Jack Kilby

8/14/2019 Jack Kilby

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InsideVP News

EDITORIAL p.31

Ernest Rutherford p.30

Tribute to Jack Kilby p.27

Filling In Your Skinny

Frame p.22

Ulcers Explained p.19

Recent Developments in

Science & Technology p.17

... think scientifically, act scientifically... think scientifically, act scientifically... think scientifically, act...

ISSN : 0972-169XRegistered with the Registrar of Newspapers of India: R.N. 70269/98 Postal Registration No. : DL-11360/2005

November 2005 Vol. 8 No. 2 Price: Rs. 5.00

Published and Printed by Dr. Subodh Mahanti on behalf of Vigyan Prasar, C-24, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110 016 & Printed at S. Narayan &Sons, B-88, Okhla Indl. Area, Phase - II, New Delhi - 110 020 Editor : Dr. V.B. Kamble

Vigyan Prasar participated in a five-day Indo-US workshop on Utilisation of Space-based Resources to Enhance Science Education in India during October 15 19, 2005 at Aurangabad. The workshop was sponsored by Indo-US Science &Technology Forum. The objective of the workshop was to develop a plan for the

joint utilization of the space-based resources for science and technology educationdeveloped both in India and USA.

India has vast educationalresource materials developed byNational Council of EducationalResearch and Training (NCERT),Homi Bhaba Centre for ScienceEducation (HBCSE), VigyanPrasar (VP), Indira GandhiNational Open University (IGNOU),National Council for Teachers'

Education, (NCTE) and otherGovernment/ non-Governmentorganisations. India also has launched Edusat a satellite dedicated forEducation Science and Technology. On the other hand, NationalAeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has developed resourcematerials as part of their public outreach program. It has been proposed toutilize, adapt and share the resources developed by both India and US.

Indo-US Workshop on Utilisation of Space BasedResources

Mr. Doug Lombardi, Education and Public Outreach

Manager, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Arizona,USA, conducting a live session. Students and teachers

from Ahmedabad and Aurangabad interacted through

Edusat Talk-back terminalsContd. on page.....17

Vigyan Prasar jointly with National Science Centre organised the fourth popularscience lecture on 18 October , 2005 at NSC auditorium. The lecture wasdelivered by Dr. Krishan Lal , Emeritus Scientist and Former Director, NationalPhysical Laboratory (NPL), New Delhi on Fascinating World of Crystals.

The lecture was attended by students, teachers and scientists. ProfessorA.R. Verma, former Director, NPL, was also present on the occasion.

Dr. Krishan Lal initially talked about different types of crystal structurespresent in the nature. He explained with the help of slides how the arrangementof atoms changes in different crystals. He explained that properties ofcrystals depend mainly on the arrangement of atoms and on the faults likeimpurities and dislocations rather than on the materials themselves.

VP-NSC Popular Lecture Series

Dr. Krishan Lal , delivering a licture on

Fascinating World of Crystals

Contd. on page.....18


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Dream 2047 November 2005V

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Editorial 31

Editor : V.B. Kamble

Address for Vigyan Prasar, C-24, Qutab Institutional Area,correspondence : New Delhi-110 016; Tel : 26864157; Fax : 0120-2404437

e-mail : [email protected] : http://www.vigyanprasar.gov.in

Vigyan Prasar is not responsible for the statements and opinionsexpressed by the authors in their articles/write-ups published inDream 2047

Articles, excerpts from articles published in Dream 2047 maybe freely reproduced with due acknowledgement/credit.

The First India Science Report

Contd. on page.....26

The social and economic progress of a nation dependson the state of its science and technology. It isquantitatively measured and monitored rigorously by several

advanced nations on a regular basis. Even a few developingcountries also bring out such reports periodically. Such anexercise can assess the impact of science and technologyin the countrys economy and growth, and help plan for thefuture. What in India we have, however, till date are thelimited databases of governmental agencies and reportson studies for specific purposes.

In India, we have witnessed over the years, diverseand significant developments related to Science andTechnology (S&T). However, a quantitative study ofscientific and technological progress has not been doneso far. The India Science Report (ISR), released recently,is an exercise in this direction. This is the result of an

initiative of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA).The task of preparing the report was, however, entrustedby INSA to the National Centre for Applied EconomicResearch (NCAER). The report focuses on scienceeducation, human resources, and public attitude towardsS&T. It is worth noting that this initiative is an importantstep that would help arrive at appropriate methodologiesand indicators for a quantitative measurement of the differentaspects of the S&T system in India. Data from an all Indiafield study undertaken by the NCAER - the NationalScience Survey 2004 - formed the main basis for the resultspresented in the ISR. These data were supplemented withdata available from other secondary sources such as theCensuses of 1981, 1991 and 2001, the household National

Sample Survey of 1993-94 and 2000-01, the Departmentof Science and Technology, the University GrantsCommission (UGC) and the Institute of Applied ManpowerResearch. However, significant variation in the collectionof data by various agencies and even non-availability ofsome relevant data posed a serious problem in preparationof the ISR.

What are the significant findings of the ISR? Accordingto the ISR, there are 48.7 million people who have donegraduation and other higher degrees (excluding diploma-holders), and a fourth of them have a background of scienceeducation. Of this, 39.2 million are graduates (22.3 percent of them are from the science stream), 9.3 million

postgraduates (19.4 per cent from science) and 0.3 milliondoctorates (one-third from the science stream). Of thegraduates who are unemployed, 22.3% have studiedscience. The share of post graduates with science

background in the total unemployed postgraduates issignificantly higher (62.8%). As regards the annualenrollment at the graduate-plus level, it has risen from 6.6

million in 1995-96 to 9.84 million in 2004.Interestingly, the proportion of those studying science

at the graduate-plus level has risen from 28.8% to 34.6%in 2004. This is rather intriguing given the dwindling interestof the youth in science today. This inference, however, couldbe due to the fact that data includes all institutions and alldisciplines categorized as science under the survey, whichapparently includes Computer Science and InformationTechnology as well. How about engineering? The proportionof those doing engineering has almost doubled from 6.0%of the population studying at the graduate plus level in 1995-96 to 11.2% in 2003-04! Indeed, engineering educationshows the highest growth, from 8.2% per annum in 1995-

2000 to 21.9% in 2003-04!ISR states that there is no decline in interest in theproportion of students who wish to study science. But, athird of the students said they did not study science asthey did not feel motivated enough and another 40% saidthe number of students in a class were too many for themto understand what was being taught! On the other hand,half the teachers interviewed believed that more computers/equipment were required for teaching science subjectssince inadequate science training was a serious issue.Since every generation of top quality scientific manpowerstarts at the school level; a lot also depends on the wayscience is taught at school levels. Surely, this is an areawhere we need to focus our attention.

As regards the human resource in science andtechnology (HRST), ISR states that India has 52.6 milliongraduates, post graduates and diploma holders. If weremove 12.2 million unemployed and housewives from thiscategory, we get a total of 40.2 million that form an S&Tresource base. Those who have a diploma / graduationdegree and are employed in a science and technologyoccupation comprising the HRST core group are around14.2 million.

