Category Archives: Science & Technologies

Madurai students win NASA’s space settlement design contest

April 8, 2014Education, Science & Technologies, World Opinionadmin

Students of Sri Saradha Vidyalayam Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Madurai who have won third prize in the NASA Ames Space Settlement Design Contest./ Photo: G. Moorthy / The Hindu

“Cronus-The Utopia”, a work of fiction, by five students of Sri Sarada Vidyalayam Girls Matriculation Higher Secondary School in the city has won the third prize in the NASA Ames Space Settlement Design Contest – 2014, under the Literary Merit category.

The team comprising class XI students _ S.B. Vishaka Nandini, M. Shenbagam, K. Kamali, P. Dhivya Priya and S.G. Yogalakshmi, is the only one from Tamil Nadu to have won the prize. Set in 2250 AD, the story narrates how rapid depletion of natural resources on earth forces human beings to settle in Cronus, a fictional space orbit of Saturn.

“In the recent years, depletion of natural resources in Earth is rapid. In our work of fiction, we have created Cronus, which is diverse from Earth in so many ways.

The resources available are all similar to the Earth, but those living there are well efficient in conservation of nature and are unaware of corruption and other vices prevailing here,” said Ms. Nandini.

“In contrast to the present day Earth, where waste is not managed properly and chemical fertilisers are used in agriculture, inhabitants of Cronus are very efficient in recycling waste, make best use of solar and wind power, and use bio fertilisers in their aeroponic farms,” explained Ms. Yogalakshmi.

The NASA Ames Space Settlement Design Contest is conducted since 1994 and this is the first time the school took part in it, said B. Kanagalakshmi, a teacher in the school.

The competitions were conducted under different categories such as Artistic Merit, Literary Merit and Projects on Space Settlement.

Under the Literary Merit category, there is a tie between Arecibo Observatory Space Academy, Puerto Rico, and Ryan International School, New Delhi, for the first prize. For the second prize, there is a tie between Sri Chaitanya Techno School and Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT), both from Andhra Pradesh. The prizes would be distributed to the students at Los Angeles in May.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by M. Vandhana / Madurai – April 01st, 2014

Madurai students develop solar hybrid bike

April 6, 2014Education, Records, All, Science & Technologiesadmin

Students explaining the newly developed solar hybrid bike to their faculty members. / The Hindu

They are justifying the need for application-oriented studies

From simplifying tasks in fields such as agriculture to improving infrastructure to cost-efficient models, students of engineering colleges in and around the city are developing innovative projects, justifying the growing need for application-oriented studies.

A Solar-Assisted Hybrid Bike developed by Mechanical Engineering students from Kamaraj College of Engineering is one such shining example. The students, K. Abdur Rahmaan Siddik, P. Saran Raj and M. Bharathi Raja, developed the model on a second-hand motorbike with the assistance of R. Manikumar, a faculty.

“In the wake of frequent petrol price hikes, we wanted to develop some cost-effective hybrid model of a bike,” says Mr.Raja, one of the developers of the hybrid bike which costs less than Rs.40,000.

“We have applied for a patent as well,” he adds.

The developers say that the rider will have the option of using either battery-run front-wheel drive or petrol-engine-run back-wheel drive. “During the day time, the battery is charged by solar panels and at nights by the dynamo connected to the rear wheel,” they explain.

Ragul Kumar, a final year Civil Engineering student of KLN College of Information Technology, is in the process of developing a movable ruler.

“The multi-speciality ruler can be used to draw linear dimensions, angular measurements, preliminary building plan drawing, tabulations and as trisquare, T-square and longer dimension ruler,” he defines.

K. Ramesh, a faculty of the college, who is guiding Mr.Kumar says that the movable ruler will be very useful for school students as well.

“Rulers are mostly developed in China. When our student came up with the idea, we extended our help. Some of our students also did a project on solar panel road and we have applied it on our campus to test its efficiency before applying for patent,” he states.

Velammal College of Engineering and Technology has a Centre for Innovation and Product Development, which has supported projects such as a saline water alarm system and children-friendly toilet system.

