Category Archives: Science & Technology

HYSEA office-bearers elected

Business & Economy, Leaders, Nri's / PIO's, Records, All, Science & Technology

Software testing services firm ZenQ founder and CEO Murali Bollu and president-APAC of ValueMomentum Software Services Ravi S. Rao have been elected president and secretary respectively of Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (HYSEA).

Other members of the new executive committee, for 2018-2020, elected at the 26th annual general body of HYSEA on Friday were Infopeers Solutions CEO Bharani K.Aroll (vice-president); Global Delivery Head BSG and centre head of Tech Mahindra Vijay Rangineni (treasurer); VP international finance of C3I Support Services Padmaja Chowdary (joint secretary). The new president has over three decades of experience in the IT industry, including 13 years in the US, and has been active in the association since 2007, a release from HYSEA said.

Mr. Bollu said the new Committee would like to increase efforts to assist IT SMEs accelerate growth. This would be accomplished through workshops/ events on new business opportunities in emerging technologies and new geographies by exploring funding options to meet their capex and opex needs and by promoting innovations in sales and marketing of their services and products.

HYSEA would like to expand competency development programmes for employees of member companies in leadership and technical skills and plans to start a ‘Biz Series’ to improve business and operational competencies. A new infrastructure forum to address the strategic needs of the industry focused on transportation, green energy and water management would be created, Mr. Bollu added.

A new managing committee, comprising Bipin Chandra Pendyala, SVP of Moschip Semiconductor; Kiran Babu Cherukuri, founder and CEO of Tech Era IT Consulting; Manisha Saboo, AVP and centre head Pocharam Campus of Infosys; Sai Giridhar Chintamaneni, president and CEO of Promantra Synergy Solutions and Gogineni Srinivasa Rao, managing director of FutureTech Information Systems, was unanimously elected. Five more members would be co-opted to the Managing Committee by the Executive Committee, the release said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – May 03rd, 2018

2 Icrisat agri scientists awarded for research

Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology

Hyderabad :

Two Icrisat scientists were selected for the institute’s highest award for research, its governing board announced on Tuesday. Dr Mamta Sharma and Dr Pooja Bhatnagar-Mathur are joint recipients of the Doreen Margaret Mashler Award, 2018, for significant work in their respective research fields at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

Dr Mamta Sharma specializes in epidemiology of plant diseases and pathogens, focusing on disease-resistant breeding in chickpea and pigeonpea, two of ICRISAT’s mandate crops. In 2017, she led the team that developed the Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) method to identify a pathogen affecting chickpea and over 500 crops globally. She also established the Center of Excellence on Climate Change Research for Plant Protection to address effects of climate change on insect-pests and diseases.

Dr Sharma’s LAMP method has helped researchers in breeding programs across the globe understand the mechanism of inheritance of resistance.

Dr Pooja Bhatnagar-Mathur led an international, multiinstitutional effort, for innovative biotechnology solutions to combat aflatoxin in groundnut using a ‘double-defense’ approach. These include engineering groundnuts to stop Aspergillus flavus ungus by production of small proteins called defensins. In the second approach, the synthesis of aflatoxin by the fungus was shut down using gene-silencing RNA molecules. This breakthrough resulted in resistance to fungal infection as well as remarkably low levels of aflatoxin contamination.

Dr Bhatnagar-Mathur also worked towards successful isolation and characterization of the gene responsible for cytoplasmic male sterility in pigeonpea. As a result, ICRISAT filed its first ever patent in 2016-17. It holds great potential to induce and control male sterility in other crop species, providing male sterile lines for developing scalable hybrid systems.

The award, which includes a plaque and a citation, will be presented during the ICRISAT Governing Board meeting later this year.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Hyderabad News / by Sushil Rao / TNN / April 18th, 2018

Dindi project named after R. Vidyasagar Rao

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Leaders, Nature, Science & Technology

‘He highlighted injustices done to State in irrigation sector’

The Telangana government has decided to name the Dindi Lift Irrigation Scheme after R. Vidyasagar Rao, a well-known personality in the field of irrigation, who died after prolonged illness on April 29 last year.

