NATIO N AL SCIENCE A N C DIA ADE N M I Y NIDIAN NATIONAL SCIENCE ACADEMY p p p p p p NIDIAN NATIONAL SCIENCE ACADEMY p p AAnnnnuuaall RReeppoorrtt 2014-15 NNAATTIIOO NN AALL SSCCIIEENNCCEE AA NN CC DDIIAA AADDEE NN MM II YY Indian National Science Academy Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110 002 ~e à;kfe HkxZ% lfo qr Zosj.; Annual Report 2014-15 © Indian National Science Academy Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg New Delhi-110002 EPABX Nos. : 011-23221931-23221950 Fax : 91-11-23231095, 23235648 E-mail : [email protected] [email protected] Website : http://www.insaindia.org http://www.insa.nic.in (For Journals) Vice-President (Publications/Informatics) Professor SC Lakhotia, FNA Compiled By Dr AN Thakur, Deputy Executive Director Ms. Shruti Sethi Published by Dr Alok K Moitra, Executive Director on behalf of Indian National Science Academy, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110002 and printed at Angkor Publishers (P) Ltd., B-66, Sector 6, NOIDA. Mob.: 09910161199, E-mail: [email protected] ii Highlights 1. The Academy elected 37 Fellows and three of Association of Academies and Societies of Foreign Fellows and newly initiated two Pravasi Sciences in Asia (AASSA). Around 70 overseas Fellows to the Fellowship during the year 2015. delegates and 50 Indian scientists took active part in the deliberations. 2. 30 Young researchers were selected by the Academy for the INSA Medal for Young Scientists 11. Several international events such as for the year 2014. SCiDataCon-2014 & 29th CODATA General 3. INSA Young Historian of Science Award was Assembly, INDO-US Workshop, Indo-Israeli instituted and awarded this year for the first time. Meeting, International Symposium cum Workshop, INSA-Leopoldina Joint Symposium 4. 10 outstanding teachers were honoured with etc. were organised by the Academy. INSA Teachers Award for the year 2014. 12. Under the Science Promotion Programme, the 5. 14 awards (three general and 11 subjectwise Academy supported 53 Senior Scientists, 68 medals/lectures) were announced by the Honorary Scientists and 38 Young Scientists Academy. Awardees for advanced research in their 6. The Academy supported 160 scientists/ specialized disciplines. researchers for attending various ICSU/Non- 13. 91 Conferences/Seminars/Symposia/Workshops ICSU sponsored conference abroad. which were held in different parts of the country 7. 33 researchers from abroad were awarded with were also financially supported. INSA JRD-TATA, JNCASR-CICS and DBT-TWAS 14. Under the History of Science Programme, the Post Graduate and Post-Doctoral Fellowships and Academy supported 30 research projects during 482 Indian scientists/researchers were awarded the year. with INSA-CSIR-DAE/BRNS-CICS Travel Fellowship Programme during the year 2014. 15. 12 public lectures on topic of societal relevance and 23 award lectures under the aegis of different 8. The Academy supported 106 Indian scientists local chapters of the Academy were delivered to work in overseas laboratories and R & D under Science and Society Programme. institutions and facilitated 21 overseas scientists to work in India under various Exchange/ 16. 34 popular lectures were delivered to young International Programmes. students and teachers of schools and colleges by the Fellows in remote/rural areas. 9. Academy selected three middle level outstanding scientists for INSA Chairs to facilitate the 17. All the 40 volumes of Biographical Memoirs of interaction with distinguished overseas scientists Deceased Fellows of the Academy have been with their Indian counterparts. digitised and ready for uploading on Academy’s website. 10. The Academy hosted the Third Summit of South Asian Science Academies and General Assembly iii Annual Report 2014-15 Contents Page No. 1. Highlights ......................................................................................................................................iii 2. Foreword ........................................................................................................................................v 3. Council and Meetings .....................................................................................................................1 4. Awards and Honours .....................................................................................................................21 5. International Programmes .............................................................................................................23 6. Science Promotion ........................................................................................................................35 7. History of Science ..........................................................................................................................37 8. Science and Society .......................................................................................................................39 9. Science Education Programme ......................................................................................................48 10. Informatics ....................................................................................................................................49 11. Publications ...................................................................................................................................51 12. Implementation of Official Language Policy ...................................................................................53 13. Organizational Structure ................................................................................................................54 14. Auditor’s Repot ..............................................................................................................................55 15. Annexures (I-XXVI) ........................................................................................................................61 iv Foreword I have immense pleasure in presenting the Annual Report of the Indian National Science Academy for 2014-15. It contains a brief account of all the activities that were carried out during the last year in the Academy. A major responsibility of the Academy has been to recognize and promote excellence in science and technology by electing to the Fellowship the most eminent Indian scientists and distinguished overseas scientists. Beginning this year, the Academy has started electing a new category of Fellow termed as Pravasi Fellow who are eminent scientists of Indian Origin and renowned for their contributions Since 1968, INSA had been designated as the to science. We have as such added 37 scientists as adhering organisation in India to the International Fellows, three overseas scientists as Foreign Fellows Council for Science (ICSU) on behalf of the and two scientists as Pravasi Fellows during 2014-15. Government of India. Our scientists are playing One important responsibility that the Academy roles in several committees of ICSU and occupy undertakes is to nurture and encourage young important positions of its different committees. As scientific talent of the nation. This year the Academy new initiatives, a National Chapter of TWAS and has recognized the performance and dedication of 30 a Secretariat of AASSA has been established by scientists below the age of 35 years with the award of the Academy. In order to strengthen the bilateral INSA Medal for young scientists. collaboration with Academies of Science of other Apart from election of Fellows and Young countries, the Academy has signed two agreements Scientists, the Academy also recognizes the value of with Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of excellence, consistency and high level of teaching Sciences and Mongolian Academy of Sciences. in Indian Colleges, Universities and Institutions in During the year, several International Joint all disciplines of Science and Technology including Bilateral Conferences/Summits, Workshops and Medical & Engineering Sciences by instituting the Symposia among which Summit of South Asian INSA Teachers’ Award. Academies & AASSA General Assembly, CODATA v Annual Report 2014-15 General Assembly, INDO-US Workshop, INSA- of Science is vigorously pursuing its activities. One Leopoldina Joint Symposium are notable. important development in the area of Publication Under Science and Society Programme, the Division of the Academy is to get the Proceedings of Academy has approved the establishment of an the Indian National Science Academy indexed in the academy of young scientists in India, as an activity International databases viz. SCOPUS, Google Scholar of INSA to be known as Indian National Young and Google Analytics. Assigning DOI numbers for all Academy of Science (INYAS) from this year. The the articles published by the Academy has also been Academy continues to play an active role in the started for better visibility of the articles. Also, all the Science Academies’ Joint Science Education Panel issues of Biographical Memoirs have been digitized for Summer Research Fellowship for Science students and are shortly to be uploaded on INSA website. and teachers on a national level. The journals of the Academy are being Raghavendra Gadagkar published regularly and the commission on History President, INSA vi COUNCIL AND MEETINGS The management of affairs of the Academy is Professor SC Lakhotia, FNA, Professor Emeritus entrusted to its Council, which is composed of & Raja Ramanna Fellow (DAE), Cytogenetics President, six Vice-Presidents and 20 Members Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Banaras Hindu representing different branches of science. These University, Varanasi. members are elected for a period of three years. In