Scientist of the day - C. N. R. Rao

Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao (C.N.R. Rao) is an Indian chemist, distinguished as one of the leading solid state and materials chemists around the world. His scientific career spanning over five decades saw him making significant contribution in development of the field that included his analysis on transition metal oxides. The study aided in comprehending the novel phenomenon and association of materials properties with that of structural chemistry of such materials. He was a front-runner in synthesizing two dimensional oxide materials like La2CuO4. For last twenty years, apart from working on hybrid materials, he has been making significant contribution to nanomaterials. At present he serves as Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, a responsibility he has undertaken under different regimes that speaks volumes of the immense faith shown upon him by different governments. He holds honorary doctorates of sixty universities across the world. Rao has penned down about 1500 research papers and 45 scientific books. On February 4, 2014, he was conferred the ‘Bharat Ratna’ by President Pranab Mukherjee. With this he became the third scientist after C.V. Raman and A. P. J. Abdul Kalam to receive the highest civilian honour of India. He has received several national and international honours and awards which include honorary fellowship of the ‘Royal Society of Chemistry’, London in 1989 and ‘Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur’ from France in 2005.

Childhood & Early Life

He was born on June 30, 1934, in Bangalore, Karnataka, to Hanumantha Nagesa Rao and Nagamma Nagesa Rao as their only child.

Awards & Achievements

• He was bestowed the highest civilian honour, the ‘Bharat Ratna’ on February 4, 2014.
• He has also received ‘Padma Shri’ (1974), ‘Padma Vibhushan’ (1985) and ‘Karnataka Ratna’ (2001) among other honours.

  Trivia

  He happens to be a technophobic and neither uses computers nor checks his emails by himself. According to him, he uses mobile phone to talk to his wife only.

Welcome NAAC Peer Team

Scientist of the day - Jonas Kubilius

Jonas Kubilius was a Lithuanian mathematician known for his work in probability theory and number theory. An educator by profession, he worked as a lecturer and professor at various prestigious institutions including the Vilnius University and the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. He was also the rector of the Vilnius University for 32 years. Born into a farming family in a village in Lithuania, he began displaying his brilliance at a young age. Even as a school boy he loved to study and was especially interested in science and mathematics. He understood mathematical concepts with outstanding clarity and even helped his teacher in explaining difficult mathematic equations to fellow students while in school. He seemed to be on the right track to make a brilliant career for himself when the political situation in Europe became increasingly tense. In spite of the turbulent political atmosphere he bravely continued his studies, graduated from high school, and enrolled at the Vilnius University to further his education. Eventually he embarked on a teaching career and continued his own education by working for a Doctor of Science degree from the Steklov Institute of Mathematics in Moscow. Later on he joined the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences where he promoted his scientific work in the areas of number theory and probability theory

Childhood & Early Life

Jonas Kubilius was born on 27 July 1921 in Fermos village, Eržvilkas county, Jurbarkas district municipality, Lithuania. He was from a family of farmers. He had four younger brothers.

Awards & Achievements

He received the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, the Lithuanian Presidential Award for his outstanding contribution to the field of mathematics.

Trivia

The Turán-Kubilius inequality and the Kubilius model in probabilistic number theory are named after this famous Lithuanian mathematician

Inventor of the day - Victor Francis Hess

Victor Francis Hess was an Austrian-American physicist who won the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of cosmic radiation. Born in late nineteenth century Austria, he graduated from the University of Graz and started his career at Institute of Radium Research of the Viennese Academy of Sciences. While working there in 1913, he discovered that atmospheric ionization was caused, not by the earth as was believed at that time, but by a highly penetrating ray that originated in the outer space. Unfortunately, at that time, there were few takers of the theory outside the University of Vienna and it was not until 1925 that his theory was corroborated and the ray was named as ‘cosmic ray’. He received Nobel Prize in Physics for this invention even later. Nonetheless, he kept on teaching at different Austrian universities and once Austria was occupied by Germany, Hess fled to USA. There too he kept on his research work and contributed significantly in the field of radioactivity. He was strongly opposed to nuclear test because he believed that very little was known about radioactivity to say for sure such tests, even if carried underground, would have no impact on the surface. 

