Dr Rupamanjari Ghosh ,Director, School of Natural Sciences and Dean of Research & Graduate Studies

Interview by Meghna Joshi,Class of ‘15

Meghna Joshi (MJ): What made you decide to come to SNU? Dr. Rupamanjari Ghosh (RG): I have served the Jawaharlal Nehru University for more than 24 years – as a teacher, researcher and administrator. It was not an easy decision to take leave from a place I had been so deeply attached to but when I was approached by SNU, I liked the vision of the University that was presented to me – it matched my own thinking, and I was touched by the sincerity of purpose of the key people at SNU. It did not take me long to get convinced that first, unlike many other private institutions, education is not a business for profit for the Shiv Nadar Foundation, and second, the vision is about an interdisciplinary research university – it is not supposed to be another undergraduate teaching college. One can truly strive for academic excellence when there is no profit compulsions attached to the venture, and when you are not restricted by a rigid bureaucracy the institution can really flourish. The dream is to make an international-standard private university here. It has to be built from scratch - that is the challenge and that is also the attraction for me.

MJ: How different is this university from various others you’ve worked at in terms of the work and student culture? RG: I have worked in established places, where the advantage is that the ‘system’ is already in place, but the disadvantage is that if something does not work in that system, you are stuck with it - changes happen at best incrementally after a lot of struggle. SNU has the advantage of being fresh, and the work culture here

is what we all are making it to be; we have to make the system deliver and pass the test of time. In all my interactions with the students, I have found the majority to be very mature and with a great sense of exploration and responsibility. I am extremely proud of the student body in SNU.

Contd. on page 4

Shiv Nadar UniversityE-NEWSPAPER SNU.EDU.INAPRIL | VOL I.III

By Raunak Agarwal,Class of ‘15

On 3rd November 2012, School of Natural Sciences –Shiv Nadar University organized “The Science

Fair 2012” which gave a wonderful opportunity to all the young minds to showcase their attitude, skills and

knowledge of the pure subject. It consolidated the best academicians and educationists of the nation to a platform which showcased, evaluated and discussed the evolution and revolution in science. The event had

participative activities which engaged and enriched in the exploration of science. In addition to talks by eminent

scientists, the event had contests open to school students which gave them an incredible platform to enlighten their talent and understanding of science. The first session started with a key note address of Prof. Rupamanjari Ghosh, Director, School of Natural Sciences SNU, followed by a mesmerizing talk on the role of Chemistry in Forensic Science by Dr. V. N. Sehgal, (Retired) Director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). During the second session, Prof. Rupamanjari Ghosh addressed the audience on Virtual Chemistry. To which followed the Elocution Competition and Model Judging. Many Schools as far as from Panipat, Kanpur participated with diversified and amazing ideas. Ultimately, it was Gyan Mandir Public School (Best model for Biomedical Applications of Nanofibres) won the first prize. The participants from DPS Panipat (for modelling of earthquake Indicator) were the runner’s up. In the undergraduate competition, SNU won the first place for best modelling of an eco-friendly mobile charger.

Science Fair 2012SNU hunts for the next Newton.....

C o m b a t t i n g climate change

– Lessons to be learnt from Gorakhpur

On 29th January, a delegation comprising of faculty members and students went to represent Shiv Nadar University at the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2013. The conference was inaugurated by Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chancellor of TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) University. In April 2002, Dr. Pachauri was elected Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, established by the World Meteorological Organization and United Nations Environment Programme in 1988 (Re-elected in September 2008). IPCC along with former Vice President Al Gore has been awarded the ‘Nobel Peace Prize’ for the year 2007. One of the salient highlights in the workshop was a case study on building resilience towards climate change in the city of Gorakhpur. Gorakhpur is located in the Terai belt of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. It was considered a hill station due to its pleasant climate by the British. The topography of the city is mainly plain with a slight slope from north to south. Contd. on page 4

In Conversation with Dr. Rupamanjari GhoshQuarks, Photons and Life at SNU

By Dr. Sonali Bhandari, Dimitris Kaskaoutis, Nisha Chaudhury, Khushboo Bano,

Will they survive? Silent Voices

By Dr. Sonali Bhandari and CCC703 ClassThe Chemistry of Environment class (CCC703) put up an exhibition to raise awareness about saving the Bil Akbarpur wetlands and particularly the SNU Lake from 5th February, 2013 to 12th February, 2013. Wetland ecosystems account for only 6% of the global land area and are the most threatened among all natural resources. The lake in Sultanpur National Park and Bird Sanctuary used to be home to Sarus cranes and other water fowls. With every passing season the line of skyscrapers draw closer and closer to the sanctuary. It’s the same tale of woes in other cities. Kolkata lost its salt marshes, known as East Calcutta wetlands, to Salt Lake City. Sumit K. Sen, who runs the Birds of India website, noted that the Calcutta wetlands were a true avian paradise till landfilling wiped off the area. Indeed, 70 species including Red-crested Pochard, Spot-billed Pelican and Rock Eagle Owl are no longer spotted in Kolkata, as noted by Sen.

