SAKTHI BOOKS CURRENT EVENTS

University

Gujarat to form Sanskrit Bhasha Vikas Board

The Sanskrit language, the state government has decided to form the Sanskrit Bhasha Vikas Board. The decision was announced by state education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama at an event held at the Gujarat University. The university has started a dedicated centre for spoken Sanskrit and also plans to celebrate Sanskrit Utsav.

University of Houston signs MoU with IIPE

The University of Houston has signed a MoU with the Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE) to build scientific and technical knowledge through joint research. It covers key areas of possible collaboration in faculty exchanges, offshore and onshore petroleum engineering and process control systems. The MoU also covers possible student exchanges for short-term visits and learning.

Gyan Vani an educational FM radio in Pune

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has started its own FM radio network Gyan Vani with the help of All India Radio (AIR). In this programmes like primary and secondary education, adult education, technical and vocational education, higher education is been broadcasted at 105.6 MHz. The educational channel is being broadcasted in English, Hindi and other regional languages.

Govt proposes to replace UGC

Government has unveiled draft of a bill to replace higher education regulator University Grants Commission with a Higher Education Commission. The commission will not have grant-making authority, will promote reduced inspection system & will focus on quality outcome at universities & colleges. It will be applicable to all higher education institutions established under any act of Parliament.

Ministry of Health signs MoU with IGNOU

Health Ministry has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) to scale-up short-term healthcare courses and produce over 14 lakh trained manpower by 2025. The signing of MoU is under the existing framework of ‘Skills for Life, Save a Life’ initiative. The ministry will provide for financial assistance to IGNOU for initiating programmes.

India excluded from UK’s relaxed student visa

India has been excluded from the UK’s new list of countries considered “low risk”, whose applicants will undergo reduced checks while applying for student visas. The countries on the list include the US, Canada and China among others. Students from these countries would face reduced checks on educational, financial and English language skill requirements to study at UK universities.

Universities to hold convocation every year

The HRD Ministry has written to all universities mandating them to hold convocation every year after few universities were found skipping the event. “The event carries a huge significance for graduating students and is a moment of pride for their families,” officials said. Interestingly, Jawaharlal Nehru University recently held its second convocation, 46 years after its first convocation.

AP’s largest petroglyph site at Kandanathi

Dr. Raghu of Yogi Vemmana university has discovered Andhra Pradesh’s largest petroglyph site at Kandanathi. The site has nearly 200 engravings, peckings that belong to Mesolithic, Neolithic period. The petroglyph at Kandanathi reveal the presence of the Boya community divided into groups – Mandla (herdsmen) and Yenubothula (buffalomen).

Universities to hold convocation every year

The HRD ministry has written to all universities asking them to hold convocations every year. It was found that some universities were not doing the exercise regularly due to either financial or time constraints. The Ministry has also asked all universities to send details of the last convocation held by them.

Inder Jit Singh became Secretary, Min of Coal

Dr. Inder Jit Singh, assumed charge as Secretary, Ministry of Coal at Shastri Bhawan office, New Delhi. Dr. Jit Singh took over the charge of Secretary which fell vacant after superannuation of Shri Susheel Kumar on April 30 this year. Dr. Jit Singh was posted as Secretary (Coordination) in Cabinet Secretariat, he is a Ph.D in Economics from Punjab University.

Omar Al-Razzaz sworn in as Jordan PM

Former World Bank Economist Omar al-Razzaz was sworn in as Jordan’s Prime Minister after King Abdullah issued a decree approving the new government. The 58-year-old, who studied at Harvard University, was tasked with reviewing the country’s disputed tax system. Omar succeeded Hani al-Mulki who resigned following mass protests over price hikes and other government economic policies.

hD must for directly recruiting teachers

Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar has announced PhD degree will be mandatory for direct recruitment to the post of assistant professors in central universities from 2021. However, Masters degree with National Eligibility Test would continue to be the minimum criteria. The ministry has also decided to scrap Academic Performance Indicator system, used to promote teachers.