Childhood & Early Life

Victor Francis Hess was born on the 24 June 1883, in Waldstein Castle, near Peggau in Steiermark, Austria. His father, Vinzens Hess, was a forester under the service of Prince Louis of Oettingen-Wallerstein. His mother’s name was Serafine Edle von Grossbauer-Waldstätt.

Major Works

Although Hess had undertaken research work all through his life and had made important contributions to an understanding of radiation and its effects on the human body, discovery of the cosmic rays is his most important work. It opened the door to many new discoveries in the field of nuclear physics as well as particle or high energy physics.

Awards & Achievements

• In 1919, he was awarded with the Ignaz Lieben Prize by the Austrian Academy of Sciences for the discovery of cosmic rays.
• In 1936, Victor Francis Hess jointly received Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of cosmic radiation.
• In 1932, Hess received Abbe Memorial Prize and the Abbe Medal of the Carl Zeiss Institute in Jena.
• In 1959, he was honored with Austrian Decoration for Science and Art by the government of Austria.

   

  Trivia

 Unfortunately, Pacini passed away in 1934, the year it was decided that Nobel Prize should honor the discoverer of the cosmic rays. Since this prize cannot be awarded posthumously Hess alone was honored for the discovery of cosmic rays.

International Olympic Day/ United Nations Public Services Day

International Olympic Day - June 23

Symbolic Anniversary

Olympic Day was introduced in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games on 23 June 1894 at the Sorbonne in Paris.  The goal was to promote participation in sport across the globe regardless of age, gender or athletic ability.

A Growing, Global Gathering

Over the last 20 years Olympic Day has been associated with Olympic Day Runs all over the world. From 45 participating National Olympic Committees (NOCs) in the first edition in 1987, the numbers have grown to nearly 200 participating NOCs. What’s more, many of the participating NOCs are in Africa – proving the event’s worldwide appeal.

The Olympic Day Run owes a debt of gratitude to the support provided by McDonald's, which in 2003 became worldwide partner to the event.

Move, Learn, Discover

Olympic Day is nowadays developing into much more than just a sports event. Based on the three pillars “move”, “learn” and “discover”, National Olympic Committees are deploying sports, cultural and educational activities. Some countries have incorporated the event into the school curriculum and, in recent years, many NOCs have added concerts and exhibitions to the celebration. Recent NOC activities have included meetings for children and young people with top athletes and the development of new web sites directing people to programmes in their neighbourhood.

 

Scientist of the day - Ada Yonath

Ada Yonath is one of the most revered global scientific personalities, who dedicated her life towards the study of the structure of ribosome. Born in an impoverished family, young Yonath showed traits of making it big since an early age. She was a curious child, inquisitive in her approach towards knowing the unknown. Despite being born in an underprivileged family, she did not compromise on her education and attained PhD degree in the field of Chemistry. Subsequently, she committed herself to the study of the structure and function of the ribosome. She made a massive contribution in the field of chemistry by introducing the innovative techniques in cryo bio-crystallography for enabling ribosomal crystallography. For the same, she was bestowed with Nobel Prize in Chemistry, which she shared with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas A. Steitz. With this, she became the first Israeli woman to win the Nobel Prize, the first woman from the Middle East to win a Nobel Prize in the sciences, and the first woman in 45 years to win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. 

Childhood & Early Life

Ada Yonath was born to Hillel and Esther Lifshitz, Zionist Jews, in Geula quarter of Jerusalem, on June 22, 1939. Six years before her birth, her family shifted to Palestine from Poland.