Contd. on page 2

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Microsoft Student Partner - Suhan SelvenInterview by Meghna Joshi,

Class of ‘15

Meghna Joshi(MJ) :What is Microsoft Student Partners? Suhan Selvan(SS): It’s an international educational program by Microsoft, which provides training in technical skills, including Microsoft technologies. These are real-world skills that are not taught in your college and help you in your future career. We MSP’s love technology and like to help our peers learn about them too.How did you come to know about it? SS: It was about a year ago, when I got myself interested in application development for mobile platforms. Once I attended the Microsoft technology conclave at Siri fort auditorium, New Delhi, where I happened to meet these MSPs. I had a brief conversation with them and was very much interested in it. So I decided that this was something where I should be a part of.MJ: What did you have to become one? SS: Basically you will have to clear three rounds to become a MSP,

and this differs from year to year. As for me, I had to submit a video on youtube describing why I want to become an MSP, what competences I had and talk about one Microsoft technology that impressed me the most. The second one was to submit windows phone applications to their marketplace. This was the most difficult part as Microsoft follows very strict standards for certifying an app. The third round was to clear two quizzes in Imagine Cup 2013. All these processes spanned over a period of three months and finally I was a part of about 300 students selected nationwide.MJ:What, as a MSP, are your responsibilities? SS: I have just got my welcome letter as of now. But from what I know, I will be conducting at least one technical session per month in our university. Also I will be collaborating with Microsoft personnel and other MSPs around Delhi to organize city-level events. I’ll also be learning about emerging technologies and developing apps for Windows and Windows phone platforms.MJ: Other similar activities people can get involved with? SS: On the technology front,

I think this is the most widespread and popular program among students who are passionate about technology. There are also some certification programs offered by Google and other companies.MJ: Advice for anyone wanting to become an MSP? SS: If you’re into developing applications and confident enough to present in front of large people I don’t think it would be much of a difficulty. As for the selection process, Microsoft will test your patience a lot and better be ready for that.

Clubs, Societies and Campus Activities2

InfernoBy Aishwarya Sharma,

Class of ‘15

INFERNO hosted Intra University Doubles competition on 29th Jan 2013 with over 200 spectators to encourage the participants. A spectrum of dance forms with a hint of poise left audience captivated. 12 participants in pairs competed for the first position, which was finally grabbed by Laavanya Gupta and Aishwarya Sharma who performed contemporary on “broken sorrow nuttin but stringz”.

By Yashaswi Singh,Class of ‘15

SNU hosted the 27th Annual Conference of the Ramanujan Mathematical Society (RMS) from October 20th to 23rd 2012 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi. The RMS was founded in 1985, with the aim to promote Mathematics at all levels. It does this through publications, conferences and fellowships. The Society also publishes

a Lecture Notes Series in Mathematics. Within India, the Society actively spreads news and developments in Mathematics through its free Mathematics Newsletter, which is fully funded by the National Board for

Higher Mathematics The Annual Conference is an important event in the calendar of the RMS and has previously been hosted by various important institutes such as IIT Kanpur, NIT Surathkal, ISI Bangalore and Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology to name a few.

Dr. Sanjeev Agrawal, Head, Department of Mathematics, SNU was the chair of the Local Organising Committee, which included the faculty and staff of the Department of Mathematics of SNU.

There were also 18 Student Volunteers from SNU who helped out with the proceedings of the conference.The Academic Programme of the conference consisted of:•Presidential Address by Prof M S Raghunathan•Twelve Plenary Talks•Five Symposia on the following subjects: oAnalysisoCombinatoricsoCommutative AlgebraoPartial Differential EquationsoTopology. •Several sessions of 10-minute contributed paper presentations.A few special events that took place during the conference were:•Release of Collected Papers of S.R.S. Varadhan•General Body Meeting of the Sociey.•Dr R Chidambaram, Scientific Advisor to the PM, released the book Arithmetic and Algebra by Dr Shailesh Shirali.•Public Lecture on Art of Counting by Dr Shailesh Shirali.

Ramanujan Mathematical Society Conference

Will They Survive? continued from Page 1

The Pallikaranai marshes in Chennai, Guwahati wetlands and Bangalore’s Koramangala area have similar stories of demise of water bodies to narrate. Birdwatchers are hoping that the Bil Akbarpur Lake in Dadri wetlands does not encounter the same fate. The wetlands provide a home for over 100 resident birds and 5000 migratory birds. Environmentalist Anand Arya has noted that Dadri is richer in habitat than Sultanpur or Okhla bird sanctuaries. Of the 220 species recorded in Dadri wetlands during the past 4 years, environmentalists have spotted Sarus (state bird of Uttar Pradesh), Blue Throat (a rare bird from Alaska) and Water Fowl such as Mallard, Pintail, Shovelers, Garganey, Pochards, Wigeons, Waders from Central Asia and Europe, the Bar-headed geese from China, and Grey goose from Ladakh and Tibet. Birds such as Pied Cuckoo, Sandpipers, Spoonbills and even the rare Bristled Grassbird (Chaetornis striatus) have visited the wetlands. The Bristled Grassbird is a species endemic to the Indian sub-continent and a globally threatened bird according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. The animals that are endangered by these concrete jungles are Black Bucks, Blue Bulls, Chinkara and four-horned antelope.3 Black bucks are protected under Schedule I, Part-I of the Wildlife Protection Act. They are heading towards extinction. At Dadri, Ansal Properties and Infrastructure Ltd has launched an ambitious 2,500 acre township buying out prime agricultural land from farmers. Ansals claim that all water bodies and lakes within the area will remain intact and EIA clearance from the government has already been obtained. However, the impact of construction can already be seen. Birds are being poached and blackbucks are running all over the place. In addition to this housing project, the 280 acre SNU campus is right at the edge of the wetland and is being built at an estimated cost of 600 crore. Students highlighted various ways in which the SNU Lake is being polluted- landfill sites nearby, construction material being heaped up in the vicinity etc. They also suggested several ‘preventive measures’ to save the lake- organizing cleanliness drive, segregating waste, providing dustbins, planting trees and vegetation, spreading awareness to help save the lake, the pride of SNU.