ISR draws interesting inferences as regards publicattitude towards S&T. Over three fourths of the public feelthat S&T is important for education; and believe that S&Tmakes lives healthier and more comfortable. On an average,

the level of knowledge the population has about thescientific concepts is very high - 57%of the people knewthat the centre of the earth is hot and 86% knew that that


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History of Science 29

His father James Rutherford, a Scottishwheelwright (a person who makes and repairswheels and wheeled vehicles), had migratedwith his family to New Zealand in 1840s.Rutherfords mother Martha Rutherford (neeThomson), who with her widowed mother, alsoemigrated to New Zealand in 1855. In 1877

Rutherford family moved to Foxhill, NelsonProvince. Rutherford attended Foxhill School,Nelson Province (1877-1883). In 1883, thefamily moved to Havelock, MarlboroughSounds, also near Nelson, where Rutherfordattended Havelock School (1883-1886). In hisearly years Rutherford did not show anyspecial inclination towards science. IoanJames wrote: In his spare time the boyenjoyed tinkering with clocks and makingmodels of the waterwheels his father used in his mills. Bythe age of ten he had read a scientific textbook, butotherwise there was not yet any sign of special interest in

science; he was expecting to become a farmer when hegrew up.

In 1887, Ernest won a scholarship to attend NelsonCollege, which was rather an English grammar school. Thisscholarship, which Rutherford won on his second attempt,was the only scholarship available to assist aMarlborough boy to attend secondary school.He studied three years at the Nelson College.He won, again on second attempt, one of theten scholarships available nationally to assistattendance at a college of the University ofNew Zealand. This scholarship enabled himto attend the Canterbury College (1890-1894)in Christchurch. He studied Pure and AppliedMathematics, Physics, Latin, English andFrench. He was a regular player of rugby. Heparticipated in the activities of a studentdebating society called the Dialectic Society.He also participated in the activities of therecently formed Science Society. In 1892 hepassed BA.

His mathematical ability won him the oneSenior Scholarship in Mathematics available in NewZealand. This made possible for him to study for his Master'sdegree. He studied both mathematics and physics.Rutherford was much influenced by one of his teachersAlexander Bickerton, who was a liberal freethinker. As a

part of the physics course requirement Rutherford had tocarry out an original investigation. Inspired by Nikola Teslasuse of his high frequency Tesla coil to transmit power withoutwires, Rutherford decided to find out whether iron wasmagnetic at very high frequencies of magnetising current.As a part of this investigation Rutherford developed twodevices; a timing device which could switch circuits in lessthan one hundred thousandth of a second and a magneticdetector of very fast current pulses. In 1893, Rutherfordobtained a Master of Arts degree with double First Class

Honours, in Mathematics and MathematicalPhysics and in Physical Science (Electricityand Magnetism).

Rutherford wanted to be a school teacher.However, even after trying three times he failedto obtain a permanent school-teachers job.For a brief period he toyed with the idea of

pursuing a career in medicine. He was alsothinking to carry out more research in electricalscience and to meet his financial requirementshe thought of taking up private tutoring.Rutherford taught briefly at the local highschool. In a tiny basement workshopRutherford began investigating the radio wavesearlier discovered by Hertz. He devised amagnetometer capable of detecting radiosignals over short distances. The device could

be used in lighthouse-to-shore communication. Rutherforddid not knew that the device had already been developedby Joseph Henry. Rutherford decided to try for the

scholarship given by the Royal Commissioners for theExhibition of 1851. These scholarships allowed graduatesof universities in the British Empire to go anywhere in theworld and work subjects seemingly useful for industries intheir home. For the graduate students of the Universities

of New Zealand one scholarship was availableevery second year. A candidate had to beenrolled at the University for becoming eligiblefor applying for the scholarship. Thus in 1894Rutherford returned to Canterbury Collegewhere he took geology and chemistry for a B.Scdegree. For the research work required of acandidate, Rutherford decided to extend hisresearches carried out for his MA degree. Therewere two candidates for the only scholarshipavailable for the students of the New ZealandUniversityRutherford and James Maclaurinof Auckland University College. Thescholarship was first offered to Maclaurin.However, the terms of the scholarship were notacceptable to Maclaurin and so he declinedthe offer. Rutherford being the only other

candidate was awarded the scholarship.Rutherford left New Zealand in 1895. Before leaving

New Zealand, Rutherford had established himself as anoutstanding researcher and innovator working at theforefront of electrical technology. He decided to work with

J J Thomson of Cambridge Universitys CavendishLaboratory. His decision to work with Thomson wasinfluenced by the fact that Thomson was the leadingauthority of electromagnetic phenomena, in whichRutherford had developed an interest. Rutherford happenedto be the Cambridge Universitys first non-Cambridge-graduate research student.

Thomson, who was quick to realise Rutherfordsexceptional ability as a researcher invited him to becomea member of the team to study of the electrical conduction

Edward Victor Appleton

Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett


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of gases. Rutherford developed severalingenious techniques to study the mechanismwhereby normally insulating gases becomeelectrical conductors when a high voltage isapplied across them. Rutherford used X-rays,immediately they were discovered, to causeelectrical conduction in gases. He repeated his

experiments with radioactive rays after theirdiscovery in 1896. He became interested inunderstanding the the phenomenon ofradioactivity itself. In 1898 Rutherforddiscovered two distinct radioactive raysalphaand beta rays.

In 1898, Rutherford accepted aprofessorship at McGill University in Montreal,Canada. The laboratories at McGill were verywell equipped. The laboratory was financed by a tobaccomillionaire who considered smoking a disgusting habit.Rutherford described the laboratory there as the best ofits kind in the world, and used it to work on radioactive

emissions.At McGill University, Rutherfords first important

discovery was radon, a radioactive gas and a member ofthe family of noble gases. In this he was assisted by hisfirst research student, Harriet Brookes and R. B. Owens,McGills professor of electrical engineering. Rutherford

jointly with Frederick Soddy discovered the disintegrationtheory of radioactivity, a phenomenon in which some heavyatoms spontaneously decay into slightly lighteratom. He, assisted by Otto Hahn, monitoredthe sequence of decay products. In 1904,Rutherford published his book on Radioactivity,in which he set forth the principles ofradioactivity. This was the first textbook on thesubject and which defined the fields fordecades. The book was considered as a classicas soon as it appeared. Lord Raleigh whilereviewing the book wrote: Rutherfords book hasno rival as an authoritative exposition of what isknown of the properties of radio-active bodies.A very large share of that knowledge is due tothe author himself. His amazing activity in thatfield has excited universal admiration. Scarcelya month had passed for several years withoutsome important contribution from his pupils he has inspired,on this branch of science; and what is more wonderful still,there has been in all this vast mass of work scarcely a

single conclusion which has since been shown to be ill-founded.

