Maj Gen Bassi said that it is an excellent effort made by DRDO and congratulated the Robotics Group of R&DE (E) for their tireless efforts. He added that the users will exploit the full potential of the system.

Shri Sundaresh, in his address brought out the importance of Daksh and added that future battlefields will prominently contain different unmanned ground vehicles. Dr S Guruprasad, Director, R&DE (E), said that the system has been trial-evaluated by the Indian Army and proven at various locations.

The technology has been transferred for production to three firms, viz., M/s Dynalog (I) Ltd, M/s Theta Controls and M/s Bharat Electronics Ltd. Shri Alok Mukherjee,

Project Director, Daksh, gave a brief account of the developmental efforts put in by the scientists and engineers from concept to production stages and said that the development was a joint effort with active participation of the industry right from its inception. He thanked all the stakeholders for

making the project a success story of DRDO.

Shri Sundaresh (4th from left) and Maj Gen Bassi (5th from left) flagging off Daksh.

ROV Daksh Flagged OffThe first batch of five remotely

operated vehicle (ROV) Daksh, designed and developed by Research and

Development Establishment (Engineers) [R&DE (E)], Pune, was handed over to Maj Gen Rakesh Bassi, SM, Director General Combat Engineers, by Shri S Sundaresh, DS and

CC R&D (ACE&SI), DRDO, in a flagging off ceremony held on 19

December 2011 at R&DE (E). A limited-series-production order for 20 Daksh has been placed by the Indian Army after extensive trials, testing and acceptance.

Daksh, a state-of-the-art ROV, will be an invaluable asset for Bomb Disposal Units of the Army, Police and Paramilitary Forces for handling impro-vised explosive devices (IEDs) and hazardous objects. It is the first indigenously developed un-manned vehicle or mobile-robot in the country.

ROV Daksh Flagged Off A monthly house bulletin of Defence Research & Development Organisation ■ Vol. 32 No. 2 ■ February 2012

2 February 2012

DRDO marked its presence in the 99th Indian Science Congress (ISC) held at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) University, Bhubaneswar, during 3-7 January 2012. Highlight of the DRDO’s presence in the ISC was the special session on Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) defence chaired by Dr W Selvamurthy, DS and CC R&D (LS&IC), where he delivered the theme lecture. Dr Selvamurthy gave an overview of the various DRDO technologies and products that are being used by the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force and said that the indigenous contributions made up nearly 85 per cent of the total items. DRDO has developed many products related to NBC defence for the Services. These include NBC recce vehicle to monitor and demarcate the contaminated area and transmit the data to the command and control centres for further planning, response and management; NBC water purification system; self-contained underground field shelters to house around 30 personnel for four days; antigen kits; individual protective suits and respiratory management and resuscitative devices. Sixty-four products/systems have been developed for early detection, personal protection, decontamination and medical management. All these products are in production thus making the country self-reliant in this vital area. These products are not only being used by the Services, but also have the potential spin-off in civil sector.

Dr Selvamurthy also highlighted programmes jointly undertaken by DRDO and other agencies like Ministry of Home Affairs and National Disaster Management Authority. He also underscored the need for creating

awareness among the public and the Services as a measure of preparedness for any possible NBC threat/attack. Top scientists from four DRDO labs engaged in development of NBC defence technologies gave presentations and participated in the deliberations on various aspects of NBC disaster management, viz., NBC threat perception and countermeasures, respiratory management in NBC encounter, chemo terrorism, and detection technologies for biological emergencies.

DRDO’s women scientists also participated in the Women’s Science Congress running parallel to the 99th ISC. Dr Shashi Bala Singh, Director, Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), Delhi, chaired the session on Women in Science. The session was co-chaired by another DRDO scientist Dr Chitra Rajagopal, Associate Director, Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES), Delhi. Other distinguished women scientists from DRDO included Smt G Rohini Devi, Outstanding Scientist and Associate Director, and Smt Tessy Thomas, Project Director, Agni-4, both from Advanced System Laboratory (ASL), Hyderabad; and Smt Nabanita R Krishnan, Director, Management Information System and Technologies, DRDO HQ.

