Tom Kibble has also done path-breaking work in cosmic strings and several awards came his way
Chennai-born physicist Tom Kibble, whose work was crucial in the theory of the Higgs Boson, died on Thursday. He was 83. Prof. Kibble had been working with Blackett Laboratory at Imperial College, London.
“After Peter Higgs formulated his ground-breaking mechanism for the [simpler] Abelian gauge theories, in 1964, Tom Kibble came up with a more general version for non-Abelian gauge theories, in 1967.
This immediately led Weinberg to make the connection and postulate the Higgs Mechanism. Kibble’s contribution was crucial in making Weinberg see the connection,” says G. Rajasekaran, leading particle physicist from Chennai.
Several awards and honours did come Prof. Kibble’s way, including the Order of the British Empire, and Albert Einstein Medal.
However, the fact that he was not included in the Nobel in 2013, for the discovery of the Higgs Boson, which went to Peter Higgs and Francois Englert, reportedly worried even Higgs himself. Prof. Kibble has also done path-breaking work in cosmic strings.
Prof. Kibble was born in Madras, as Chennai was known then, in 1932, and his father was a math and statistics professor at Madras Christian College (MCC).
During his trip to Chennai in 2012, just after the discovery of the Higgs Boson, Prof. Rajasekaran recalls accompanying him on a visit to MCC, where the latter was feted. Joshua Kalapati, Associate Professor of Philosophy and co-author of Life and Legacy of Madras Christian College, said Prof. Kibble had shared many anecdotes related to his college life and the city of Madras.
His parents, Walter and Janet, were an integral part of MCC for close to four decades between 1924 and 1961. “While Professor [Walter] Kibble, with a Mathematics Tripos (Cambridge University), and Doctorate in Statistics (Edinburgh), contributed to the growth of the Mathematics Department in the college, Janet served as the first warden of the women’s hostel in Guindy,” Mr. Kalapati said.
This article has been corrected for a typographical error. Francois Englebert has been changed to Englert.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Shubashree Desikan / Chennai – June 04th, 2016
Freshdesk,on Monday announced the opening of a new regional office in Berlin, Germany. Freshdesk has doubled its customer base in just over a year, from 40,000 to 80,000 customers, with nearly a third of the business coming from Europe. Adding to their existing UK office, the new Berlin office will enable the company to better support and grow their mid-market and enterprise business in Continental Europe.
The Berlin office will be led by Arun Mani, Managing Director in Continental Europe. Mani joined Freshdesk in early 2016 with the goal of supporting the European market and growing the company’s presence in the region. Mani’s initial focus is on hiring exceptional talent in Berlin, to service customers in Europe and scale the business in the regions.
Prior to joining Freshdesk, Mani built and scaled a global sales team for AppNexus, growing revenue of their core network business by five times in just three years. Mani previously worked at McKinsey & Company and Accenture, managing client relationships and advising C-level executives on growth strategies and sales enablement. He also holds an MBA from INSEAD. “We understand that customer needs differ from region to region and we’re looking forward to expanding our presence in Europe. Our Berlin location presents an opportunity to provide a higher level of service, increase local awareness and be active members of the local business community,” said Mani. “Our team is already growing quickly and we are looking to make key hires in sales, marketing and project management before the year is over.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Chennai / Ranjani Ayyari / TNN/ May 30th, 2016
G. Valli, Vice-Chancellor, Mother Teresa Women’s University, being conferred the Best Scientist Award at a symposium held in Bharathidasan University
The Publication Division of Bharathidasan University and the Indian Academic Researchers Association organised a symposium on emerging trends in innovation in academic research in Tiruchi on Saturday. N. Murugeswari, symposium Director and Publication Officer (in-charge), Bharathidasan University, welcomed the gathering. G. Valli, Vice-Chancellor, Mother Teresa Women’s University, was conferred best scientist award by M.B.M. Ismail, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Management and Commerce, South Eastern University, Sri Lanka.
Ms. Valli said that the decade, from 2010 to 2020, had been observed as a Decade for Innovation by the National Innovation Council. Technology had played a major role in the research system and it could be oriented through the untiring and pursuing attitude of the researcher.
