The fact that academics in the country are responsible for staggering amounts of research is well known. But it’s not very often that you come face to face with someone involved with life-saving medical research. Prof. C. Durga Rao has been a part of the team responsible for the development of Indian Rotavirus Vaccine. During his long stint with Indian Institute of Science, he worked on childhood viral diseases, primarily Rotavirus, and Enteroviruses, which are related to Polio Virus. Now he is setting up the laboratory at SRM University, AP to continue the vital work while helping students imbibe crucial research skills. What’s the progress? Read on.

Bringing it home

As part of the team at the prestigious Indian Institute of Science, Prof. Rao played a crucial role in the development of the first indigenous viral vaccine developed and produced in India. He asserts that he joined SRM University, AP because it offered him an opportunity to continue with his research. “The administration is supportive and determined to develop the University as a research-oriented institution. I am sure that the coming years are going to be very significant for the R&D of the university. Though we are a new organization, the intellectuals gathered at the university are exceptional,” he says enthusiastically.  

Multidisciplinary model, multidisciplinary talent

Dr Rao’s enthusiasm, high energy are befitting of a researcher bursting with ideas, looking forward to making his University a significant contributor among worldwide R&D facilities. Given the multidisciplinary nature of studies and collaborations at SRM University-AP, he is also excited about working with researchers who are experts in fields like Nanotechnology, Gerontology and more. “But since we are working on the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary models, mostly I have engineering students. So making Biology interesting to them is crucial,” he speaks of translating his passion onto his students.

Encouraging future researchers and thinkers

Dr Rao reveals that at SRM University, AP the focus is on the active participation of students. They are encouraged to ask questions and get marks for it towards their annual grading. The idea is to increase engagement that results in their all-round intellectual development. “In my biology class, we go from how life evolved to the latest advancements in the field. We also teach Data Analysis in Biology, which is an amalgamation of latest Data Analysis technologies with the standard practices of Biology. We want to keep things relatable and stimulating to help students apply their minds and be successful in careers they choose,” he spells out the long term goal.

Lithium-ion Batteries Research: A Nobel Cause

If the portable electronics industry has revolutionised the way we communicate today, then we have a lot to thank Lithium-ion Batteries for providing the building blocks. These humble batteries have powered this high tech revolution. It’s probably why Lithium-ion Batteries are rated as one of the most influential pieces of materials science that impact modern life. So when John B Goodenough, University of Texas at Austin, M Stanley Whittingham, Binghamton University, and Akira Yoshino, Meijo University, were announced as Nobel Prize winners in Chemistry for their work on Lithium-ion Batteries, it was a seen as a recognition long overdue.

Long-standing impact

After Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm announced the distinguished winners of the richly deserved awards it said in a statement, “Lithium-ion Batteries have laid the foundation of a wireless, fossil-fuel-free society, and are of the greatest benefit to humankind.” They have been the bedrock for the modern technology-driven world we live. It’s interesting to note that Lithium-ion Batteries have been around for three decades. While mobile technology has gone through a dramatic change only in the past few years, battery technology hasn’t bettered Lithium-ion Batteries for 30 years. That shows you what a powerhouse of a discovery it has been.

Research background

It was in the 1970s that M Stanley Whittingham began the work to overcome the drawbacks of earlier rechargeable batteries, mostly the amount of energy they could store. Lithium’s properties made it an ideal material for the batteries. His first Lithium Battery was also developed in a bid to promote and look for fossil-free energy solutions. However, the batteries ran the risk of exploding, which is why he added Aluminum to Lithium in the anode of the battery. John B Goodenough used Cobalt Oxide for Cathode and it instantly doubled the battery voltage. Akira Yoshino used the technology to create the first commercial battery in 1985.

Changing the future forever

John B Goodenough aged 97 is the oldest Nobel Laureate ever. According to him, when he started his work on Lithium-ion Batteries, he couldn’t imagine the impact they would have. “I didn’t know what electrical engineers would do with the battery. I really didn’t anticipate cellphones, camcorders and everything else,” he said in an interview. But the fact is that today they are at the heart of several modern technologies, from mobile phones and laptops to electric cars. Since Lithium-ion Batteries hold the electric charge longer, they have intrinsically enhanced the viability of electric cars that will be the need of the future.

Lithium-ion Batteries have broadened the spectrum of sustainable energy resources. That’s because they are capable of storing energy from the Sun, Wind and more. These renewable resources will be expected to power our planet’s future. And Lithium-ion Batteries will be making it possible, thus sustaining our tomorrow.

SRM University-AP has set up Amara Raja Center for Energy Storage Devices in collaboration with the Amara Raja Group. The center is fueling the advanced research on Li-ion and beyond Li-ion batteries that aims to revolutionize the world in upcoming years. Ultra-fast charging of devices, new materials for energy storage devices, more efficient batteries and even more R&D are being carried at the center.

At SRM University- AP, we realise the need for research for making the world a better place and we strive to make it happen, for us and for you!

It is said that excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better than before. That means it is a journey, and there is no overnight success and no short cuts to excellence. Agniswar Paul’s pathway to excellence has found a new direction since he joined SRM University, AP. Agniswar is a 3rd-year Electronics Communication Engineering Undergrad student at SRM AP and has been working on research and developing technologies that can help people in meaningful ways.