The DRDO participation in the ISC reaffirmed the message to masses, especially the youth that strength of Science and Knowledge and the resultant self-reliance by converting this knowledge into technologies and systems through innovation, are essential to ensure peace and national security.

DRDO marks its Presence in Indian Science Congress

L to R: Dr Shashi Bala Singh, Smt Tessy Thomas, Dr Chitra Rajagopal and Smt Nabanita R Krishnan at Women Science Congress.

3February 2012

Exhibitor of the Year Award for DRDO at Indian Science Congress

The DRDO pavilion at the 99th Indian Science Congress got Exhibitor of the Year Award for the 3rd consecutive year. Shri Ravi Kumar Gupta, Director, Public Interface, DRDO HQ, and Shri PC Routray, Sc F, Integrated Test Range (ITR), Balasore, received the award on behalf of DRDO from Shri MC Bhandare, HE the Governor of Odisha. DRDO’s exposition of advanced defence technologies with display of life-size models of strategic missiles Agni, Prithvi, Akash and BrahMos; real exhibits of electronic warfare systems; autonomous underwater vehicle; robotic mules; mini unmanned air vehicle (UAV) Vihangam Netra; battlefield surveillance radar; night-vision devices and other models and exhibits gave thousands of visitors an enthralling experience. The live demonstration of Vihangam Netra, a potential surveillance platform for the military as well as paramilitary forces, reminded the viewers of the popular movie 3 Idiots. The indoor models covered the entire gamut of R&D in DRDO and included models of India’s own light combat aircraft, Tejas; UAVs Nishant and Lakshya; bridging systems Sarvatra;

bridge laying tank T-72; torpedoes and decoys; military communication equipment; microwave devices; NBC protection systems; and agro-animal technologies and packaged food products. In all, over 250 exhibits and models from 27 DRDO labs were displayed. Scientists from these labs were present to explain technologies being developed by DRDO for the national security. A large number of visitors, especially the students, visited the DRDO pavilion.

Raising Day Celebrations

ITR, Chandipur

Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, celebrated its raising day on 4 December 2011. Dr Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT and KISS institutions, Bhubaneswar, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.

Dr Samanta congratulated ITRians for their incessant efforts for the evaluation of flight vehicles alongside research and development activities for making the nation proud. He stressed that dedication and perseverance towards cutting-edge technologies through research and development can work as a stepping stone towards success.

Shri SP Dash, OS and Director, ITR, shared his experiences and glorious memories before and after the Range came into existence. He recalled the activities of growth of instrumentation and infrastructure. He stressed on the need of united efforts of Range employees as a single family to achieve its future targets.

Shri R Appavu Raj, Additional Director and Chairman Annual Day Committee, and Shri PC Routray, Chairman Works Committee, also addressed the gathering. Lab Scientist Award, Technology Group Award and other awards were distributed by the Chief Guest. Awards for different events conducted to celebrate the occasion were also distributed. The event ended with a cultural programme.

Inaugural of the Raising Day function at ITR.

A glimpse of the DRDO pavilion.

4 February 2012

Conferences/Seminars/Symposia/Training Courses/MeetingsMANPOWER DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

DFRL, Mysore

Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), Mysore—a premier food research laboratory under DRDO—organised an International Symposium on Recent Trends in Processing and Safety of Speciality and Operational Foods during 23-25 November 2011. Several distinguished speakers from India and abroad participated in the Symposium organised as a part of Golden Jubilee Celebrations of DFRL.

The Symposium was inaugurated by Dr VK Saraswat, Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri, Secretary Defence R&D, and DG DRDO. Dr W Selvamurthy, DS and CC R&D (LS & IC) and Lt Gen Anil Malhotra, Director General of Supplies and Transport (DGST) and Col Comdt ASC, Integrated HQ, Ministry of Defence (Army), were the Guest of Honour.

In his inaugural address Dr Saraswat touched upon the various activities of DFRL, especially low-cost and viable technologies for long shelf-life and palatable foods of Indian culinary. He also appreciated scaling-up of processes to pilot scale for commercialisation of products through technology transfer. Dr Saraswat commended achievements of the DFRL in supporting the Services and in attaining self-sufficiency in the area of operational ration, which was amply proved during the Kargil operation. He reiterated that even the paramilitary forces, to a great extent, are depending on DFRL for the operational rations during light intensity conflicts. He also appreciated that the Laboratory has taken its 11th Five Year Plan in the light of the changes in war scenario and advancements in many strategic areas as well as the futuristic food requirements of the Services.