Awards & Achievements

• She currently holds membership of various scientific institutions and academics including United States National Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences; the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities; the European Academy of Sciences and Art and the European Molecular Biology Organization.
• Along with George Feher, she received the Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 2006 for structural discoveries of the ribosomal machinery of peptide-bond formation and the light-driven primary processes in photosynthesis.
• For her pioneering work in recognizing how bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, she was awarded with the L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science in 2008. With this, she became the first Israeli woman recipient of the award. Same year, she was bestowed with Albert Einstein World Award of Science for her contribution in the field of ribosomal crystallography.
• In 2009, along with Thomas Steitz and Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, she was conferred with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. She became the first Israeli woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize.

   

  Personal Life & Legacy

  Not much is known about her personal life and marriage, except for the fact that she has been blessed with a daughter Hagit Yonath, who is a doctor at the Sheba Medical Center. She has a granddaughter Noa.

   

  Trivia

  • For the study of the structure and functions of ribosome, she became the first Israeli woman to win the Nobel Prize. She is also the first woman from the Middle East to win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

International Yoga Day

World Refugee Day

The United Nations' (UN) World Refugee Day is observed on June 20 each year. This event honors the courage, strength and determination of women, men and children who are forced to flee their homeland under threat of persecution, conflict and violence. 

What Do People Do?

People honor the spirit and courage of millions of refugees worldwide on World Refugee Day. It is a day to recognize the contributions of refugees in their communities. Organizations such as Amnesty International and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) often get involved in various activities for the day. They may include:

• Activist protests against using former prisons to detain migrants and asylum seekers.
• Screenings of films about the lives of asylum seekers living in a western country.
• Organization members visiting asylum seekers in detention to offer moral support.
• Letters or petitions to governments on the treatment of asylum seekers in detention.

Some communities dedicate an entire week that includes World Refugee Day to encourage people to think about the lives of refugees and the human right to a secure place to that one can see as “home”.

Background

For years, many countries and regions have been holding their own events similar to World Refugee Day. One of the most widespread events is Africa Refugee Day, which is celebrated on June 20 in many countries. the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to express its solidarity with Africa on December 4, 2000.

The resolution noted that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees, and that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) agreed to have International Refugee Day coincide with Africa Refugee Day on June 20. The Assembly therefore decided that June 20 would be celebrated as World Refugee Day from 2001 onwards. This day was designated by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to bring attention to the plight of approximately 14 million refugees around the world.

Symbols

The UN Refugee Agency's (UNCHR) logo is often associated with the day. The colors used are either white on a blue background or blue on white background. The logo features olive branches that symbolize peace surrounding or protecting two hands facing each other, and in the middle a figure of a person protected by these hands. The logo is sometimes featured with the words “UNHCR”, followed by “The UN Refugee Agency” in smaller text to mark the logo.

The UNHCR in Canada uses a special World Refugee Day logo that features two figures – one smaller figure on the left and a taller figure on the right. They are protected by brackets or half circles. The words “World Refugee Day” are placed at the centre top of the figures, and “20 June” is placed at under the figures at the centre. All elements of the logo are the one color – green.

Happy Fathers Day

Father’s Day is celebrated worldwide to recognize the contribution that fathers and father figures make to the lives of their children. This day celebrates fatherhood and male parenting. Although it is celebrated on a variety of dates worldwide, many countries observe this day on the third Sunday in June.

Competitions @ International Yoga Day

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

 

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is celebrated on June 17, 2016. The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is a United Nations observance each year. Its purpose is to highlight ways to prevent desertification and recover from drought. Each annual celebration has a different theme. This day was proclaimed on January 30, 1995 by the United Nations General Assembly.

Desertification is a type of land degradation in which a relatively dry land region becomes increasingly arid, typically losing its bodies of water as well as vegetation and wildlife. It is caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities. Desertification is a significant global ecological and environmental problem.

Techniques exist for mitigating or reversing the effects of desertification, however there are numerous barriers to their implementation. One of these is that the costs of adopting sustainable agricultural practices sometimes exceed the benefits for individual farmers, even while they are socially and environmentally beneficial.[citation needed] Another issue is a lack of political will, and lack of funding to support land reclamation and anti-desertification programs.