In 1907, Arthur Schuster offered to relinquish theLangworthy chair of physics at the University of Manchesteron condition that Rutherford was invited to succeed him.The University authorities accepted the condition ofSchuster and Rutherford accepted the offer. Rutherfordspent fourteen productive years at the ManchesterUniversity. The discoveries made at the ManchesterUniversity included the demonstration of the identity of alpha

particles as ionized (doubly positively charged)helium atoms (with his student ThomasRoyds), a theory of scattering of alphaparticles, and the nuclear model of the atom.Radioactivity was originally discovered byHenry Becquerel in uranium in 1896 and thenin thorium by G. C. Schmidt (1865-1949).

Subsequently two more radioactive elementsviz., radium and polonium were discovered byPierre and Marie Curi. Rutherfords studiesdemonstrated that the radioactive emissionconsisted of at least two kinds of raysalpharays and beta rays. Later a third kind ofradioactive rays, gamma rays was discovered.Rutherford jointly with Soddy proposed thatradioactive decay occurs by successive

transformation, with different and random amounts of timespent between ejection of the successive rays. The timespent may vary from years to a fraction of a second. Theradioactive decay is a random process but it is governed

by an average time in which half of the atoms of a givensample would decay.

At the Manchester University, Rutherford continued hisresearches on alpha particles at the McGill University. Heand two of his colleagues Geiger and E. Marsden (1889-1970), were carrying out an experiment in which they shotalpha particles at a very thin piece of gold foil, in vacuum.To their surprise they found that most of the alpha particle

passed through the gold foil in a straight line,some passed through the gold foil but changedtheir direction slightly and a small number (1 in8000 particles) actually bounced back. Basedon this experiment Rutherford concluded thatthe atom must be mainly empty space and thatthe positive charge was not spread out but itwas located in the centre. Rutherford describinghis astonishment at the results wrote: It wasquite the most incredible event that everhappened to me in my life. It was as incredibleas if you fired a 15-inch shell at a piece of tissuepaper and it came back and hit you. Onconsideration, I realized that this scatteringbackwards must be the results of a singlecollision, and when I made calculations I saw

that it was impossible to get anything of that order ofmagnitude unless you took a system in which the mass ofthe atom was concentrated in a minute nucleus. In

1911Rutherford proposed that atoms possess a very smallbut massive structure at their centre, holding all the positivecharge that is required to balance the combined negativecharge of all the electrons circling around the positivelycharged centre (nucleus). This was the first correctstructure of the atom.

Rutherfords research group at Manchester includedNiels Bohr, who extended Rutherfords model into the theoryof atomic structure that became the guiding principle innuclear physics for a decade; Gyorgy Hevesy, who

John Douglas Cockcroft

James Chadwick


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developed the technique ofradioactive tracers anddefined the concept ofisotopes; and HenryMoseley, whose work oncharacteristic X-raysestablished the concept and

the significance of atomicnumber. While recalling hisdays at Rutherfordslaboratory at Manchester,Bohr wrote: The effect (thelarge-angle scattering ofalpha particles) though to allintents insignificant wasdisturbing to Rutherford, andhe felt it difficult to reconcilewith the general idea of atomic structure then favoured bythe physicists. Indeed it was not the first, nor has it beenthe last, time that Rutherfords critical judgment and intuitive

power have called forth a revolution in science by inducinghim to throw himself with his unique energy into the studyof a phenomenon, the importance of which would probablyescape other investigators on account of the smallnessand apparently spurious nature of the effect. This confidencein his judgment and our admiration for his powerfulpersonality was the basis for the inspiration felt by all inhis laboratory, and made us all try our best to deserve thekind and untiring interest he took in the work of everyone.However modest the result might be, an approving wordfrom him was the greatest encouragement for which any ofus could wish.

During the First World War (1914-1918) helped tomobilize British scientists for participating in the war effort.He led a delegation of British and French scientists toWashington. Rutherford worked on sonic methods fordetecting submarines. In 1919, Rutherford returned toCambridge to succeed Thomson as Cavendish Professorof Physics and Director of the Cavendish Laboratory at theCambridge University. Within months after his return fromthe war research, Rutherford discovered that nuclei couldbe disintegrated by artificial means. He disintegratednitrogen nuclei by striking with alpha particles into carbonnuclei. Later jointly with Chadwick, Rutherford showed thatmost light atoms could be broken by alpha particles. Likein Manchester, Rutherford built a strong research group atthe Cavendish Laboratory. In addition to Chadwick, who on

his own proved the existence of neutron in 1932, the groupincluded John Douglas Cockroft (1897-1967) and ErnestThomas Sinton Walton (1903-1995), who made the firstthe accelerator that disintegrated an atom with anaccelerated particle beam; Charles Thomson Rees Wilson(1869-1959), the inventor of the cloud chamber; PatrickMaynard Stuart Blackett (1897-1974), the discoverer ofpositron; Pjotr Leonidovich Kapitza (1894-1984), who madethe worlds most powerful magnet; and Francis Aston (1877-1945) who demonstrated experimentally the agrrement

between apparent atomicand true isotopic weights.

Ray Spangenburger andDiane K. Moser wrote:Rutherfords idea of anatomic nucleus was a zinger,one for which he has earned

the tit le, the Newton ofatomic physics. It seemedto solve all the problems withthe raisins-in-poundcakemodel of atoms. Yet eventhis model had a fewproblems. To build a moreaccurate vision of nature ofthe atom would require theapplication of an amazing

concept called the quantum set forth by a somewhat dourGerman scientist named Max Planck. Like Roentgens X-rays, this idea would virtually turn physics upside-down,

with implications not just for the concept of atoms, butvirtually everything about our understanding of how worldworks.

Rutherford was elected a Fellow of the Royal Societyof London in 1903 at the early age of thirty-two. In 1904, hewas awarded the Rumford Medal by the Royal Society. Hewas awarded the 1908 Nobel Prize for his investigationsinto the disintegration of the elements, and the chemistryof radioactive substances. He was given Nobel Prize inChemistry and not in Physics. Arne Westgren, a chemistof the Swedish Academy of Science wrote: Rutherford hadalso been suggested by several nominations for thePhysics Prize, but at a joint meeting the two NobelCommittees decided that it would be most suitable,considering the fundamental importance of his work forchemical research, to award him the Prize for Chemistry.Rutherford himself was very much surprised by the decisionof the Nobel Foundation to award him Prize in Chemistry.In his Nobel banquet speech, on 11 December 1908,Rutherford said: . [he had] dealt with many differenttransformations with various periods of time, but that thequickest he had met was his own transformation in onemoment from a physicist to a chemist. He was knightedin 1914. He was awarded the Order of Merit in 1921. In1922, he received the Copley Medal of the Royal Society.He served as the President of the Royal Society from 1925to 1930 and subsequently he became the chairman of the

important advisory council which had been set up to allocatepublic money for the support of scientific and industrialresearch in the United Kingdom. In1931, he was madeBaron Rutherford of Nelson, a place in New Zealand fromwhere he came. The element with atomic number 104 wasnamed after Rutherford.

