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IIT Madras alumnus appointed to National Science Board in USA

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Three of the institute’s alumni are currently on the Board

Sudarsan Babu, a 1988 graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras was appointed to the National Science Board in United States of America on Monday. He is the third alumnus from the IIT-M to currently occupy the Board. The members are appointed for a period of six years.

Mr. Babu completed B.Tech from PSG College of Technology and graduated with M. Tech in Metullurgical and Materials engineering at the IIT Madras in 1988.

The other two alumni are Sethuraman Panchanathan and Suresh V Garimella. Mr. Sethuraman is tipped to become the director of another prestigious institution the National Science Foundation. One of his predecessors is Subra Suresh, another alumnus of the institute, who is currently the president of Nanyang Technological University.

Mr. Sethuraman completed M.Tech in electrical engineering in 1986. Mr. Garimella graduated in 1985 in B.Tech mechanical engineering.

Institute director Bhaskar Ramamurthi said, “Our alumni have done us proud in India and abroad and have been a great pillar of support to their alma mater.”

“Having three alumni on the Board is a first for the institution. It speaks of the academic research culture that we had established even a long time ago and continue to foster. This is a direct validation of the institution’s ecosystem as a whole, as a research institution going back to the early eighties. All of these people we talk about today were students here in the mid-80s. The ecosystem has created these superstars and we have continued to grow from strength to strength. That is in essence why we talk about these achievements,” said Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean of International and Alumni Relations, adding that the alumni were “deeply involved in advising the institute in its activities.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by R. Sujatha / Chennai – April 21st, 2020

Coronavirus | Ex-panchayat chief from Tiruvallur designs low-cost method to produce disinfectant

Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Science & Technologies
Mr. Elango, a chemical engineer by qualification, has designed the unit in two different capacities, a 25-litre barrel and a 210-litre barrel. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Mr. Elango, a chemical engineer by qualification, has designed the unit in two different capacities, a 25-litre barrel and a 210-litre barrel. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

R. Elango, a former scientist at Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), shows how to make sodium hypochlorite using solar power.

R. Elango, a former scientist at Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), who later served as the president of Kuthambakkam panchayat in Tiruvallur district, has come up with a design to manufacture sodium hypochlorite using solar power in a decentralised manner.

Considering that sodium hypochlorite is the disinfectant widely used in various concentrations depending on the purpose, he says the design can be used to meet the current surge in demand for the disinfectant in the fight against COVID-19.

“Right from floor cleaners and toilet cleaners to sprays used widely now for disinfecting public places is sodium hypochlorite, which is the mother of all disinfectants. It is commonly manufactured in industries through electrolysis,” he says. Explaining the process, Mr. Elango, who is a chemical engineer by qualification, says sodium hypochlorite is made in industries by the simple process of passing electricity through titanium electrodes immersed in sodium chloride (salt) solution.

High demand for disinfectants

Mr. Elango replaced the conventional source of electricity with a 1 kilowatt capacity solar panel. With the high demand for disinfectants, he highlights that the conservation of non-renewable power would be huge.

“In a barrel fitted with the electrodes, one has to fill salt water solution in high concentration and pass the solar-generated power. In about eight hours, you can get sodium hypochlorite from a tap attached to the barrel.” For now, he has designed the unit in two different capacities of a 25-litre barrel and a 210-litre barrel. 25 litres of sodium hypochlorite can be diluted to 100 litres for disinfecting drainages, to 150 litres for floor cleaning and to 500 litres for applications like cleaning utensils, he claims.

These units can be easily set up in open at the village or town-level to meet the local demand. “It is a completely safe process. The electricity used is of very low voltage. There is absolutely no byproduct or other waste that needs to be handled,” he says.

Steep initial costs

According to him, while the 25-litre capacity unit will cost about ₹ 60,000 to set up, the 210-litre capacity will cost around four to five times more. V.P. Jayakumar, managing director of Tiaano, a chemical company, who helped Mr. Elango in assembling the electrodes in the unit, said excluding the initial cost to set up the unit, one litre of sodium hypochlorite can be produced at a cost of 0.05 paise. “This is inclusive of employing a person for ₹500 per day. The input will just be 750 g of salt in 25 l of water for one cycle.”

“Floor cleaners we buy from supermarkets cost around ₹85 for just 300 ml,” he adds. Mr. Elango says it can also become a business model for villages to generate revenue. Mageswari Ravikumar, Collector, Tiruvallur, who inspected the design, says the district would soon set up a unit on an experimental basis.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Pon Vasanth B.A / Chennai – April 21st, 2020

Hyundai ties up with Air Liquide to produce ventilators amid COVID-19 outbreak

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Hyundai and Air Liquide aim to achieve a target of 1000 ventilators in the first phase of production and scale up subsequently.