Scientist of the day - Charles Augustin De Coulomb

Charles Augustin De Coulomb

Charles Augustin de Coulomb was a French physicist best known for developing the law of physics which is named after him. Coulomb’s law, also known as Coulomb’s inverse-square law, describes the electrostatic interactions between electrically charged particles. It was his discoveries and studies during the late 18th century that formed the foundation for the development of the theory of electromagnetism later on. He made equally important contributions in the field of friction studies, torsions, applied mechanics, and magnetism. Born into a wealthy family, he received a good education and was a very studious and bright student. He graduated from the Royal Engineering School of Mézières (École royale du génie de Mézières) and held a number of engineering jobs over the course of his professional life. He was also interested in research and began to write papers on applied mechanics. Alongside his engineering career, he continued his own work on friction and magnetism. Once he was asked to report on the feasibility of a navigable canal. Through his research he concluded that the proposed plan was too expensive—this angered the French bureaucracy and he was penalized. Knowing that he was right, he felt disappointed with the French government and decided to invest his efforts in the study of physics instead. 

Childhood & Early Life

Charles Coulomb was born on 14 June 1736, in Angouleme, France, to aristocratic parents. His father, Henri Coulomb worked as a lawyer, while his mother Catherine Bajet hailed from a well-established family.

Major Works

He is best known for developing Coulomb’s law which he first published in 1785. This law which described the electrostatic interaction between electrically charged particles led to the development of the theory of electromagnetism

Awards & Achievements

• His memoir on magnetic compasses earned him a shared first prize in the Paris Académie des Sciences competition in 1777.
• In 1781, he won the first prize at the Académie des Sciences for his work, ‘Theorie des Machines Simples ("Theory of Simple Machines")’ and was elected to the Academie as adjoint mécanicien.

   

  Personal Life & Legacy

• Charles Coulomb started a relationship with Louise Francoise LeProust Desormeaux with whom he had two sons. He married her in 1802 after the birth of their second son.
• He had always been of a delicate health. His later years were marked by ill health and he died on 23 August 1806.A lunar feature, ‘Crater Coulomb’ is named after him to honor his contributions to the world.

Trivia

• His name is included among the 72 names inscribed on the Eiffel Tower.
• The SI unit of electric charge, the coulomb, was named after him.
• The theory of earth pressure and the generalized wedge theory, related to soil mechanics propounded by him still form the basis of engineering practice.
• He is credited with the invention of the torsion balance.

World Blood Donor Day 2016

World Blood Donor Day 2016

World Blood Donor Day 2016 would be celebrated by the people all around the world on 14^th of June at, Tuesday.

World Blood Donor Day History

World Blood Donor Day is celebrated every year by the people in many countries around the world on 14^th of June. World Blood Donor Day is celebrated every year on the day of birthday anniversary of Karl Landsteiner on 14^th of June in 1868. This event celebration was first started in the year 2004 aiming to raise the public awareness about the need for safe blood donation (including its products) voluntarily and unpaid by the healthy person. Blood donors are the key role player at this day as they donate life-saving gifts of blood to the needed person.

It was first initiated and established to be celebrated annually on 14^th of June by “the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies” in the year 2004. World Blood Donor Day was officially established by the WHO with its 192 Member States in the month of May in 2005 at the 58^th World Health Assembly in order to motivate all the countries worldwide to thank the blood donors for their precious step, promote voluntary, safe and unpaid blood donations to ensure the sufficient blood supplies.

World Blood Donor Day celebration brings a precious opportunity to all donors for celebrating it on national and global level as well as to commemorate the birthday anniversary of the Karl Landsteiner (a great scientist who won the Nobel Prize for his great discovery of the ABO blood group system).