Dhivya: 1st Female CFO at General Motors

Dhivya Suryadevara has been named the chief financial officer of the United States’ largest automaker, General Motors. Dhivya will report to chief executive officer (CEO) Mary Barra who is also the first woman in the auto industry. Suryadevara earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in commerce from the University of Madras in Chennai, India.

Bengaluru’s IISc makes it to top 100

Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru has made it to the top 100 universities in the Times Higher Education’s World Reputation Rankings 2018. Ranked in the 91-100 band, it is the only Indian institution to make it to the prestigious list this year. The list topped by American universities Harvard, MIT & Stanford, with the United Kingdom’s Cambridge & Oxford completing the top 5.

Ordinance for sports university approved

2 : President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to an ordinance to set up the country’s first national sports university in Manipur. The Union Cabinet had approved an ordinance on 23rd May in this regard. The University, first of its kind, will promote sports education in the areas of sports sciences, sports technology, sports management and sports coaching.

Study centre on Brahmaputra river

The Central government announced that a Brahmaputra Study Centre would be set up at Gauhati University to conduct research on the causes of and how to prevent frequent floods in the river. The fund for setting up the study centre will be provided by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region. The study centre would offer an opportunity for research in different aspects of the river.

Approval for central university in Andhra

The Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of a central university in the Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh, Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said. A provision of ?450 crore has been approved for the first phase of establishing the university. Andhra Pradesh had been left with no central university following its division into two states in 2014.

TNAU seed centre bags award

The seed centre at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has bagged an award for excellence in research on seed technology. The best performance centre award was presented at the annual group meeting of the all-India coordinated research project on national seed projects. All agricultural universities under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research participated in the meet.

Stanford University to partner with UP

10 : Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Sidharth Singh has said that the Stanford University in the United States will partner with UP to combat diseases like Japanese encephalitis and acute encephalitis syndrome. Companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin also want to set up their plants in India, Singh added. Singh had led a delegation to the US to get investments from the country.

India topped list of fastest growing economies

According to a Harvard University report, India topped the list of the fastest growing economies in the world for the coming decade. According to the report, India is projected to grow at 7.9% annually, ahead of China & US. The researchers also found India to be the best on Complexity Opportunity Index, which measures how easy it is to redeploy existing knowhow to enter new complex products.

Mumbai to host food archaeology conference

Mumbai is hosting a conference that will look at food from point of views of history, archaeology and sociology.Titled “ArchaeoBroma”, the conference, to be held on May 5 and 6, is being touted as India’s first-ever national meet on “food as culture”. It will be organised by the India Study Centre Trust and the Centre for Extra-Mural Studies of the University of Mumbai.

Mechanism of deadly fungal infection found

Scientists have discovered a unique mechanism that drives the spread of a rare and deadly fungal infection that affects the lungs and brain. Cptococcosirys is a fungal infection that usually only occurs in people with impaired immunity, according to researchers at the University of Birmingham. The infection affects the lungs first, because it is acquired by inhaling fungal spores.

Scientists in Spain create a new record

Researchers based out in Spain cramp down light to lesser than a nanometer, that is, a space of 1 atom.The team did so by squeezing plasmons into a gap between graphene and metal. This is the smallest confinement done till date. This work was performed in collaboration with MIT (USA) and University of Minho (Portugal).

Siddharth Won Shorenstein Journalism Award

Siddharth Varadarajan, the founding editor of The Wire, has won the Shorenstein Journalism Award.The award, given annually by Stanford University’s Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center.The award honours journalists who have “produced outstanding reporting on Asia and contributed significantly to Western understanding of the region”.

Two new languages discovered

A professor of the University of Hyderabad has discovered two new languages- ‘Walmiki and Malhar’.These languages are spoken in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Walmiki is spoken in Koraput of Odisha and on the bordering districts of Andhra Pradesh. The second language Malhar is spoken in a remote and isolated hamlet about 165 km away from Bhubaneswar.