The Symposium was planned to bring the users, paramilitary forces, scientists, academicians, technologists and entrepreneurs to a common platform.

Senior officers from the Indian Army, Air Force and Navy, eminent scientists from R&D institutes and leading industrialists from India and abroad participated and presented the state-of-the art technologies in their respective areas. A number of foreign delegates also participated in the deliberations.

There were eight technical sessions on subjects such as armed forces and food logistics; military food and nutrition; emerging techniques in millet, fruits and vegetable processing; innovative techniques in food processing and preservation; functional food products; food safety and quality control; value addition and strategies for animal food products and neutraceuticals. Besides, there were interactive sessions among DFRL scientists and Service officers. The Services discussed their food requirements to cater to the needs of soldiers coming from the various parts of the country as well as the need for preserving palatability and nutritional quality of processed food products. Forty invited lectures were delivered by eminent faculty members from India and abroad. More than 100 scientific posters were also presented by young and budding researchers during the Symposium.

Maj Gen AK Pradhan, SM, GOC, K&K Sub Area, Bengaluru, was the Chief Guest of the valedictory function. The Symposium is expected to pave the way for fruitful interactions and sustainable collaboration in the future.

Dr Saraswat (centre) and Dr Selvamurthy (2nd from left) releasing the Proceedings of the Symposium.

5February 2012

DMSRDE, Kanpur

Defence Materials and Stores Research and Development Establishment (DMSRDE), Kanpur, organised a National Conference on Advanced Polymers, Fibres and Fabrics during 26-28 December 2011. The objective of the Conference was synthesis and characterisation of fibre grade polymers and their processing to make the desired high-tech fibres.

(CEP) on New Frontiers of Gun Propellants during 21-25 November 2011. The Course was inaugurated by Shri Mahesh Chandra, General Manager, Ordnance Factory (OF), Nalanda. Shri Chandra also delivered a talk on Gun Manufacturing Process. The participants were from PXE, Balasore; OF, Nalanda; ACEM, Nasik; and HEMRL, Pune. The faculty was from CVRDE, Chennai; TBRL, Chandigarh; PXE, Balasore; OF, Itarsi; and ARDE and DIAT, both from Pune.

The topics covered during the Course were: development of gun propellants in HEMRL, enhanced energy LOVA gun propellants, theoretical prediction, stability and chemical analysis, closed vessel evaluation, high energy materials of gun propellants, modular charge system of 105 mm IFG, 130 FG and 155 mm Howitzer, extruded impregnated (EI) propellant and surface coated double base (SCDB) propellants, power cartridge, advanced combustible cartridge cases for gun ammunition, and safety during processing and storage of gun propellants.

The valedictory function was presided by Maj Gen P Mathur, Director, PXE, Balasore. He delivered a talk on Testing and Evaluation of Gun Propellants in PXE. Dr TK Chakraborthy, Sc F, was the Course Director and Dr RR Sanghavi, Sc F, was the Course Coordinator.

HEMRL also organised a one-day Workshop on Explosive Reactive Armour: Present and Future Trends on 14 December 2011. The objective of the Workshop was to bring various agencies like developers, users, production agencies and inspection agencies on one platform to discuss the various issues related to development and production of explosive reactor armour (ERA).

Dignitaries releasing the Proceedings of the CEP.

Dignitaries releasing the Proceedings of the Conference.

The Conference was inaugurated by Dr K Sekhar, OS and CC R&D (LIC & Implementation) who graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Dr AK Saxena, Director, DMSRDE and Chairperson of the Conference, welcomed the delegates. Shri MK Sridhar, Senior Scientist, National Aerospace laboratory, Bengaluru, delivered the keynote address. Prof. RP Singh, former Vice Chancellor of Lucknow University, delivered the plenary lecture. The Conference deliberations were broadly classified under four categories, viz., polymers synthesis and characterisation, theology and processing of polymers, polymeric fibres and fabrics and polymer blends, composites and nano-composites. Two hundred delegates from various academic institutions, R&D organisations and industries participated in the Conference. There were 20 invited lectures from eminent experts.

