Dr Banerjee gets award for best thesis
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 30
A talk on “Carbon nanotube materials in single and multi-walled formations” by Prof V.K. Jindal from the Physics Department, Panjab University, marked the conclusion of the five-day symposium on ‘Solid state physics’, organised here by the Department for Atomic Energy.

Prof Jindal showed how carbon nanotubes could easily slide, roll or rotate on a graphine sheet. From his experiments, it was concluded that these could be employed in the field of nano-electronics as extremely small-sized pistons and very smooth ball bearings.

Twelve oral presentations on different aspects of solid state physics were also made today. In a technical session, chaired by Dr M Ramanadham from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, various aspects of the symposium were discussed by senior scientists and suggestions were also provided by young researchers.

The maximum number of talks given during the symposium were on the subject of nano-materials, while the largest number of posters exhibited dealt with surfaces, interfaces and thin films.

Nano-structured materials could be thought of as materials of the size of one ten-billionth part of a meter. Such systems which consist of 10 to 1000 atoms would have unique properties and were catching worldwide attention as materials for future technology.

The award for the best thesis presented during the symposium went to Dr Arita Banerjee of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata. The thesis dealt with the preparation, characterisation and measurement of properties of some magnetic materials.

NSS camp starts with cleanliness drive
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 30
For the first time, an NSS camp was organised by the Government College for Girls, Sector 42. Starting off with a massive cleanliness drive within the college campus and a demonstration on vermiculture, volunteers undertook several social welfare activities in Kajheri village which has been adopted by the college.

A door-to-door campaign for educating villagers about sanitation, public health, vaccination and pulse polio was undertaken which revealed that basic tests and medicines were not available to them. Problems of villagers were also conveyed to the panchayat.

A massive AIDS awareness rally was organised and volunteers carried out a special door-to-door campaign to spread awareness about the diseases, its causes and symptoms. The camp, which commenced on December 21, concluded today with a cultural programme.

Sweaters to slum children

To wish children from labour colonies, who are part of the Durga Das Foundation’s night school and creche, a Happy New Year, the Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), today presented them sweaters.

The Governor encouraged the children to have a goal and the ability to surmount odds if they were to realise their vision of being economically independent. He also lauded the foundation’s efforts at making literacy their primary focus and building a donor base which is able to pool in material as well as non-material resources.

The Governor later interacted with members of the Durga Das Children’s Library, which has over 400 members drawn from different schools of the city.