IISc Bengaluru, JNU among top 10 universities

The Indian Institute of Science is India’s top university followed by Jawaharlal Nehru University and Banaras Hindu University, declared the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).The NIRF which works under the Ministry of Human Resource Development released the list of top 10 universities in the country. All the top three universities retained their previous year rank.

Rakesh Bhatnagar appointed BHU V-C

JNU professor Rakesh Bhatnagar has been appointed as the vice-chancellor of the Banaras Hindu University. He will take charge from BHU Registrar Neeraj Tripathi, who had been holding the additional charge of the top post since October last year. He is a JC Bose National Fellow and has won the ICMR award for developing a recombinant vaccine against anthrax.

UGC grants autonomy to JNU, BHU, AMU

The University Grants Commission has approved autonomy for 60 higher educational institutions. They include Jawaharlal Nehru University, Banaras Hindu University & Aligarh Muslim University, which have maintained high academic standards. The selected institutes will remain under the ambit of UGC but will have the freedom to start new courses, off-campus centres & other new academic programs.

106th ISC to be held in Bhopal

General President-elect Manoj Kumar Chakrabarti announced that the 106th edition of the Indian Science Congress will be held in January 2019 at Barkatullah University Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The theme for 2019 ISC will be ‘Future India: Science & Technology’. 105th Indian Science Congress concluded at Imphal.

Senior editor Ranjan Roy passed away

Senior journalist Ranjan Roy passed away after battling cancer for several years. Roy was the chief of the Times News Network (TNN) and a member of the paper‘s national editorial board. An alumnus of Delhi‘s St. Stephen‘s College and Princeton University, US, Roy started his journalistic career in the Press Trust of India in New Delhi as a trainee in 1982.

New antibiotic discovered by scientists.

A novel species of a bacterium that produces antibiotic has been discovered by a professor at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) and his researchers. The newly discovered bacterium, Planctopirus hydrilla, may provide a solution to the problem of diseases becoming resistant to a majority of known drugs. The new bacteria would also clean up ammonia waste, a growing environmental concern.

New study on avian evolution

Scientists have discovered a tiny fossil of a prehistoric baby bird, which can help them understand how early avians came into the world in the age of dinosaurs. The fossil, which dates back to the Mesozoic Era (250-65 million years ago), is a chick from a group of prehistoric birds called Enantiornithes. Itis according to researchers at the University of Manchester in the UK.

Light from first stars of universe detected

A team of astronomers including an Indian graduate student Nivedita Mahesh from Arizona State University have discovered for the first time signals from ‘cosmic dawn’ – the moment when the universe‘s earliest stars emerged. This is a significant breakthrough in our understanding of the evolution of cosmos. The universe was formed in the Big Bang event 13.8 billion years.

ITBP men to learn Chinese

Indo-Tibetan Border Police has geared up to break the language barrier with their Chinese counterparts by learning Chinese to boost security management skills.25 jawans & officials of ITBP will take up a 1 year certificate course in Chinese language at Sanchi University of Buddhist-Indic Studies. Learning Chinese will also help ITBP in their interactions with civilians in the border areas.

Rajnath inaugurates spoken Sanskrit centre

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has launched the Centre for learning Sanskrit language in Gujarat University in Ahmedabad.It will offer a 6 month course for people on how to speak the language, anybody who loves Sanskrit can join this course. For the course, no prior knowledge of Sanskrit is required, the minimum strength of the class will be 30 students while the fees has been fixed at Rs 500.

CSE Ranked Top Environment Policy Think Tanks

The Centre for Science and Environment has been ranked the top environment policy think tanks in India while it has secured the 16th position in global rankings.The rank was given by The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program of the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.In the ‘Energy and Resource Policy Think Tanks’ category, CSE has been ranked the 2nd in India.

Book on Dhaka terror attack victim released

A book, titled Abinta Kabir: Mulyabodh O Swapner Nam, on the life of Abinta Kabir, the 19-year-old Bangladeshi national killed in the terror attack in Gulshan area of Dhaka on July 1, 2016, was released.She was studying in Atlanta-based Emory University.She, along with 20 others Including an Indian Tarishi Jain were killed in the attack.