Professor JP Mittal, FNA, formerly Director, addition, four INSA Fellows representing each of Chemistry and Isotope Group, Bhabha Atomic the cooperating organizations, namely, the Asiatic Research Centre, Mumbai. Society, Kolkata, the National Academy of Sciences Professor Rajendra Prasad, FNA, School of Life (India), Allahabad, the Indian Science Congress Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Association, Kolkata and the Government of India, make the Council a 31-member body. The Council Professor R Ramaswamy, FNA, Vice-Chancellor, is assisted by Commission, Advisory/Standing University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad. Committees, subject-specific Sectional/National Dr DM Salunke, FNA, Executive Director, UNESCO Committees and special Committees. One of the Regional Centre for Biotechnology, Gurgaon. prime responsibilities of the Council is to recognize excellence in science by electing scientists as Fellows, Members Foreign Fellows, Pravasi Fellows and Young Scientists Medal Awardees of the Academy. Dr Sher Ali, FNA, Senior Staff Scientist and Chief, Molecular Genetics Laboratory, National Institute of INSA COUNCIL – 2015 Immunology, New Delhi. Professor VS Borkar, FNA, Department of President Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Professor Raghavendra Gadagkar, FNA, INSA Mumbai. SN Bose Research Professor & JC Bose National Professor Kunal Ghosh, FNA, INSA Senior Fellow, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute Scientist, Raman Centre for Applied and of Science, Bengaluru. Interdisciplinary Sciences, Kolkata. Vice-Presidents Dr SK Ghosh, FNA, Outstanding Scientist and Head, Theoretical Chemistry Section, Chemistry Professor MK Chaudhuri, FNA, Vice-Chancellor, Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai. Tezpur University, Assam. 1 Annual Report 2014-15 Professor Rajesh Gopakumar, FNA, Department Professor M Udayakumar, FNA, Coordinator, of Physics, Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Department of Crop Physiology, University of Allahabad. Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru. Professor RL Karandikar, FNA, Director, Chennai Representatives of Co-operating Mathematical Institute, Chennai. Academies and Government of India Professor Anil Kumar, FNA, NASI Senior Scientist Asiatic Society Platinum Jubilee Fellow, Department of Physics, NMR Research Centre, Indian Institute of Science, Professor IB Chatterjee, FNA, INSA Honorary Bengaluru. Scientist and Joint Co-ordinator, Dr BC Guha Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology, University Professor Nibir Mandal, FNA, Department of College of Science, Kolkata. Geological Sciences, Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Professor Deepak Mathur, FNA, Distinguished Indian Science Congress Association Professor, Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Tata Professor RC Sobti, FNA, Vice-Chancellor, Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (A Central Professor IBS Passi, FNA, Honorary Professor, University), Lucknow. Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Chandigarh. National Academy of Sciences (India) Professor KN Pathak, FNA, INSA Senior Scientist Dr Chandrima Shaha, FNA, Director and Head, & Professor Emeritus, Department of Physics, Panjab Cell Death and Differentiation Research Laboratory, University, Chandigarh. National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi. Professor Rengaswamy Ramesh, FNA, Planetary and Geosciences Division, Physical Research Government of India (DST) Laboratory, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad. Dr Archana Bhattacharyya, FNA, Emeritus Dr AJ Rao, FNA, INSA Senior Scientist, Department Scientist, Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Navi of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Mumbai. Bengaluru. COUNCIL MEETINGS Professor Ashutosh Sharma, FNA, Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Science & The Council met four times: April 21-23 (Delhi); July Technology, New Delhi. 30-August 1 (Delhi); October 10-11 (Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan) and December 19-21 (CSIR-National Professor LS Shashidhara, FNA, Coordinator Institute of Oceanography, Goa). The Annual General (Biology), Indian Institute of Science Education & Meeting and the Anniversary General Meeting were Research, Pune. held along with the October and December meetings Professor VK Singh, FNA, Director, Indian Institute of the Council, respectively. of Science Education and Research, Bhopal. ANNIVERSARY GENERAL MEETING Professor ON Srivastava, FNA, Department of Physics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. December 19-21, 2014 Professor JS Tyagi, FNA, Department of Inaugural Event Biotechnology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. The 80th Anniversary General Meeting was held 2