“We assist students who bring in ideas with faculty guidance,” says P. Rajesh Kanna, faculty advisor of the centre.

A Green Robot, which will assist farmers in ploughing land and harvesting banana, is currently being developed at the centre.

“It took six months for the students to develop the prototype of the robot and it will cost half the price of models available in the markets,” says N. Dinesh Kumar, a faculty member.

The students, who developed the robot, are now in Punjab to present their project at a competition, he adds.

M. Palaninatha Raja, Registrar of Thiagarajar College of Engineering, says that a few months ago students developed a solar rickshaw, funded by Madurai Municipal Corporation.

“Multinational corporate firms are conducting a series of contests, encouraging the students to develop innovative models. Our students have won several contests,” he concludes.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by M. Vandhana / Madurai – March 25th, 2014

Erode farmers promote use of biogas

April 5, 2014Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Science & Technologiesadmin

Coimbatore :

A farmers’ organisation in Erode held a demonstration using a tractor and a motor cycle powered by biogas at a city college. Around 200 farmers attended the demonstration and some even tried their hand in operating the exhibits on Sunday. The purpose of the demo is to encourage the use of biogas, one participant said.

A tractor and a two-wheeler powered through methane were exhibited at the college grounds. Their tanks were removed and modified for the purpose. Methane gas used was extracted from vegetable and animal wastes. To pump the gas requires expensive equipment costing Rs20lakh. As this was not available an extra can was fixed with the gas for the purpose of demonstration.

C Nallasamy, secretary of the Federation of Tamil Nadu Farmers Association said that they had come up with this demonstration so that the public could know that there is an alternative to petroleum. “Methane gas as well as ethanol can be used to substitute petroleum. This will decrease air pollution,” he said. This is also beneficial to farmers as they can get better prices for their agricultural produce, he added.

Dr P Ayyappan, a retired pharmacologist with the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS), who designed the vehicles said that they had used 100 percent methane for the two-wheeler and 80% for the tractor.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / TNN / March 24th, 2014

Medicos Must Serve Humanity: Ex-Prof

April 4, 2014Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Science & Technologiesadmin

Medicos should consider the profession as a service to humanity, not as a money-spinning occupation, said R Venkatakrishnan, said the retired professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology in Madurai Medical College. He said this while delivering the fourth convocation address at Vellore Government Medical College on Friday.

Handing over graduate certificates to 99 students on the occasion, Venkatakrishnan said that medicos should focus on treating the patients and saving lives. ‘The more you learn in the college and continue to learn, the more the career would sustain you’ he told them. The retired professor urged the medical students to have a focused approach if they are interested to continue higher education. ‘If you are planning for post graduation, postpone your marriage’ he advised them.

Venkatakrishnan told the graduates to be accessible to patients and be responsible in clearing their doubts.

“Always think of the best treatment options and always render personalised treatment with compassion and support. Ensure your patients left your clinic with a friendly, healthy smile,” he further said.

College Dean Dr L D Thulasiram, Medical Superintendent Dr E Sivakumar, vice-principal Dr R Muthulakshmi and Resident Medical Officer Dr P Arunan also spoke.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service – Vellore / March 30th, 2014

Coimbatore garage drives campaigns in south India

March 31, 2014Business & Economy, Science & Technologies, Sportsadmin

For political parties in southern India, election manifestos and selection of candidates can wait. Not their leaders’ customised campaign vehicles sourced from a garage in Coimbatore, 430km southwest of Chennai.

Koyas and Sons began rolling out luxurious raths (chariots) for politicians much before BJP stalwart L K Advani made them fashionable with his Rath Yatra in 1990.

AIADMK head and Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa swears by their luxury on wheels, so do rival DMK chief M Karunanidhi and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy.

Amma, as Jayalalithaa is called, had a sophisticated ‘Koya rath’ — her second this poll season — delivered on Monday.

Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) and his younger son MK Stalin have already been driving around in the ones the garage designed for them.