SPIC MACAY By Pranav Mimani,

Class of ‘15

Imagine a 7 year old boy walking around with his feet in mid-air, balancing the entire body weight on his tender hands; the body is in a supple posture and the determination is unwavering. Yet, there is a calm largely writ on the face that suggests it is a normal routine. To call this act as the tip of an iceberg of more

intricate sequences that followed wouldn’t be farfetched considering the performance by students of Nakshyatra Gurukul on the grounds of Shiv Nadar University. On Monday, 25th February 2013, SPICMACAY’s Shiv Nadar University Chapter invited Nakshyatra Gurukul to put up a vibrant display of traditional Gotipua Dance. Initiated in 2007, Nakshyatra Gurukul is a young organization which trains small boys in the art of Gotipua Dance. It was founded by Guru Bijay Kumar Sahoo, who is an accomplished Odissi Dance artist with a distinguished career of performances in India and abroad. With many feathers in its cap like performances as Guest Artists for Zee TV’s ‘Dance India Dance Little Master Grand Finale’, expectations were high. After the end of the 40 minute performance, all expectations were exceeded handsomely and the excitement well tendered to. Nakshyatra Gurukul did what it does best, leave the audience in awe. The evening started with the lighting of lamp by chief guest of the event, Prof. Sanjeev Agarwal, Dean Undergraduate Studies, Shiv Nadar University and Guru Bijay Kumar Sahoo. Accompanying Guru

Bijay Kumar Sahoo, were on vocal Balakrushna Jena, on flute Prakash Chandra Rout, on mardal Varun Kumar Pradhan, and on violin Sitakanta Barik. The centres of attraction were, however, 10 small boys aged 7-14 who gave ample proof of their talent and dedication. Much like a drama play, Gotipua Dance is composed of a series of dance acts. The group started with Vandana nrutya or Pancha Dev Stutee in which the dancers offered their

tributes to the five presiding deities as Sanskrit shlokas were being chanted in Raag Kirvani. This first act set the atmosphere for the rest of the evening. The next two acts: Pallavee and Abhinaya were elaborated through eye movements, facial expression, hand gestures, and fluid body movement. The last act of the performance was Bandha Nrutya. The small boys did acrobatic poses combining with each other to form various postures. Each of these postures was depicting a different symbol like, Chariot of Sun God; Goddess Durga’s killing of Mahishasura, Lord Vishnu on his Chariot, etc. With each passing sequence the complexity and difficulty of postures increased and so did the beauty of it. The last sequence of the performance was the most influential. The same 7 year old kid ran around a structure created by his other mates with much joy - he was waving the Indian National Flag. Here was a group of small kids from an obscure place putting up a performance that can’t be ignored or dismissed easily. The tricolour being waved proudly wasn’t to be mistaken. This was about our culture, our country.

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SNU -DukeTIP Conference By Meghna Joshi,

Class of ‘15

The SNU-Duke TIP Educator Conference wasn’t even for University students; we still managed to squeeze ourselves in and are better off for the experience . The Conference, spanning two days, was held in Stellar Gymkhana and organized by SNU in association with researchers and teachers from the Duke University Centre for Gifted Learning. The first day of the conference began with Ms. Mara Shurgot, Director of International Programs for Duke TIP, introducing the Duke TIP curriculum specialists and the organization. Mr Shikhar Malhotra, CEO of Shiv Nadar Foundation and Mr Nikhil Sinha, the Vice Chancellor of Shiv Nadar University shared the mission of the Foundation and the University to develop and educate the leaders of tomorrow . Thereafter, we got some insider information on one of the most ignored topics in the education sector – children who were above, rather than below, average. It was the first time any of us – including many teachers from the top schools of India – had discussed in such detail the problems that children who learnt too fast presented.

All the speakers threw light on various aspects of the problem – psychological, financial, planning aspects and others. Always outperforming their peers is difficult for a gifted child – can you imagine always giving correct answers and then being laughed at for it? Or never being able to improve because you were already above average in your class? Those are just some of the problems gifted children face. Putting above average students in a class and expecting them to wait is just as bad as putting below average students in and expecting them to catch up; the classification of children as gifted and otherwise creates its own problems of discrimination. There was a heated debate on the correctness of such methodology and it still remains an open question. An alumina of the DukeTIP Summer Programme, came on the

second day and spoke to us about her experience and how it affected her understanding of the world around her. There was a subtle change in attitude

after this session – those who had been rather sceptical about the whole program seemed to understand its impact on the students in such situations. The rest of the day passed in parallel tutorial sessions about teaching and speaking. Some of the tips given in our session were actually great pointers

for anyone, not just teachers, who wanted to keep conversation flowing. The conference was just an informative experience, meant to get people thinking about some fairly

significant changes in the education system as we know it today. It also acted as a platform for the announcement of SNU’s own Centre for Gifted Education – where people would both teach and research the sector of primary and higher education in India, keeping in mind our unique social and economic situations. Something to take home – “There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequal people.”