The Conference concluded with a panel discussion chaired by Dr SK Vasudeva, Programme Director and Advisor, Strategic Systems, DRDO. Dr Sarfaraz Alam, Convenor of the Conference, proposed the vote of thanks.

HEMRL, Pune

High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune, organised a Continuing Education Programme

6 February 2012

Dr HS Yadav, former Sc G, HEMRL, inaugurated the Workshop. Seventy-five personnel from DGMF; ACC&S; OFs from Bhandara, Chanda and Medak; CQA (A) and CQA (ME) from DGQA; HEMRL, CVRDE, DMRL, PXE and ARDE from DRDO; army officers from DIAT, Pune, and representatives for Solar industries attended the Workshop. Besides, retired scientists of HEMRL were also invited for sharing their experiences on the subject.

Dr Yadav in his inaugural address told the history of ERA development at HEMRL and various design aspects and future challenges. Shri B Bhattacharya, OS and Director, HEMRL, briefed about the importance of ERA for tank and objective of the Workshop. Shri A Apparao, Sc G, briefed about the present developments of ERA technology being carried out at HEMRL.

There were 10 presentations in three technical sessions. In first session speakers from HEMRL covered design and development aspects of ERA. In second session, Col Sandeep Jhunja, Director ISC (AC), DGMF, and Capt Nishan Sambial from ACC&S covered users’ requirements of ERA and modern trends, respectively. In the third session, the facilities available for explosive manufacturing at OF, Bhandra, material development at DMRL, Hyderabad, facilities available for testing of ERA at PXE, were discussed. Representatives from CVRDE, Chennai, presented the adaptation aspects of ERA.

INMAS, Delhi

Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Delhi, conducted a three-day special CEP Course on Supervisory Skills for Tomorrow during 4-6 January 2012. Thirty-one Senior Technical Assistants (STAs) and Technicians from Delhi-based DRDO labs attended the Course.

This Course was especially planned for training and updating knowledge of STAs and Technicians who cannot leave station owing to various official and family commitments. Directors of Delhi-based DRDO labs were requested to depute differently-abled persons for the Course.

Shri SC Narang, Chairman, Centre for Personnel Training and Management (CEPTAM), Delhi, inaugurated the function and delivered the inaugural

lecture on Supervisory Skills for Tomorrow: A View Point. Earlier, Dr Rajeev Vij, Course Director, briefed the participants about the objectives and the purpose of the Course. Dr RP Tripathi, OS and Director, INMAS, welcomed the participants and the invited guests. Other prominent speakers during the Course were Shri RB Singh, OS and Director, CEPTAM; Ms Nidhi Bansal, Sc F, LASTEC; Shri Anil Kumar Aggarwal, Sc G, SSPL; Shri RP Singh, Sc E, CEPTAM; Shri Kamlesh Kumar, Sc D, DMIST, DRDO HQ; Ms Nishi Mishra, Sc D, DIPR; Shri Ashish Gaur, Chief Admin Officer; Shri Hitesh Kumar, Senior Store Officer and Shri UKS Chauhan, Accounts Officer from INMAS.

The topics covered during the Course were: Past to present: leadership skills, financial management, communication and presentation skills, professional ethics, DRONA services, supervisory skills of tomorrow, time management, material management, procedure management and professional etiquettes.

During the valedictory function a quiz was organised for the participants to assess the knowledge they had gained during the Course. Dr Rajeev Vij distributed certificates to the participants.

R&DE (E), Pune

Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) [R&DE (E)], Pune, with Indian Society for Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering (ISAMPE) organised the ISAMPE National Conference on Composites (INCCOM10) during 18-19 November 2011. The Conference was organised as a part of the ongoing Golden Jubilee Celebrations of R&DE (E). The theme of the Conference was New Horizons in Cost- effective Composites.

Participants of the Course along with (sitting L to R) Dr Tripathi, Shri Narang, Shri RB Singh and Dr Vij.

7February 2012

Dr S Guruprasad, Director, R&DE (E), delivered the welcome address. He also spoke about the developments made by the R&DE (E) over the last two decades.