Rutherford died on October 19, 1937. He was buried inWestminister Abbey close to Isaac Newton. We would liketo end this write-up by quoting James Chadwick onRutherford. Chadwick wrote: He (Rutherford)a volcanic

George Paget Thomson Ernest T.S. Walton



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energy and an interestenthusiasmhis mostobvious characteristicandan immense capacity forwork. A `clever man withthese advantages canproduce notable work, but he

would not be Rutherford.Rutherford had noclevernessjust greatness.He had the most astonishinginsight into physicalprocesses, and in a fewremarks he would illuminatea whole subject. There is astock phraseto throw lighton a subject. This is exactly what Rutherford did. To workwith him was a continual joy and wonder. He seemed toknow the answer before the experiment was made, andwas ready to push on with irrestible urge to the next. He

was indeed a pioneera word he often usedat his bestin exploring an unknown country, pointing out the really

important features and leavingthe rest for others to survey atleisure. He was, in my opinion,the greatest experimentalphysicist since Faraday.

References1. Dardo, Mauro, NobelLaureates and Twentieth-CenturyPhysics. Cambridge: CambridgeUniversity Press, 2004.2. Hei lbron, J. L., Rutherford,Ernest (1871-1937) in The OxfordCompanion to the History ofModern Science edited by J. L.Heilbron, Oxford: Oxford UniversityPress, 2003.

3. James, Ioan, Remarkable Physicists: From Galileo toYukawa, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

4. Jones, Geoff, Jones, Marry, and Acaster, David, Chemistry,Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

5. The Cambridge Dictionary of Scientists (second Edition),Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.

6. Chambers Biographical Dictionary (Centenary Edition),

New York: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd., 1997.


Chaim WeizmannFrederick Soddy

the oxygen we breathe comes from the plants. Notsurprisingly, given how women are blamed for not having amale child, just 38% knew that the sex of the child dependsupon the father. Surely, the answers to science relatedquestions tend to be increasingly correct as the educationlevels of the respondents rise.

What are the sources of information of the public?

Television remains the primary source for 57% of the peopleof the country, and is almost five times more popular thanthe newspapers. Close to three-fourths of urban householdsrely on TV for information, as do half the rural households.Indeed, even educated people rely more on TV than onany other medium. In the case of postgraduates, 65% relyon TV as the primary source of information compared to

just 27% on newspapers. Close to two-thirds of thepopulation gets its science related information from TV ascompared to 8% from newspapers. Over three-fourths ofthe people (85%) have a great deal of confidence in theauthenticity of the TV, and ironically it is the illiterate thathave the least confidence (64%). Nearly 65% of S&T news

is got from TV in India, as compared to 7% in the US. Thereport finds that television is the most popular source ofinformation for most people. But this also calls for aconscious action on the part of all concerned to generatequality S&T programmes for television. Quality S&T TVprogrammes are few and far between. There is nogainsaying the fact that this source of dissemination ofscientific information needs to be exploited fully. This findingmakes a strong case to utilize television and the Edusatinfrastructure for S&T communication.

How about Internet as a source of information? Internet,however, does not appear to be popular source of informationin India. Over 44% of S&T information in the US is got fromthe Internet as compared to 0.2 % in India at present! Thereis a need to ensure greater penetrability of Internet andother ICT tools at the school level as also in rural and remoteareas so that access to reliable and updated informationis considerably improved.

The findings ISR indicate that the initial urge to study

science cuts across all sections of the society. However,for the sections in the lower socio-economic stratum, thisdoes not often translate into fact at later stages due toseveral factors such as lack of affordability, lack ofinfrastructure; and paucity of information about scope andfuture opportunities. The report found that those in ruralareas tend to go in more for arts than those living in urbanareas - may be due to a paucity of trained science teachersin rural areas. This issue needs to be urgently addressedand appropriate measures taken to improve the situation.

Meaningful policies cannot be formulated in theabsence of authentic data. Therefore, the necessity ofcollecting, collating, and analyzing reliable data to arriveat meaningful conclusions cannot be overemphasized. ISR

has been the first such attempt in this direction. However,much still needs to be done. There are several critical areasof national importance that have not been objectivelyaddressed in the ISR due to incomplete and / or outdateddata, or even due to non-existence of reliable data /information in a few cases. But, as the authors of the reportsay, The ISR is an ambitious project that is not an eventbut a process, of which the first report is only a beginning.

The First India Science Report(Contd. from page 31)

V. B. Kamble


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Tribute to Jack KilbyA Gentle Giant of Miniaturisation

Shivaprasad M Khenede-mail : [email protected]

Jack St. Clair Kilby, Nobel Prize-winning scientist andan inventor of the first monolithic IC, died on June 20,2005, at Dallas, following a brief battle with cancer. Hewas 81. He is survived by daughters Janet Kilby, and AnnKilby; five granddaughters, Caitlan, Marcy, Gwen, Ericaand Katrina; and son-in-law, Thomas Cameron. His wife,Barbara Annegers Kilby, and sister, Jane Kilby, precededhim in death. During one of his interview to a magazineKilby had said People often ask mewhat Im proud of, and, of course, theintegrated circuit is at the top of thelist. Im also proud of my wonderfulfamily. I have two daughters and five

granddaughters, so you could saythat the Kilbys specialized in girls.

Kilby has made significantcontribution to the modern informationage. His insights and professionalaccomplishments have changed theworld. His invention of the monolithicintegrated circuit (IC) - the microchipin 1958 at Texas Instruments (TI) laidthe conceptual and technicalfoundation for the entire field of modernmicroelectronics. It was this pathbreaking breakthrough that made

possible the sophisticated high-speedcomputers and large-capacitysemiconductor memories of todaysinformation age. The revolutionaryimpact the invention of IC could imparton technology was realised within adecade of its invention. Gordon Moore,one of the founders of Intel, observedin an article in the April 19, 1965 issue of Electronicsmagazine that innovations in miniaturization technologywould allow a doubling of the number of transistors in anIC in a given space every year (in an update article in1975, Moore adjusted the rate to every two years toaccount for the growing complexity of chips), and that

the speed of those transistors would increase. What isless well known is that Moore also stated thatmanufacturing costs of chips would dramatically drop asthe technology advanced. Moores prediction, now popularlyknown as Moores Law, had some startling implications,predicting that computing technology would increase in valueat the same time it would actually decrease in cost. Mooresprophetic observation was based on his vision about therevolutionary benefits and applications of the IC, which wasinvented by Kilby.

Integrated Circuits (ICs) popularly called the chips havea ubiquitous presence in modern world. ICs are used inrunning every conceivable modern day electronic andcommunication devices from digital phones and PCs tostock markets and spacecraft. ICs enable todaysinformation-rich, converged, digital world. They have trulytransformed our modern world. Once elephantine, powerhungry, exorbitantly expensive, computers have shrunk in

size and improved vastly inperformance with the advent of the ICs.Invention of the IC has also helped increating a semiconductor industry thatis now worth one trillion US $ annually.

