Tuesday, November 17, 2020

As technology has evolved in the latter part of the 20th century and the early part of the 21st century, the traditional boundaries between goods and services have blurred. By virtue of Moore’s law, computing capabilities have surged faster than capabilities in traditional industries. These information-based technologies have been widely adopted across a broad range of industries and products that traditionally have not been perceived as electronic or software based.

Information is the new currency powering economies. The expansion of computing power has driven the pace of information gathering and analysis. The new currency drives processes and decision-making across a wide array of products and services, making them more efficient and value accretive for consumers.

Data is a new currency

Let us look at a traditional good, the automobile. A modern automobile has 40% of its component value from electronic-based products and a modern electric vehicle has close to 100 million lines of code, which is more than that used by a Boeing 787 or the Chrome browser. This is a paradigm shift as the amount of “value add” from intangible technology services as opposed to physical objects, even in traditional goods, is being transformed by information.

Even if you look at a conventional “metal-based” industrial product, information and electronics are becoming all-pervasive, ensuring that we set boundaries to control quality or the uptime of the equipment. There is increasing digitisation and electronification of industrial activities, products and services, influencing the evolving skill sets in industry.

This revolution is taking place across products, as information availability drives efficiency and creates value for customers by providing greater control over the product and its surrounding environment. And, this is what impels customers to value products that have utilised these evolving technologies.

Working in silos

As governments have focused on improving the lives of people, they have looked at economic development and industry as catalysts to progress. To address the needs of various stakeholders, governments have tended to build specialised departments and designed policies that govern those areas. However, over time, as each of these departments grew, they have tended to operate in silos. This has for most of the 20th century been reasonably successful in driving economic development in countries.

The recent developments in technology have, however, blurred standard boundaries that dictate policy framework in most governments. If you take India, industrial promotion policies look at encouraging capital formation from a manufacturing perspective. As technology is driving an increasing share of the value add coming from digitisation and data analytics in products and services across industry segments, there needs to be a way of encouraging capital formation by way of intangibles in traditionally tangible industries.

If you look at the automobile industry, policies are governed by the Heavy Industries and the Surface Transport Ministries, respectively. However, increasing electronification and digitisation of the automobile are not covered by industrial policies that govern the Electronics and Information Technology Ministry.

Another example involves drones that could serve different sectors, including agriculture, and would require a lot of inter-departmental clearances outside of the Department of Agriculture. There is increasingly a need for inter-departmental cooperation and synergy not only in policy framework but also in deployment.

Taking an aggregate view

This departmentalisation of policies is facing a challenge from technology that very often blurs the boundaries served by different policies. There is a need to have a holistic view of policies for economic development as technology is becoming a significant enabler in most industries. A change in policy framework regarding economic development that enables various ministries to work together is essential. A sufficiently empowered policy clearing cell could ensure a holistic view on policy across departments of government, at the State and the Centre.

In terms of attracting investments, policies have always been driven by subsidies and incentives but increasingly, in a competitive scenario, these are becoming hygiene factors. More significantly, a nourishing ecosystem for industry, including the hard infrastructure and softer areas such as education, skilling, technical institutions, laboratories, testing centres, etc., has to be cultivated. The creation of clusters of companies in adjacent but complementary areas could constitute such an ecosystem that encourages multi and cross-disciplinary learning and spur innovation and economic development. Moreover, this type of ecosphere could also attract investment and capital formation.

There is also the larger issue of a shift of value between manufacturing and services as technology changes. The policy, by and large, promotes and gives incentives for manufacturing, whereas the share of intangibles, even in traditional manufacturing companies, whether it be software, research and development or even servicing of products, are not adequately covered in industrial policies. It is important to include these to encourage innovation and technological development.

In this evolving policy framework, it is important that there is close cooperation and alignment between the Centre and State to ensure effective implementation on the ground. Some of these thoughts could help us navigate through an ecosystem that is changing with technology.

Srivats Ram is Managing Director, Wheels India Ltd.

Source: The Hindu, 17/11/20

Israel launches excellence fellowship program for international postdoctoral researchers

An applicant must be an international candidate with a PhD from a recognised higher education institution outside of Israel less than four years from the time of application, or who will receive a PhD from a recognised higher education institution outside of Israel prior to the commencement of the fellowship.