Dr PS Goel, Chairman, RAC, DRDO, was the Chief Guest of the inaugural function. In his address he congratulated R&DE (E) on its achievements in developing large composite structures and establishing two low-cost manufacturing processes, i.e., vacuum assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM) and resin film infusion (RFI). He expressed that industries should adopt these processes for mass production to enable the technology to grow out of the laboratory and in increasing the usage of composite products in all sectors.

Dr Ramesh Sundaram, Vice President, ISAMPE, in his address briefed on the activities of ISAMPE. He emphasised that cost-effectiveness is of prime importance in the composites sector and has to be linked with the design philosophy, manufacturing methods as well as testing. Dr Rahul Harshe, Convener INCCOM10, briefed and gave details about the Conference and the technical sessions.

Dr AR Upadhya, former Director, National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bengaluru, delivered the keynote lecture. He elaborated on the use of composites for aero-space applications and the spectrum of activities related to its development at NAL. He gave a detailed presentation on the development of the full wing structure of Saras using VERITY process. Prof. Krishnan Balasubramaniam, Head, Centre for Non-destructive Evaluation, IIT-Madras, and Dr Shasidhar Patil, LM Wind Power, delivered lectures in the plenary sessions.

INCCOM10 offered a common platform for researchers and entrepreneurs for sharing knowledge. This two-day event was attended by 200 delegates from DRDO, ISRO, CSIR, IITs, IISc and industries. Seventy invited and contributed talks were delivered during the Conference. Topics for the technical presentations, held in three parallel sessions, ranged from design and development, characterisation to nano-composites. Seventeen leading industries participated in the exhibition organised along with the Conference.

SSPL, Delhi

Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL), Delhi, organised an oration by Prof. Sir Mark Welland, Head of the Department of Nanoscience Centre, University of Cambridge and Chief Scientific Advisor to the Ministry of Defence, UK, on Nanotechnologies and Applications for Defence on 5 December 2011. The oration was organised as a part of Golden Jubilee Celebrations of SSPL. Prof. Welland was accompanied by Dr Jan Jeffery Morton and Dr Andrews William John McAuley.

The oration was followed by a discussion and meeting among Dr K Muraleedharan, OS and Director, SSPL; Shri Manik Mukherjee, Director, G-FAST; and other senior scientists. The meeting aimed to discuss and exchange views and cooperation on Defence R&D between the two organisations. The teams expressed their desire to collaborate in GaN related activities.

Dignitaries releasing the INCCOM10 Conference Souvenir.

Prof. Welland interacting with Dr KD Nayak, DS & CC R&D (MED & MIST) and Shri PS Goel, Chairman, RAC.

8 February 2012

PERSONNEL NEWS

Appointments

DLRL, Hyderabad

Shri SP Dash, OS and Director, ITR, Chandipur, has been appointed Director (additional charge) of Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL), Hyderabad. He obtained BTech (Hons) in Electronics and Communication Engineering from IIT Kharagpur in 1977. He

joined Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad, as SSO-II (ad hoc) in 1977 and served there in various capacities. He has carried out design, development of flight-instrumentation systems consisting of onboard telemetry, telecommand and transponder systems, and other avionics systems meeting the measurement requirements of all missile projects and strategic missions i.e, Prithvi, Trishul, Nag, Akash, AD, SF&D, PJ-10 (Brahmos), K-15, Astra, etc. These systems have been successfully flight tested in a number of flight trials and have provided valuable data for post-flight analyses. All the above systems are under production with the various industries with technology transfer from DRDO. He was promoted as Sc G in July 2001 and was Technology Director (Flight Instrumentation) and Associate Director, RCI, Hyderabad, till February 2007.

Some of the critical technologies developed and demonstrated by him along with his team are: C- and S-band transponders, encrypted S-band PCM telemetry system, digital telecommand system, CDMA-based secured data link, ASIC’s, i.e, PCM, FFT, video compressions, etc.

In March 2007, Shri Dash was appointed Director, Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur. As Director, ITR, he has successfully conducted hundreds of flight tests and evaluation of rockets, missiles and weapon systems of national and international importance meeting the mission requirements and objectives of various DRDO projects/programmes from complexes

in Chandipur, Dhamra, INS Kalinga, Andaman and Nicobar islands and Pokhran, with wide spread range instrumentation network consisting of electro-optical tacking systems, instrumentation tracking radars, ground telemetry receiving systems, range safety and ground telecommand systems, central computer and data processing systems, communication network consisting of satellite, microwave, fibre-optics, etc., spread over land, sea and air covering the entire trajectory profile of various missions.

