This document summarizes a presentation given by Dr. S.R. Prabagaran at the Academic Staff College at Bharathiar University in Coimbatore, India in October 2012. The presentation covered recent trends in various fields of science, opportunities for funding and scholarships in higher education in India, and the relationship between science and society. It provided examples of genetically modified foods and discussed topics like agriculture, medicine, the environment, and physical sciences.

1. Dr.S.R.PRABAGARAN
Lecturer,
Department of Biotechnology
School of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering,
BHARATHIAR UNIVERSITY
Coimbatore – 641046.
Acadmic Staff College
Bharathiar University
October 2012

2. Overview
• Recent trends
• Funding opportunities
• Higher Education
• Scholarships
• Science and Society
• Was…
• Is…
• Would be…

3. Recent trends
• Plants Science
• Animal Science
• Microbiology
• Applied Sciences
• Physical Sciences

4. GM FOODS : Is it…
1 2
? or
What’s scarier is not knowing the facts!

5. What are genetically modified foods?
• Also called genetically modified organisms (GMO).
• Involves the insertion of DNA from one organism into
another OR modification of an organism’s DNA in
order to achieve a desired trait.
4 5
A strawberry
+ = resistant to frost
Arctic fish DNA strawberry

6. Examples of GMO’s
• Golden rice – rice that contains beta-
carotene (Vitamin A), which is not found in
regular rice.
• Bt corn – corn that contains a chemical
normally found in a bacterium (Bacillus
thuringiensis) that is toxic to insects but not
to humans.
• Herbicide resistant plants.

7. Some potential place where
microbes are in action

8. The Orathupalayam dam
Impact of such discharge where 50 tonnes of fish dies for every discharge
among the forecasted 500 tonnes.
A view of Orathupalayam dam which was closed for the past 5 years to avoid discharge
of untreated effluent. This too is discharged now in a phased manner as per
the directions of the High Court of Chennai

9. Applied Sciences
• Agriculture
– Food for future
• Medicine & Health
– Challenging issues
• Environment
– Threat to flora and fauna
• Marine
– The un explored

10. Physical Sciences
• Physics
– Astrophysics – Nutrino Laboratory
• Chemistry
– Structural Biology – Nobel 2012

11. Overview
• Recent trends
• Funding opportunities
• Higher Education
• Scholarships
• Science and Society

12. Funding Opportunities
• Satisfactory
• R&D Institutions of India
– ICAR
– CSIR
– DRDO
– AICTE
– ISRO
– ICMR

13. Funding agencies in India for HE
All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE),
Distance Education Council (DEC)
Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR),
Bar Council of India (BCI),
National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)
Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI)
Medical Council of India (MCI),
Pharmacy Council of India (PCI)
Indian Nursing Council (INC)
Dentist Council of India (DCI)
Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH)
Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM)

14. Overview
• Funding opportunities
• Higher Education
• Scholarships
• Science and Society

15. Higher Education
• Multidisciplinary – Needed
• Trends changing…
• School level awareness essential
• German: Diploma to Bachelor
• Age 15-18 yrs
– Higher studies
– Job training
– Rare to settle after 40 yrs.

16. Higher Education is a must !
College Education
Parents job
Business
Racial
Training Centre
Skills
Computer
Arts
Tailor Social Service
Actor
Pottery Family
Music
Massion Single
Artist
Driver
Tourist Guide 10th or +2
Diploma / ITI
Professional / Classical

17. What you want to become?
•Medical practitioner
•Engineer •Driver
•Agriculturist •Artist
•Lawyer •Musician
•Teacher •Director
•Professor •Massion
•Collector •Scavenger
•Politician •Sportsmen
•Businessmen •Security
•Pilot •Cobbler
•CA •Milkman

18. Choose a line
Facility
Money
Scope for Job
Family situation 2060
Income
2020
Locality
1980
1940
Transport
18
1900

19. Professional and Other courses
• Costly • Cheaper
• Practical more • Theory oriented
• Tour • General
• Tuned for single job • Need additional skill
• Entrepreneur • Can be tuned for any
• More scope job

20. Overview
• Higher Education
• Scholarships
• Science and Society

21. Scholarship
• Scholarship is an incentive as well as
encouragement to meritorious students.

22. Higher Education System In India
• 348 universities, 17625 colleges;
• >5,00,000 teachers; 10.5 million students;
• Third largest after US & China. Growing rapidly;
• Covers all major disciplines;
• Professional education in English medium ;
• Attracts highly selected students, IITs – 1 of 200 applicants gets
admitted

23. National Mantra...
Mantra
CSIR-UGC JRF
• M.Sc
• 28 Years
(1) Chemical Sciences
(2) Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences
(3) Life Sciences,
(4) Mathematical Sciences and
(5) Physical Sciences .
…Age Relaxations
…Coaching
…Ultimate solution

24. If delayed...
delayed
CSIR - SRF
• M.Sc, M.Tech with 2 year experience
• MBBS, B.Pharm, BDS, B.Sc (Ag.,), B.V.Sc with 3 year
experience
• 32 Years
• Only $ and nothing else !
(1) Age relaxations
(2) Publications
Normally invited every year on all India basis through press advertisement.

25. UGC - JRF
UGC - JRF
M.Sc of Selected disciplines…
•
Humanities (including languages), Social
• Sciences, Forensic Science, Environmental
Sciences, Computer Science and Applications
and Electronic Science.
Since 1984
•
(1) NET – vantage
(2) No Age limits for both UGC/CSIR JRF
…Twice a year

29. The UGC Fellowships
NEW DELHI : The University Grants Commission (UGC) has introduced a fellowship scheme for M.Phil/Ph.D scholars in Central
universities.
In a communication addressed to the vice-chancellors of all the Central universities, the Secretary, UGC has conveyed the decision of the
Commission to award a fellowship of Rs.3,000 and Rs.5,000 each to M.Phil and Ph.D students respectively with a contingency grant of Rs
10,000 per annum for the scholars doing research in Science subjects and Rs.8,000 per annum for the students doing research in
Humanities and Social Sciences.
The Central universities have been advised to go for full coverage of the Scheme and to decide the actual number of fellowships and date of
implementation of the scheme.

30. Single Girl Child Fellowships
• UGC initiative
• Promote higher education for girl
• Family
• Non-Professional
• ATM card
• Fee waiver
• Credit to individual and institution

31. … by the
DST
• Entry at any level - +2, College, Univ
• Selection through several level
• Organizer’s capacity
• Higher education cess
• Fate of HE in state institutions
– Conversion to Central universities
– R&D organizations
– Academies ?

32. Overview
• Scholarships
• Science and Society

33. Science and Soceity
• Need based research
• Ethics
• Basic Science – Back bone
• Fact finding
• Statistics

34. Your feed back…
• Thank you…