Two final year postgraduate chemistry students of Madras Christian College (MCC), Chennai’s Venkatram Balasubramanian & Vidhya Narasimhan have been selected by the Union government’s department of science and technology (together with 24 other students countrywide) to meet with eminent Nobel laureates in Lindau, Germany, at the 55th meeting of Nobel laureates scheduled for end June. “This is a rare privilege and we plan to make the most of it. During our three-week stay in Germany, we will be visiting some of the country’s best science institutes and looking for research opportunities,” says Narasimhan.

The duo has been selected on the basis of their excellent academic record, research work and paper presentations throughout their undergraduate and postgrad years in MCC. A top-ranked student through school and college, Narasimhan was awarded the Poraiyar Natesa Iyer prize for chemistry (2004) in her first year of postgraduate studies and secured second rank with a “Grade A” score in a drug storage and management course conducted by Apollo Hospitals in 2003.

Balasubramanian’s academic track record is equally impressive. He received the S.D. Sargunar prize for Tamil essay-writing in 2000; the Dr. Michael Lockwood Gold medal for philosophy in 2002; the I.M. Mathai and Boyd prizes for chemistry at the undergraduate level, and the Boyd prize II for chemistry in postgrad studies.

“Our resumes read similar because we work as a team. We want to pursue research in environmental chemistry to find ways to make scientific advancements eco-friendly and in harmony with nature,” says Balasubramanian who also acknowledges the “continuous encouragement and support” of Dr. Wilfred Sugumar, head of the department of chemistry at MCC as a motivational force.

The duo’s future plans are to “research extensively” to discover ways and means to create a pollution-free world. “We hope to derive motivation from the Nobel laureates we meet in Germany and learn how to do systematic, methodical research. The research divide between India and the West has to be narrowed pronto,” says Narasimhan.

Stand by for a quantum leap forward in environment research activity!

Hemalatha Raghupathi (Chennai) 

Rahul Jayanth

“If you can’t get close to stars, bring them closer to you.” That’s a quotable quote worthy of a renowned astronomer. But coming from Rahul Jayanth, who is all of nine years old, it’s a brilliant insight. This class V child genius of Bangalore’s Presidency School has built a fully-operational Newtonian reflector telescope, which offers clear focus sightings of the Galilean Moon, bands of Jupiter, and rings of Saturn among other wonders of the universe. While standard reflector/ refraction telescopes are also useful, they offer blurred pictures of distant galactic bodies.

Rahul’s love affair with the galaxy began at the age of three when he accompanied his father, B. Jayanth a mechanical engineer with Wipro Fluid Systems and amateur astronomer, to a meeting of the Association of Bangalore Amateur Astronomers at the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium. Fascinated by the science that is astronomy, Rahul promptly enrolled as a member and has since attended all their weekly meetings and workshops. “My father had tried to build a telescope but couldn’t finish it. That’s when I decided to build one of my own,” he says.

Working furiously after school hours and six to eight hours during weekends, young Rahul completed his telescope project in nine months. The 8 inch diameter and 5ft 4 inches focal length telescope has been constructed from rudimentary materials including a fabricated iron mount, a commercially available eyepiece and a 5 ft long PVC pipe which serves as the main tube. “The telescope cost about Rs.6,500 to build. In the marketplace a similar telescope is priced at Rs.35,000-40,000,” says the elder Jayanth.

Putting together the objective of the telescope was the toughest part and it took Rahul almost four months to get it right. “The objective comprises a finely ground concave mirror 8 inches in diameter. I had to hand grind a pair of glass sheets and polish them to the required perfection. This was the most difficult bit,” he recalls.

While stargazing is Rahul’s most preferred activity, it’s not his sole preoccupation. An academic topper since class I, a skilled chess player with a black belt in karate, Rahul is also a voracious reader who has ploughed through the entire Harry Potter series and finds time for Cartoon Network and computer games.

Contemplating his future, the young stargazer has set his sights on signing up with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Agency, USA) as an astronaut. “NASA has the most advanced space technology. I intend to learn all about these technologies and import them into India to make this country a major space power,” he says.

Wind beneath your wings!

Srinidhi Raghavendra (Bangalore)

Also read: Scientists bag Infosys-Educationworld Young Achievers Awards 2006