If steel was the raw material for the20th century, silicon is for the 21stcentury. The silicon semiconductorindustry has delivered a dramatic spiralof rapid cost reduction and exponentialvalue creation that is unparallel inhistory. Silicon the raw material of theICs powers todays economy. ModernSemiconductor industry and ICmanufacturers have continued to makegreat strides in delivering state of theart integration in ICs. To give an ideaof what this means in numbers of

transistors per IC, consider thisexample: World first IC had fivecomponents in 1959, in 1965, ICscontained about 60 distinct devices;The original 4004 IC, the first evermicroprocessor invented in the year1971 by Ted Hoff, while working forIntel, contained just over two thousand

transistors; the Intel Pentium 4 microprocessor, which nowforms the brain of all modern home and business computersreleased in 2000, contains over forty million transistors.Intels latest Itanium chip has 1.7 billion transistors.

A man of few words, Kilby is remembered fondly byfriends and associates for being in every sense of the word

a gentleman and a gentle man. People in the semiconductorindustry, friends, colleagues and admirers from around theworld have paid rich tributes to Kilby. He is rememberedas a great and gifted personality blessed with simplicity,humility and generosity. When he died, he was still livingin the modest house he had brought when he first joinedTexas Instruments, in 1958. The value of Kilbys contributionfor the world is articulated in the tribute paid by the chairmanof Texas Instruments (TI). In my opinion, there are only ahandful of people whose works have truly transformed the

Jack Kilby with His Engineering Notebook



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world and the way we live in it Henry Ford, Thomas Edison,the Wright Brothers and Jack Kilby, said TI Chairman,Tom Engibous. He went on to add, If there was ever aseminal invention that transformed not only our industrybut our world, it was Jacks invention of the first integrated

circuit. Jack was one of the true pioneers of thesemiconductor industry, said TI President and ChiefExecutive Officer, Rich Templeton. Every engineer, myselfincluded, owes no small part of their livelihood to the workJack Kilby did here at Texas Instruments. We will misshim. He added. Jack Kilby was always an engineersengineer, said Gordon Moore, co-founder and chairmanemeritus of Intel. He remained true to his technical roots,loyal to the principles of science and was always agentleman to those who had the pleasure to meet him. Hewill be missed. Moore added. A television program in 1997said about the integrated circuit and Jack Kilby, Oneinvention we can say is one of the most significant in history the microchip, which has made possible endlessnumbers of other inventions. It is rather ironical that neitherhe nor his creation the IC ever received any major publicattention despite their astronomical contribution to thecreation of modern information revolution.

The integrated circuit is nothing but a very advancedelectric circuit. It is built up of transistors and othercomponents like resistors, capacitors and diodes in a singlepiece of semiconductor material, where they are connectedtogether to form an electric circuit with thin metallic lines.The most important of all the components that are embeddedin the IC is a transistor. The transistor acts like a switch. Itcan turn electricity on or off, or it can amplify current. It isused for example in computers to store information, or in

stereo amplifiers to make the sound signal stronger. In1958, Kilby, working at the Texas Instruments showed thatit was possible to fabricate a simple integrated circuit ingermanium, a commonly used semiconductor at that time.

Jack Kilby was born in Jefferson City, Missouri, onNov. 8, 1923. He spent much of his early life in Great Bend,Kansas. He graduated from Great Bend High School. Eventoday road signs at the entrances to the town commemoratehis time there. Kilby developed interest in electronics at avery young age. His father ran a small electric power

company that had customers scattered across ruralwestern of Kansas. When Kilby was in high school, a naturalcalamity occurred in his area. The resulting snow and icestorm broke down the entire communication and powersystem destroying all the telephone and power lines. Inthe absence of power and telephone lines Kilbys fatherworked with amateur radio operators to communicate with

his customers. Young Kilby assisted his father and otheramateur radio operators in restoring the power andcommunication. Radio communication aroused an interestin him and sparked off Kilbys lifelong fascination withelectronics. Kilby had never before seen the power ofelectronics to shrink distances and to give people hope. Itwas, he said later, the moment he decided to makeelectronics his career.

Kilby received his Bachelor of Science degree fromthe University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1947 witha degree in Electrical Engineering. Most of his classes atthe engineering were in electrical power, but because ofhis childhood interest in electronics, he also took some

vacuum tube engineering physics classes. When Jack Kilbyfinished his degree in electrical engineering at the Universityof Illinois in 1947, a computer was something that filled aroom and took an army of technicians to maintain. Thoughthe invention of the transistor, by Bell Laboratories in NewJersey, was less than a year away, bulky vacuum tubesstill ruled the day. Kilby had taken extra classes on thephysics of vacuum tube engineering, little knowing that hehimself would help to make them obsolete. Kilby took uphis first job in 1947 with a company called Centralab, anelectronics company in Milwaukee, where he worked with

vacuum tubes and gained some insights into the workingof the transistors. He also learned to integrate the vacuumtubes into larger circuits, standardising the way they wereconnected to other components, and helping in the processto make better hearing aids and televisions. Kilby spent adecade at Centralab and patented 12 inventions. Kilby tookup evening classes while working with Centralab Companyand finished his masters in electrical engineering at theUniversity of Wisconsin in 1950. Commenting on hiscompleting the masters as a part timer Kilby said, Working


First Integrated Circuit invented by Jack Kilby at Texas in 1958

First Electronic Handheld Calculator


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and going to school at thesame time presents somechallenges, but it can bedone and its well worth theeffort. While working forCentralab, Kilbyencountered problems of

interconnecting hundredsof components bysoldering with hand, whichhe felt was arduous andproblem prone. Theproblems he encounteredwere shared by all the bestengineers of the day. They,like him, could envisioncountless electricalproducts that wouldtransform society, butcould not make them.

Realising their designswould involve assemblingand connecting hundreds or thousands of components byhand, using unreliable solder, and then connecting thesecircuitry to tens of thousands of bulky, power hungryvacuum tubes. This tyranny ofnumbers held up technologicalprogress all through the 1950s.

In 1958 Kilby was offered a job inTexas Instruments in itssemiconductor research group byWillis Adcock. He was offered the jobafter several rounds of interviews. Hisduties were not precisely defined, butit was understood that he would workin the general area of microminiaturization. Soon after starting atTI in May 1958, Kilby realized thatsince the company made transistors,resistors, and capacitors, arepackaging effort might provide aneffective alternative to the Micro-Module. Kilby therefore designed anIF amplifier using components in atubular format and built a prototype.He along with his team performed adetailed cost analysis, which was

completed just a few days before theplant shut down for a mass vacation.GWA Dummes, a British authority inRadar in the year 1952, had firstproposed the theoretical concept of anIC in which components like the transistor, resistors etccould be incorporated. However he could not succeed inhis attempts to build a practical IC. The first real researchand investigations in IC and microelectronics technologiesbegan in late 1950s. The objective was to miniaturise

electronic equipments toinclude increasinglycomplex electronicfunctions in limited spacewith minimum weight.Several approachesevolved, including micro

assembly techniques forindividual components,thin-fi lm structures andsemiconductor integratedcircuits. Each approachevolved rapidly andconverged so that eachborrowed techniques fromanother. It was in a way tofind solution to the Tyrannyof Numbers problem,which the industry faced.By then semiconductor

transistors were seriouslyreplacing vacuum tubes.