Cancer vaccine with 97% success rate made

A Stanford University study has secured approval to conduct human tests for a cancer vaccine that had a 97% success rate in tests on mice.’The vaccine had cured 87 of the 90 mice and the rest were cured after a second treatment.The experiment used two immune-stimulating agents to boost cancer-fighting T-cells, which gets suppressed in cancer patients.

Foundation of Universal Peace Center

Andhra Pradesh laid the foundation stone for the Universal Peace Retreat Center of ‘Prajapita Brahmakumari Eswariya University’ in Amaravati.The Center will be built with a capacity to provide shelter to 1500 people.It will propagate and teach raja yoga, Dhyana, youth development, women empowerment, stress relief activities, child care, positive attitude, life skills and moral values.

CIPAM Launches Competition for students

Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), under the department of industrial policy and promotion, has launched a competition for college and university students.Its aim is to foster a culture of innovation and creativity in the youth. The competition invites students to submit films on piracy and counterfeiting. The last date for receiving entries is March 31.

4th Int. Dharma Dhamma Conference

President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated a three-day International Dharma-Dhamma conference at Rajgir in Bihar.The conference was jointly organised by India Foundation, Nalanda University, Ministry of External Affairs, ASEAN-India and Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha. The conference was attended by Sri Lanka’s foreign Minister Tilak Marapana.

World to become drier: Scientists

According to scientists, over a quarter of the world’s land could become significantly drier even if global warming is limited to the target of two degree Celsius.The change would cause an increased threat of drought and wildfires.Researchers from University of East Anglia in the UK and Southern University of Science and Technology in China studied projections from 27 global climate models

1500 more schools for Atal Tinkering Lab

NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission, has selected additional 1500 Schools for the establishment of Atal Tinkering Labs.Atal Innovation Mission is the government’s programme to promote innovation & entrepreneurship nationwide in schools, universities & industry.They are innovation play workspaces for students between Grade VI to Grade XII, stimulating innovations combining science & tech.

ISC to be held in March in Imphal

The 2018 edition of the historic Indian Science Congress will be held at Manipur University, Imphal, in March. The event was scheduled at the Osmania University (OU), Hyderabad, in the first week of January but had to be moved out due to “security problems.”The aim of the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) is to advance and promote the cause of science in India.

Dhirendra Pal appointed as UGC chairman

Professor Dhirendra Pal Singh, director, National Assessment and Accreditation Council was appointed the chairperson of UGC. He has been serving as director of NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) since August 2015.He has 34 years of professional experience in various fields of education. He has served as vice-chancellor of Banaras Hindu University.

Gravitational wave detector to be built

A new LIGO gravitational wave detector will be built in India by 2025 in collaboration with universities from across the world. LIGO stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. It will help to pinpoint the origin of the gravitational waves that are detected in future. This will be the world’s third LIGO detector, along with two already operational in the US.

India’s 1st design univ. opens campus

India’s first and only design university, World University of Design opened its campus at Sonipat, Haryana.WUD offers country’s largest creative course catalog – 23 specialized UG and PG programs in various design arenas. The university follows a unique curriculum that encourages research, academic excellence, industry preparedness and social innovation.

World’s 1st sand art certificate course

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will launch world’s first online certificate course in sand art in March 2018.It will help sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik’s dream come true.Pattnaik said he wanted India to become the first country across the globe to offer such training to sand artists. The course will provide desired skills to the persons.

India’s 1st Rail and Transportation Univ

The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved the Ministry of Railways’ initiative to set up India’s first ever National Rail and Transport University.The university set up in Vadodara, Gujarat will skill its human resources and build capability.The University will be set up as a Deemed to Be University under de novo category as per the UGC Regulations, 2016.

