is the exposure to a plethora of speakers who range from fields related to science and technology to fields as diverse as societal well-being and policy making. Similar was an experience when we interacted with the well-known social activist Dr. Binayak Sen in the Materials Engineering Seminar Hall of IISc, contemplating and debating on various issues related to the society and the country as a whole.
Generally one expects such sessions to be one-sided where the speaker does most of the talking and there is virtually no room left for the audience for informal interactions. But the determination to "speak less and discuss more" with which Dr. Sen strode into the hall was quite overwhelming and heartening at the same time. In his short address which was deprived of elaboration yet full of precision, he stressed upon his areas of focus, making an ideal platform thus for plenty of discussion which ensued and persisted for another hour or so.
Hence there was hardly any soul left in the hall who could not get a chance to personally interact with Dr. Sen. Amidst the volley of questions fired at him one could easily sense his concern and stress regarding "conviviality" and the well being of underprivileged and deprived people, which indeed impressed upon us quite well throughout the session. Indeed, the session acted as an ideal trigger towards a newer and rejuvenated line of thought for the well being of the society and the nation, in its entirety.    

Book Reading Project-Lecture and Discussion

As the new year has commenced with its own share of optimism and joy in our lives, I embark upon a yet another exciting journey of the second semester in the Institute of Science, to get enchanted by the captivating aura of this place to deeper extents.
Today we were indeed lucky to have an interaction-cum-discussion session on the book by the renowned astrophysicist Dr. S Chandrashekhar-'Truth And Beauty:Aesthetics and Motivations in the Pursuit of Science' graced by our distinguished professors and Prof. N. Mukunda, who gave the opening talk of the session, which was followed by the talk by Prof. Arnab Rai Choudhari, essentially resourcing the food for thought which was a vital driving force of the entire session.
This was follwed by detailed discussions on the book in groups of around 15-20 people who in turn were led by professors from our institute, where specific intricacies in the magnificient book were dealt in a holistic and heuristic fashion. It was really amazing and overwhelming to listen to various views juxtaposed together which were ultimately trying to define(or sometimes 'undefine' in an innate and perspective manner) "truth", "beauty" and "aesthetics" in arts and sciences and try to resolve the thin demarcating line between the two. Towards the end almost each one of us could relate with others' views and develop a deeper understanding of the terms "beauty in sciences" and "motivations to seek the truth in science".
It was indeed a mesmerising session which would certainly act as a key step to "Baptising" ourselves into the magnificient religion of science practised in this institute, as one of our professors puts it.