New to the job, Kilby could not enjoy the privilege of aholiday. While his colleagues took their holidays, histhoughts began to crystallise into a revolutionary idea,

which would ultimately lead to thesolution of tyranny of numbers. Anelectronic circuit is basically aninterconnection of differentcomponents of the circuit wired torealise the intended goal. Dependingon how an engineer arranges andconnects the capacitors, resistorsand transistors, an infinite numberof electrical circuits could be created.By then engineers had learnt that aresistor, which restricts the flow ofelectrical current, is best made ofcertain materials and a capacitor,which stores electrical charge, ofothers. By then the transistors werebeginning to replace vacuum tubesin electronic circuitry.

On July 24 1958, it is believedthat Kilby had a brainwave to solvethe problem of interconnecting thecomponents in a circuitry. He worked

on his ingenious and unorthodoxthoughts and immediately resolvedthat each electronic component inthe given circuitry could be made ofthe same type of material and

integrated into a whole. By carefully controlling itsproperties, he argued that he could turn a single chip ofsemiconductor into resistors, capacitors and transistorsconnected in any way he liked. By then he had also realizedthat, since all of the components could be made of a single


Jack S. Kilby receiving his

Nobel Prize

Jack S. Kilby Nobel Diploma


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material, they could also be made insitu, interconnected to form a completecircuit. He then quickly sketched aproposed design for a flip-flop usingthese components. Resistors wereprovided by bulk effect in the silicon, andcapacitors by p-n junctions. These

sketches were quickly completed, andKilby showed them to Adcock upon hisreturn from vacation. Adcock wasenthused but skeptical and asked forsome proof that circuits made entirelyof semiconductors would work. Kilbytherefore built up a circuit using discretesilicon elements. Packaged grown-

junction transistors were used in whichresistors were formed by cutting smallbars of silicon and etching to value.Capacitors were cut from diffused siliconpower transistor wafers, metallized on

both sides. Kilby assembled this unitand demonstrated to Adcock on August 28, 1958. Althoughthe demonstration showed that circuits could be built withall semiconductor elements, it was not integrated. Kilbythen attempted to build an integrated structure as initiallyplanned. The first circuit attempted was a phase-shiftoscillator, a favorite demonstration vehicle for linear circuitsat that time. His circuit was made up of a thin wafer ofGermanium. Kilbys IC had five components isolatedelectrically from one another mainly by shaping them in toLs Us and other configurations. The tiny wires linking thecomponents to one another and to the power supply weresimply soldered on and the whole thing was held together

by wax. On September 12, 1958, the first three oscillatorsof this type were completed. When power was applied, thefirst unit oscillated at about 1.3 megacycles. This provedto be the worlds first IC. The concept of a IC was publiclyannounced at a press conference in New York on March 6,

1959. Mark Shepherd said, I considerthis to be the most significantdevelopment by Texas Instrumentssince we divulged the commercialavailability of the silicon transistor. Thefirst integrated circuits, with their meretens of components, met some

skepticism. They did not findcommercial favour until 1966, whenKilby used them to make the first hand-held calculator. After that, engineerssqueezed more and more componentson to ever-smaller chips

At about the same time, RobertNoyce described how an integratedcircuit could be made in silicon usingsilicon dioxide as the insulator andaluminium for the metallic lines. Thiscombination was to be the technologyof choice for years to come. Kilby and

Noyce are considered to be co-inventorsof the integrated circuit. Kilby was awarded the Nobel Prizein Physics for the year 2000, in recognition of his role inthe invention of the IC. Robert Noyce, who died in 1990,was not considered for the award because Nobel Prizesare normally not awarded posthumously. Kilby was sorrythat Noyce could not share the Nobel Prize with him. Kilbyhad this to say about his Nobel Prize. Its gratifying tosee the committee recognize applied physics, since theaward is typically given for basic research. I do think theresa symbiosis as the application of basic research oftenprovides tools that then enhance the process of basicresearch. Certainly, the integrated circuit is a good exampleof that. Whether the research is applied or basic, we allstand upon the shoulders of giants, as Isaac Newton said.Im grateful to the innovative thinkers who came before me,and I admire the innovators who have followed. Kilbythoroughly enjoyed his electronics subject. Even at thefag end of his career when young people frequently askedfor his advice he would say, Electronics is a fascinatingfield that I continue to find fulfilling. The field is still growingrapidly, and the opportunities that are ahead are at leastas great as they were when I graduated from college. Myadvice is to get involved and get started.

Kilby holds over 60 U.S. patents. He was a Fellow ofthe Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)and a member of the National Academy of Engineering

(NAE). Besides the highly acclaimed Nobel Prize inPhysics, he has been awarded the Franklin Institutes StuartBallantine Medal, the NAEs Vladimir Zworykin Award, theAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers Holley Medal,the IEEEs Medal of Honor, the Charles Stark Draper Prizeadministered by the NAE, the Cledo Brunetti Award, andthe David Sarnoff Award. On the 30th anniversary of theinvention of the integrated circuit, the Governor of Texasdedicated an official Texas historical marker near the siteof the TI laboratory where Mr. Kilby did his work.


View Inside the First Electronic Handheld Calculator

Jack Kilby Examines 300 mm Wafer


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Nobel Prize 20

Ulcers Explained Biman Basu

e-mail :[email protected]

A

nyone who suffers from peptic ulcer knows howpainful it is. Peptic ulcer is an inflammation of the

upper digest ive tract, usual ly in the stomach orduodenum, where the mucous membrane is exposed togastric acid. For long time peptic ulcer was believed tobe caused by stress and lifestyle, bad eating habits,tobacco smoking, spicy food, excessive drinking and ahost of other things. Thecommonly prescribed remedywas regular intake of antacids,or in worse cases, surgery. Butthe discovery by two Australiandoctors Barry Marshal l andRobin Warren that ulcerswerent caused by stress, but

rather by a bacterium calledHelicobacter pylori , turnedmedical dogma on its head. Itwas now clear why, even thoughpeptic ulcers could be healed byinhibiting gastric acid productionby use of antacids, theyfrequently relapsed. The reason was simple; relapse wasinevitable in most cases, as the bacteria and the resultantchronic inflammation of the stomach remained and thebacteria were not eradicated. The two Australianresearchers work thus transformed peptic ulcer diseasefrom a chronic, frequently disabling condition to one thatcan be cured by a short regimen of antibiotics and othermedicines. For their path-breaking discovery Marshalland Warren have been awarded this years Nobel Prizefor Physiology or Medicine.

The human body is a highly complex system. Someof the activities that go on inside it appear to defy logic.Take the example of the stomach. The stomachproduces copious amounts of hydrochloric acid, one ofthe strongest inorganic acids that help enzymes inbreaking down proteins and digestion of food. A healthystomach has an acidity level (pH) between 1-2, that isstrong enough to burn and dissolve the skin. Then howdoes the stomach lining remain intact? The secret ismucus secreted by the gastric glands, which helps

protect the stomach lining from the action of gastricacids. An ulcer develops when this mucus layer isbreached, exposing the underlying layers to the corrosiveaction of acids.