Babu Rajendran, Director(in-charge), Council of College and Curriculum Development, Bharathidasan University, presided. J. Manjula, Principal, Periyar EVR College, spoke.
“READ NEWSPAPERS”
Mylswamy Annadurai, Scientist and Director, ISRO Satellite Centre, Bangalore, emphasised the importance of students reading newspapers, which helps them to know the world and understand what they know. He was delivering the Graduation Day address at Chendhuran College of Engineering and Technology, Pudukottai. Three hundred students received their degrees.
“LEARN INDUSTRIAL PRACTICES”
Students should learn industrial practices during their study as companies expect candidates recruited by them to fit directly into their work environment without much training, said G. Parthiban, president, Rane TRW Steering Systems Private Limited, speaking at the annual day of Rane Polytechnic College. He urged students to work hard and develop clarity in thinking. R. Venkatanarayanan, president, Rane Corporate Service, said that through continuous learning students can enhance their knowledge and skill. M. Saravanan, Principal, presented the annual report.
TOPPERS HONOURED
Student toppers were honoured at the ‘Achievers Day’ of MASTeR Group of Institutions. Faculty members who had helped achieve good academic results were also honoured. M.A. Maluk Mohamed, Director, presided. K. Sridhar, Principal, M.A.M. College of Engineering and Technology, William, Dean, Haridoss, VP, and B. Annette, Director, M.A.M School of Business, were present.
Contributed by C. Jaisankar and G. Prasad
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / May 23rd, 2016
TRAILBLAZER: Consultant Neurosurgeon Dr.M.J. Arun Kumar, who is also the Founder Chairman & Managing Director of Hannah Joseph Hospital, Madurai. Photo: S. James
He finds joy in handling emergencies. He can be up all night reviving trauma patients. SOMA BASU talks to Dr.M.J.Arunkumar, the man who literally gets inside people’s heads
When seasoned actor Nasser’s son Faisal met with a gruesome road accident on ECR Road, Chennai, two summers ago, it made headlines. The horrific car crash left three young boys dead and inflicted grievous injuries on two others. On May 22, 2014, life was uncertain for the critically injured Faisal.
Twenty months later in January 2016, Faisal travelled for the first time after the accident to Madurai. Besides his parents, the happiest person to watch him eat on his own, speak a few words and sit up with minimum support was an established neurosurgeon, Dr.M.J.Arunkumar, from our very own Temple Town. From September 2014, Faisal has been under the care of Dr.Arunkumar who visits him on weekends in Chennai and keeps account of his progress through whatsapp, chats and telemedicine.
A brain surgeon, Dr.Arunkumar, 49, established the Hannah Joseph Hospital, a 40 bed state-of-the-art complex devoted to Neurosurgery, Neurology, Psychiatry and Trauma, in April 2008. But his knowledge of brain science includes two decades of clinical practice at CMC Vellore and Apollo Hospitals, Madurai. And he says, he is thankful for every single day when he is able to save lives.
“We all tend to take our lives for granted whereas our lives can be gone in an instant,” says Dr.Arun, reminding how frail we are.
More than Arun, it was his father, a bank manager in Thanjavur, who was interested in making a doctor out of his son. “In my childhood, I was happy with my studies, playing hockey and singing in the church choir,” he says.
But there were two things unique about him. He had a penchant for rushing to any accident site to look at the victim and was naturally proficient in dissecting animals. “I enjoyed cleaning and cutting the chicken bought for cooking at home and my parents would discourage me saying I would become a butcher!.”
But, believes Dr.Arun, knives, needles and scalpels always added grace to his fingers! “Brain and human behaviour always fascinated me and I made up my mind early on that I wanted to be a surgeon,” he says.
With a drive to take on the toughest challenges, neurosurgery — ranked next to rocket science those days — became his obvious choice at CMC Vellore, where he also completed his MBBS. Dr.Arun gives full credit to his pioneering teachers — Dr.M.Jacob Chandy and Dr.B.Ramamoorthy — for shaping his mind, attitude and consciousness.