Why World Blood Donor Day is Celebrated

• World Health Organization is aimed to obtain the sufficient blood supplies from the voluntary and unpaid blood donors all over the world by 2020.
• According to the statistics, it has been noted that only 62 countries are getting sufficient blood supplies from the voluntary and unpaid blood donors whereas 40 countries are still dependent for the blood donations on the patient’s family member or paid donors. It is celebrated to motivate voluntary blood donors in rest of the countries worldwide.
• To make the blood donation act a precious gift to the receivers and get new life.
• WHO run this campaign by organizing many activities in all countries highlighting people’s stories who need immediate blood donation to continue their heart beat.
• It is celebrated to say lots of thank to the voluntary and unpaid blood donors all around the world for saving millions of lives.
• It is celebrated to fulfill the 100% voluntary and unpaid blood donation need worldwide.
• It is celebrated to motivate blood donors for safe blood donation for saving the life of mothers and babies (country’s future).
• It is celebrated to reduce the death rates (mortality rate) because of insufficient blood supply. Approximately 800 women are dying off due to malnourish pregnancy, childbirth-related complications, severe bleeding during or after delivery and etc.

• To motivate voluntary blood donors through educational programmes and campaigns in order to strengthen the blood transfusion services.

How World Blood Donor Day is Celebrated

World Blood Donor Day is celebrated annually to aware people for the need of safe blood transfusion as well as importance of blood donation throughout the world. The celebration involves organizing lots of activities and programs on international and national level.

Health care organizations like “the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Federation of Blood Donor Organizations (IFBDO) and the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT)” work jointly to organize international level programs to promote people globally.

Campaign celebration preparations are carried out by the Council of Europe for many years. The demand of safe blood transfusion is increasing day by day in spite of the blood donation by almost 92 million people every year worldwide. Activities involves organizing commemorative events, meetings, discussion, debates, quiz competitions, publishing relevant stories in newspapers, scientific conferences, publishing articles worldwide, international scientific journals, sports activities and other promotional activities in the public places, schools, colleges, universities and other educational institutions.

Scientisty of the day - James Maxwell

James Maxwell 

Accredited to be one of the greatest scientists ever, Scottish physicist James Maxwell was the man who propounded the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation. His discoveries are said to be of the same magnitude in their significance to physics as those of the great scientists Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. He had demonstrated way back in the late 19th century that electric and magnetic fields travel through space as waves. He played a key role in the development of the phenomena which became known as the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. He was one of the earliest of the modern physicists whose research formed the basis for further studies in the fields of special relativity and quantum mechanics. Maxwell had displayed an innate curiosity about the things around him from a young age. His mother encouraged her son’s thirst for knowledge but unfortunately died when he was just eight years old. The little boy grew up to be a bright and intelligent young man whose works would one day greatly influence 20th century physics. Regarded as one of the brightest minds of his time, he also made significant contributions to mathematics, astronomy and engineering. The life of this brilliant scientist was tragically cut short by cancer which claimed him when he was just 48.  

     Childhood & Early Life

James Clerk Maxwell was born on 13 June 1831, in Edinburgh, to John Clerk and Frances Cay. His father was a lawyer and his family was quite well off. His parents had met and married when they were well into their thirties and had lost a baby girl in infancy. He was born when his mother was 40 years old.

       Major Works

• Maxwell gave the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, which unified electricity, magnetism, and light as manifestations of the same phenomenon. His equations for electromagnetism are considered the "second great unification in physics" after the first one realised by Isaac Newton. The unification of light and electrical phenomena led to the prediction of the existence of radio waves.
• The development of the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution is one of his biggest contributions to physics. This distribution described particle speeds in idealized gases where the particles move freely and have brief collisions with each other.

   

  Awards & Achievements

• In 1859, he was awarded Adams Prize of £130 for his essay ‘On the Stability of the motion of Saturn’s rings’.
• He was bestowed with the Royal Society’s Rumford Medal in 1860 for his work of color

       Personal Life & Legacy

• He married Katherine Mary Dewar in 1858. His wife, the daughter of a college principal, helped him in his experiments. The couple had no children, and was very devoted towards each other.
• He became ill with abdominal cancer and died on 5 November 1879 at the age of 48. Years ago, his mother had died of the same disease at the same age.
• A mountain range on Venus, Maxwell Montes, is named in his honor as is the Maxwell Gap in the Rings of Saturn.

