Indian scientist in race to head Chinese institute
Bengaluru, July 6 : In a first, India-born geophysicist Paramesh Banerjee is among the four shortlisted to head the Institute of Geophysics, a top scientific organisation of China's Earthquake Administration (CEA). The other three candidates are Chinese.
"Final result is not out yet, but will feel proud to be the first Indian in that position," Banerjee, currently technical director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) at Nanyang Technical University (NTU), told this correspondent in an email.
"That's great news," Vineet Gahalaut, director of the National Centre for Seismology in New Delhi, told IANS.
"Paramesh was one amongst the few who initiated GPS measurements in India and, during the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, he was the one who proposed that the giant earthquakes could cause deformation at distances as far as 2,500 km away which could be captured by the GPS."
Banerjee, who in 2017 was elected president of the Asian Seismological Commission (ASC), "has made tremendous impact in a short time", added Harsh Gupta, renowned seismologist and former secretary of what is now the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Developing an earthquake resilient society is of utmost importance for the Asian region where almost 80 per cent of fatalities due to earthquakes occur, Gupta said.
"It is hoped that under the leadership of Paramesh Banerjee, if selected, such problems would be addressed."
An alumnus of the Indian School of Mines in Dhanbad, Banerjee worked at the University of California, Berkeley, he US and at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology in Dehradun before joining Singapore's NTU in 2009.
Recipient of the Indian Geosciences Award in 2009 for his work on Himalayan tectonics, Banerjee, as technical director of EOS, has been responsible for establishing a vast network of geodetic and seismological instrumentation networks in seven Asian countries.
Asia, being the most vulnerable continent in the entire world, is also the least prepared to manage earthquake related disasters, Banerjee told IANS and pointed out that "lack of scientific and technological capacity is a major hindrance to properly orient government policies towards a better disaster mitigation plan".
During the ASC's General Assembly meeting held last May at Chengdu in China, Banerjee outlined a "Practical Approach Towards Safeguarding Asian Society from Earthquake related Hazards".
He said that resources from Asian countries can be combined to create a Pan-Asian centre which will serve as a hub for technology transfer, seismological and geodetic data processing centre.
"It will also carry out advanced geophysical projects like earthquake early-warning system, seismic monitoring network, airborne and other geophysical surveys for active fault mapping and subsurface investigations."
Banerjee, who has a commercial pilot license, flew over Nepal after the 2015 earthquake to construct a 3-D digital terrain map of the Himalayan faults.
"My main objective is to build a common platform that can help promote cooperation among Asian nations in seismic research to better tackle earthquake related disasters," he said.
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West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph suspended after on-field argument with his captain
Bridgetown (Barbados) (AP/PTI): Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph has been suspended for two matches by Cricket West Indies over his very public disagreement with captain Shai Hope over field placements during a one-day international against England.
While West Indies was bowling during the match Wednesday which the Caribbean side won by eight wickets to clinch the three-match series, Joseph left the field in a remarkable protest over the field set by Hope during one of the fast bowler's overs.
Joseph and Hope engaged in a lengthy argument before the fourth over which was bowled by Joseph and had to be urged by the umpires to resume play. After a ball was played away on the off side during the over, Joseph remonstrated angrily with Hope and when the over ended he walked from the field, returning after a short break.
On Thursday, Cricket West Indies said in a statement Joseph's conduct fell short of CWI's “standards of professionalism.”
"Alzarri's behavior did not align with the core values that Cricket West Indies upholds. Such conduct cannot be overlooked, and we have taken decisive action to ensure the gravity of the situation is fully acknowledged," said CWI director of cricket Miles Bascombe.
Joseph also issued an apology.
“I recognize that my passion got the best of me,” Joseph was quoted as saying in the CWI statement.
"I have personally apologized to captain Shai Hope and my teammates and management. I also extend my sincerest apologies to the West Indies fans — understand that even a brief lapse in judgment can have a far-reaching impact, and I deeply regret any disappointment caused.”
With the one-day series concluded, England and the West Indies meet in a five-match Twenty20 series beginning Saturday at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown.