Dindi project is meant for supplying drinking water and to meet the needs of irrigation in the fluoride and drought affected areas. According to officials, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao signed the file pertaining to the decision on Saturday. The State government has taken the decision ahead of the first death anniversary of the irrigation engineer.

The Chief Minister has instructed the Irrigation Department to call the Dindi project as R. Vidyasagar Rao Dindi Lift Irrigation Scheme henceforth.

“Vidyasagar Rao highlighted the injustices done to Telangana in the irrigation sector. He communicated to people in simple language about the discrimination of Telangana region in irrigation sector and created awareness among them on complicated issues,” the Chief Minister said in a statement.

Apart from playing a key role in the movement for separate statehood to Telangana, late Vidyasagar Rao had created a wider debate on irrigation issues, the Chief Minister said adding that his life’s ambition was to provide safe drinking water to the fluoride-affected erstwhile Nalgonda district and provide irrigation facility to the arid lands in Telangana.

“We are making rapid strides in the irrigation sector in tune with the dreams of late Vidyasagar Rao and naming Dindi project in his native district after him will be a befitting tribute to the personality,” the Chief Minister said.

The Chief Minister also sanctioned ₹1 crore for the renovation of Arvapalli Laxmi Narasimha Swamy temple in the reorganised Suryapet district as wished by Vidyasagar Rao during his last moments of life, the officials of CMO said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – April 14th, 2018

City solar firm completes 640 KW projects in Manipur

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Science & Technology

Solar energy solutions provider Freyr Energy has completed 640 KW solar rooftop projects in Manipur.

Announcing this, a release from the Hyderabad-based firm on Wednesday said the list of projects include off-grid 100 KW battery-powered systems. The inverter maximises solar power generation and helps stabilise power from the grid. It also has the functionality to smartly optimise and export solar power when the cost of grid power is at its highest, and draws power when it is low. The system helps withstand power fluctuations and guarantees power round the clock and can also be monitored remotely, the company said.

Co-Founder and Managing Director of Freyr Energy Saurabh Marda said the projects were completed within the stipulated timeline of six months. The projects include four 100 KW system each in City Convention Centre, Interstate Bus Terminus, National Sports Academy Hostel in Imphal and at the Central Agricultural University. The project supports the Khwairamband Bazaar through a 50 KW system, which is incidentally, the world’s only all-women marketplace and one of Imphal’s main tourist attractions. The systems were installed at various government buildings after the company bagged the tender from the Manipur Renewable Energy Development Agency, the release said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – April 05th, 2018

Hyderabad puts the ambulance on faster wheels

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Science & Technology, Travel

Prabhdeep Singh, originally from Chandigarh, and with work experience in Hyderabad, Antoine Poirson of France, and Jose Leon, a Costa Rican – OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

A trio of MBAs launches a service that’s taking patients and their families across State borders.

They were from three continents and they met at a business school in France. Their idea: simplified medical transport as easy as ride-hailing for patients and caregivers. Prabhdeep Singh, originally from Chandigarh, and with work experience in Hyderabad, Antoine Poirson from France, and Jose Leon from Costa Rica, came up with StanPlus.

The year-old Hyderabad start-up opened with an offer to send an ambulance in under 15 minutes.

It got the most unusual requests. An ailing man was transported from Hyderabad to Guwahati – a 2,500 km drive –after his doctors informed his family that he was at the end of his life and suggested he be taken to his native place. The patient’s son turned to StanPlus and was even prepared to face a crisis en route. Mr. Singh, the CEO, says, “We arranged for an ambulance equipped with a body freezer and two drivers. Luckily, the person reached home alive.”

It recently ferried a four-hour-old baby from Hyderabad to Vizianagaram, a distance of 700 km. The vehicle had an incubator and a facility for light therapy. “A few days back, a lady gave birth to twins in an ambulance .”