World Day Against Child Labour - 2016

 

 World Day Against Child Labour is observed on June 12, 2016. The World Day Against Child Labour is an International Labour Organization–sanctioned holiday for the purpose of raising awareness and activism to prevent child labour in both economic and military fields. The ILO created this observance in 2002 and it has been held annually since then.
Child labour refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organisations. Legislations across the world prohibit child labour. These laws do not consider all work by children as child labour; exceptions include work by child artists, supervised training, certain categories of work such as those by Amish children, and others.
Child labour was employed to varying extents through most of history. Before 1940, numerous children aged 5 - 14 worked in Europe, the United States and various colonies of European powers. With the rise of household income, availability of schools and passage of child labour laws, the incidence rates of child labour fell. In developing countries, with high poverty and poor schooling opportunities, child labour is still prevalent.

Scientist of the day - Edward Osborne Wilson

Edward Osborne Wilson or better known as E. O. Wilson is one of the world’s leading expert in the field of biology. Born in the Alabama, he spent his early childhood in the Washington. When his parents separated, Edward went on to stay with his father. Owing to a fishing accident in his childhood, Wilson had to live with a dysfunctional left eye his whole life. His disability prevented him from studying animals and birds in the field so he concentrated on studying miniature creatures such as ants and bugs. Thus began a long-lasting association and in today’s world he is regarded as the foremost authority on the study of ants which is also known as myrmecology and he has contributed immensely towards further discoveries in this field. In addition to myrmecology, E. O. Wilson is also credited for being the founding father of the branch of biology known as socio-biology and biodiversity. In addition to his research work, he has written bestselling books that have gone on to win major accolades. Many universities and organizations across the world have conferred upon him numerous accolades and honours. Read on to know more about the life, work and achievements of this eminent biologist 

Childhood & Early Life

Wilson was born on June 10, 1929 in the town of Birmingham, Alabama to Edward Wilson and Inez Wilson. In his early childhood, the Wilson family mainly lived in areas close to Washington DC and Mobile in Alabama.

Major Works

• The book ‘Diversity of Life’ he published in the year 1992 also went on to become one of the best sellers of the period and the book also explained how the extinction of certain species came about due to the various activities of human beings.

  Award & Achievements

• He won a Pulitzer Prize for the book ‘On Human Nature’ in the year 1979 and it remains one of the most important works on the subject of socio-biology.
• Wilson won the ‘Crandoor Prize’ in the year 1990 for his theory on island biogeography and it is the highest prize in the biological sciences that is decided by the ‘Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’.
• In the year 1991, he won the Pulitzer Prize again for his path breaking book ‘The Ants’ which he co-authored with Bert Holldobler.
• ‘TIME Magazine’, one of the most influential magazines in the world, named him among the top 25 most influential individuals in the USA.

World Oceans Day & World Brain Tumor Day

World Brain Tumor Day

World Brain Tumor Day takes place on June 08, 2016. The "Deutsche Hirntumorhilfe e.V." (German Brain Tumor Association) is a non-profit organisation which provides information and support to brain tumor patients. As a tribute to all brain tumor patients and their families the association announced the World Brain Tumor Day in 2000 as an international commemoration day.
Since the founding of the German Brain Tumor Association in 1998 more than 500 members from fourteen nations have been registered. The association is supported by patients and their family members as well as health professionals and scientists. A key goal is to seek a cure for brain tumors.

World Oceans Day 2016 

Theme: Healthy oceans, healthy planet 

The ocean is the heart of our planet. Like your heart pumping blood to every part of your body, the ocean connects people across the Earth, no matter where we live. The ocean regulates the climate, feeds millions of people every year, produces oxygen, is the home to an incredible array of wildlife, provides us with important medicines, and so much more! In order to ensure the health and safety of our communities and future generations, it’s imperative that we take the responsibility to care for the ocean as it cares for us.