Chennai :

Hyundai Motor India (HMI) has entered into a partnership with Air Liquide Medical Systems (ALMS) to augment the production and supply of ICU ventilators in Tamil Nadu and other states amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Through this partnership, HMI and ALMS aim to achieve a target of 1000 ventilators in the first phase of production and scale up subsequently.

Ventilators are medical devices used by healthcare professionals to treat patients who are unable to breathe on their own by delivering air with a high concentration of oxygen to their lungs. For patients severely affected by COVID-19, ventilators are critical to ensure continuous oxygen is supplied to overcome respiratory insufficiency.

Commenting on the arrangement with ALMS, SS Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, said, “Hyundai and Air Liquide Medical Systems are working together to ensure a steady supply of ventilators in India.”

Anil Kumar, managing director, ALMS India, said, “Air Liquide is one of the very few global companies with a dedicated research and development team to manufacture ventilators in India.”

“Air Liquide Medical Systems is employing all the resources available to manufacture innovative, easy-to use and high-performing ventilators and will hold the reins to deliver quality service across the country during this time of need and to spearhead the Make in India initiative,” a release stated.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / April 18th, 2020

COVID-19: IIT Madras students make face shields, give them to healthcare professionals, police

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The group has supplied around 25,000 shields so far and has an order for nearly 30,000 more

The shields were distributed to Home Guards on Saturday | Photo Credit: S.R. Raghunathan
The shields were distributed to Home Guards on Saturday | Photo Credit: S.R. Raghunathan

Four students from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, in collaboration with an entrepreneur, have developed face shields which have been provided to healthcare professionals and police personnel who come in direct contact with COVID-19 infected people.

The students initially used 3-D printing technology to develop the shields. Their effort was much appreciated and soon demand for the shields increased after which a Chennai-based company came to their help.

Now, the group has shifted to the injection moulding method to cater to the demand. “Now we make 4,000 pieces a day,” said Pranit Mehta, a third-year dual degree student of Engineering Design.

The other students are Hari Ramachandran, a fifth-year dual degree student of Metallurgy; Anuj Khandalikar, third-year dual degree student of Engineering Design and Denil Chawda from the M.S. Aerospace Engineering department. They were guided by a couple of alumni and Professor Satya Chakravarthy of the Aerospace Engineering department.

The group has supplied around 25,000 shields so far and has an order for nearly 30,000 shields. They have supplied to hospitals in Cuddalore, Puducherry and Kanniyakumari so far.

The students are currently helping units replicate their model in Delhi, Indore and Mumbai after they received requests for the shields. “It is a social impact project. We are giving the shields free of cost to the police and we are running a fund-raiser campaign. We have got donations from people now,” Pranit said.

The need for funds came up as the cost of the shields rose. “With 3-D printing it cost us ₹100 each, but with injection moulding it costs ₹60 per piece. It is a not-for-profit initiative. The more people we reach, the more the impact will be,” he said.

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An earlier version of this copy mentioned that the prices of 3D printing and injection mold incorrectly. The error is regretted.

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source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by R. Sujatha / Chennai – April 18th, 2020

384 beds in 5 hospitals made ready by Southern Railway for COVID-19 patients

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The list of these five hospitals has been communicated by the Ministry of Railways to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare who in turn has shared the same with State governments.

These isolation cabins will be an addition to around 1,000 quarantine/isolation beds provided by SCR at railway hospitals, health units, training institutes spread over 30 locations.
These isolation cabins will be an addition to around 1,000 quarantine/isolation beds provided by SCR at railway hospitals, health units, training institutes spread over 30 locations.

Tiruchy :

In its April 17 edition, TNIE reported Southern Railway (SR) has earmarked 11 railway hospitals to treat coronavirus cases. Eight hospitals are in Tamil Nadu and three in Kerala.

It was also reported SR has kept 1,236 beds ready in these hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients. Following this,  SR in a statement said 1,135 is the total number of beds in all Southern Railway hospitals.

Of these, 384 beds in five hospitals – three in Tamil Nadu and two in Kerala-  are being made ready by Southern Railway for treating COVID-19 positive patients, both for Southern Railway and non-railway patients if the situation so warrants.

The list of these five hospitals has been communicated by the Ministry of Railways to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare who in turn has shared the same with State governments.

Of these, in two hospitals at Palakkad and Tiruchy, only part of the hospitals has been earmarked for CoVID-19, as the remaining beds are required for other patients.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / by Express News Service / April 18th, 2020

Coronavirus pandemic: This Erode farmer distributes 8 tonnes of vegetables for free to the poor

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Between April 10 and 14, farmer Mathesh has distributed around 8 tonnes vegetables to more than 800 poor families for free of cost.