Shree Saini crowned Miss India USA 2017

Shree Saini, a resident of Washington state, was crowned Miss India USA 2017.The 21-year-old, who is a student at the University of Washington, said she wants to lead a life dedicated to service. Shree, who had a pacemaker implanted at the age of 12 is an inspiration for all. Cancer surgeon Kavita Malhotra from Florida was declared Mrs India USA 2017.

New form of matter excitonium discovered

Researchers from University of California & University of Illinois have proven the existence of new form of matter called excitonium. The existence of new form of matter called excitonium was 1st theorised almost 50 years ago. Excitonium exhibits macroscopic quantum phenomena, like a superconductor & is made up of excitons, particles that are formed in a very strange quantum mechanical pairing

Agricultural Education Budget increased

The government has increased the budget of Agricultural Education by 47.4% this year as compared to the financial year 2013-14.It is done in order to adopt quality and holistic approach to higher agricultural education, the Fifth Dean Committee Report has been implemented in all the Agricultural Universities.This is First-of-its-kind that all Graduate Level Courses in Agriculture.

West Bengal to setup green university

A bill named ‘West Bengal Green University Bill 2017’ has been passed in West Bengal to set up an environmental studies university at Hooghly district. State Education Minister tabled the Bill in Assembly & West Bengal becomes the first state to have a university dedicated to environmental studies. Two other bills were also passed to establish the Purba Medinipur and the Jhargram University.

How life evolved on earth

A boost in levels of oxygen may have caused a three-fold increase in biodiversity during between 445 and 485 million years ago, a study has found. The explosion of diversity, recognised as the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event, brought about the rise of various marine life. The study was carried out by the Washington University in the U.S.

Tape recorder created from bacteria

Columbia University researchers have converted a bacterial immune system into the world’s smallest data recorder. Using CRISPR gene-editing method, the team modified the human gut microbe E. coli, enabling the bacteria to record their interactions with the environment and also time-stamp the events. It could be used for disease diagnosis and environmental monitoring.

Jindal Global University ranked highest

O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) has been ranked among the Top 10 Private education Institutions in India in ‘QS University Rankings: BRICS 2018’. JGU became the YOUNGEST Indian University and also the FIRST and ONLY private university in Haryana to have been ranked in an international ranking. The results were published in New Delhi.

International Students Day – November 17

On 17th November 2017, International Students Day was celebrated all over the world. This day was first marked in 1941 in London by the International Students’ Council. This day marks the anniversary of the 1939 Nazi storming of the University of Prague. Today, it is treated as an international observance of student activism, differing from the earlier meaning of the day.

Ravinder Singh elected mayor of US city

Ravinder Singh Bhalla has become the first ever Sikh mayor of New Jersey’s Hoboken city. He is the first Sikh to hold elected office in New Jersey. Bhalla, who is better known as Ravi Bhalla, graduated from UC Berkley and did his masters degree from London School of Economics and received a law degree from Tulane University.

Most ancient spiral galaxy discovered

Astronomers have discovered the most ancient spiral galaxy in the universe which they believe existed 11 billion years ago, named A1689B11. According to the scientists, the galaxy existed just 2.6 billion years after the Big Bang, when the universe was only one-fifth of its present age. Researchers are from Australian National University (ANU) and Swinburne University of Technology.

Centre for Disaster Research at JNU

Shri Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the Special Centre for Disaster Research at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. The centre will offer Masters and Doctorate programmes in Disaster Risk Management. For the first year, the centre will focus on disaster research in North Eastern states of India. He also released the book ‘Disaster Law, Emerging Thresholds’ by Prof. Amita Singh.

India grants aid to Sri Lanka University

India provided equipment and vehicles worth USD 585,000 to University of Jaffna in Sri Lanka. Jaffna is a Tamil-dominated former war zone in Sir Lanka. It is to develop the agriculture and engineering departments of the university. The project aims to create better facilities and improved learning environment for students pursuing professional courses in Agriculture and Engineering.