This year, the theme is Healthy oceans, healthy planet, and we’re making a special effort to stop plastic pollution.

Plastic pollution is a serious threat because it degrades very slowly, polluting waterways for a very long time. In addition, plastic pollution impacts the health of aquatic animals because animals including zooplankton mistake the microbeads for food. Scientists also fear health impacts for humans.

The United Nations will celebrate World Oceans Day 2016 and recognize the winners of the Annual World Oceans Day Oceanic Photo Competition at an event on 8 June 2016 at the United Nations Headquarters.

Why do we celebrate World Oceans Day?

• To remind everyone of the major role the oceans have in everyday life. They are the lungs of our planet, providing most of the oxygen we breathe.
• To inform the public of the impact of human actions on the ocean.
• To develop a worldwide movement of citizens for the ocean.
• To mobilize and unite the world’s population on a project for the sustainable management of the world's oceans. They are a major source of food and medicines and a critical part of the biosphere.
• To celebrate together the beauty, the wealth and the promise of the ocean.

Scientist of the day - Karl Ferdinand Braun

Karl Ferdinand Braun was a German physicist and inventor who received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1909. He shared the prize with another inventor and scientist Guglielmo Marconi. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work in the development of the technologies used in television and radio. He became interested in experimenting with wireless telegraphy at an early age. The distance that could be covered by the wireless technology developed by Marconi was about 15 kilometers only. The antenna was connected directly to the power circuit of the transmitter. Braun developed an antenna that could increase the distance by many more kilometers over which wireless transmissions could be made. He is also famous for the creation of the Cathode Ray Tube or CRT used in the design of TV screens and computer monitors later. He designed ways to control the cathode rays by changing the voltage to obtain a definite pattern on the fluorescent screen which had not been possible earlier. The oscilloscope was also his invention which is used in electrical and electronic laboratories as an instrument for measuring different electrical parameters. He also invented the first ‘cat’s whisker diode’ which led to the invention of crystal receivers for radios. 

Childhood & Early Life

Karl Ferdinand Braun was born on June 6, 1850 in Fulda, Germany to Johan Konrad Braun and Franziska Gohring Braun. He was the fourth child of his parents.

Major Works

His patented theories have been published in the books titled as ‘Electro Telegraphy by means of Condensers and Induction Coils’ and ‘Wireless Electro Transmission of Signals over Surfaces’.

Awards & Achievements

Karl Ferdinand Braun was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1909 for his path-breaking discovery work in wireless telegraphy and television technology and inventions.

Personal Life & Legacy

• He married Amelie Buhler in 1883 while working at the Polytechnic school in Karlsruhe.
• He had two sons and two daughters from this marriage.
• Karl Ferdinand Braun died on April 20, 1918 in Brooklyn New York, United States, before the end of the First World War.

World Environment Day 2016

 

Environment Day

World environment day is also known as the Environment Day, Eco Day or short form WED. It has been one of the great annual events for years which is being celebrated worldwide by the people aiming to protect the unique and life nurturing Nature on every 5^th June.

World Environment Day 2016

World environment day 2016 would be celebrated by the people all across the world on 5^th of June, at Sunday.

Why World Environment Day is Celebrated

World environment day annual celebration campaign was started to address the huge environmental issues like wastage and losses of food, deforestation, increasing global warming and so many. Every year celebration is planned according to the particular theme and slogan of the year to bring effectiveness in the campaign all through the world.

• It is celebrated to make aware the common public about the environmental issues.
• Encourage common people from different society and communities to actively participate in the celebration as well as become an active agent in developing environmental safety measures.
• Let them know that community people are very essential to inhibit negative changes towards the environmental issues.
• Encourage people to make their nearby surroundings safe and clean to enjoy safer, cleaner and more prosperous future.

World Environment Day Activities

Variety of activities are planned to celebrate this great event in different countries to encourage more people towards the celebration. Various news channels take part very actively in the celebration to cover the news and distribute messages about the celebration among common public through their news publications to bring effective and positive changes towards the environment to solve all the environmental issues. Some of the national and international level activities include street rallies, tree plantation, garbage recycling, surrounding areas clean-up, parades and so many activities in order to draw people attention towards wide range of environmental issues as well as bring difference.