Agniswar states that prior to joining SRM University, AP he had no exposure to technology or programming experience at all but had a vision in mind that he wanted to make himself capable enough to achieve his career goals. With this objective, he has been working relentlessly on building his skill sets through his course work and his experience at the Next Tech Lab. His focus is on using the Internet of Things (IoT) to develop solutions relevant to society. He regards the founders of Next Tech Lab Anshuman Pandey and Aditya as his mentors who have guided him continuously on the abilities he needs to develop to make the most of working at the Lab.

The first project Agniswar worked on was Plant Coin. In this exciting and socially relevant project, he helped develop a product wherein sensors detect whether a particular plant requires to be watered. When this point is triggered, 10 registered users simultaneously receive an SMS on their mobile phones. The person who waters the plant first gets reward points, thus gamifying the simple task of watering plants. The plan is to scale this to a level where people get more involved with caring for plants and trees, which would immensely benefit the environment.

His next stop was a project to help farmers. Almost 2/3rd of the Indian population is dependent on agriculture, and most of this workforce is marginalised farmers who can use all the help they can get from technology. Alongside 3 other Lab members, Agniswar initiated a project that would reduce the uncertainties around weather and water management for farmers, thus improving their ability to plan as well as meet untoward developments. Timely information about the weather and related matters was a vital element of this solution. Working on this project for 5 months led to getting the product ready, and they are writing a research paper on it. The article got accepted for publication in the IEEE Journal, one of the world’s largest technical professional organisation dedicated to advancing technology. The publication was not a modest achievement. IEEE has a very rigorous screening process with reviews by 10-15 members who score the submissions between -3 to 3. If the paper is accepted, then it is presented by the authors at a research conference. Agniswar’s team presented the paper at a conference in IIT Kanpur in July 2019, which he counts as excellent exposure.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Agniswar published a second paper, which was accepted in September 2019, for which he attended a research conference in November 2019 in Singapore. This paper wrote on the intelligence of robotics. Currently, he is working on his third research paper which involves combing IoT with augmented reality. The fusion of IoT & augmented reality promises to be immensely helpful for students who use equipment to run experiments.

Besides such projects, Agniswar has participated in 4 Hackathons so far, and his team has won every one of them. These were the Los Angeles Hacks, San Francisco Hacks, Developer Week, and Minerva.

Last semester Agniswar went to the University of California, Berkeley (one of the world’s most renowned technology school) and became a part of Robotics Lab. After a rigorous screening and interviewing process, he was accepted by the lab to work there for three months.

For students like Agniswar who was intent on pursuing research and real-life projects, SRM University, AP offers a conducive environment where students like him can push their limits, gain exposure, and have a real impact. This research focus and encouragement of students like Agniswar make SRM University, AP one of the most dynamic centres for learning for those who want to pursue excellence as a way of life and see their work have a meaningful impact.

One of the key elements of holistic learning is gaining deep and wide exposure at an early stage. This helps students to gain both depth and breadth of knowledge, especially when it comes to international opportunities. SRM University, AP through its tie-ups with international universities of repute provides students with such exposure and also encourage its students to participate in events, conferences, competitions, and internships. One such internship is the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) Minor Research Project / Internship. JAIST is an intensive research institute and was established in 1990. The internship itself is funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), a government agency. Through this internship, JAIST works to create leaders capable of contributing to the making of a future world by contributing valuable in science and technology, through its most advanced education and research in an ideal academic environment.

Bennet Benny, a B.Sc. Physics, 2nd Year student at SRM University, AP won the Sakura Internship Program 2019 at JAIST recently. Under the guidance of Prof. Ranjit Thapa, Bennet had applied for the internship in March 2019 and his internship period was between 16th December and 24th December, 2019. Bennet’s focus under the supervision of Prof. Ryo Maezono of JAIST was on electronic structure calculations using DFT and QMC computational methods on one of the supercomputers located at JAIST. Before proceeding to Japan, Bennet was supported by SRM University, AP faculty who recommended books and reading material to familiarise himself with the complex topics that he was going to work on at JAIST.

For Bennet, the internship was an excellent opportunity to learn more deeply about quantum mechanics, which analyses properties of materials at the atomic and subatomic levels. At JAIST, he was joined by five other students from Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia and each of the interns was assigned a workplace with a PC at their disposal. For starters, they were then taught the basics of Linux commands and about parallel computing. These skills were later used to run the simulations of Density-functional Theory and Quantum Monte Carlo. The internship helped Bennet to get aware of computational physics, its advantages, uses and the latest research around it. He was especially thrilled about the opportunity to see and be given access to the supercomputers that are housed at JAIST.

More importantly, Bennet counts the opportunity to experience a new and unique culture and to meet and work with people from different nations as a huge source of learning. He got a chance to meet people from different nationalities such as Japan, Indonesia, and China through the course of his internship, which was also his first experience of travelling to a foreign country. Experiencing a new culture and gaining a new perception of education in Japan, he was able to gain the motivation and inspiration to work hard to pursue his higher education and research. Outside of the rigorous internship work, the students were given a guided tour of the beautiful city of Kanazawa, where they visited the Kanazawa castle and the Kenroku-en Gardens, which is known as one of the three perfect gardens of Japan.

Bennet feels the combined experience will be beneficial for his budding career. The opportunity has provided him with the chance to develop many skills that could help him to work in one of the research laboratories at SRM University, AP and also to start the pursuit of his research work. The internship allowed him to gain exposure in a new field and he now intends to implement this learning to his original goal of pursuing a Masters in High Energy Physics. He feels every student should grab all the opportunities that SRM University, AP presents and utilise it rather than dither at the thought of the challenges that come with it.