Periyar University receives Rs 1.32 crore from CM's research grant scheme
SALEM: Periyar University has secured a total funding of Rs 1.32 crore from the Chief Minister's Research Grant Scheme. "Five research proposals submitted by faculty members and a research scholar have been selected for the funding, each addressing critical areas in science, technology and environmental sustainability," said vice-chancellor R Subramani in a statement.
A Vidyasagar, a professor in the geology department, has obtained Rs 31.92 lakh for a climate-focused study that evaluates the health effects of water pollutants released from south Indian landmasses into the ocean.
P M Ayyasamy, a professor in the department of microbiology, has received Rs 31.82 lakh for creating a bio-extraction process to recover vital minerals.
D Palanivel, an assistant professor in the department of physics, has been granted Rs 28.56 lakh for his research on the use of 2D nanomaterials in photocatalytic processes.
T Elangovan, an assistant professor in the department of energy science and technology, has been awarded Rs 25.94 lakh for his project aimed at improving the long-term efficiency and operational performance of solid-state colour-sensitive solar cells.
M Stanley Dinakar, a research scholar in the physics department, has received Rs 14.11 lakh for creating a next-generation water purification system.
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India.com
24 minutes ago
- India.com
ISRO-NASA Joint Satellite NISAR Set For Launch On July 30 From Sriharikota
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday stated that the upcoming launch of NISAR, the first joint Earth observation satellite by ISRO and NASA, will mark a key milestone in Earth observation technology. NISAR will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on July 30 at 17:40 IST. NISAR is the first mission of its kind, jointly developed by ISRO and NASA. It is an L- and S-band, global, microwave imaging mission, with the capability to acquire fully polarimetric and interferometric data, as per an official statement from ISRO. The unique dual-band Synthetic Aperture Radar of NISAR employs the advanced, novel SweepSAR technique, which provides high-resolution and large-swath imagery. NISAR will image the global land and ice-covered surfaces, including islands, sea-ice and selected oceans, every 12 days. The NISAR mission's primary objectives are to study land & ice deformation, land ecosystems, and oceanic regions in areas of common interest to the US and Indian science communities. The joint mission will accomplish multiple tasks, including measuring the woody biomass and its changes, tracking changes in the extent of active crops, understanding the changes in wetlands' extent, and mapping Greenland & Antarctica's ice sheets and the dynamics of sea ice and mountain glaciers. As per the statement, it will also help characterise land surface deformation related to seismicity, volcanism, landslides, and subsidence & uplift associated with changes in subsurface aquifers, hydrocarbon reservoirs, etc. "One mission to watch Earth. #ISRO #NASA builds, Earth benefits. This marks a key milestone in Earth observation technology. Stay tuned as we bring you closer to the mission that watches our world," ISRO said in a post on X. "The Spacecraft is built around ISRO's I-3K Structure. It carries two major Payloads viz., L & S- Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). The S-band Radar system, data handling & high-speed downlink system, the spacecraft and the launch system are developed by ISRO. The L-band Radar system, the high-speed downlink system, the Solid-State Recorder, the GPS receiver, and the 9 m Boom hoisting the 12m reflector are delivered by NASA. Further, ISRO takes care of the satellite commanding and operations; NASA will provide the orbit manoeuvre plan and RADAR operations plan. NISAR mission will be aided with ground station support from both ISRO and NASA for downloading of the acquired images, which, after the necessary processing, will be disseminated to the user community," the statement added. The data acquired through S-band and L-band SAR from a single platform will help scientists understand the changes happening to Planet Earth. The complex payloads and mainframe systems have been designed, developed, qualified and realised over a period of 8 to 10 years. "The S- Band SAR and L- Band SAR were independently developed, integrated and tested at ISRO and JPL/NASA respectively. The Integrated Radar Instrument Structure (IRIS), consisting of S - Band and L - Band SAR and other payload elements were intergrated and tested at JPL/NASA and delivered to ISRO," it stated. Mainframe satellite elements and payloads were assembled, integrated and tested at URSC/ISRO. The mission phases can be broadly classified into: Launch phase, Deployment Phase, Commissioning Phase and Science Phase. NISAR will be launched onboard the GSLV-F16 launch vehicle on July 30, 2025 from ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), also referred to as Sriharikota High Altitude Range (SHAR), located in Sriharikota on the southeast coast of the Indian peninsula. It hosts a 12m dia large reflector which shall be deployed in-orbit 9m away from the satellite by a complex multistage deployable boom designed and developed by JPL/NASA. The first 90 days after launch will be dedicated to commissioning, or In-Orbit Checkout (IOC), the objective of which is to prepare the observatory for science operations. Commissioning is divided into sub-phases of initial checks and calibrations of mainframe elements followed by JPL engineering payload and instrument checkout. The science operations phase begins at the end of commissioning and extends till end of mission life. During this phase, the science orbit will be maintained via regular maneuvers, scheduled to avoid or minimize conflicts with science observations. Extensive calibration and validation (CalVal) activities will take place. The observation plan for both L and S-band instruments, along with engineering activities (e.g., maneuvers, parameter updates, etc.), will be generated pre-launch via frequent coordination between JPL and ISRO, the statement added.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Students make low-cost lightning arrester, school applies for patent