Robin Warren (born 1937), who ret ired as apathologist from Royal Perth Hospital, Australia in 1999,discovered H. pyloriwhile studying biopsies taken frompatients of gastric ulcer. He found small curved bacteriacolonizing the lower part of the stomach in about 50%of the biopsies taken. He made the crucial observation

that signs of inflammation were always present in thegastric mucosa close to where the bacteria were seen.

Barry Marshall (born 1951), at present NHMRCSenior Principal Research Fellow at University ofWestern Australia, became interested in Warrensfindings and together they initiated a study of biopsiesfrom 100 patients. After several attempts, Marshall

succeeded in cult ivat ing ahitherto unknown bacterialspecies (later namedHelicobacter pylori) from severalof these biopsies. Together theyfound that the organism waspresent in almost all patientswith gastric inf lammation,

duodenal ulcer or gastric ulcer.Based on these results, theyproposed that H. pylori isinvolved in the aetiology of thesediseases. Marshall later wrotethat he consumed the bacteria-laden drink himself in July 1984

because it was impossible to infect rats, mice and pigswith the bug. He was fine for about five days, and thenhe had a severe case of gastritis. Although Marshalldidnt actually develop an ulcer, he did prove that a healthyperson could be infected by these bacteria

Helicobacter pyloriis a spiral-shaped Gram-negativebacterium that colonizes the stomach in about 50% ofall humans. The infection is more common in crowdedliving conditions with poor sanitation. In countries withpoor sanitation, 90% of the adult population can beinfected. Infected individuals usually carry the infectionindefinitely unless they are treated with medications toeradicate the bacterium. Infection is typically contractedin early childhood, frequently by transmission frommother to child, and the bacteria may remain in thestomach for the rest of the persons life. One out of everysix patients with H. pylori infection would develop ulcersof the duodenum or stomach.

Marshall and Warren reported their findings in 1982,but i t was almost ten years before the medical

community widely accepted their explanation. Doctorsat that time thought that stress and an unhealthy way oflife were the major causes of ulcers. The long-standardteaching in medicine was that the stomach was sterileand nothing grew there because of corrosive gastricacids. So everybody believed there were no bacteria inthe stomach. However, fol lowing Marshal l s andWarrens work, it is now firmly established that H. pyloricauses more than 90% of duodenal ulcers and up to80% of peptic ulcers. The link between H. pyloriinfection

J.Robin Warren Barry J. Marshall


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Nobel Prize 19

and subsequent gastritis and duodenal ulcers has beenestabl ished through studies of human volunteers,antibiotic treatment studies and epidemiological studies.

The current view is that the chronic inflammation inthe stomach caused by H. pylori infection results in anincreased acid production from the non-infected regionof the stomach, which subsequently predisposes the

more vulnerable duodenum to ulcer development. In someindividuals H. pylori may cause a more widespreadinflammation that predisposes not only to ulcer, but alsoto stomach cancer.

The most surprising discovery is that H. pylori ispresent only in humans and has adapted to the stomachenvironment and that only a minori ty of infectedindividuals develop stomach disease. After Marshallsand Warrens discovery, research has been intense.

Details underlying the exact pathogenetic mechanismsare continuously being unravelled.

Apart from stomach ulcers, many diseases inhumans such as Crohns disease (a chronic inflammatorydisease of the intest ines that primari ly causesulcerations of the small and large intestines, but canaffect the digestive system anywhere from the mouth to

the anus), ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, andatherosclerosis are due to chronic inflammation. Thediscovery that one of the most common diseases ofmankind, peptic ulcer, has a microbial cause hasstimulated the search for microbes as possible causesof other chronic inflammatory conditions. The discoveryof H. pylorihas also led to an increased understandingof the connection between chronic infect ion,inflammation and cancer.

New Publications of Vigyan Prasar

The Unknown EinsteinBal Phondke

ISBN: 81-7480-120-0Rs. 75/-

The Quest for New MaterialsS. T. LakshmikumarISBN: 81-7480-121-9

Rs. 120/-

Fermi Problems or The Art of EstimationVinay B. Kamble

ISBN: 81-7480-122-7Rs. 20/-

Welcome

Shri B.K. Tyagihas recently joined Vigyan Prasar family as

Scientist 'D' (Dissemination & Training)

Farewell

Shri G Biju Mohan,Technical Assistant (Audio Video) VP has joined

Jahanabad Media Institute, Lucknow as a lecturer.


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VP News 18

Rashtriya Gyan-Vigyan Award forDr. Yatish Agarwal

Noted physician, writer, and columnist Dr Yatish Agarwalwas conferred the prestigious Rashtriya Gyan-VigyanAward for his book Swasthya Hridya: Dekhrekh aur Upchaarby the Union Home Minister Shri Shivraj V Patil. The award

investiture ceremony, held at New Delhis Vigyan Bhavan, waspresided over by the State Home Minister Shri Manikrao Gavit.Published by Rajkamal, the book focuses on heart care

offering practical recipes on how to beat heart disease andkeep your heart in good health. The book has severalinteresting sections for everybody. Using the forecast mappingyou could calculate your risk for a heart attack, discover waysto reduce cholesterol, grasp the nitty-gritty of various cardiactests, recognize the symptoms and remedies of angina, takea reality test on heart attack, understand the benefits andlimitations of balloon angioplasty, coronary bypass surgery,pacemakers and heart valve surgeryall in a simple, easy-to-understand, friendly idiom and style.

A pioneer in popularhealth writing in India, Dr

Yatish Agarwal is a seniorfaculty member at the VMMedical College andSafdarjung Hospital, NewDelhi. A prolific writer,broadcaster and healthcolumnist, he hasauthored 38 books thus farand has received severalnational awards,including the AtmaramSamman (1999), NCSTCNational Science Award(1999), Meghanad Saha

Award (1991-1993 & 2002), Shiksha Samman (2001-02), and

the Littrateur Award of Hindi Academy (2002-03). Today,several of his works are available in many Indian and foreignlanguages. Dr. Agarwal has written a book for Vigyan Prasarand he is a regular contributor to "Dream 2047".

TECHFILM festival - VP's Filmsselected

Two of the video programmes produced by Vigyan Prasar,Khoj Radiodharmitha Ki (Discovery of Radioactivity) and XRay Ki Khoj (Discovery of X Ray) have been selected for entryin the 43rd International TechFILM 2005 to be held at HradecKralove, the Czech Republic, from 7 to 10 November. Directedby Sh Rakesh Andaniya of Credence Media Solutions and Sh

Subash Kapoor of Vikalp Communications, respectively, theprogrammes aim to convey in simple terms the context andthe significance of the discoveries of X Rays and Radioactivity.The films will be screended before the international Jury on9th November 2005.

The TECHFILM festival is a prestigious festival on Science,Technology and arts held every year at the university of HradecKralove, the Czech Republic and attracts films makers fromall over the globe. This festival had become an importantEuropean festival with specific emphasis on science,education and technology.