First 3D printed wearable ‘battery’

Researchers from Brunel University in the UK have developed the first 3D printed wearable ‘battery’. The 3D printing method of the wearable ‘battery’ stacks silicone, layer by layer to make a supercapacitor. The wristbands could be used in the future to power smartphones, electric cars like pacemakers etc. The research was published in the journal Materials Science and Engineering.

Flemming joins NBA India

National Basketball Association announced Scott Fleming, former India men’s national team head coach, has joined NBA India as Head of Basketball Operations Scott Fleming will oversee the league’s youth and elite basketball development in India. He was earlier head coach of the Crusaders Basketball team at the Northwest Nazarene University. He served as India men’s head coach from 2012-2015.

2nd World Congress on Marxism

2nd World Congress on Marxism is scheduled to be held in Peking University in Beijing from 5th – 6th May 2018. The theme of 2nd World Congress on Marxism will be “Marxism and the current world and China”. The 2nd World Congress on Marxism coincides with the 200th anniversary of Karl Marx’s birth and 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up.

Suu Kyi’s name removed from Oxford

Students at the St Hugh’s College voted to remove Aung San Suu Kyi’s name from the title of their Junior Common Room, in North Oxford, England. Her name was dropped owing to her inability to stop severe human rights abuses against Rohingyas in Myanmar. She had graduated from St. Hugh’s College in 1967 and was granted an honorary doctorate from the university in 2012.

QS Asia University Rankings 2018

IIT Bombay has emerged as top-ranked Indian institute in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds Asia University Rankings 2018. IIT Bombay has ranked 34th and is the only Indian institute to better its performance among the top 100 universities in QS Asia University Rankings 2018. IIT Delhi is at 41st rank and Singapore’s Nanyang Technology University has topped QS Asia University Rankings 2018.

Birsa Munda Tribal Univ. inaugurated

Gujarat Minister of State for Tribal Welfare Shabdasharan Tadvi inaugurated the Birsa Munda Tribal University in Rajpipla, a tribal-dominated town in Narmada district of Gujarat. Campus of this University will come up on the outskirts of Rajpipla. University would offer graduation, post- graduation, diploma and certificate courses on subjects of Arts, Commerce and Science steam.

Richard H. Thaler wins 2017 Nobel Prize

American economist Richard H. Thaler has won 2017 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to behavioural economics. Thaler is Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is co-author of global best seller Nudge (2008) in which concepts of behavioral economics are used to tackle many of society’s major problems.

World Post Day

World Post Day is celebrated each year on 9 October, the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss Capital, Bern. It was declared World Post Day by the UPU Congress held in Tokyo, Japan in 1969. The Posts in many countries use the event to introduce or promote new postal products and services.

A new study about Bacteria

Researchers including one of Indian origin from North Carolina State University in US have found that antibiotic resistance can be passed between bacteria found in the soil. The study was published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. The study could explain why we find antibiotic resistant salmonella strains even on farms that do not use antibiotics

Scientists develop smart bandage

Scientists have developed a smart bandage that can precisely control the dose and delivery schedule of the medication tailored for a specific type of wound, leading to faster healing. The bandage consists of electrically conductive fibres coated in a gel. It is developed by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The gel can be loaded with infection- fighting antibiotics.

Mou Between Indian Army and JMIU

Indian Army & Jamia Millia Islamia University has signed a Memorandum of understanding for academic collaboration, technical advancement & progression of Army Personnel. It would facilitate admission of defence personnel in 2nd or 3rd-year Graduation / P.G / Doctorate programme via distance learning. It would enable soldiers to enhance their academic qualification for a better future.

First woman chief proctor

Under the scanner for an unsafe atmosphere for women on the campus, the Banaras Hindu University has appointed a woman as its chief proctor. Professor Royana Singh, who will hold the post, is a professor in the Anatomy Department of the Institute of Medical Sciences. She takes charge after O.N Singh resigned from the post, taking “moral responsibility” for the lathi charge on students.