DMK leader TR Baalu, PMK chief Ramadoss and Vijayakanth of DMDK have not ordered theirs; the ones they had for the 2011 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu are as good as new.

According to the garage’s managing partner PV Mohammed Riaz, a campaign vehicle — essentially a tempo traveller — is virtually a luxury apartment on wheels.

From toilet, sofa cum beds, recliners, refrigerator and microwave to TV, sensors and wifi internet facility, it has everything one can ask for.

Depending on requirement, refurbishing the interiors of a campaign vehicle costs `3-5lakh. Each takes at least a month to complete, and political parties order well in advance to get theirs on time.

“But these campaign vehicles are season business. Our main activity throughout the year is refurbishing caravans for film stars and other VIPs,” Riaz said, adding the most important aspect they keep in mind is a client’s riding comfort. The comfort factor had made former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi refurbish his Ambassador at Koyas and Sons. Gandhi was impressed by what the garage had done to former Kerala chief minister M Karunakaran’s car.

Ditto with film stars Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan, who had their caravans redone by Koyas. Home> Campaign Watch / by K V Lakshmana, HT / Chennai – March 19th, 2014

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Campaign Watch / by K V Lakshmana, Hindustan Times / Chennai – March 19th, 2014

Madurai-based techie develops augmented reality game

March 29, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Science & Technologies, World Opinionadmin

Madurai :

Augmented reality games may be in their nascent stage in tier-I cities like Chennai. But, that hasn’t deterred the passion of this Madurai-based game developer, who has come up with trial version of an augmented reality game titled ‘Zombies Table.’ The demo game, which was released 20 days back in Apple Store and Google Play, has already started gaining attention among online users.

In fact, the game, which is the brain child of T S Gokul Prasath, 29, from Anna Nagar in Madurai, has already become one of the top rated augmented reality games with more than 5,000 downloads in Apple Store and Google Play.

Unlike other games, augmented reality games engage the player with the objects in real life. It has been an emerging area where lots of research and developments have been taking place. While the demo game has got instant acceptance, the Madurai youth vows to bring out the full version of ‘Table Zombie’ in the next 30 days.

Gokul completed his engineering in a city college and later pursued his MBA in International Business from a reputed college in Coimbatore. Though he was interested in application and game development from his under graduation days, he could not pursue it then. After his MBA, he got placed well-reputed companies. But his urge to become a game developer never subsided. He quit his job and started developing applications before he stared his own developing unit named SRG United Solutions in the city.

Briefing about the game, Gokul says, “The game can be downloaded at free of cost and played in smart phone or tablet. We have also linked the game with a PDF document. Once the print out is scanned through the camera after launching the application, the characters would come alive and people can play it. The demo version of the Table Zombie has been rated among the top three games in augmented reality field. There has been articles and positive feedback by users too.”

When contacted R Sivarajah, the former president of Software Industries Development Association of South Tamil Nadu (SIDA) and founder of Nativelead, an organisation to develop entrepreneurship skills of students, he said there are not many companies developing augmented reality games even in tier one cities. “It is in a nascent stage in South India,” he said.

According to this young game developer, augmented reality game is the future of all games. “In fact, that time is not too far when movie wall posters would start playing the entire trailer. Google glass could be connected to this application. This would enable us to watch the trailers through posters, which would be designed using augmented reality technique,” Gokul added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by V. Devanathan, TNN / March 19th, 2014

Celebrating Womanhood

March 26, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Science & Technologiesadmin

Members of SHGs showcasing their products at the Women’s Day celebrations organised by Asha Nivas Social Service Centre | A Raja Chidambaram

Education and economic independence is important for a woman, said Dr V Shanta, chairperson of the Adyar Cancer Institute, on Monday.

The doctor was addressing a large gathering of women during an International Women’s Day celebration organised by Asha Nivas Social Service Centre. She said that a woman should have economic independence to gain respect among others. “Women empowerment means good education, understanding, social concern and economic independence. There was a time when women took care of their children and were silent observers. Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy fought to study medicine from a village in Pudukottai district. She became the first medical graduate in the country and started Avvai home and Adyar Cancer Institute,” she said.