“They flushed me with tremendous confidence to unpack the science behind the theories on brain and the power over our health,” he says.
Neurosurgery is not limited to just the brain but the entire nervous system, including the spine. With his prolific lateral thinking, Dr.Arun was drawn into research and writing papers in scientific journals. He postulated his own theories and received excellent peer reviews. “The time was perfectly fantastic for me as I was credited with the highest number of articles published by any student in India.”
In 2000, when he joined the Apollo Speciality Hospitals in Madurai, to establish the neurosurgery department, little did he know that the hometown of his wife — a psychiatrist by profession — would one day become his operating base and change his life.
With the distinction of having performed the first endonasal total excision of pituitary tumour and the first intracranial aneurysm clipping in South Tamil Nadu, Dr.Arun dreams of making Madurai the ultimate destination for neurosciences.
Patients with cancer in their brains and haemorrhages or bleeding in the brain cavity are brought to him for emergency surgeries with much hope. “It is gratifying to know that I save lives,” he says, claiming 95 per cent success rate in traumatic head injuries.
Without meaning in a vain or egotistical way, Dr.Arun declares that at Hannah Joseph Hospital, he is able to pull out eight out of every 10 patients. This means he also gets lot of referred cases and can never keep his phone switched off. “If I do not answer calls, my patient will die,” he says, adding, “I do not turn away patients either.” Even while holidaying with his family, Dr.Arun skypes with his staff on each patient’s progress. “I feel unhappy if any of my patient reports unwell.”
In corporate sector, feels Dr.Arun, target-based surgery linked to revenue leads to unethical practices and non-transparent work culture. “It adds to the stress levels of the doctors,” he says. He follows the CMC work model at his centre. “I want to run it like an institute and not like a private hospital. We have developed a system where we work as a team and I have the luxury of being assisted by two neurosurgeons, two anaesthetists, a scrub nurse and her assistant and a dozen PG students.”
He has done surgeries which have lasted 16 hours. When such patients keep in touch for years after, Dr.Arun says, he realises how amazing it is to be able to help people regain their lives.
From his first surgery as a resident doctor for removing haematoma (blood clot) at CMC Vellore, Dr.Arun has lost count of the simple and complicated surgeries that he has done over the years. “I perform over 200 surgical procedures a year but even if one patient dies, it does not get easier,” he says. Thankfully, this sort of thing is few and far between at Hannah Joseph Hospital which saw 200 surgeries last year including 50 complicated ones and lost two patients.
“The anaesthetist loves me because I am very fast in surgery,” he smiles. “My surgical skills are flawless too but complications arise due to spasms in the brain or some other surgery-unrelated parameter,” points out Dr.Arun.
He feels blessed to have the education and experience in surgery and neuro-intensive care. “The minute I look at a patient, I know what he/she needs and do quick thinking,” he says.
It is the innate confidence that is now leading him to establish his second hospital which will be a standalone largest private hospital in neurosciences with 150 beds, three ICUs with 12 beds each, four state-of-the-art operation theatres and a helipad.
In four years, Dr.Arunkumar hopes to be on top of resuscitation to be able to reverse a patient’s cycle of death. Most doctors don’t have the time to explain to their patients but Dr.Arunkumar with his wry humour and reassurance showers all his attention on them. Still when people call him heartless and amazingly honest, he knows he is so for the good of his patients.
Known for refusing awards, Dr.Arunkumar believes his religion is his practice and he does charity by giving discounts to needy patients.
“Your earnings do not secure your future,” he says, “but the goodwill you earn does.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Society / by Soma Basu / Madurai – May 05th, 2016
After practising medicine for seven years in India, London returned neuropsychiatrist Dr E S Krishnamoorthy understood that while Indians had total trust in modern medicine their heart was often in traditional systems. If an ayurvedic medicine would work or if a series of yoga sessions seemed to help, they would rather go for that. Like most allopaths, Dr Krishnamoorthy , was initially dismissive but soon realised that he should investigate the science behind “alternative medicine.”
After some years of diligent research and efforts, he launched a small clinic called Trimed, as a pilot, near his house in Sri Nagar Colony in 2009. With seed money from family and friends, Trimed sought to weave allopathy with ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy and pilates.