The Council for Higher Education in Israel and the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities have launched an excellence fellowship programme for international postdoctoral researchers. Under the programme, postdoctoral fellows will have the opportunity to engage in innovative research in one of the Israel-based universities.

Fellows will participate in various activities, such as day trips, seminars, workshops and social events during their fellowship. A total of 20 fellowships will be granted to incoming postdoctorate students. At least 15 fellowships will be allocated in sciences, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and up to five fellowships will be allocated in the humanities and the social sciences stream. The fellowships will be awarded for two years for160,000 NIS (approx. Rs 34.67 lakh).

An applicant must be an international candidate with a PhD from a recognised higher education institution outside of Israel less than four years from the time of application, or who will receive a PhD from a recognised higher education institution outside of Israel prior to the commencement of the fellowship.

The applicant must have been accepted to a postdoctoral position under the supervision of a faculty member at one of the following Israeli universities: Ariel University, Bar-Ilan University, Ben-Gurion University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Open University of Israel, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv University, University of Haifa, Weizmann Institute of Science.

Application along with relevant documents should be submitted by the universities on/before February 1 to the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Candidates should apply directly to their host university, which will conduct an internal evaluation process and submit selected candidates to the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Applications to the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities will only be accepted from the participating universities.

A committee comprising members of the Israel Academy of Science and the Humanities, the Israel Young Academy, and leading scholars and scientists in Israeli academia, will select the fellows based on academic and research excellence. Awardees will be notified by May 2021.

Source: Indian Express, 8/11/20

Research students can avail these scholarship programmes, here’s the list

Research scholarship is a broad category of scholarships and fellowships that are given to students for the purpose of research at graduate, postgraduate, doctoral and postdoctoral level. Research plays a crucial role in a variety of fields including science, technology, engineering, medicine, etc.

There are various research institutions that offer scholarships for students to carry out research in specific fields. Furthermore, institutions like IITs, IISc, IISERs, NITs, ICAR, etc also offer fellowships and grants to support the research study of scholars in various fields.

List of scholarship programmes for research students

Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund Scholarships

This scholarship is meant for postgraduate students who are registered or admitted in a PhD programme at a recognised university/ institution in India. Applicable for two years, this scholarship supports the research in specialisations like sociology, Indian history, economics, geography, ecology and environment, etc.The candidates who are below 35 years of age and have obtained at least 60 per cent marks in both graduation and postgraduation can apply for this scholarship.

Provider details: Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund

Eligibility: Students enrolled in PhD programmes

Awards: Up to Rs 18,000 per month and other benefits

Application timeline: Between May and June (tentative)

Application mode: By post (to administrative secretary of Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund)

Institute Post-Doctoral Fellowship – IIT Ropar

Introduced with an objective to encourage bright minds to carry out research programmes at IIT Ropar, this fellowship offers financial support to students having a PhD degree. It is mandatory for the students to apply within five years after the completion of PhD.

The fellowship is also open for candidates who have completed their PhD thesis under the supervision/ co-supervision of IIT Ropar faculty members. In this case, the students are allowed to apply after three years of completion of their PhD degree.

Provider Details: Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar

Eligibility: PhD degree holders

Awards: Rs 45,000 to 55,000 and other benefits

Application timeline: Round the year

Application mode: By post or in-hand application submission to the Department/Center in which the candidate intends to join as a Post-Doctoral Fellow

SERB National Post-Doctoral Fellowship (N-PDF)

This fellowship aims to identify motivated young researchers and provide them with support to carry out research in frontier areas of science and engineering. Under this fellowship, the students below 35 years of age who have obtained a PhD/ MD/ MS degree from a recognised university can avail variable benefits to carry out research at post-doctoral level.

The candidates who have submitted their PhD/ MD/ MS thesis and are awaiting award can also apply. However, they will receive a lower fellowship amount till they qualify the aforesaid degree.

Provider details: Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)

Eligibility: PhD/MD/MS degree holders

Awards: Monthly stipend up to Rs 55,000 and other benefits

Application timeline: Between April and May (tentative)

Application mode: Online, through official website of SERB

Teachers Associateship for Research Excellence (TARE)

This initiative of SERB is meant for students having a PhD degree in science or MD/ MS in medicine or ME/ MTech in engineering/ technology. The key objective of the scheme is to facilitate mobility of faculty members working in state universities/ colleges and private academic institutions to carry out research in renowned institutions like IITs, IISc, IISERs, etc.