1 2 Kolkata: An experiment at a school workshop in Madhyamgram is all set to bring down the cost of lightning conductors to less than half and save lives of thousands from being electrocuted in the fields. The lightning conductor, devised by students at Sodepur Deshbandhu Bidyapith (Boys), already passed tests at institutes like Central Power Research Institute and was awarded at the National Children's Science Congress in 2020. The school has now applied for its patent. The project took off nearly eight years ago with school students trying to devise a lightning conductor from household and garage waste. A thin aluminium sheet is fitted at the edge of a structure that looks like the wheel of a cycle. There are pores on the rim of the wheel, and copper wires are inserted through them as spokes. There is a hub in the middle, and there are threaded holes connected to the wires going inside the earth. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Lightning conductors have sharp edges, which help in converging electric field lines on the lightning conductor more. This further helps reduce damage to the nearby areas from lightning. Also, the lightning conductor's pointed ends help it to acquire more positive charges on its tip. While commercially available lightning conductors have three to four pointed edges, the lightning conductor devised by the students has nearly 450-500 pointed edges. "When the negative charge is discharged by the cloud, it first strikes the pointed tip of the lightning conductor and quickly travels to the earth. The discharge process gets over very quickly, and a house, people or animals in its surroundings will be saved from damage," said Pashupati Mandal, physics teacher of the school who heads the project. It costs less than Rs 1,000, while commercially available lightning conductors with one or two pointed ends cost nearly Rs 2,100. "The initial prototype was made at a cost of Rs 350. But we decided to modify that after tests were done at the central laboratories. The modified lightning conductor costs around Rs 1,000. This is at least 10 times more useful and can be installed by anyone. It can easily be purchased by farmers who pay more than double to buy lightning conductors from the market," Mandal said. Normally, lightning conductors are used at the top of buildings or towers. But this can be put on the field, which is watery and marshy. "So far, we have installed lightning conductors at 40 locations across districts in north Bengal, and we are closely monitoring them," said Ambarish Nag Biswas of West Bengal Radio Club, which is assisting the school in developing the lightning conductor. "There are hundreds of farmers and animals who die every year from lightning. Apart from that, fishermen also use lightning conductors," Nag Biswas said.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Students make low-cost lightning arresters, school applies for patent
Kolkata: An experiment at a school workshop in Madhyamgram is all set to bring down the cost of lightning conductors to less than half and save lives of thousands from being electrocuted in the fields. The lightning conductor, devised by students at Sodepur Deshbandhu Bidyapith (Boys), already passed tests at institutes like Central Power Research Institute and was awarded at the National Children's Science Congress in 2020. The school has now applied for its patent. The project took off nearly eight years ago with school students trying to devise a lightning conductor from household and garage waste. A thin aluminium sheet is fitted at the edge of a structure that looks like the wheel of a cycle. There are pores on the rim of the wheel, and copper wires are inserted through them as spokes. There is a hub in the middle, and there are threaded holes connected to the wires going inside the earth. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Lightning conductors have sharp edges, which help in converging electric field lines on the lightning conductor more. This further helps reduce damage to the nearby areas from lightning. Also, the lightning conductor's pointed ends help it to acquire more positive charges on its tip. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Japanese AI invention allows you to speak 68 languages instantly. The idea? Genius. Enence 2.0 Undo While commercially available lightning conductors have three to four pointed edges, the lightning conductor devised by the students has nearly 450-500 pointed edges. "When the negative charge is discharged by the cloud, it first strikes the pointed tip of the lightning conductor and quickly travels to the earth. The discharge process gets over very quickly, and a house, people or animals in its surroundings will be saved from damage," said Pashupati Mandal, physics teacher of the school who heads the project. It costs less than Rs 1,000, while commercially available lightning conductors with one or two pointed ends cost nearly Rs 2,100. "The initial prototype was made at a cost of Rs 350. But we decided to modify that after tests were done at the central laboratories. The modified lightning conductor costs around Rs 1,000. This is at least 10 times more useful and can be installed by anyone. It can easily be purchased by farmers who pay more than double to buy lightning conductors from the market," Mandal said. Normally, lightning conductors are used at the top of buildings or towers. But this can be put on the field, which is watery and marshy. "So far, we have installed lightning conductors at 40 locations across districts in north Bengal, and we are closely monitoring them," said Ambarish Nag Biswas of West Bengal Radio Club, which is assisting the school in developing the lightning conductor. "There are hundreds of farmers and animals who die every year from lightning. Apart from that, fishermen also use lightning conductors," Nag Biswas said.
