10.10.2015:
Kishore M. Paknikar: Director, Agharkar Research Institute. Biologist who has also worked on nano-technology and metal-extraction technologies involving biological mechanisms. Metal extraction from low-quality ores using sulphur-consuming bacteria - started on this through a UNEP-sponsored project in the former Sovite Union. This is a bio-friendly technology and also more cost-efficient than traditional techniques for low-quality ores. This technique is now being used in multiple countries. Says India didn't make large-scale use of this technology early on as it then had high-quality ores and investing in this new technique seemed unnecessary. Now that India is running out of high-quality ores, it must start investing more in this technology. The process involves water tanks with ore-water mixture which specific bacteria are made to act on - bacteria consume sulphur and produce sulphuric acid and the metal gets separated. (When asked, says this technique can also be made to work on uranium ores??). Another project was to address the problem of arsenic contamination of water in Bangladesh. Was invited by a friend working in the medical field to help on this and was moved by the plight of some affected people who had got their limbs amputated due to arsenic poisoning. Some biological mechanism used to treat contaminated water? Got introduced to nano-technology when he got to interact with a Nobel laureate in chemistry who asked him if bio-organisms had anything to do with nano particles. Dr. Parnikar then realized that some bacteria do infact produce nano-particles (as a protetive shield??), something he and some other biologists too had observed earlier but hadn't known the term nano-particles or the special properties of nano-particles. More recently, he worked with some pharmaceutical lab in India to develop silver nano-particle based creams/ointments that have been found to be more efective than existing ointments for treatment of burns and diabetic skin afflictions. Shows one carton of the ointment to Dr. Raza. Silver nano-particles inhibit the growth of bacteria through physical mechanism, not chemical, and so he believes there is very unlikley for bacteria to develop resistance to this new medicine. Message to younger generation: be open-minded, and understand that it is important work on inter-disciplinary research projects (do not restrict yourself to work on just one domain).
17.10.2015:
Ajay K. Sood: Professor at IISc (nanotechnology) whose experiment lead to the discovery that water/gas flow over nano tubes generates electicity - calls it his Eureka moment. Experiment started off as an extension of high-school physics - 3 concepts used: Bernoulli's theorem, temperature difference due to pressure changes and Seibeck effect due to temperature difference generates electricity. People ask him why such a simple thinh went undicovered for 200 years and he says he too is surprised that it had gone undiscovered for long. Dr. Raza says Prof. Ajay Sood still has a child-like curiosity for science. First one in the family to study science for degree; his relatives were engineers or doctors. After B.Sc got an opportunity to study atomic science within India and he took to it with interest. Was not interested in studying abroad and felt enthused about physics research in India. Condensed-matter physics for Ph.D? Nano-science is an inter-disciplinary field and is a culmination of many different specific domains. Science continues to be fun for Dr. Ajay Sood. Need more efforts to energize science in India - says universities in India have not kept pace with what is expected of them. Even the best labs in India need to be taken to the next level. Recommends a two-tier approach to improve science in India. Nanoscience and nanotechnology hold promise for several areas. Nano sensors used in medical science; single layer transistors possible with nanoscience/technology. Stresses the importance of inter-diciplinary research. Dr. Raza says Dr. Sood has won almost all major science awards except the Nobel prize. Feels happy to be recognized by foreign institutions (honoured with Royal Society Feelowship in 2015) as it gives the feeeling that science research in India is very good - has done his education solely in India. Message for younger generation: stay motivated and work hard.
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