ISEC Conference By Meghna Joshi,

Class of ‘15 Being surrounded by coders, academicians and managers all discussing unheard of terms and technologies in something that’s supposed to be ‘your’ field is pretty unnerving. Here we were, thinking that we knew everything because we knew how to use #include, but the conference acted as an informative eye-opener – coding wasn’t everything. Some of the top researchers of IMB, Microsoft and the likes weren’t concerned with code – they were talking about nodes and primary keys; think Jeffery Archer

discussing the alphabet. Over the course of three days, we got a lot of great career advice over some excellent food. The tutorial sessions were interesting – most of the discussion was centred on the basics of technologies being used today to understand, monitor and eliminate bugs from systems. For people whose phones and laptops have crashed often enough due to software problems, it was a very relevant session. For the next two days, various papers were presented – data mining, crash prediction and more. None of us could claim to have understood all of it, but at least we got started.

Lohri Celebrations

On the day of Lohri, 13 Jan,2013, the SNU family got together near the hostel premisis for the bonfire ceremony in the evening. Lohri is the cultural celebration on the eve of the winter solstice. With the festive atmosphere and the sound of the Dhol, we ignited the bonfire.

Photograph Courtesy Sharan D. Shankar

The winners of the AerotriX Super Challenge – Aeromodelling Competition. (From L-to-R)Harikrishnan B, Aditi Seth, Shivanshu Khillan,

Siddharth Sharma and G. Sai Charan.

Adidas Youth Ambassador-Vinith Johnson

Interview by Meghna Joshi, Class of ‘15

Meghna Joshi(MJ): What is being a Youth Ambassador all about? Vinith Johnson(VJ): Basically, we’re this awesome group of Bboys ,beatboxers, grafitti artists ,dancers, fashion photographers, singers, drummers , magicians and many more .This program has 60 ambassadors from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chandigarh - around 15 from each city. We mostly help in marketing for the brand by planning and performing in major and happening events in the Delhi/NCR region organized by Adidas originals .We also do a lot of online activity for the same. In meetings, we sit and figure out different ways to attract the youth to the brand. Since it’s not a paid internship, we get Adidas originals merchandise instead!MJ: How did you come to know about it? VJ: My friends in Bangalore are ambassadors too – I got to know about it through them.MJ: What did you have to do to qualify? VJ: Well, nothing much really. It was a three stage process – I first had to submit an application to LetsIntern- one of India’s premier internship portal for college students. I didn’t really give much thought to it while applying but the next day I got a call saying that I was shortlisted for the interview rounds. A total of 20-25 people were shortlisted for the final round. We were interviewed by Adidas managers in the final round, and trust me the final round was no less than a Roadies audition! On the whole if you ask me, all they were looking for, was the coolness quotient, the talent and most importantly how “original” you are.MJ: Your experience so far? VJ: Today, I feel really lucky to be a part of this program. The experience has been more than amazing and a great learning process; to interact with my fellow ambassadors and meeting so many different people and artists is just an awesome feeling. The best part is that you’re actually doing what you love doing - I’ve performed at Bluefrog ,Knag and quite a few other places so far. We’re currently gearing up for college fests in the NCR region.MJ: Similar activities people can get involved with? VJ: LetsIntern offers a wide range of internships for college students. An internship like this is going look pretty impressive on your CV! You guys should check it out!

ImprintsThe Dramatics Society of SNU

by Deepika Virdi, Class of ‘15

On 20 Jan, 2013 Imprints organized a trip to watch a Hungarian play “The Virgin and the Beast” organized by The National School of Drama directed by Armand Kautzky of Új Színház group, New Theatre, Budapest-Hungary. The play was in Hungarian, but art has no language and the message of the play was well conveyed. On 4th February, 2013 Imprints put up two plays - “Brahma’s Successor” and “Unsung Warriors”. The first was about Brahma’s retirement and his decision to make either Yama or Devendra his next successor and Narada playing one of his wicked games. The second play of the day, involved a plot of how big sacrifices by many individuals in society go unnoticed. This one beautifully showcased the effects of terrorism on the world and the efforts of newly inducted members of Imprints were appreciated. On March 1st, Smt. Maya Krishna Rao, an Akademi Awardee for acting and a renowned artist known for her hysterical acts mixed with big messages for society, gave a performance in SNU. With each part she used edited images of her childhood which subtly reflected how patriarchal Indian society on the whole is and as a final touch she performed “The Walk” highlighting the horrors of rape. Her sudden change from humour to suspense was very instrumental in adding a theatrical element to the show. The entire crowd was entertained and thoroughly appreciated the artist’s work.

Interaction with Mr. Fred Swaniker- Founder, African Leadership Academy(L) and Dr. Nikhil Sinha, Vice Chancellor SNU(R). Fred spoke at length about the ALA and how it worked towards it’s aim of uplifiting Africa.