The idea originated when Mr. Poirson, working with an energy major in Rajasthan, saw his colleague die in an accident because no ambulance was nearby. Mr. Singh, with his healthcare stint, saw the demand for a responsive ambulance service. The company is plugged into real-time live tracking, aided by a call centre. “We are not in the pay of hospitals, so the patient takes the call. The option is to go to the nearest hospital and charge per km,” he says. Hyderabad also has the emergency-only “108” ambulances. Only 20% of ambulance calls are emergencies, says Mr. Singh, who runs 300 vehicles.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Serish Nanisetti / Hyderabad – April 04th, 2018

TCS top honours for KITS students

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology

Students of Kakatiya Institute of Technology and Science (KITS) here have brought laurels to the college by winning awards from IT giant TCS.

Institute director Y. Manohar said Sai Pranitha Kanthala, a B. Tech student, bagged the TCS Best Student award while Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) student Saivishnu Varma Kalidindi and his team won TCS Best Project award for 2016-17.

V. Rajanna, vice-president and regional head of TCS-Hyderbad, gave away the awards comprising a gold medal, a certificate and a cash prize of ₹10,000.

The award presentation ceremony was held at the TCS Synergy Park Campus in Hyderabad on March 29.

The award-winning project was titled ‘Eye Monitored Wheelchair Control’, crafted by ECE students of the institute.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by Special Correspondent / Warangal – Urban Dt., – April 03rd, 2018

Smart India Hackathon takes off

Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Dr. Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education interacting with students at the Smart India Hackathon at CVR College of Engineering on Friday

CVR College, CMRCET are nodal centres in State for the two-day national event

Hundreds of students are putting their creative skills to test to find solutions to the pressing problems of government departments at the grand finale of Smart India Hackathon 2018 that took off at CVR College of Engineering, Ibrahimpatnam and CMR College of Engineering and Technology (CMRCET), the two nodal centres in Telangana.

The two-day national event being held in 28 colleges across the country is a unique initiative to identify new and disruptive digital technology innovations for solving challenges faced by our country. It was inaugurated through video conference by Union HRD Minister, Prakash Javadekar.

The hackathon went live at 8.25 a.m. and coding began at 8.30 a.m. on Friday and will end at 6 p.m. on Saturday. As per rules, three students from each team have to be present at the table at any point of time till the coding ends.

The students were allowed to move from the table only for breakfast, lunch, dinner and recreational activities while tea and snacks were served on the table.

“We are happy to be among the 28 colleges in the country to be hosting the finale,” said Ch. Gopal Reddy, secretary and correspondent, CMRCET, where 42 teams of six students each are competing to write the best code to the most pressing problem. The chief guest at the venue was Rama Devi Lanka, Officer on Special Duty, ITE & C, Telangana Government.

J. Satyanarayan, Chairman of UIDAI, who was the chief guest at CVR College, told students that “innovation is based on two things — doing things differently and doing different things”.

Discussing how digital identity (Aadhaar) has changed the country’s ecosystem, he appealed to the students to create new products and protocols that will address the country’s needs.

The Hackathon witnessed participation from 27 Central Ministries, Departments and 17 State Governments who sent more than 900 problem statements. After scrutiny, 408 problems were finally selected.

Of the 17,400-plus teams, 1,296 entries consisting of 8,000 students were selected for the grand finale. There are prizes to be won for different categories at each centre. The HRD Ministry is also engaging with DST to support with Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) as startups for selective teams.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 30th, 2018

Putting waste to good use

Green Initiatives / Environment, Science & Technology

Ajay Popat, president of Ion Exchange (India) Ltd, addressing the media in the city on Thursday.

Ion Exchange sets up waste-to-energy project with ₹7 crore

Water and environment management solutions provider Ion Exchange (India) Ltd commissioned a waste-to-energy project in Hyderabad that integrates technology to combine solid organic waste and waste water to generate power, purified water and fertilizer.