World Environment Day Theme and Slogan

Each year celebration of the World Environment Day is based on the particular theme decided by the United Nations to make the celebration more effective by encouraging mass people worldwide to hugely take part in addressing environmental issues on global scale. Year wise list of the themes and slogans of world environment day are mentioned below:

• The theme of the year 2016 would be “Join the race to make the world a better place”.
• The theme of the year 2015 was “One World, One Environment”.

Career@Aditya Polytechnic Colleges

World Milk Day & Global Parents Day

 

 

World Milk Day 2016

World Milk Day 2016 would be celebrated by the people all over the world on 1^st of June, at Wednesday.

World Milk Day History

World Milk Day was first celebrated in 2001 all across the world by the participation of many countries. The number of participating countries in the celebration is increasing year by year. Since then, it is celebrated every year focusing to publicize the activities related to the milk and milk industries all through the world. This celebration has been nationalized by organizing celebration related activities on national and international level. It is celebrated to increase the public awareness about the importance of milk and milk products for everyone throughout the whole life.

World Milk Day was first established to be celebrated every year on world level on 1^st of June by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. It was selected on 1^st of June as the national milk day was already being celebrated by many countries during this time.

Why World Milk Day is Celebrated

World Milk Day is celebrated by the people all across the world on annual basis on 1^st of June. It is celebrated to increase the common public awareness about all aspects of the natural milk such as its natural origin, milk nutritional value and various milk products including its economic importance throughout the globe. It has been started celebrating in several countries (Malaysia, Colombia, Romania, Germany, United Arab Emirates, USA and etc) by the participation of various consumers and employees of milk industries.

Milk is focused as the global food throughout the celebration of world milk day. Varieties of promotional activities (describing the importance of milk as a healthy and balanced diet) are launched by the International Dairy Federation on its website online. Various members of the health organizations take part in the celebration to work together in order to distribute the message of milk importance to the common public through the promotional activities all through the day.

World Milk Day celebration has impacted large population to understand them the reality of milk. Milk is great source of all the healthy nutrients required by the body (calcium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, iodine, iron, potassium, folates, vitamin A, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B12, protein, healthy fat and etc. It is very energetic diet provides instant energy to the body as it contains high quality proteins including both essential and non-essential amino acids and fatty acids.

World Milk Day Activities

As milk is an important food for everyone and must to add in the balanced diet on daily basis, world milk day celebration has brought an effective revolution among the common public about the importance of milk. World milk day celebration brings a perfect opportunity every year for each one all through the word to get the new messages about adding milk in the balanced diet. It is celebrated by the association members on national and international level by working together to convey the message among public through lots of promotional activities.

World milk day celebration was initiated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in 2001 in order to encourage common social public about the milk and dairy products consumption as their daily diet. All aspects of the milk are annually celebrated through this event in many countries all around the world. The number of countries want to take part in the celebration is increasing every year to bring more effect.

 Global Day of Parents

Global Day of Parents is a United Nations observance held on June 1. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 and has been celebrated annually ever since.

Most countries observe Mother's Day and Father's Day to celebrate all parents, and some countries have a combined Parents' Day. In order to support this tradition and honor parents throughout the world, the UN General Assembly proclaimed Global Day of Parents to appreciate all parents for their selfless commitment to children.

In every culture and society, parents are primary caregivers of children responsible for the nurturing and protection of their offspring. Development of a child's personality heavily depends on his or her parents' ability to create a safe and at the same time challenging environment. Global Day of Parents focuses on raising awareness of the important role parents play in bringing up children and therefore in the development of local communities and societies in general.

Interestingly, Global Day of Parents coincides with International Day for Protection of Children celebrated in some former and current communist and socialist states. However, Universal Children's Day established and promoted by the United Nations is held on November 20.