Vo”Voh Bol Uthi” - A play perfomed at SNU by JANAM, orgarnized by words.Ink and Imprints. The play showcased various aspects of gender

inequality present at every level in India.

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Breeze ‘13, the techno-cultural fest of SNU, grew from last year to give us more performances, more events and three days of jam-packed action from 15th - 17th March. The events included a Fashion Fiesta, Music and Dance Competitions, Debates and JAM sessions, Robowars and Circuit Finance.

Performances by The Delhi Drummers Circle, Half Step Down Band and a DJ night hosted by DJ Anish Sood kept energy levels high and left the audiance in eager anticipation of next year’s fest.

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By Aishwarya Sharma,Class of ‘15

Black Holes. Formed from ev-erything, bound to nothing. These in-visible spots in the universe were capa-ble of hypnotizing many scientists to know more about them. The blot that has immense gravitational field, a field so strong that not even the light can’t escape. Confining Black holes to only stellar sizes would be underestimating their very existence with size as small as an atom and as large when 1 million suns put together. How are stellar and super-massive black holes formed?The massiveness of the star that leads to intense gravitational field and the nu-clear fusion reactions that take place in

the core of the star need to be balanced for the star to be alive. The death of the star is imminent when the fuel for the nuclear fusion reactions starts burning out. As this fuel approaches NIL value, star collapses within itself due to its own gravitational field. Let me elaborate. The gravity pulls all the matter inwards and compresses the core. As the core compresses, it heats up and eventually creates a supernova explosion in which the material and radiation blasts out into space. What remains is the highly compressed, and extremely massive core. The core’s gravity is so strong that even light cannot escape. The center of the core is called singularity and the mouth of the black hole is termed as the event horizon. And what shall you see inside

it, if you get a chance to go inside one. Though I doubt your entry into it.Visualizing a black hole: I assume that you must have used a hand blender while working in kitchen. While preparing a chocolate shake for yourself, you must have seen a narrow cone in the middle of the container reaching the bottom of the vessel while the blender is moving. Now compare the same phe-nomena with the black holes on the space. They are somewhat same. The only difference is that they are in-credibly deep cone shaped holes and that they spin with speeds close to the speed of light. The path of time is no longer linear in this zone. You can ac-tually time travel!! Now that we know what black holes are, have you wondered how

were they spotted if they were invisi-ble? Okay!! Now scientists are really smart, they x-rayed the universe and observed unusual behavior of gases and stars rotating around some invisi-ble “thing”. This black “thing” was later identified as black hole. Are you scared that our own sun would someday turn into a black hole? Don’t worry, our sun is not that big enough that it could turn itself into a black hole, and even if it turns into a black hole with slightest prob-ability, we would never be able to fall into it and explore, we would still be rotating around it. There is hardly any black hole near our solar system in which we could go. I think we’ll have to wait for some supernatural activity to take place to explore the black hole and who knows we might be in one of them… Just kidding we aren’t…

They can grab the light within

Everyone has something that they want to write passionately about, whether it’s a movie or technology review, poems, or the burning questions of life which face us all. Our e-newspaper allows you to do so, your article will be read by all the faculties,students and other members of SNU.

To submit your article, review, poem, art work, acheivement etc , simply drop a mail at discover@snu.edu.in

Contribute

Material Genome Conference

By Meghna Joshi, Class of ‘15

Spanning the course of three days, the Material Genome Conference organized by the School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University saw researchers and academicians coming together and shed light on some cutting edge research in the field. One would think anything with

the word ‘Genome’ in it would have only to do with genetics. Not true at all – as uninitiated audience members, we were treated to talks ranging from cancer therapy drug targets to the physics behind a mosquitoes blood sucking system. The Conference was inaugurated by Dr. Nikhil Sinha, Vice Chancellor SNU. The technical session followed, with a talk by Dr. Saurav Pal, Director of the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory. The evening program consisted of cultural

performances by SNU students – delegates were treated to a host of classical Indian dances and music. The audience was then given two sessions

on the gist of the conference, aimed at offering people an overview and acting as an appetizer for the next day. On the second and third day,

speakers gave short seminars on their research followed by an interactive presentation session – researchers presented their work in the form of posters and others were free to read and ask questions. The wrap turned out to be the highlight of the second day – SNU’s own high-performing computer cluster, “Magnus”, was launched; highly innovative for an Indian University, the cluster is designed to facilitate the computing needed by research projects undertaken at the University. The Conference wrapped with a vote of thanks by Dr. N. Sukumar, HoD Chemistry at SNU. For details of speakers and posters, visit http://snu.edu.in/pdf/SNU-NC-on-Materials-Genome-poster.pdf.

Coeur Peine By Ekta Kapoor, Class of ‘16

Tears explode of impuissance,Mirroring the pain of the raging heart and despair of a troubled

mind.The past creeping out of the corner

of that lonely heart,a soulless beauty.

The agony in those pretty eyes.The berseked thoughts..the lifeless

actionsThat stoned face conceling a storm

inside,That emotion void look,

That waste of a breath now seemsFacing the wrath of the contained

turmoil.Ready to erupt,ready to fusillade….