Infosys Foundation Signs MoU With IISc

Infosys Foundation has signed a Rs. 5 crore MoU with Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore to enhance infrastructure & broaden research activities at centre for Infectious Diseases Research. The grant will be used towards research, training and creating awareness, about infectious diseases. IISc is a university for research & higher education in all science & engineering disciplines.

NASA finds ‘shape-shifting’ bacteria

Bacterial cells treated with a common antibiotic have been spotted changing shape to survive while aboard the International Space Station. The way bacteria act in near-zero gravity environments could pose a serious problem for treating astronauts with infections. The group of researchers was led by Luis Zea of the University of Colorado.

Odia language university

The Odisha government passed a bill to launch the first-ever Odia language university for post-graduation. The university which will be established in Bhubaneswar will also devise ways to make Odia script more adaptable to technology. In February 2014, Odia became the sixth language of the country to get classical language status.

Animal Law set up at NALSAR

India’s first Centre for Animal Law has been established at the city-based NALSAR University of Law. Centre will create curriculum on animal welfare laws, including developing topics for research. Centre will also conduct workshops on animal laws & animal welfare issues. Humane Society International, India will work with NALSAR University to steer and coordinate the activities of the centre

1st global map of water on Moon created

Scientists have created 1st map of water trapped in uppermost layer of Moon’s soil which may prove useful to future lunar explorers. Scientists from Brown University used a new calibration of data taken from Nasa’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper, which flew aboard Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft to quantify how much water is present on a global scale. Signature of water is present nearly everywhere on Moon

ICAR to undertake major research works

The Indian Council for Agricultural Research ICAR will be undertaking major research works on agriculture this year with the World Bank fund of 1100 crore rupees. The funds will be allocated to ten each of the premier agricultural and veterinary universities in the country. Two research centres would be established in Tamil Nadu for research on preserving and promoting domestic bull species.

Ancient Global Warming

An extreme global warming event 56 million years ago was driven by massive carbon dioxide emissions from volcanoes, during the formation of the North Atlantic Ocean. The research was conducted by researchers from the University of Southampton, UK. The PETM is the most rapid and extreme natural global warming event of the last 66 million years.

5.7 m-year-old footprint discovered

Dating back to 5.7 million years, scientists have managed to discover human-like footprints in Greece that could possibly challenge early human evolution. The discovery of the 5.7 million-year-old human-like footprints by researchers at the Uppsala University in Sweden overthrows this simple picture and suggests a complex reality. Mankind’s ancestors were thought to have originated in Africa

New tectonic plate discovered

US-based Rice University researchers have found a new tectonic plate in the eastern Pacific Ocean off Ecuador’s coast. It is named after a Colombian island, the Malpelo plate is the 57th plate to be discovered and the first in nearly a decade. The research was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Tissue bandage to repair hearts

Scientists have developed an injectable tissue bandage smaller than a postage stamp that can repair damaged hearts. Researchers at University of Toronto have developed a technique that lets them use a small needle to inject a repair patch, without the need to open up chest cavity. AngioChip is a tiny patch of heart tissue with its own blood vessels & heart cells beating with a regular rhythm

World Congress of Optometry

2nd World Congress of Optometry is going to be held in Hyderabad during Sep 11-13. World’s visually impaired will be the subject of some serious discussions at the world congress. The conference theme is ‘Accessible, quality vision and eye health’. It ties into WHO’s Universal eye health: A global action plan which aims to reduce prevalence of avoidable visual impairment by 25% by 2017.

India’s first aviation university

India’s 1st aviation university, Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University will be inaugurated on Aug 18 in UP’s Rae Bareli district. University has been planned as an autonomous body under administrative control of ministry of civil aviation It aims to facilitate & promote aviation studies, teaching, training & research. Air Vice Marshal Nalin Tandon has been appointed as the vice-chancellor

Water as propellant for tiny satellites

Engineers at Purdue University in US have designed & tested a micro propulsion system that uses liquid water as a propellant for orbital manoeuvring of tiny satellites called CubeSats. Pure water is chosen since it is green, safe, easy to use & free from the risk of contaminating sensitive instruments. CubeSats are poised to take over the sky in the future to carry out imaging & remote-sensing.

