Infosys Prize Awards 2013 Recognises Contribution by Luminaries in Sciences

During the event held to announce the winners of Infosys Prize Awards 2013, Infosys's chairman emeritus N.R.Narayana Murthy, trustee of the Infosys Science Foundation, shared his thoughts on the occasion encouraging youngsters to take to research.

The award recognises world-class achievements of researchers in the various sciences. It recognises the significant contributions made by researchers from India in the fields of life sciences, humanities, computer science, engineering, physical sciences, mathematical sciences and social sciences.

Science Suffers Due to Shutdown in US
A leading science group has said that the US government shutdown puts international science collaboration in peril.

Mr Murthy said that the main objective of the award is not merely monetary incentives but respect from society, recognition and opportunities to interact with a global audience.

This award seeks to encourage youngsters who could chose to take up the field of research.

There were nearly 216 nominations for the Prize - 45 for physical sciences, 46 for life sciences, 59 for engineering, 15 in social sciences and 26 for humanities.

Use of Social Media in Teaching People About Health and Science may Lead to Learning Disparities
A senior research scientist has suggested that it may lead to disparities in learning and awareness.

The Humanities award was shared by Nayanjot Lahiri, Professor, Department of History, University of Delhi, New Delhi (for Archaeology) and Ayesha Kidwai, Professor, Centre for Linguistics, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (for Linguistics).

The prize for Engineering and Computer Science was awarded to Ramgopal Rao, Institute Chair Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Chief Investigator, Centre of Excellence in Nanoelectronics, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.

Governmental and Institutional Failure Towards �Science Communication Environment� Biggest Threat to Vaccine Acceptance
Failure of governments and other institutions to anticipate and avoid recurring threats to the science communication environment is the biggest threat.

Rajesh Gokhale, Director, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, was awarded the prize for Life Sciences.

Rahul Pandharipande, Professor, Department of Mathematics, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zürich (ETH Zurich) was awarded the prize for Mathematical Sciences.

Answer to Many Strange Science Queries
A survey sought the replies from nearly 2000 people on some of the possible answers to a list of quirky scientific queries.

The award carries a cash prize of Rs.55 lakh, a gold medallion and a citation certificate.

Source-Medindia