The age of the candidates should be less than 45 years and they must not hold any ongoing research projects or fellowship at the time of application submission.

Provider details: Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)

Eligibility: PhD in Science or MD/MS in Medicine or ME/MTech in Engineering/Technology degree holders

Awards: Rs 60,000 per annum and research grant of Rs 5 lakh per annum

Application timeline: Between March and April (tentative)

Application mode: Online, through official website of SERB

ICMR Centenary-Post Doctoral Research Fellowship Scheme

This fellowship aims to support PhD/ MD/ MS degree holders to pursue research in the area of basic science, communicable and non-communicable diseases, and reproductive health including nutrition at ICMR institutions and centers.

The candidates are required to apply for this fellowship within 3 years of completion of PhD/ MD/ MS. The age of the candidates should be below 32 years on the date of application.

Provider details: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

Eligibility: PhD/MD/MS degree holders

Awards: Rs 50,000 per month and other benefits

Application timeline: Between July and December (tentative)

Application mode: By post (to the Director General of ICMR)

Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF)

This fellowship aims to promote technical research studies and attract the meritorious students to pursue doctoral programmes at leading institutions in India. The students who have completed or pursuing BTech/ MTech/MSc/ Integrated MTech/ MSc degree can avail benefits under this scheme.

They are required to apply for a PhD programme at one of the PMRF granting institutes either through direct entry channel or lateral entry channel.

Provider details: Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India

Eligibility: BTech graduate, final year BTech, integrated MTech, integrated MSc students from IISc/IITs/NITs/IISER/IIITs

Awards: Stipend up to Rs 80,000 per month and other benefits

Application timeline: Round the year

Application mode: Apply through the PMRF granting institutions

Source: Indian Express, 15/11/20

IIT Guwahati ‘develops’ efficient catalysts for transforming industrial waste into valuable chemicals

According to the team, tiny amounts of these “pincer catalysts” repeatedly convert large amounts of industrial waste such as glycerol into lactic acid and hydrogen.

Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, have formulated efficient “pincer” catalytic systems that transform industrial or biomass wastes into valuable chemicals.

According to the team, tiny amounts of these “pincer catalysts” repeatedly convert large amounts of industrial waste such as glycerol into lactic acid and hydrogen. Such catalysts also efficiently convert bioethanol, a low-energy density fuel, into high-energy density butanol.

“Pincer catalysts are complex molecules in which, an organic moiety holds on tightly to a metal core, much like the claws of a crab. Such an arrangement not only confers stability to the catalyst, but also selectivity to bring about the intended transformations,” said IIT Guwahati professor Akshai Kumar Alape Seetharam.

“(We) rationally designed and tested a large library of ‘pincer catalysts’ to be used for these transformations. The experiments were carried out under environmentally benign conditions without the use of hazardous reagents and solvents. “The most efficient pincer catalyst was found to be one that had least crowding around the metal centre. Such an arrangement enabled easy removal of hydrogen from the starting materials, glycerol and ethanol, and their selective conversion into lactic acid and butanol, respectively,” he added.

The findings of the time have also been featured in the Royal Society of Chemistry journals--Chemical Communications and Catalysis Science and Technology. “Our computational studies have attributed the unprecedented activity of the pincer catalysts to the minimal crowding present at the metal centre and have enabled good understanding of the electronic and steric (crowding) factors that control reactivity,” said Hemant Kumar Srivastava from National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) Guwahati.

The team also included research scholars Kanu Das, Moumita Dutta, Siriyara Jagannatha Prathapa, Eileen Yasmin and Babulal Das.

Source: Hindustan Times, 16/11/20

Friday, November 13, 2020

Quote of the Day November 13, 2020

“Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer.”