He has undergone Advanced Leadership Programme at IIM, Ahmedabad, during 2009 and Organizational Effectiveness Programme at Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), Hyderabad, during 2006. In recognition of his significant contributions and achievements, Shri Dash has been awarded the following DRDO awards: DRDO Award for Path Breaking Research/Outstanding Technology Development for Programme AD in 2006; DRDO Award for Path Breaking Research/Outstanding Technology Development for Programme SF&D in 2007; DRDO Award for Performance Excellence for Programme B-05 (K-15) in 2007; and DRDO Award for Performance Excellence for Dhanush missile in 2009.

DRDO HQ

Shri VP Pande, Sc G, has been appointed Director Management Services (DMS), DRDO HQ, New Delhi. Shri Pande obtained MSc in Physics with specialisation in Electronics, Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Electronics and Microwave Technology, and MTech in Opto-

electronics and Optical Communications from IIT-D, New Delhi. He joined DRDO at Solid State Physics Laboratory (SSPL), Delhi, in September 1976. At SSPL, he worked on development of solid-state high power microwave sources at S-band using microwave integrated circuits (MIC) for surface-to-air missile. He shifted to Defence Electronics Application Laboratory (DEAL), Dehradun, and designed and developed broadband microwave filters in different configurations like comb-line filters, inter-digital filters in strip line/MIC

9February 2012

Awards

configuration, Helical filters, etc., at C- and S-band including IF filters for satellite communication. He also designed and developed various broadband multipliers doublers, triplers, comb generators, up and down converters, etc., using SRD and Varactor diodes for up-link and down-link satellite communication systems.

Shri Pande joined Directorate of Training and Sponsored Research (DTSR) at DRDO HQ in June 1981. At DTSR, he was responsible for appraisal of project proposals in consultation with DRDO labs, processing sanction and periodic monitoring of R&T (Electronics) scheme of DRDO to technical institutions like IITs, IISc, etc. In August 1988, Shri Pande joined Defence Science Centre [Now Laser Science and Technology Centre (LASTEC)]. At LASTEC he worked as a project leader in a national level high-power laser programme and developed a high-power CO2 gas dynamic laser (GDL) system on a movable platform. He also led a project called Aditya. All the components of GDL were designed, developed and fabricated under his leadership.

In October 2007, he was recalled to DRDO HQ in the Directorate of Personnel (DoP). He was instrumental in getting more than 1600 confirmation cases of scientists cleared in record time and in developing a Personnel Information System (PIS) for all the employees of DRDO. PIS is being used to take corporate decisions for higher appointments, replying parliament questions, etc. He also got developed a Court Case Monitoring System for DRDO by which the information of all the court cases can be obtained online thus reducing the correspondence time.

DRDE, Gwalior

Prof. MP Kaushik, Outstanding Scientist, has been appointed Director, Defence Research and Development Establishment (DRDE), Gwalior. Prof. Kaushik did his MSc in Organic Chemistry and PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, both from Jiwaji University, Gwalior,

in 1977 and 1985, respectively. In 1987, he obtained Postdoctoral in Organophosphorus and Organoborane Compounds from Utah State University, Logan, USA. He

has also worked as Programme Director, NBC Defence Technologies and is a pioneer in the field of syntheses and handling of chemical warfare agents. He has to his credit 132 papers in national and international journals, 20 patents and nine technology transfers. He has been to US, Sweden, Finland, Germany, France, UK and Tunisia as a Visiting Scientist, as a member of DRDO and GoI delegations and as a Sepbox expert.

Prof. Kaushik is the recipient of DRDO Cash Award-1986; Defence Technology Spin-off Award-2001; National Technology Award-2002; DRDO Technology Group Award-2003 for 2-DG; DRDO Technology Group Award-2008 for OR and CR munitions; and DRDO Scientist of the Year Award-2009. He is currently working on the development of antidotes for chemical warfare agents.