She further said that it was in the hands of a woman to control the man from drinking, stop fighting at home in front of the children and let the girl child at home get good education. “Parents are the role model for children. In urban areas, girls go to schools and colleges while in villages, boys go to school and girls stay at home. As women, you should let your girls study. Children should also be taught self-defence at schools to safeguard themselves from crimes,” the doctor said.

Advising women that extra care for children was necessary to protect them from accidents, Dr K Mathangi Ramakrishnan, chairperson of the Child Trust Hospital, recalled an incident where she helped a boy get care and support after his mother abandoned him following an accident that led to amputation of both his hands. “I get many kids with burn injuries mostly due to falling in to hot sambar, oil or water. Many mothers still leave their children in the kitchen when they cook,” she pointed out.

About 42 best self-help groups were given awards while an exhibition with products made by SHGs was also inaugurated.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service – Chennai / March 18th, 2014

Enjoy uninterrupted power sans inverters, the way retired Madurai professor does

March 25, 2014Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Science & Technologiesadmin

Madurai :

Power cuts and poor voltage have been a regular feature, troubling both residents and industrialists alike in the region. When inverter sales are booming due to erratic supply, a retired electrical and electronics professor here is enjoying uninterrupted power supply without using one. This is possible by making use of basic direct current (DC) from solar power and batteries. The advantages of this scientifically well-proven concept, now tried by P S Kannan, is that power will be available uninterrupted and that without incurring high electricity charges.

Though, low DC power is more efficient than alternating current (AC) is the common system world over for power distribution is AC due to its transmission efficiencies. Kannan has made his home immune from power vagaries by using solar panels and batteries. He uses minimum AC-based grid supply during night.

“Solar power is DC and the power stored in batteries is also DC. I use DC power for running electronic equipment at home without using an inverter. Most electrical appliances and electronic gadgets can be used with DC power. Running a DC system along with the common AC system eliminates the need of inverters, the method is useful to avoid sine-wave problem in inverters. Battery life will be high and there is no transmission loss,” Kannan said.

An inverter converts AC into DC which is enough to run a few lights and fans or other low-power devices.

All electronic equipment/devices available in market can directly be powered using 180 to 280 volts of DC sources, instead of 230-volt AC sources required for normal operation, Kannan explained. Thus television, personal computers, tube lights with electronic ballast, CFL lights, mobile chargers, DVD players, digital set top boxes, electronic table and ceiling fans can be operated with a DC source, say solar batteries, without using an inverter drawing power from AC sources, like typical power grids, he said.

“The problem of using inverter is that it depends on power supply in the main grid. It affects the quality of power supply at home. In turn, the grid is affected when more number of inverters is used by power consumers,” Kannan said while stressing on the disadvantages of AC system.

To exploit the advantages of DC power, one has to invest in a solar system which is available between Rs 30,000 to 70,000. “My objective is to sensitise public about the option of an uninterrupted power system without using inverter,” he said.

R N Karunanidhi, a former colleague of Kannan, said they have installed it in a colleague’s home. One model is installed in a private engineering college for research and development. “I am working on using DC for induction stoves. If it succeeds, it can be very useful for cooking with solar power and ideal for places like forests and remote areas without electricity,” Kannan added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Madurai / by J. Arockiaraj / March 12th, 2014

Air Marshal Kanakaraj presented NIT-T award

March 25, 2014Education, Leaders, Science & Technologiesadmin

Air Marshal P. Kanakaraj, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command, Indian Air Force, receiving the distinguished alumnus award from S. Sundarrajan, Director, National Institute of Technology-Tiruchi, in Tiruchi on Tuesday. / Photo: M. Moorthy / The Hindu

Air Marshal P. Kanakaraj, commanding-in-chief, maintenance command, Indian Air Force, was conferred the distinguished alumnus award for “excellence in public administration” at the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchi (NIT-T), here on Tuesday.

