Prioritize research in basic science: BITS Pilani director Dr G Raghuram
‘World needs more scientists than technicians’
Mangaluru, June 22: Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences (BITS) Pilani KK Birla Campus director Dr G Raghuram said that world is now required creative scientists who can develop technology to utilize the resources effectively, than technicians.
Delivering an endowment lecture on ‘How to prepare for future?’, organized by the St. Aloysius College Science Department here on Friday, he said that “it is a good sign that nowadays, youth are interested in research in basic science”. India should not concentrate only on skills development, but along with skills development, it should also develop the creativity and research attitude among youth. So education institutions should take up this as their priority, he advised.
Much needed skills development is possible only when four important disciplines like science, technology, engineering and mathematics are taken into consideration. The students have plenty of opportunities and they should choose the field they are interested in and achieve, he said.
“If we tapped just 1.5 per cent of the Sun light getting on the earth properly, the entire world would get the power requirement. Though we have more than 75 per cent water on the earth, we have been facing water scarcity and this problem could be solved by converting the salt water into sweet water with the help of available technology. Such inventions are the need of the hour”, he said.
Future industrial revolution would happen because of the new-age technologies. By 2034, the robots would do more than 42 per cent works. Revolutionary tools like ‘Internet of Things’ would bring a sea change in the life of people. According to a recent study, more than 94 per cent IT graduates are not employable. Only solution for this problem is to give importance to research in basic science, he said.
“Based on the new-age demands, our learning system should also be changed. Instead of solving the problem, we need to inculcate among students the curiosity and inspiration. Then a new perspective is possible to find solution for a problem”, he said.
Along with the science, humanity is also important. Learning social science, art and languages are also necessary. Youth should concentrate on interdisciplinary study and world languages. In the process of making students competent to fight in the competitive world, the society has been killing their creativity and imagination, he said.
Presiding over the programme, College principal Rev. Dr Praveen Martis SJ said that “desire, dream and determination would take a person to success. The students should develop questioning attitude. If you dream, you can work on it and achieve it”, he said.
Xavier Block director Prof John D’Silva welcomed. Registrar AM Narahari, Star College Scheme coordinator Dr Ronald Nazareth, programme coordinator Dr Narayan Bhat and others were present. Students who scored more marks in the last PU exam were felicitated on the occasion.
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Venkatesh Prasad elected KSCA president, Sujith Somasundar is new vice-president
Bengaluru (PTI): Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad was on Sunday elected as the new president of the troubled Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA).
In the polls, Prasad, a former vice-president of the association, went ahead of veteran sports administrator KN Shanth Kumar 749-558 as a total of 1307 members voted.
Prasad now will have the onerous task of bringing top-flight cricket back to the state, which got sidelined after the stampede near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4 in which 11 Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans were killed.
Both Prasad and Shanth Kumar, Director of The Printers (Mysore) Private Ltd and one of the Directors on the PTI Board, had vowed to take necessary steps to revive cricket in the state, and it was their respective panel's major poll pitch.
Former India batter Sujith Somasundar won the election to the post of vice-president ahead of D. Vinod Shivappa 719-588.
Somasundar had stepped down from the post of Education Head at the BCCI Centre of Excellence recently to contest in the KSCA polls.
BN Madhukar is the new KSCA treasurer after winning the election 736-571 ahead of MS Vinay. Experienced administrator Santosh Menon returned to the association fold as its new secretary after getting the better of ES Jairam 675-632.
Jairam had resigned from the post of KSCA secretary after 11 fans were killed and several injured in the stampede near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, taking the moral responsibility for the tragic turn of events.
The Prasad-led panel, which had the open backing of former India players Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath, hence grabbed four key posts in the polls which were held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium between 10am and 5 pm.
“First and foremost, this is a victory for the sport of cricket. Secondly, this is a victory for all the members who wanted a change, all the people who wanted international cricket to come back to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. This is a victory for all stakeholders — the cricket fans,” Prasad told reporters after becoming president.
The Brijesh Patel-backed camp saw BK Ravi from its list winning the race to the post of joint secretary 669-638 ahead of AV Shashidhara.
Former women’s cricketer Kalpana Venkatachar (764) and former Karnataka wicketkeeper batter Avinash Vaidya (691), who contested from Prasad's panel, were elected as members from the Bangalore Zone along with Aashish Amarlall (703).
