The Institute of
Mathematical Sciences (IMSc) is a national
institute for fundamental research in the mathematical
and physical sciences. This program of four talks
aimed at the general public is part of the Triveni
Outreach Series of IMSc.
No specialized knowledge of science is required to
appreciate the talks. The program is free and open to
all but registration (on this web page) is required.
Shannon Olsson National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR, Bengaluru
Connecting with nature
We humans crave connection. It is one of the most
fundamental aspects of Life. In fact, all living organisms on Earth
are connected to one another through the language of chemistry. These
chemical conversations create a vast interplay of interactions that
maintain the stability of our ecosystems. However, humanity is
changing the conversation. Today, we are altering this planet and its
interactions more than any single species in the history of Earth. I
will discuss nature’s changing communication in the Indian context,
particularly concerning pollination, environmental change, and urban
pollution. I believe that the solutions to these problems lie within
all of us. To what makes us part of Life itself: our
connectedness. Let’s start the conversation together.
Shannon
Olsson heads the Naturalist-Inspired Chemical Ecology (NICE)
group at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Tata
Institute of Fundamental Research in Bangalore. The NICE group is
particularly interested in how animals, and especially insects,
identify objects across different environments. Their work traverses
Himalayan meadows, ecologically sustainable agriculture in the
Western Ghats, and pollution in Bangalore - anywhere insects are
important, which is nearly everywhere on Earth. Prof. Olsson
completed her Ph.D. at Cornell University in Neurobiology and
Behavior and Chemical Ecology. She then worked at the Max Planck
Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, as a Project Leader
where she collaborated with engineers to develop an artificial
chemical communication system based on insect chemical
communication. A Fulbright Scholar and Ramanujan Fellow, Prof. Olsson
is part of a large effort to promote chemical ecology in India. Her
work is featured at several popular venues including TEDx, INK,
Microsoft Research, SAP Labs, the Dublin Science Gallery, the DST
Science Express train across India, and the Victoria and Albert
Museum in London. Her favorite thing about being a scientist is the
privilege to observe and learn, every day, something completely new,
and the possibility that the something new could make a positive
difference in this world.
Harinath Chakrapani Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune
Chemical darts to find antibacterial targets
Antibiotics are among the greatest discoveries in the
past century. However, antimicrobial drug resistance, particularly
resistance to these antibiotics, has emerged as a major global health
problem. I will discuss some of the approaches that my lab has taken
to identify vulnerabilities in drug-resistant bacteria.
Harinath Chakrapani hails from
Chennai and studied in D.A.V. School Gopalapuram, and earned chemistry
degrees from Loyola College and IIT Madras. His doctoral degree is
from Duke University, USA and his post-doctoral work included
developing new strategies for cancer drug discovery at the National
Cancer Institute. In 2009, he returned to India to set up his
laboratory at IISER Pune. His primary research interests are in
physical organic chemistry and chemical biology of small gaseous
signalling molecules in cells. His lab works on the design and
synthesis of small molecule tools that will help decipher mechanisms
of antibiotic resistance. These studies are aimed at new strategies to
address this major public health problem.
V Madhurima Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur
A balancing act: Appreciating dance through understanding motion
Our love and appreciation of dance is derived from our understanding
of culture, history and religious practices. The joy associated with
this appreciation is further enhanced by viewing the art form through
the lens of science. Though the subjective aspects of dance cannot be
discussed from a typical scientific perspective, the objective aspects
of dance can be analysed using the laws of physics. Hence while dance
is still an aesthetic experience for both the dancer and the viewer,
the rasikatva of the rasika can be enhanced through an understanding
of movement, much the same as understanding the concept of swaras
helps in appreciating music and that of the working of a camera in
photography.
In this talk I will be discussing the laws of physics
that govern basic human movements and extended then to understand
movements of dance. Through this I will discuss, for example, the
role of various “sthanas” in the execution of adavus and karanas. A
comparison between the “chakkars” of Kathak and the pirouettes of
western classical dance will be made, with respect to the physics of
rotational motion.
V
Madhurima is a Professor of Physics at the Central University of
Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur. She obtained her Master’s degree and PhD in
Physics from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. She works in
the field of experimental soft condensed matter Physics in which she
has completed major projects, guided PhDs and Masters level Physics
students and peer reviewed publications. Parallelly she has had an
active interest in Bharatanatyam style of dancing in which she was
trained for nearly 30 years by Kalaimamani Krishnakumari
Narendran. She has Diplomas in Indian Art and in Nrityashastra from
Nalanda Dance Research Institute, Mumbai. She offers a course titled
“Physics of Arts”, a one of its kind course that highlights the
physics of music, dance and photography to students from all streams
in the University.
R Ramanujam The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai
Looking for logic in social practice
There are many algorithms implicit or explicit in the way society
works: for example, an election, or a queue where lunch is served. These
algorithms rely on logical properties of underlying physical and
social structures. For instance, in an election, we not only want
confidentiality but also verifiability (that every vote cast has been
counted), and many more such properties. Can we prove that these
requirements are consistent?
Societal algorithms require a careful study of underlying logical reasoning.
Many insights from mathematical logic, computer science, game theory
and dynamical systems theory seem useful for such exploration.
R
Ramanujam is a professor in theoretical computer science at the
Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai. His research interests
are in mathematical logic and theory of computation, and their
applications to theory of distributed systems, game theory and
security theory.
Ramanujam has been an active volunteer of Tamil
Nadu Science Forum since 1990, active in its involvement in science
popularization and school education. He is editor of Thulir, a monthly
science magazine for children. He was a member of the Yash Pal
Committee that formulated the National Curriculum Framework 2005. He
is a recipient of the Indian National Science Academy's Indira Gandhi
Prize for Popularization of Science, 2020.
Poster Exhibition: Deep History Sites of the Indian Subcontinent
An exhibition in the foyer of the Music Academy during
3-8 pm on the day of the event (Sunday, 16th Feb 2019)
will highlight some important prehistoric sites in the
Indian subcontinent. All registrants are invited to view
this exhibition.
Entry to the exibition in the foyer opens at 3:00 pm.
Auditorium doors open at 3:30 pm. Please be seated by 3:45 pm. After that time, we will start letting in walk-in participants.
Extra parking (3--8 pm) is available at St. Ebbas Girls Higher Secondary School (across the road to the East).
To enter the hall, just show the QRCode (preferred
option) sent by us or quote your email address or
produce a printout of this email.
Have a question for any of the speakers?
Post them
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/scisabha
Or tweet: @scisabha, #SatS2020
Or SMS: 9940572770
Selected questions will be answered by the speakers on stage!
