.

ISRO successfully launches SCATSAT-1 and 7 other satellites; scripts history with PSLV’s

longest flight

ISRO’s PSLV C-35 today successfully placed eight satellites, in two orbits, making it the space agency’s

first multi-orbital mission.

The PSLV C-35 lifted off from Sriharikota today, carrying eight satellites. The mission lasted over

two hours, making it PSLV’s longest till date. The 44.4m tall PSLV rocket blasted off at 9.12 AM and 17

minutes later injected SCATSAT-1 in orbit. The

remaining seven satellites were placed in the

other orbit from 11:25 to 11:28.

The mission carried India’s weather

satellite SCATSAT-1, and seven other satellites from

countries including Canada and the US. According to

ISRO, the total weight of all the eight satellites

onboard the PSLV -C35 was around 675 kg. Tweeting

about the launch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said

that it was moment of immense joy and pride for India

and congratulated ISRO for the project. With the

launch and the successful placement of the satellites, ISRO scripted history yet again. This is ISRO’s first

multi-orbital launch, with the SCATSAT-1 being placed in a 730 km Polar Sunsynchronous orbit and the

other seven being placed in 689 km lower orbit. ISRO Chairman AS Kiran Kumar has said that for the

purpose of placing satellites in different orbits, there will be will be two re-ignitions of the launch vehicle.

For this, ISRO tested its ‘multiple-burn capability’, a new feat for the ISRO.

SCATSAT-1 is the primary satellite of the mission. It is a continuity mission for Oceansat-2

Scatterometer and is meant to provide wind vector data products for weather forecasting, cyclone detection

and tracking services. The mission life of the satellite is 5 years, says ISRO. Apart from SCATSAT-1, the

satellites that are a part of the mission are; PRATHAM and PISAT, two academic satellites from India;

ALSAT-1B, ALSAT-2B and ALSAT-1N (all from Algeria) and Pathfinder-1 and NLS-19, from US and

Canada, respectively.

Courtesy: www.financialexpress.com

October, 2016

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2

Dear Readers!!!

We are happy to announce our association with, National Council for Education Research and Training,

NCERT, (HRD ministry,Government of India), Vijnana Prasar, (Department of Science &

Technology, Government of India ) ,CBSE and Vidyarthi Vijnana Manthan, A Vibha initiative for national

science talent search. The VVM letter authorizing SIF-Kuwait to carry out the Sastra Pratibha, Science talent

search examination is published for your perusal.

We thank you for your immense support and cooperation extended to SIF-Kuwait for all our

activities. We have announced the third edition of Sastra Pratibha Science Talent examination in Kuwait. The

examination date will be Jan 12, 2017.

Team SIF-Kuwait

.

3

Scientific Invention by Dr. S. Neelamani and team in Kuwait got US Patent

US patent office has granted a patent to Dr. S. Neelamani, Senior Research Scientist in the Coastal

Management Program, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research and his colleagues Engr. Altaf Taqi and Engr.

K. Al-Salem for inventing a novel water wave energy dissipating system. The Patent No. is US 9,447,554 B1

and is dated on 20 Sept. 2016.

This new invention can be used for cost effective

construction of marinas and breakwaters for port and harbor

facilities, especially for deep water ports, where the cost of

rubble mound breakwater is very expensive. The new wave

energy dissipater also helps to increase the effective berthing

space inside the marinas and harbors.

The novelty involves multiple vertical porous walls.

Depends on the design condition, the suitable wave energy

dissipater may contain from a single vertical porous wall to six vertical porous walls with porosity anywhere

from 10% to 50%. The team has studied on 30 different combinations and come up with suitable

recommendations based on cost and performance. If a client looks for very cost effective solution but still

better than a sloped rubble mound breakwater from performance point of view, it is possible to pick it out

from the study results. For example, if the quantity of stones needed per m run of the conventional breakwater

is 75 cubic m for a port with inner water depth of 7.0 m to 10.0 m, the new wave barrier proposed by the

inventors will consume about 7.5 to 15 cubic m of concrete, with wave dissipation equal to or even better than

the rubble barrier. In many harbors, one of the issues is entry of long waves and the associated wave agitation

inside the harbor. From the present study, it is found that the porous wall type wave barrier is better than

conventional sloped rubble mound dissipater for long waves.

The invented wave energy dissipater is aesthetically elegant, easy to construct and install (Since

prefabrication techniques can be adopted easily), and is very suitable for Kuwait as well as for Gulf type

marine conditions and in countries, where good quality stones are not available or expensive. The inventors

invite the users to make use of this invention for the future marina and harbors. One can contact

nusbram@kisr.edu.kw or sneelamani@yahoo.com for further scientific details.

The inventors thank Kuwait

Institute for Scientific Research for

sponsoring the research work and for the

infrastructure facility to carry out the

research work. Special thanks to

Mr. Josko Ljubic, Mr. George Joseph and

Mr. Ashok for the technical support

during the investigation.