But who would listen to that silent scream,

Who would see through those pained eyes.

But who would feel that tormented air,

But who in this narcissistic world,Would give a heart to the bereaved.

Pick up the marauded emotions,And furbish that tattered heart,

bit by bit.That benignant angel... god sent,Would bring back that lost smile,

reinstate a hope,a reason to survive.A reason to love and be loved once

again.

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Interview, from Page 1

MJ: Your field is Quantum Optics – a specialized branch of physics. Could you tell us a little bit more about it? Any interesting research and developments? RG: The field of Quantum Optics deals with the application of quantum mechanics to phenomena involving light and its interactions with matter. The recent Physics Nobel Prizes in this area bear testimony to the importance of this branch of physics. The behavior of the individual constituents that make up our world – atoms (matter) and photons (light) – is described by quantum mechanics. These particles are rarely isolated, and as they interact with their environment, they lose their peculiar quantum character. Observing such fragile quantum effects and then making use of a system’s quantum nature are tough and challenging tasks. But now our “quantum dreams”, from quantum communications and teleportation to quantum computing and metrology, are shaping into reality! MJ: Aside from academics, you’ve been heavily involved in various campus and culture development activities – gender sensitization, health and medical, environment, policy reviews. Could you explain why it’s so important to address these issues in our University? RG: Yes, I have worked in many critical areas of campus life. I do not believe in ‘one-dimensional’ existence as a human being -- for me, University life is not restricted to classrooms and laboratories. If you are a conscious human being, you cannot be blind to the pressing issues around you – they affect you and if you are sincere in your efforts, you can make a difference in whatever you take on. University people can provide intellectual leadership to the society. To do these ‘extra’ things, I need to practise time management. If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well – so I take up one thing at a time and try to address it fully. For me, this is not

a sacrifice – all such experiences get you closer to being a complete human being, and the inner satisfaction you get in return is a true reward.

MJ: At the time you began working, women in science were a rare sight. What were some of the challenges you faced because of that and how much do you think the situation has improved, if at all it has? RG: Yes, in our society, women more than men face the pressure of balancing decisions about family and a demanding career. There are still very few women in science – they are therefore noticed more easily, in their favor or against. In general, you do face poor working conditions – lack of proper toilets, for example. As a researcher, you get restricted because of security concerns – you cannot work alone late night in the lab, and you have to find an escort. I have been lucky to have some very rational and compassionate male colleagues and friends and family members, but in many ways, it has been a lone journey. I have witnessed some patterns of institutional sexism – people are more tolerant of incompetent male colleagues, and women have to work much harder to convince their colleagues and superiors of their abilities. For a bright woman scientist, the usual compliment you hear is that she is “very hard working”, while a man of similar caliber and research productivity will usually be called “a genius”. Gender bias shows up as we do not inculcate and apply scientific temper and rationality in our day-to-day life. I try my level best to make a difference wherever I can. It is not that people are always intentionally mean

to women, but often it is simply a lack of sensitivity or understanding – they do not even realize that they are being discriminating as these patterns are so common and accepted by almost all. As a society, we are waking up today to the fact that the gender imbalance in certain “tough” sectors needs to be addressed in solving the deficit of trained manpower; we cannot be competitive in a global economy if half of our human capital is not allowed the opportunity to work up to its potential. Things are changing at least at the policy level, but mind-sets are difficult to change. We have to be at it.MJ: As Chairperson of the SNU Gender Sensitization Committee, could you tell us something about the committee’s aims, activities and plans? RG: The principle we need to follow is that any individual should be able to work in and contribute to the academic life on campus – to the extent and at the level appropriate to personal choices/abilities – without gender as a constraint. That’s the simple aim. For this, we as an institution need to take some proactive measures. Our current emphasis is on gender sensitization, through orientation programs for newcomers, public lectures, poster and/or cartoon competitions, street shows/plays, movie screenings, etc. We are putting in place an equitable, accountable and representative process of resolution and redressal in case of a sexual harassment complaint. Our policy is of zero tolerance for sexual harassment. We should do our best to prevent a division of men and women into two opposing interest groups – all right-thinking people have to be in this together.MJ: What are the future plans for the School of Natural Sciences? Any new majors, minors, UWEs or research projects planned? RG: The School of Natural Sciences has four major Departments and we have now designed

undergraduate majors and minors in all these disciplines. We wish to fully explore the synergy between teaching and research. We are trying to get “the best” researchers from all over the world to join our faculty and the rest should follow. Advances in biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics promise solutions to many of humankind’s most pressing problems -- from fighting disease to creating sustainable energy sources. We would like a balanced mixture of pursuits of fundamental and applied science. We are in the process of establishing university-industry networks, and also partnerships with some top-ranking foreign universities. We have already admitted a few Ph.D. students. We have recently procured a state-of-the-art high-performance computing cluster for cutting-edge research that requires this powerful tool and we are working hard to get the experimental research infrastructure in place. On a different front, we have plans to initiate a project soon on the documentation of the local biodiversity, which may then help formulate a much-needed strategy for its conservation. The plan is to include the entire Panchayat area around SNU for the documentation and involve the villagers in the documentation process as part of our Community Outreach program. Our work should become a model for the State Government and the State Biodiversity Board.MJ: How do you see SNU ten or fifteen years down the line in terms of the student culture and achievement of its multidisciplinary and global mission? RG: The way we have started is indicative of a bright future – let’s all work towards it. There are no short-cuts to excellence, and we need to give the time it takes to build a long-lasting institution. There is no place for complacency if we wish to reach the top, and then stay at the top.MJ: Any message for the students? RG: Compete only with yourself. You do not know how far you can reach.