GM Mathesh, a 38-year-old farmer from Erode. (Photo | ENS)
GM Mathesh, a 38-year-old farmer from Erode. (Photo | ENS)

Erode :

“In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown, I had two options: one to make most of the profits out of my business or to be generous and support the poor who are struggling for one square meal. And I chose the latter,” said GM Mathesh, a 38-year-old farmer from Erode.

Mathesh, a third-generation farmer is a resident of Alampalayam village in Erode’s Anthiyur Taluk. He owns 10-acre farmland at Udayarpalayam village in Karnataka. During this season, he had cultivated Cabbage, garlic, beetroot, tomatoes, chillis and lady’s fingers which were harvested in March third week. Speaking to The New Indian Express, he said “I got to know that many daily wage labourers in my village were struggling to survive during the lockdown as they were not able to earn. Although they got rice and dal from ration shops, a healthy meal is incomplete without vegetables. So I decided to give all my produces to them, for free.”

Between April 10 and 14, Mathesh has distributed around 8 tonnes vegetables to more than 800 poor families for free of cost. “My family and friends go door-to-door to supply these vegetable bags. We had ensured to follow social distancing norms and were equipped with protective gears as well. Apart from this, we have distributed more than 100 bags to tribals settled near the farmland,” he added.

However, as the Tamil Nadu government has ordered to co-ordinate with the district administration to provide relief assistance, Mathesh said that he has stopped door-to-door supply of free veggies. He said that he is planning to coordinate with local authorities and identify more people in need and also provide them with the necessary supplies.

For Mathesh, doing this selfless deed was not easy. Every day he travels 110 km to transport the veggies in the truck. But due to lockdown, he has been facing difficulties in crossing checkpoints and to ease the transportation, he requested for a permission letter from the government.

“All my produces of this season would cost up to 10 lakhs at market rate and each day I spend up to fifty thousand which will include transportation and payment to labourers in the field. But I decided to compromise on profit as this is not the time for it,” he said.

“I believe that together as a community we can overcome this difficult time by doing our part to maintain the health of our people. I hope I would be able to supply free vegetables to the needy till lockdown ends,” he added.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Chandini R / Express News Service / April 16th, 2020

Chennai students win MIT hackathon

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Three students from Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research have won an opportunity to pursue research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

They were among the 40 international medical students who participated in a virtual hackathon, ‘COVID 19 Beat the Pandemic’ contest that MIT organised from April 3 to 5.

The winners — Jayanthi Anbalagan, Ph.D. scholar of Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research; Aswathy Narasimhan and Aishwarya Chander, biomedical sciences students designed a reusable and recyclable personal protective equipment and an integrated testing module.

Each winner will receive $500 as prize too.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – April 13th, 2020

Tamil Nadu techies assemble to give health workers much-needed shield to face COVID-19

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Over a lakh shields have been distributed. (Photo | EPS)
Over a lakh shields have been distributed. (Photo | EPS)

Chennai :

On March 22, as the nation locked itself in observing the government-ordered Janta curfew, Coimbatore-based Ebin Ephrem Elavathingal, senior manager at AIC Raise, and his team — student start-up JK Data Systems incubated in AIC Raise, supported by Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog and students of Rathinam Group of Institutions, Coimbatore — came up with an idea.

A version of face shields to protect the essential workers in the frontlines of the pandemic.

Now, three weeks later, with over one lakh shields distributed across the country, they’re not done just yet, creating a working prototype of an Intermittent Positive Pressure Breathing ventilator (IPPV).

The five-member team headed by Ebin and comprising the student start-ups by Karthik S, Gowtham Santhakumar and their team, with support of the Bio-Medical and Computer Science department of Rathinam College, are the people behind this ambitious project.

But despite their remarkable final model, you’d be surprised to find out that none of them has any prior experience with medical equipment.

“Once we started watching the global news and understanding the urgent need for ventilators in this pandemic, we immediately dropped what we were working on, and began to educate ourselves about ventilators through open source libraries and other resources,” says Ebin. Within a week, they already had their first prototype with basic features.

EbinCoimbatore02CF13apr2020

But keen on enhancing the model even further, the team re-engineered the design of an international open-source ventilator project to produce their second working prototype, with improved control facilities, within four days.

“We haven’t gotten an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) license yet, but this device can monitor control of the tidal volume, breath per minute and inspiration expiration ratio adjustments. It is also enhanced with pressure, flow and oxygen monitoring systems,” he explains. With most of the country’s ICU ventilators costing over Rs 5 lakh, their simpler model comes in at just Rs 25,000, with the basic first prototype at RS 10,000.