‐ Ed Cunningham

“मित्र वे दुर्लभ लोग होते हैं जो हमारा हालचाल पूछते हैं और उत्तर सुनने को रुकते भी हैं।”
‐ एड कनिंघम

Break the traditional rhythms

The real question is not when colleges can reopen, but whether our educational structures and delivery formats can be more agile compared to the pre-pandemic period

With COVID-19 having pushed colleges and universities to new delivery modes since March, many of us have realised how humane and important it is to have direct face-to-face teaching and learning. While there is a debate over when we can re-open the institutions, another question is whether our educational structures and delivery formats can be more agile, compared to the pre-pandemic period?

New scenarios

Inevitably, the priority of coming days will be the health and safety of students, professors and staff. We cannot completely digitise the educational, social, and psychological support available on-campus. Many experts also do not see a complete return to full-capacity campus soon. So, apart from mere reopening with a protocol, each institution needs a strategic plan.

In their recent work, education futurists Maloney and Kim propose that university leaders will need to bring a framework of density, not location, in their planning for coming academic terms. Campus density refers to how many individuals can occupy the campus safely at a time for work, study and living. Between the continuum of back-to-normal (full density) and fully remote (no density), they suggest different scenarios. One way is to alter institutional timings by shifting semesters or providing a gap year. Another is to revisit the curriculum and schedule. In India, this includes opting for block plan, or modularising curriculum or devising a split curriculum.

Under the block plan method, students stay in the campus for four or five weeks to learn a single course, which is considered as a block. The institution can plan how many blocks it can afford to offer and can add blocks in a phased manner. This plan can be adapted to emergencies.

Modular courses are short, topical, and experiential and are largely online. Because of flexibility in length, topics, links across concepts, access and sequencing, students find modular courses more constructive. This method requires re-designing individual components of the course and sequence to suit the local context and may also require training of faculty.

Under the split approach, courses are delivered both in-person and online at the same time by the same faculty. The students can choose whether to attend the physical class or join online. However, this may need more investment in classroom technology.

A broad alternative for residential campuses is low residency courses that have already been adopted by many IITs, IISc and national institutions in their programmes for working executives. Its compressed and focused nature makes it more effective than the traditional pattern at times.

Institutions can weigh the risk factors and resources for different scenarios and opt for the best strategy by combining them in myriad ways.

We need more hybrid and highly flexible modes of working. Agile academic structures and administration are the determinants in the game.

Digital equity

Education inequalities at the global level are accelerating, especially where these differences were high before the pandemic, points out a study by Vegas and Winthrop published by Brookings. In many places in India, communities have shown the potential to solve digital inequality. However, Despite the best efforts from governments, the last eight months have seen different levels of digital inequity at play. The disparity in income levels reinforces physical access to digital technologies. It further permeates to skill difference or the ability to use the technology.

The emergency remote teaching that we have been doing was unplanned. Therefore, many inefficiencies and gaps can be excused. However, while reopening institutions, we need to use strategic tools that are adaptable. To aid this, we suggest a template for a digitally-equitable institution based on 20 parameters grouped into five broad dimensions for each student:

Device: Availability, Quality, Usage, Power

Connectivity: Infrastructure, Reliability, Power

Affordability: Price, Choice, Payment terms, Financial assistance

Relevance: Content form, Content level, Context, Language, Universal design

Support: Educator support, Technical support, Maintenance load, Digital leadership

The learner data on these parameters will act as a baseline to develop strategies for digital equity in each institution. This can also guide the revamp of IT policies, develop course protocols, and ensure sustained digital leadership in the institution.

Future disruptions

As climate change and depleting resources are daily realities, ensuring that the learning process is not affected by emergencies requires a shift from the current institutional practices. We need to develop differentiated plans for probable uncertainties, plan and build for varying scenarios, and accommodate meaningful flexibility in institutional practices.

We will soon find ourselves implementing many changes in academic logistics such as dynamic timetables, alternate shifts, modular low-residency courses, hybrid and hyflex programmes along with the efforts to be more digitally equitable. Such efforts free us from the current black-and-white thinking of online versus offline.

Amid the changes, designing a core curriculum around student experience will remain the key to emerge stronger. To provide safe and reliable ways of retaining the best of the campus experience, many prevailing structures and hierarchies will have to take a back seat to ensure sensible and sustainable learning.

G. Srinivas is the Additional Secretary and Salil S. is the Education Officer with University Grants Commission.

Source: The Hindu, 7/11/20

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