Combatting Climate Change from Page 1 There are several water bodies within the city and the biggest one Ramgarh tal is located in the south-eastern part of the city. Gorakhpur and its surrounding areas have had a pleasant climate in recorded history. However, in the past few years the city has experienced unexpected climactic changes. There has been a 9.51% increase in maximum temperature during 2003-2008 and the annual minimum temperature has recorded a decreasing trend (22.84%). In 2002, the minimum temperature was 19.63C, which dropped to 15.98C in 2008. An investigation of historical climographs of Gorakhpur suggests a shift towards a ‘muggy climate’. This indicates more rainfall in the

future. Moreover, precipitation might decrease in December to February and might increase in March to May and October and November. As a result of excess precipitation, the major problem the city is facing is that of waterlogging. Unplanned developments, poor infrastructure, localized underground sewerage, lack of solid waste management contribute to the city’s waterlogging. Factors contributing to the vulnerability of the city towards waterlogging are topographical, behavioral and governance. The city is naturally vulnerable due to its location in the Terai belt of the Nepal Himalayas. Low lying areas, large number of water bodies, low slope gradients, high groundwater table contribute further to the vulnerability.

The city has a floating population comprising of rural and lower middle income groups with low literacy levels. There is a general lack of responsible behavior towards maintaining the city’s services. In addition, a faulty master plan, poor governance and administration of basic services also have had an impact on the city. A resilience strategy was developed by ACCCRN (Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network) to develop the city’s basic services through citizens’ participation. The proposed resilience strategy is based on 1.Targeted physical and institutional action to improve drainage, housing, health and communication in select areas of the city

2.Building up an information database for long-term planning, emergency response among diverse groups of residents, city authorities, NGOs, academics and politicians 3.Raising public and political awareness of emerging problems and adapt to climate change Nisha Chaudhury – “I learned how humans are creating problems for themselves by harming our environment including climactic variations. Moreover, each and every human should take an initiative for the benefit of the entire world.” Khushboo Bano – “ It was a wonderful experience for me, meeting such professionals who are working for our environment was like a dream come true. I will try my best to bring positive changes in our environment.”

“It is not that people are always

intentionally mean to women,

but often it is simply a lack

of sensitivity or understanding”

8

By Raunak Agarwal,Class of ‘15

Raunak Agarwal: How long it’s been that you are associated with Basketball Coaching?Rahuldeep: It’s been six years that I have been coaching for basketball. Prior to SNU I used to coach for Sports Authority of India at IG Stadium, Delhi.RA: While selecting students seeking admission in the university through sports quota, what are the fundamental qualities you search for? RD: Talent and Potential play vital roles. Hereafter is the scope of improvement so that one’s metal is polished.RA: Recently we beat Jamia University, Amity University, Jaypee University

and various other teams. In such a short span of time isn’t that quite promising?RD: We are a team of great potential. We aspire to win All India Inter University Championships. Definitely, we are one of the best teams in the Delhi NCR. The main intention is to keep the learning process on. There are times when even the opposition teaches you a lot of things. At all times, the learning process should always be on.RA: As for now we have played two tournaments, one at Jaipur and the other at Jamia. In both the cases we could not clear the semis. What is the reason behind that? RD: There is a saying that Defence

wins games. We have a very promising

offence but something which we need to work on is Defence. We are working

on our defence and student’s interest and hard work will be appreciated.RA: Who is the most promising player in your team?RD: Prashant Bhaskaran (B.P.).RA: What would be your final message?RD: My passion is to coach and do things to the best of my ability. I want our team to get better every day at practice. If we can do that the other stuff will take care of itself.

Interview with Rahuldeep, Basketball Coach

By Raunak AgarwalEE, 2nd YEAR

Shiv Nadar University Football team won gold in Street Football at

DESPORTIVOS 2012, the Annual Sports Meet of the LNM Institute of Information Technology, Jaipur. The team comprised of – Shashank Gupta, Nobin Jose, Rohil Jain, Achal Awasthi, Siddharth Ganesh, Ravi Teja and Boya Aniket Reddy. The final was played against Rajasthan Institute of Engineering and Technology. The final score of the match was 1-0 (in favor of SNU) with Achal Awasthi scoring the winning goal.

SNU wins gold in Street Football.

SNU Footballers in action at LMNIT, Jaipur

By Raunak AgarwalEE 2st YEAR

On third of March 2013, SNU participates in Magnus’13 held at OP Jindal Global University. In all fifty students represented SNU from various sports disciplines. Remembering our last visit at OP JINDAL whereby we lost both the friendly games encountered in football and cricket, our players could not have got a better platform than Magnus’13 to prove their thirst for victory. Magnus’13, a sports fest comprising of fifteen reputed Universities from

Delhi, NCR and Jodhpur was a grand event and a perfect platform for our players to showcase their talent. In all SNU won one gold and six silver medals. Eventually, SNU emerged as the overall university champion at the Magnus’13.