The first task for the integrated medical therapy centre was drawing up treatment protocols that integrate diverse genre whose practitioners have typically worked in silos – with each being mostly dismissive of the other. “In most such integrated centres, we realised that treatment was mostly left to patients’ choice. Many times patients aren’t guided through choices. Ours was a clinic and we decided that treatment protocols will be decided by the doctor,” said Dr Krishnamoorthy , one of the founders of Trimed. For nearly 40 conditions including pain, disability and mental health issues the team has standardised treatment practices.
Patients coming to Trimed meet an allopathic practitioner first, but they are also evaluated by at least four other specialists including a physiotherapist, naturopath, ayurveda practitioner and a psychologist. The specialists then discuss the treatment plan for each case sheet.”Sometimes treatment plans take more than two hours to formulate,” said Dr Rema Ragu, an epidemiologist, who is one of the core members.The aim is to bridge the limitations of allopathy with the wisdom in traditional medicine. “We made a conscious choice that all medicines prescribed will be only allopathic. Massages and therapy from other traditional streams are integrated with modern medicine. But with every case it is important to offer holistic care,” she adds.
The cloud-based electronic medical records of each patient stored at the hospital showed substantial progress in most patients. For instance, a 92-year-old a wheelchairbound patient walked out of the hospital after 15 days of intensive therapy and young IT professional was taken off the bench and put on projects after he was able to control mood disorders. Soon, Trimed, with its mobile therapy unit -an ambulance converted to therapy centre -extended services to homecare. “When people come to us they realise that almost everyone in the family needs holistic medical management,” said Gayathri Krishnamoorthy, a core administrator at Trimed. The centre, which was exclusively for medical management, is now expanding to offer rejuvenation therapy .
The company received funding of $300,000 from an Indian businessman living abroad. It is planning to start another centre in Coimbatore. “When I first heard about it I was impressed about the holistic approach concept. In fact some members in my family tried and benefited from it. I don’t think such centres should mushroom all over, but I certainly believe they have a place,” said A Vellayan, executive chairman, Murugappa Group, who has invested in his individual capacity.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Chennai / Pushpa Narayan / TNN / May 02nd, 2016
C. Anandharamakrishnan, a renowned scientist in the field of food engineering, has assumed office as the Director of the Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology (IICPT) here.
Dr. Anandharamakrishnan has over two decades of experience in R&D and administration at the CSIR — Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru, a prestigious food research institution in the country. He was Principal Scientist and Coordinator for the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) there.
Dr. Anandharamakrishnan completed his Doctoral degree in Chemical Engineering from Loughborough University, United Kingdom, under the Commonwealth Scholarship programme. Prior to that he had pursued his B.Tech (Chemical Engineering) and M.Tech from A.C. College of Technology, Anna University, Chennai.
His areas of research include design of engineered nano and micron scale delivery systems for the controlled and targeted release of food bioactive compounds, spray drying, and spray-freeze-drying of food products.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Thanjavur – April 30th, 2016
Science, in Deepana Gandhi’s rural Ooty school, may have whetted her appetite for the great unknown, but it gave her no inkling of where it would lead her.
The 26-year-old, is today a member of Team Indus, the only team from India to have been shortlisted among 16 global teams for the $30 million Google Lunar XPrize competition, the race to land a privately-financed robotic craft on the Moon by December 2017.
Gandhi also happens to be the centerpiece of a documentary series that traces the competing teams’ backstories.
Titled Moon Shot, the series is produced by JJ Abrams, the co-creator of the TV series Lost and director of last year’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
“India’s changing. What I have been through is proof of it,” says Gandhi in the documentary, “Now there are women who are doing well in science and space studies. Soon, there will be an equal number of men and women (in these fields).”
Gandhi is part of the flight dynamics group at the Bengaluru-based Team Indus, responsible for controlling the spacecraft from the point it gets separated from the launch vehicle, till the touchdown on the moon.