Dr. Yatish Agarwal receiving the

award from Hon'ble Union Home

Minister Shri Shivraj V Patil. Also

seen Hon'ble State Home Minister

Shri Manikrao Gavit (2nd from left)

Annular Solar Eclipse of03 October 2005

Annular Solar Eclipse covering 90% of Suns disk occurredon 03 October 2005. The annularity started in the NorthAtlantic Ocean at 2:11 PM IST and passed through Spain,Algeria, Portugal, Libya, Egypt etc and ended in the Indian

Ocean at 5:52 PM IST. In India, only partial eclipse was visiblefrom western part while some of eastern region could witnessonly the first and/or the second contact.

On this occasion, Vigyan Prasar organized Lecture-cum-demonstration programme with the students and teachersfrom four near by schools of NOIDA and Gaziabad. Totalnumber of participants was over 70.

Dr. V. B. Kamble, Director, Vigyan Prasar in his openingaddresses briefly described the various activities of VigyanPrasar and talked about the general aspects of solar eclipse.

Dr. T.V. Venkateswaran delivered a lecture on Hide andSeek of the Moon and Sun, where he emphasized on angularsize of Sun and Moon with their physical significance ofshadow play for different types of Solar Eclipse. Mr. Arvind C.Ranade delivered a talk on Importance of Solar Eclipse and

Annular Solar Eclipse: 03 October 2005. He focused onimportance of eclipses for different astronomical studies andtypes of activities/ experiments that can be conducted duringthe eclipses. Mr. Kapil Tripathi demonstrated the AstronomyActivity Kit developed Vigyan Prasar. In last session, ways andmeans to observe the Solar Eclipse in a safe manner werehighlighted through demonstration. Solar filters were providedto all participants for the safe observation of the Sun. Theprogramme was highly appreciated by students and teachers.

Shri Arvind C. Ranade Scientist 'C' delivering a lecture

on 'Annular Solar Eclipse : 03 October, 2005'

Considering the nano level dimensions of atoms andmolecules, such arrangements and faults cannot bestudied by using ordinary light and optical instruments,

but by using high frequency waves like X Rays and usingtechnique like X Ray diffraction . He talked about severalsuch techniques being used in labs around the countryespecially in the National Physical Laboratory. Heemphasised upon the crystal structure of Diamond andshowed how small change in crystal structure changesthe property of material drastically as in case of carbon,which is the core element of Coal, Graphite and Diamond.During the lecture students were delighted to see somecrystals from his collection. He gave away quartz crystalsto three students who asked good questions.

VP-NSC Popular.... (Contd. from page 32)


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New Horizons 17

Recent Developments in Science &TechnologySounds of Typing Give Messages AwayThe clickety-clack of your keyboard might be enough tospill your secrets. A team of researchers in California hassuccessfully decoded what was typed into a computer from

an audio recording.Doug Tygar of the University of California, Berkeley

and his colleagues used a standard microphone to record10 minutes of noise generated by computer typists.Because the sound generated by each keystroke is slightlydifferent, the researchers were able to generate a computerprogram to decode what was written. Using statisticallearning theory, the computer can categorize the sound ofeach key as its struck and develop a good first guess withan accuracy of 60 percent for characters, and 20 percentfor words. Using spelling and grammar check to refine theresult, which increased the accuracy to 70 percent andthe word accuracy to 50 percent.

Source: Sciam.org

Red Blood Cells Fitted with Artificial TailsThey might look like sperm swimming backwards, but redblood cells have become the first living cells to be fittedwith an artificial tail. As the tail whips back and forth, thecell moves tail-first at a cool 6 micro metres per second -about 10 times as slow as sperm swim.

The secret to the cells motion lies in the compositionof the tail - a filament of tiny magnetic beads held rigidlytogether by strands of DNA. When an oscillating magneticfield is applied to the cells, they move through the fluid astheir tails bend to align themselves with the constantlyreversing direction of the magnetic field.

The microscopic swimmers might one day provide a

way to direct medicines through the bloodstream to exactly

the right spot, says Remi Dreyfus, who created the devicewith colleagues at Frances Ecole Suprieure of industrialphysics and chemistry in Paris.

Source : Nature (vol 437, p 862)

Elderly Probe Nails Gamma-ray BurstsFleeting bursts of gamma-rays from the depths of theUniverse have puzzled astronomers for more than 30 years,but a slew of evidence has now confirmed that they originatefrom almighty collisions between the remnants of deadstars.

Surprisingly, the data that clinched this discovery havecome from an old NASA probe, HETE-2 (High EnergyTransient Explorer), which has been in orbit since October2000. NASA recently launched another satellite, calledSwift, explicitly to solve the mystery of short gamma-ray(-rays) bursts. But Swift has been beaten to the bestresults by the lucky HETE-2. Bursts of -rays come in twoflavors. Long bursts lasting more than two seconds or soare generated by the collapse of young, massive stars asthey give birth to black holes. But astronomers had verylittle information about the short bursts, which are difficultto observe because of their transient nature.

The leading theory suggested that short bursts arereleased when a pair of neutron stars, or a neutron starand a black hole, crash into each other. Neutron stars arethe dense, burned-out cores of stars that are left behindafter supernova explosions.

But short bursts might also be released from the samesources as long ones, or by flares from highly magnetizedneutron stars called magnetars.

Source:nature.com

Compliec by : Kapil Tripathi

From US, eight experts representing NASA and/ orNASA sponsored projects participated in the workshop.From India, twelve experts representing DECU, VP, IGNOU,NCERT, HBCSE, Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO), teachers from a few schools and collegesparticipated in the workshop. During the workshop, twoway audio two way video communication link betweenAurangabad and Ahmedabad was set-up using the Edusattransponders. Experts conducted workshop at Aurangabadand students at the Science City, Ahmedabad, participated

and interacted with the experts live. Some teachers formAurangabad also participated in the workshop. Thisworkshop demonstrated how Edusat system could beutilized for Science and Technology communication toreach different corners of the country in an interactive way.

Presentations made included demonstration ofeducational resources developed by US (NASA and NASAsponsored projects) and India (VP, HBCSE, IGNOU,NCERT). Dr. V. B. Kamble and Shri Rintu Nath representedVigyan Prasar. Dr. V. B. Kamble explained how science

club network could be utilized for science education.Science Club movement initiated by VP was highlyappreciated. He also explained the role of ham/ Amateurradio, HAMSAT and World Space radio for sciencecommunication and VPs initiatives in using theseinfrastructure. VP and DECU (ISRO) are in the process ofsetting up twenty talk-back terminals in different parts ofthe country to facil itate two ways audio and videocommunication using Edusat infrastructure for science andtechnology communication including awareness/ educationon natural disasters in disaster-prone areas. Science serialAisa Hi Hota Hai, jointly produced by VP and DECU

(ISRO) was highly appreciated. Shri Rintu Nath gave apresentation on activity based science curriculum anddemonstrated a few activities developed by VP.

The participants of the workshop later formed threeworking groups to address 1) Instructional Resources 2)Non-formal Science education and 3) Teacher Preparation.As a follow-up action it was proposed to organise aworkshop to develop a detailed plan of action in whichNASA, DECU (ISRO), VP (DST) and other organizationslike NCERT, NCTE and NGOs could participate.

Indo-US Workshop....... (Contd. from page 32)

Jack Kilby

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