Courtesy: www.indiansinkuwait.com

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4

Indian-origin teen wins Google Science Fair prize

A 16-year-old Indian-origin South African teen has won

a $50,000 scholarship, the grand prize at the annual Google

Science Fair for her work using orange peel to develop a cheaper

“super-absorbent material” that helps soil retain water.

Kiara Nirghin, a Grade 11 student at private school St

Martin’s, submitted her project titled ‘No More Thirsty Crops’

which was aimed at tackling the severe drought plaguing South

Africa. Her solution to the problem of drought uses orange and

avocado fruit peel that is normally discarded.

The Google Science Fair is a programme for budding

scientists between the ages of 13 to 18, who are invited to solve

the world’s biggest challenges using science and technology.

“I have always had a great love for chemistry since I was young. I vividly remember at the age of

seven experimenting with vinegar and baking soda solutions in plastic cups,” Ms. Nirghin said in her

submission, in which she cited a renowned Indian scientist as her greatest inspiration.

“M.S. Swaminathan has always been an inspiration of mine as he truly believed in the necessary

movement of not only India but the whole world towards sustainable agricultural development,” she said.

“I hope to one day become a scientist specialising in agricultural science and also become a molecular

gastronomist,” she added. Ms. Nirghin explained how she had found an alternative in the fruit peel to

super-absorbent polymers (SAPs), which absorb and carry about 300 times their weight in liquid relative to

their own mass.

“These SAPs are not biodegradable, are costly and full of acrylic acid, sodium hydroxide and other

chemicals. During more research on the topic, I found that natural occurring polymers exist in most citrus

fruits,” Ms. Nirghin said.

After 45 days of experimentation, Ms. Nirghin was successful in creating a low-cost super-absorbent

polymer, made out of waste products from the juice manufacturing industry. This polymer is biodegradable,

can retain large amounts of water, keep soil moist and improve crop

growth without regular water supplements.

The young scientist is convinced that her mixture will assist

farmers in drought-hit areas.

Courtesy: www.thehindu.com

Hello Kiddies, Here is your Answers!!!

1. A meteorologist

2. Forecasting

3. Wind Speed

4. Snow

5. Clouds

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5

India on the verge of becoming an associate of CERN

India is on its way to achieving a new magnificence in next month as an official of Department of

Science and Technology (DST). As per the announcement made, India is all set to become an affiliate of

European Organization for Nuclear Research – CERN – the world’s largest laboratory of particle physics and

in next month, India will be an associate of CERN.

A top-line officer of Department of Science and Technology addressed to IANS by saying that, “The

CERN Council has approved India’s application for associate membership in September and after formalities

and signing of papers, it will become an associate member of CERN.” He further said that the documentations

and formalities of India to become an associate of CERN would be completed in few months to come.

Apart from the concealed official, Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan had also

tweeted about the development by tweeting that, “India to become Associate Member of @CERN Great

Opportunities for Indian Industry to bid for contracts in advanced technologies @IndiaDST.”

CERN is world’s biggest molecule physics research center which is connected with the Higgs Boson or the

God particles. With the base camp in Geneva, CERN was established in 1954, and it has 22 states members.

Israel is the only non-European nation which is allowed full enrollment to the association and India will be the

second country to achieve this glorious tag. Once India is affirmed as an associated of the organization, it will

be permitted to go to its sessions and conferences. However, for now, it can’t participate in the necessary

decision-making procedures but will get council documents.

Courtesy: www.tecake.in

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6

India Hosts First BRICS Young Scientists Conference In Bengaluru

The Department of Science and Technology under the BRICS - grouping of Brazil, Russia, India,

China and South Africa - framework organized the first 'Young Scientists Conference' in Bengaluru. The

conference will see 50 young scientists meet over four days. The BRICS Young Scientist Forum (BRICS -

YSF) was started last year.

Organised and coordinated by the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) Bengaluru, the meet

would provide a platform for engaging, connecting and networking to young scientists who will hold

discussions and find solutions to some of the common challenges and problems being faced in BRICS

countries. The conclave would be on the three thematic topics - Computational Intelligence, Energy Solutions

and Affordable Healthcare. It assumes importance as it is taking place during India's chairmanship of BRICS.

The event was inaugurated by Professor K Kasturirangan, the former Chairman of the Indian Space

Research Organisation. Respective Science ministries of BRICS nations are the lead coordinating

organisations for the forum which aims to build a 'BRICS Innovation Corps' to accelerate change through

better quality of life in the region.

Some of the lead speakers at the conclave include Dr Ashutosh Sharma, secretary of the Department

of Science and Technology, Dr K Vijay Raghavan of the Department of Biotechnology, Dr VK Saraswat who

is a member of the NITI Ayog and Dr Baldev Raj, director of NIAS. Two reports will be released during the

conclave.

The first titled "BRICS Science and Technology Enterprise Partnership" is prepared by a group of

eminent scholars and which envisions sustained critical efforts for achieving Science and Technology

Research Leadership, offering new ways for BRICS cohesion.