The marshal had passed out as a mechanical engineering student from REC (Regional Engineering College) (NIT was then known as REC) in 1977, went on to pursue post graduation in IIT Madras, and then joined the Indian Air Force.

A video tribute to him was played, following which S. Sundarrajan, director; NITT, conferred the award on Air Marshal Kanakaraj.

Replying to the felicitation, the Air Marshal recalled his days at the college and remembered the professors who helped him and observed how the locality and the college had changed over the years. He said he was more proud to be an alumnus rather than to receive the distinguished alumnus award.

Air Marshal Kanakaraj donated a MiG 23 aircraft to NIT-T and said that the aircraft must serve as a symbol to remind the students that professors work endlessly for their benefit. “The aircraft is an air warrior of the skies and is symbolic of your professors’ dedication. It serves to remind you that engineering is something you have to imbibe in your life; you have to be professionals,” he said.

A golden jubilee student plaza, titled MiGold Plaza, is soon to be developed in the area around the aircraft, placed near the department of architecture, NIT-T. The Air Marshal unveiled the foundation stone for the plaza in the presence of Mr. Sundarrajan and college faculty.

Interacting with students and answering questions posed by them, the marshal shared his experience of the Kargil war and the strategies that provide advantage at the time of war and spoke about indigenization of material required for air force machines. He doled out career guidance and expressed his views on the V.P. Singh allegations. He said that the postal ballots helped armed forces personnel cast votes, thanks to the Election Commission.

“Accidents in the Indian Army and Air Force are inevitable but good training and maintenance practices will ensure that they are reduced to a bare minimum,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Staff Reporter / Tiruchi – March 19th, 2014

Budding entrepreneurs take the stage at IIT-M

March 25, 2014Business & Economy, Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Science & Technologiesadmin

IIT-M students who designed the Amrutdhara water project. (Right) Glow-in-the-dark notebooks by Pizzamutiny

From T-shirts and paper cups to unmanned aerial vehicles, the students of IIT-Madras seem to have left no stone unturned in their attempt to don the entrepreneurial cap. Some of the projects were put up by the students at the recently concluded Entrepreneurship Week held at the institution.

One of the most ambitious of projects was the Amrutdhara project, taken by an IIT-M student along with two other business partners. The mandate of the venture is simple: Do away with plastic bottles.

“Every year, millions of tonnes of plastic waste get accumulated due to the use of plastic bottles. Many of these plastic water bottles do not provide quality drinking water too. Reports show that many of them are of the same quality as tap water. Despite this, people are forced to buy it,” said Sandeep.

It is to put an end to this that the three-member team came up with the Amrutdhara project. Under the venture, a water filtration outlet is provided at public places where people can buy water at a cost of `3-`5 per litre. But unlike the plastic bottles, the water is provided in glasses that are washed and dried on site.

“The set up will also sell refillable bottles and provide real time analysis of the quality. If the water quality goes down a particular level, the machine will automatically shut down,” says Sandeep.

The economics of the project lies in the fact that even with the most state-of-the-art treatment system with reverse osmosis and membranes, the cost of treatment of water to package is estimated at 25 p per litre. The project, which won the runners-up title at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements’ (IIHS) National Students Challenge is now in the final stages of talks with the Puducherry government.

If bottled water is a menace, so are plastic cups. Mechanical engineering students of the IIT have come up with a project that would not only make selling paper cups profitable for the seller but also for the buyer!

“The idea is simple. Each paper cup will be printed with an advertisement. It will also have certain mobile numbers allotted by the advertiser. When the buyer sends a text to that number, he can avail discounts or other offers. So what we have is a win-win situation. Since we get to make profit through the advertisement, we sell the cups at half the price of normal cups to canteens or other sellers while for the buyers of the cup, it could mean getting discounts and offers,” says Nikhlesh, the second-year student who is part of the Admen company that took up the project.

The project has already fetched a turnover of `75,000 in 15 days, after being implemented 10 city colleges and an IT park.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Amritha KR – Chennai / March 20th, 2014

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