ASL, Hyderabad

Dr V Venkateswara Rao, Technology Director (SPRITE), Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), Hyderabad, has been awarded Weldwell Speciality Award for the best PhD thesis titled Mechanical and Metallurgical Characterisation of Marging Steel to Low Alloy Steel

Weldments for the year 2011.

DMRL, Hyderabad

Shri GVS Brahmendra Kumar, Sc F, has been awarded ARF Prodyogiki Award-2011 in recognition of his excellent contributions in establishing commercial titanium sponge production in India. The award was given by the Society of Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering (SAME).

LRDE, Bengaluru

Shri S Varadarajan, Director, Electronics Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), Bengaluru, has been elected as a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering

10 February 2012

Higher Qualification Acquired

ASL, Hyderabad

Shri R Ramanarayanan, TO D, has been awarded PhD by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, for his thesis titled, Characterisation of Polyimide Composite for High Temperature Applications.

(INAE) w.e.f. 01 January 2012, in recognition of his distinguished contributions to Engineering.

RCMA (Materials), Hyderabad

Dr N Eswara Prasad, Regional Director, RCMA (Materials), a division of CEMILAC at Hyderabad, has been elected as the Fellow of Andhra Pradesh Akademi of Sciences (FAPAS) by the APAS for his contributions in the field of science and technology and Fellow of Indian

Institute of Metals (FIIM) by IIM for his contributions to advanced aero materials for Indian defence.

Dr Prasad has also been elected as Visiting Professor of Department of Metallurgy and Materials

Engineering, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Technology (MGIT), Hyderabad; Research Member of the Board of Directors of Vignan Institute of Technology and Sciences (VITS), Hyderabad; and, Board Member, School of Engineering, Science and Technology (SEST), University of Hyderabad.

Late Brig SK Mazumdar, former Director of Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Delhi, is known as father of Nuclear Medicine in India and was a leading authority in thyroidology. He was mainly responsible for shaping INMAS as an Institute par excellence in India. To perpetuate his memory his associates and friends formed the Brig SK Mazumdar Memorial Trust in December 1984. The trust is engaged in creating opportunities of exclusive scientific interaction with outstanding scientific personalities by organising Brig SK Mazumdar Memorial Oration annually since 1985.

Brig SK Mazumdar Memorial Trust has instituted a Young Scientist (below 40 years) Award for the best research paper in the field of life sciences by the scientists of life sciences laboratories of DRDO and the Services (Medical Units). The Award comprises a

running shield and a citation.

Dr RP Tripathi, Convener, and Dr BS Dwarakanath, Secretary of the Trust welcomed the participants. Dr Rajeev Vij, Joint Secretary of the Trust informed the participants and judges about the Competition. Nine persons participated in the Competition. Lt Col KVS Hari Kumar of Command Hospital, Lucknow, was adjusted the best young scientist for 2011 for his meritorious contribution towards Role of Colour Flow Doppler Sonography in Thyrotoxicosis by the judges, Maj Gen Tapan Sinha,

SM, Addl Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services, Ministry of Defence; Prof. Daman Saluja, Dr BR Ambedkar Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Delhi and Dr Tarun Sekhri, Sc F, INMAS, Delhi. Dr Vij proposed the vote of thanks.

Brig SK Mazumdar Memorial Young Scientist Award

Lt Col Hari Kumar delivering his lecture.

11February 2012

Sports Round-Up

CABS, BengaluruBall Badminton team of Centre for Airborne Systems

(CABS), Bengaluru, comprising Shri Venkatesh, Security Attendent B; Shri K Chandrashekar, STA C, Shri Vittal Kumar, Tech B, Shri S Selva Kumar, Sc B and Shri RV Ramkumar, Sc D, secured the runner-up position in the CV Sivarajan Memorial Ball Badminton Tournament conducted by Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), Bengaluru, during 26-27 November 2011.

DFRL, MysoreDefence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), Mysore,

organised DRDO South Zone Chess Tournament during 3-4 November 2011. Thirty-five players from Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE), Bengaluru; Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), Chennai; Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) and LRDE all from Bengaluru; Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL),

Kochi, and DFRL participated in the event. The tournament was conducted with Swiss pairing system of six rounds for men and four rounds for women. In the open category, Shri R Ramalingam from ADE was the winner and Shri TV Jose from GTRE, the runner-up. In the women category, Smt Vijayamma, from ADE was the winner and Smt Rajalakshmi M from NPOL the runner-up. In the team championship, ADE was the winner and GTRE the runner-up. Dr AS Bawa, OS and Director, DFRL, distributed the prizes to the winners and the runners-up.