The company intends to use the facility, established at Akshaya Patra’s community kitchen on the city outskirts, as a demonstration project for prospective customers.

Stating that it was the country’s first such waste-to-energy system, Ion Exchange (India) president Ajay Popat said it was based on the ANDICOS (anaerobic digestion by combining waste stream) design. While projects based on ANDICOS had been deployed for the industrial consumers, it was being used for the first time for community segment, he told presspersons here on Thursday.

Organic fertilizer

The project, established by the company at Akshaya Patra, has a capacity to treat around 1,000 kg of organic kitchen waste and 2-6 cubic metre of sewage sludge on a daily basis. It will generate about 20KW/H of electrical power along with 1.35 tonnes of organic fertilizer per day.

Noting that the company had set up the plant with ₹7 crore, Mr. Popat said the company would be showcasing the facility to prospective customers in the government. Among the agencies that were either working or evaluating the prospects of engaging with Ion Exchange include the municipal corporation of Mumbai, Delhi Jal Board as well as the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) on behalf of the Telangana government.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 30th, 2018

Recognition for retired scientist

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Thirmandas Narayana Gowd

Thirmandas Narayana Gowd, a 77-year-old retired scientist and former head of Rock Mechanics and Mineral Physics division of National Geophysical Research Institute, has been conferred with the ‘Best Citizens of India Award-2017’ by the International Publishing House.

Hailing from Kollapur region of erstwhile Mahabubnagar district, Mr. Gowd completed his masters and Ph.D. in geophysics at Osmania University.

He was recognised for his lifelong research on the stress and orientation of the rock fractures/geological faults as the reason behind the earthquakes in the ‘shield area’ comprising Indian states south of Himalayas, a press communiqué said. He theoretically analysed the role of pore fluid pressure in Koyna earthquake.

He had also received German academic exchange service (DAAD) fellowship for laboratory investigations on his chosen subject.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu /Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – March 24th, 2018

Indian company among finalists in ‘water from air’ competition

Green Initiatives / Environment, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Los Angeles-based XPRIZE, which designs incentive competitions to solve humanity’s big challenges, is running the water abundance prize with the support of the Tata Group and Australian Aid.

Indian startup Uravu that has developed a technology to create water from the air is among the five finalists in a global competition. The two-year competition is to create a device that extracts a minimum of 2,000 liters of water per day from the air using 100% renewable energy.

The Hyderabad-based company will compete with four other companies in the final round of the Water Abundance XPRIZE, worth $ 1.75 million. The five finalists were selected from 98 teams in the previous round, from 25 countries, and will share a $250,000 milestone prize purse. The winners will receive $ 1.5 million, to be announced in August 2018.

Los Angeles-based XPRIZE, which designs incentive competitions to solve humanity’s big challenges, is running the water abundance prize with the support of the Tata Group and Australian Aid.

Uravu is run by a multidisciplinary team of five, with engineering, sciences, architecture and design backgrounds. The young team says it “believes in working on hard problems which are technologically achievable and also culturally and socially salient.” “Solving challenges around water not only requires amazing technology but also empathy and systems thinking,” a release from XPRIZE said on the team’s vision.

Led by Swapnil Shrivastav, Amit, Bharath, Sandeep and Venkatesh are other members of the group. “….the team is developing a completely off-grid water from air device, spinning together the magic of material sciences and solar thermal energy,” the release said. A scalable device of this nature could revolutionise access to fresh water.

The finalists will begin round 2 testing in July 2018 at a location to be determined. During this phase, teams must fully demonstrate that their device can extract a minimum of 2,000 liters of water per day from the atmosphere using 100 percent renewable energy, at a cost of no more than two cents per liter, XPRIZE said. “At the end of this testing phase, the team whose solution enables the greatest ability to create decentralized access to water – giving people the power to access fresh water whenever and wherever they need it” will win the prize.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> International / by Varghese K. George / Washington – March 22nd, 2018