The second report titled "Hampi: Splendours of a World Heritage Site" projects the historical

significance of the heritage site as well as depicting the intellectual and technological innovations of the site.

courtesy – www.ndtv.com

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7

A Better Bottled Water Bottle

Recycling a plastic bottle may provide a

fleeting sense of green philanthropy, but the process

of making that bottle is still pretty eco-unfriendly.

Now, chemists at Stanford University have developed

a new plastic-making method that could leave no

carbon footprint.

Most of the 270 billion plastic bottles used in

the U.S. each year are derived from petroleum. And

that manufacturing contributes to a global greenhouse

gas hit of more than 200 million tons of carbon

dioxide each year — the same amount about 150 coal

power plants generate annually. Some plastics

companies are attempting to cut that footprint by

substituting corn-based sugar for petroleum. But

planting, fertilizing and harvesting corn generates

significant carbon emissions, too, says researcher

Matt Kanan.

Instead of sugar, Kanan’s team developed a process that uses carbon

dioxide and furfural, a compound derived from corn harvest waste.

First, they converted furfural into furoic acid, a common food

preservative. Next, they had to break the furoic acid’s strong

hydrogen-carbon bond. Normally this requires an expensive base (the

chemical opposite of an acid) that’s reactive and unstable -

considerable hurdles to eco-friendly mass production. But the team

discovered a workaround by heating the acid to 390 degrees

Fahrenheit. At that temperature, carbonate (a weak, non-hazardous

base) can break the hydrogen-carbon bond. So when they mixed the

hot furoic acid, carbonate and CO2, the result was a compound that

could be turned into plastic.

Another plus? This technique, published in the journal Nature,

not only uses existing plant waste but consumes large amounts of CO2

and could be applied to other types of chemical manufacturing as well

a boon to our increasingly CO2-saturated atmosphere.

H ow the sun looks when

you take pictures at the

same place and time every week

for a year !!! This "8" pattern is

the result of earth's 23.5 degree

tilt and its slightly elliptical

orbit and this pattern is known

as 'analemma' !!

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8

Govt announces recipients of Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award

The government today announced the recipients of the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award for

Science and Technology, but there is no woman in the coveted list of selected scientists. The Ministry of

Science and Technology announced the award in various categories.

Rishikesh Narayanan from Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Suvendra Nath

Bhattacharya from CSIR Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata have been awarded in the Biological

Science category.

Partha Sarthi Mukherjee bagged the award in the Chemical Sciences category while Sunil Kumar Singh

in the Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences category. In Engineering Sciences category, Avinash

Kumar Agarwal from IIT Kanpur and Venkata Narayana Padmanabhan of Microsoft Research India have

bagged the award while Amlendu Krishna from Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)

and Naveen Garg from IIT Delhi have been selected in the Mathematical Sciences category.

Niyaz Ahmed A S has bagged the award in the Medical Science category. Subramanian Anantha

Ramakrishna from IIT Kanpur and Sudhir Kumar Vempati from IISc have jointly bagged the award in the

Physical Sciences category.

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Technology Award 2016 in the Life Sciences

category was bagged by CSIR's National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and Central Institute of

Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow for development of herbal composition for management of

diabetes.

The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (SSB) is a science award in India giv-

en annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for notable and outstanding research,

applied or fundamental, in biology, chemistry, environmental science, engineering, mathematics, medicine and

Physics. The purpose of the prize is to recognize outstanding Indian work (according to the view of CSIR

awarding committee) in science and technology. It is the most coveted award in multidisciplinary science in

India. The award is named after the founder Director of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, Shanti

Swarup Bhatnagar. It was first awarded in 1958.

Any citizen of India engaged in research in any field of science and technology up to the age of 45 years is eli-

gible for the prize. The prize is awarded on the basis of contributions made through work done in India only

during the five years prior to the year of prize. The prize comprises a citation, a plaque, and a cash award of ₹5

lakh (US$7,400). In addition, recipients also get Rs. 15,000 per month up to the age of 65 years.

Courtesy: www.timesofindia.com

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9

"There may be babblers, wholly

ignorant of mathematics, who dare

to condemn my hypothesis, upon

the authority of some part of the

Bible twisted to suit their purpose.

I value them not, and scorn their

unfounded judg-

ment ."

Nicolaus Copernicus(1473- 1543)

Astronomer, Mathematician

Discover

VOLUME 03

ISSUE 06 OCT, 2016

Compiled & Edited By

Prasanth Nair

Reshmy Krishnakumar

Science International Forum, Kuwait

facebook.com/sifkuwait

For subscription mail to

discoveremagazine@gmail.com

Do You Know!!!

1. When a solid changes to a liquid it is called what?

2. Liquids are easy to compress. True or false ?

3. When a gas changes into a liquid it is called what?

4. Plasma is a state of matter. True or false?

5. Gases are hard to compress. True or false?

You have time till next edition