Get ready for the SNU Romp….

Discipline Gold SilverChess 1 1Badminton - 1Table tennis - 1Football - 1Basketball - -Cricket - 1Tennis - 1Total 1 6

SNU shines at magnus 13, overall champion. Bags 6 silver & 1 gold.

Various sports disciplines, Various players. SNU overall champion

Sports Sports Sports Sports Sports Sports Sports

By Sundara Rajan CSE, 2nd YEAR

Shiv Nadar University Chess team secured the 2nd place at DESPORTIVOS 2012, the Annual Sports Meet of the LNM Institute of Information Technology,

Jaipur. The chess team comprised of Sundara Rajan C (Captain), Vignesh Kumar, Suryakant Srivastava, Sankar Kumar and Aditya Goel. Out of which, two are International FIDE Rated Chess Players – Vignesh and I.Tournament Summary:Out of 4 games,

I won 3.5, Vignesh won 2.5, Sankar won 1(out of 3), Surya won 0.5 (out of 3) and Aditya played his debut match against an International FIDE rated from LNMIIT and he lost it.

SNU clinches Silver in Chess

Chess team at LNMIT, Jaipur

The TeamEditoral Design and Photography

By Sanjeev KumarYoga Instructor

YOGA: Alpha Brain Waves Reduces High Blood PressureIn America, they have been doing hundreds of researches and many institutions are engaged in trying to understand how the practices of pranayama create a change in the processes of the physical body, blood pressure, kidneys reactions, cardiovascular reactions, the behavior of the lungs and the response of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.There are four types of brain waves, known as Beta, Alpha, Delta and Theta, which rises and fall according to pressure created in the brain. Sometimes there is pressure in the brain when you are thinking

or worrying too much, then Beta waves are intensified. When you are tranquil and composed and when your thoughts are moving with very soft speed, at that time, Alpha waves attain intensity. When Alpha waves are intensified in the brain, the pressure is at once released from the heart. If you are suffering from blood pressure, if your heart is palpitating too much, if you are feeling scared or nervous on account of anything, or if you are very angry, at that time if you can somehow develop the Alpha rhythm in the brain the behavior of the heart will at once become normal. The blood pressure will come down. It may be 220, but within 5 minutes it can drop down to 160. Of course, it may not stay like that, afterwards it may again go up to 220, but with continued practice of that particular yoga technique or

system, you can develop the habit of normalizing your own blood pressure.Those yogic techniques are following:• Nadi Shodhana Pranayama• Bhramri Pranayama• Concentration on any point or object.• Meditation techniques (Yoga Nidra, Ajapa Japa, Chidakasha etc)

YOGA: Trataka Trataka is one of the most direct, simple and effective techniques for attaining concentration of mind. The word Trataka means ‘Steady Gazing’. The practice of Trataka involves gazing at candle flame or a point. It is a method of focusing of the eyes, and in turn the mind, on one point to the exclusion of all else. The visual distraction which affects our concentration and awareness must be minimized, and this can be achieved through the practice of Trataka- Steady gazing. From this practice the devotee obtains mental

peace, develops an ability to create internal visualization and to focus the mind at will. The eyes become clear and bright.Trataka is one of the Shatkriyas (cleansing techniques) practiced in Hatha Yoga. Benefits 1.Improves the memory. 2.Develops good concentration. 3.Develops strong willpower. 4.Balances the nervous system, relieving nervous tension. 5.Removes eye strain and headache.Therapeutic use 1.Eye Ailments- Myopia Astigmatism and even early stages of Cataract. 2.Depression 3.Insomnia 4.Anxiety 5.Allergy

Yoga

Angelicka Shankar, EditorMeghna Joshi, EditorYashaswi Singh, WriterRaunak Aagrwal, Sports EditorAishwarya Sharma, WriterDr. Tulika Chandra, Faculty Advisor

Shantam D. Mogali, Design EditorSharan D. Shankar, Contributing PhotographerHarish Venkatesh, Contributing PhotographerDinesh Kumar, Contributing PhotographerSreeram V. Nair, Contributing Photographer

SNUFL - 12Shiv Nadar University football tournament

By Raunak Agarwal,Class of ‘15

The 2012 Shiv Nadar University Football League was the first season of the University League, the best of SNU football. The league began on 23rd November, 2012 and ended on 30th November, 2012. The league was made up of the six clubs owned by elite personalities of the University. A total of eighteen thrilling matches were played during this period of adventurous seven days. The league received an overwhelming response from the audience making the event incredibly successful. The matches were scheduled at the evening with a super excited audience cheering for their clubs on one side while the

commentators describing the match on the other side. The league was open for all the clubs even when it was approaching its end. Ultimately, it was the Falcons and the ZEIL RAY CF who made it to the finals. Their path to the finals was extremely tough because every club gave a tough fight to count for its survival. The final was eagerly awaited. Nobin Jose, the star of SNU Football, led Falcons against Zeil Ray CF led by Achal Awasthi (The player with the Golden boots). The score of the final match was 2-0 in favour of the Falcons.Golden Ball (Best Player of the Series): Siddharth GaneshGolden Boot (Highest Scorer of the Series): Achal Awasthi

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