DRDO OrationDefence Science Forum

(DSF), organised DRDO Oration on Side Biases in Human Behaviour by Prof. Manas K Mandal, OS and Director, Defence Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR), Delhi, on 3 January 2012 at Dr Bhagavantham Auditorium, Metcalfe House. Dr V Bhujanga Rao, DS and CC R&D (HR), was the Chief Guest of the function.

Prof. Mandal enriched the audience with the phenomenon of side biases in a lucid and informative way. He said that side biases are unique to human being and reasons for functional asymmetry in behaviour in our day-to-day activities. He informed that about 90 per cent of the human population shows right-ward biases while 10 per cent population reveals left-ward biases in different situations. He further added that

studies have shown biases in the forms of paired organs, for example, earedness, eyedness or footedness, as well as non-paired organs like face. He elaborated that such forms of biases are not reflected either in physical appearance of the body, in specific, or in the natural world, in general. The Oration dwell upon this unique feature of behaviour

with reference to evolution and the relevance of side biases in studies related to behavioural, biological, technological and computational sciences.

Dr Bhujanga Rao delivered the Presidential Address on the occasion. Around 650 participants including Directors of DRDO HQ and Delhi-based labs, officers and staff from various DRDO labs attended the function. A memento was presented to Prof. Mandal as a token of gratitude from DSF. Dr Vij proposed the vote of thanks.

Dr Bhujanga Rao (2nd from right) presenting the memento to Prof. Mandal.

Dr Bawa presenting the winner’s trophy to the ADE’s team.

12 February 2012

ISSN:0971-4391

EDITORIAL TEAM

DL, JodhpurShri Vinay Kapoor, STA C, participated

and completed the Mumbai-Goa Coastal Biking Expedition during 4-11 December 2011. The event was organised by the Youth Hostel Association of India with an objective to create environmental friendly atmosphere among youth of India and to utilise the bike as their day-to-day conveyance mode.

HEMRL, PuneHigh Energy Materials Research

Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune, organised Intra-Zone West Zone Volleyball Tournament during 14-16 December 2011. The tournament was inaugurated by Shri B Bhattacharya, OS and Director, HEMRL. Teams from DRDO West Zone labs, i.e., HEMRL, ARDE and R&DE (E) from Pune and VRDE, Ahmednagar participated in the tournament. ARDE, Pune bagged the winner and HEMRL won the

runner-up trophy. Shri Bhattacharya, OS and Director, HEMRL, Pune, distributed the trophies to the winner and the runner-up. Based on the performance, seven players from HEMRL have been selected for the DRDO National Volleyball Tournament to represent West Zone Team.

NSTL, VisakhapatnamBadminton team of Naval Science

and Technology Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam, excelled in the DRDO Central Zone Badminton Tournament held at Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Hyderabad during 13-16 December 2011. The team won Gold in four categories, viz., team championship, men singles, men doubles and veteran singles. Shri G Ravi, KP Reddy and Jagannadham of NSTL have been selected to represent Central Zone in all Indian DRDO Badminton Tournament.

Visits to DRDO Labs/Estts

ARDE, Pune Brig BS Chauhan, SM, DDG

Infantry and Brig Ashok Ambre, SM, DDG Infantry (designate), on 6 January 2012. Shri Kapil Deo, Officiating Director presented an overview of ARDE to the visitors. The visitors interacted with senior scientists during visit to static display.

DESIDOC, Delhi Dr V Bhujanga Rao, DS and CC R&D (HR),

on 3 January 2012. He was briefed about the DRDO E-journals Service and DRDO

Shri Bhattacharya presenting the winner’s trophy to ARDE’s team.

Shri SV Rangarajan, OS and Director, NSTL (4th from right) along with NSTL team.

Publications brought out by DESIDOC.

Dr AL Moorthy, Director, DESIDOC briefing Dr Bhujanga Rao about DRDO publications.