Tamil and Gujarati online dictionaries

Oxford University Press has launched online dictionaries in Tamil and Gujarati as part of its special focus on Indian languages. The Tamil and Gujarati versions follow the launch of the Hindi online dictionary last year. Addition of Gujarati and Tamil to the Oxford Dictionaries API gives a rapidly growing developer community access to this language data in a structured and flexible way.

Four Earth-sized exoplanets discovered

Researchers from the University of California, Santa Cruz have identified four Earth-sized planets in orbit around the closest Sun-like star to the Solar System, tau Ceti. The star is slightly smaller than the Sun, and less active, and is about 12 light years away. Tau Ceti is located 12 light-years (3.7 parsecs) from the Solar System.

Arvind Panagariya resigns

Arvind Panagariya has resigned as the vice-chairman of NITI Aayog. He will return to academia in US & August 31 will be his last day in office. He was 1st vice-chairman of NITI Aayog. He has been chief economist of Asian Development Bank & professor of economics & co-director, Center for International Economics, University of Maryland.

Bio-glue for healing developed

Scientists have developed a super strong, flexible Bio-glue for wound healing without causing toxicity. It has been inspired by an adhesive material (glue) secreted by slugs that sticks to biological tissues. The research was conducted at Harvard University’s Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Drug resistant superbugs

Scientists from the University of Birmingham and Newcastle University in the UK have new way of removing antibodies from the blood stream. Scientists had used a process known as plasmapheresis that is somewhat like kidney dialysis. It involved the removal, treatment, and return of blood plasma from circulation. This method has potential to reduce chronic infections.

First-ever ‘Pizza ATM’ opens in the US

The first-ever ‘Pizza ATM’ has been installed at a university campus of US by French- based company Paline, which developed the ATM. The pizza vending machine on the campus of Xavier University (XU) in Ohio can hold seventy 12-inch pizzas and dispense them fresh and hot in just three minutes. The cost of each pizza is around $10, with the ATM accepting credit and debit cards, as well as a student card. Customers can select what kind of pizza they want using the 24-hour machine’s touchscreen. The pizza ATM, which opens for public on August 10.

World’s first Zika vaccine test on humans

A Canadian university, University Laval, announces that it will conduct the world’s first Zika vaccine test on humans.

100-College affiliation cap on University proposed

Aiming to limit the administrative burden on universities, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) plans to have a cap on the number of colleges which a university can affiliate. According to its plan, a university can affiliate only 100 colleges, and the existing universities will be restructured accordingly. Presently, Universities across the nation affiliate colleges ranging from 300 to 1,000, which academics feel are affecting their teaching and research activities.

Duke University discover a potential new class of small-molecule

Researchers from Duke University discover a potential new class of small-molecule drugs that simultaneously block key targets in the treatment of pain.

UTSA develops a newly patented method to kill cancer cells

An associate professor in University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) develops a newly patented method to kill cancer cells. The research is published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology.

World’s smallest nano-scale diode

Researchers from Georgia and Ben-Gurion Universities develop world’s smallest nano-scale diode or molecular rectifier that could impact the development of molecular electronic devices in future.

Foundation stone of University of Horticultural Sciences at Kamal

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Mr. Radha Mohan Singh lays the foundation stone of Haryana State University of Horticultural Sciences at Karnal, Haryana.

42 Central Universities to fly the Tricolour – HRD Minister

In a meet of Vice Chancellors in Surajkund, Haryana, HRD Minister Ms. Smriti Irani directs the Vice-Chancellors of all 42 Central Universities to fly the Tricolour on their buildings to instil a sense of nationalism into students and teachers.

BHU founded 100 years

Banaras Hindu University (BHU) founded by Freedom fighter Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya turns 100 years. It was founded as an important seat of higher education in 1916.

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