Ready to take the next steps, Ebin assures us that they are currently at a production capacity of 100 ventilators a day.

Once they receive government approval, the team is ready to spring into action. “Our thoughts upon taking up this massive new project was to help save our nation. It’s as simple as that. I even quarantined myself at the office to ensure that we can truly build something of value,” says Ebin.

Still choosing not to rest on their laurels, the team is already brainstorming on their next project, something that could help in a post-coronavirus world. And while they’re hard at work on it, Ebin’s only plea — if you have the intellectual property to make a difference, now’s the time.

The team

The five-member team headed by Ebin and comprising student start-ups by Karthik S, Gowtham Santhakumar and their team, with support of the Bio-Medical and Computer Science department of Rathinam College, are the people behind this project.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Shwetha Surendran / Express News Service / April 13th, 2020

Two disinfectant tunnels in Avadi, six more to come: Corporation

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On Wednesday, Chennai Corporation had introduced a disinfectant tunnel in Tiruvanmiyur.

A disinfectant tunnel in Avadi (Photo | EPS)
A disinfectant tunnel in Avadi (Photo | EPS)

Chennai :

Avadi Corporation on Thursday introduced two disinfectant tunnels to spray anti-viral disinfectants at commuters. The tunnels will spray the disinfectant while people pass through them.

Avadi Corporation Commissioner said six more such tunnels will be introduced in the area soon.

On Wednesday, Chennai Corporation had introduced a disinfectant tunnel in Tiruvanmiyur.

The concept is popular across the country and can be commonly found in busy places such as railway stations and markets.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / April 09th, 2020

ICDSS women on the frontline of battle

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features

The all-women army of the ICDSS does not gain as much attention or appreciation as do police and health employees.

IcdsCF10apr2020

Tiruchy :

The all-women force of 3,200 who work for the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDSS) in Tiruchy district is the foundation stone for the strong overall community health structure combatting coronavirus. The all-women army of the ICDSS does not gain as much attention or appreciation as do police and health employees. As the miasma of despair engulfs the whole State due to the fallout of coronavirus, these 3,200 women ensure all children and new mothers stay healthy and get proper nutrition.

They also keep track of pregnant women in every nook and cranny of the district. When Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced the closure of schools and Anganwadis across the State, he also arranged for doorstep delivery of rations each child in their respective households. With most people staying at home in the lockdown, the  women attached to ICDSS venture out of their houses to deliver rations to households in every village and city. Tiruchy district has 1,850 Anganwadi centres. There are 96,357 children aged between six to 60 months in the district who receive weaning food. This figure includes 42,000 children who  receive rations like rice, dal and eggs.

Apart from this, ICDSS women have to provide nutritious food to 12,750 antenatal and 13,519 lactating mothers. Tamilselvi, who works at the Anganwadi centre in Kannipatti village, travelled 13 km from Manapparai town to deliver rations. “As I was afraid to go alone due to the lockdown, I took my husband along with me on a two-wheeler to go to the village to do my duty. Once, a policeman stopped us midway. When I showed my ID card, he let us go,” she said. Some policemen easily identify them through their uniform sarees and allow them to proceed.

Tamilselvi was to take care of 64 children and also provide antenatal and postnatal care to nearly 20 mothers in the village. She has to do daily follow-ups of health conditions of expecting mothers – who are eight or nine months pregnant. As far as the nutritious diet for children below the age of five is concerned, ICDSS women provide each child’s household with rice, dal, eggs and weaning food. These are otherwise difficult for them to avail for those living in poverty. On April 1, they provided enough rations to last 15 days to children’s households.

Another example of the work being done by these women is Chitra of Kallagam, who travelled to Anna Nagar in Pullambadi on her two-wheeler to provide food and assistance to 20 children and 21 expecting and new mothers who come under the particular Anganwadi’s jurisdiction. All these workers have been asked to take pictures along with every child and mother while delivering rations and weaning food and send them to their higher-ups in order to ensure works are being carried out properly.

Services as tasks
T Bhuvaneshwari, ICDSS project officer, Tiruchy district, said “Our staffers are tasked to follow up on the health conditions of all expecting mothers and newborns. They have to call them every day. If any woman develops labour pain, it is the duty of the Anganwadi worker there to arrange for an ambulance and take her to hospital. Similarly, she has to ensure her safe return from the hospital.

Also, ICDSS workers are accompanying or following up with expecting mothers who undergo regular check-ups. All these works are being done despite the lockdown.” Moreover, in this challenging time, ICDSS women are assisting Health department staff with quarantines, community surveys and also in area containment as they have developed a rapport with local villagers and residents. Their prescience makes it easier for Health department workers to complete the task at hand.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by K Ezhilarasan / Express News Service / April 09th, 2020