Abrams’ documentary, directed by Oscar-nominated Orlando von Einsiedel, traces Gandhi’s story from her school days in Ooty to her present-day moon mission. She was fascinated with maths from a young age. “Maths mixed with science is beautiful,” she says, as the film shows her teaching children in a small-town school about space.
Gandhi was among those from Team Indus who travelled to the US to be part of the launch of the documentary series. “She’s incredible. When an American journalist asked her a technical question, she said, “Give me a whiteboard, I’ll explain it to you’,” says Sheelika Ravishankar, who leads Team Indus’ outreach and people programmes.
Gandhi’s inspiration was Kalpana Chawla, the Indo-American astronaut who became the first woman of Indian origin in space.
She went on to do her MTech at PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, following it with an internship at ISRO. “People used to say you are a girl, you can sit at home and relax,” she says. But her family, her father in particular, supported her. “My dad always said a girl can do what a boy can. That kept me tryingAt last, I got the opportunity to prove myself,” she says about her stint with Team Indus.
Founded by IIT Delhi alumnus Rahul Narayan, Team Indus started out as the inexperienced and under-resourced underdog in the competition, but is now a frontrunner.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Bangalore / TNN / April 24th, 2016
The first project director of the erstwhile Madras Atomic Power Project (now Madras Atomic Power Station) Myneni Hari Prasad Rao passed away at a private hospital on Tuesday.
He was 88.
A recipient of the Padma Shri award in 1984 for his outstanding contributions to the field of Science and Technology, Rao is survived by three daughters and a son.
Rao served three decades in the Department of Atomic Energy.
He was specially appointed by the then Nuclear Power Board for the Construction and Commissioning of Madras Atomic Power Station and he was the pioneer in Construction and Commissioning of both the units of Madras Atomic Power Project.
Later he served as Executive Director of Nuclear Power Board for three years.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / April 06th, 2016
P. Selvam, a faculty member of the International Research Centre, Kalasalingam University, Krishnankoil, has been made a Fellow of International Society for Noni Sciences by International Society for Noni Sciences.
The fellowship is in recognition of Dr. Selvam’s contribution to research in medicinal plant Morinda Citrifolia L Noni and its ability to cure cancer.
Chancellor K. Sridharan, Director Sasi Anand and Vice- Chancellor S. Saravana Sankar congratulated him for the recognition, according to a release.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Virudhunagar – April 07th, 2016
Six neurologists in the city have come together to launch the Tamil Nadu chapter of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorder Society. The society, launched on Wednesday, will offer supportive medical care and free counselling to patients suffering from the disorder. The society which will be located in Ramnagar is expected to be operational in three months. Tamil poet and lyricist Vairamuthu was present at the inaugural programme.
Parkinson’s disease is a condition that affects the nerve cells in the brain that produces dopamine, an organic chemical that controls the body’s movement. The disease’s symptoms include muscle rigidity, tremors and change in speech and gait.
The chapter will be called Park-in Nest and will provide Parkinson’s patients with the best of facilities and neurologists, philanthropists and social workers. “We aim to create a society to serve people suffering from the disease,” said Dr V Arulselvan, one of the founders of the society and neurosurgeon at the Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital. “The centre will provide physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychological counselling, try to spread awareness about the disease and keep families updated with newer treatment options,” he said.
Neurologists say such centre’s are necessary as on many occasions neurologists don’t have enough time to talk freely about the disease and give them a more holistic treatment. “Many patients have a lot of doubts about their nutrition and food intake and even exercises, but on many occasions we don’t get enough time to sit them down and explain it to them,” said Dr Arulselvan.
“Physiotherapy is also a very important aspect of the treatment, as it helps them maintain balance, walk better and raises their confidence levels,” said Dr M B Pranesh, neurology professor at PSG Hospitals.
Doctors say they each see around 100 to 200 Parkinson’s patients. “There has been no survey to check on the exact number of patients suffering from the disorder or its incidence in the district or region,” said Dr Pranesh. “Our patients come from a huge geographic range which spreads from Nilgiris right up to Erode and even Salem,” he said. “But we will start collecting details in the centre,” he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Coimbatore / TNN / March 31st, 2016
