IFLA Journal Article "Legacy of the Bengal Renaissance in Public Library Development in India", December 2015

Legacy of the Bengal Renaissance in Public Library Development in India
by Anup Kumar Das
IFLA Journal, 2015, 41(4): 370–380. DOI: 10.1177/0340035215603992

Abstract: The 19th- and 20th-century Bengal Province in India was a nerve-centre with hosts of socio-cultural and religious reform movements due to its early association with secular liberal western education. Modern institutions of higher learning, established by colonial rulers, European missionaries and contemporary social reformers, led to the awakening of Bengali educated communities. This Bengal Renaissance had contributed towards strengthening production of Bengali literature and the development of the Bengali language. Socially active reformers established community libraries as community learning space in their respective localities. Many century-old libraries are still in existence. These community libraries extended their access to the youth, students, industrial workers and lifelong learners. With this background, this paper aims at in-depth analysis of the legacy of the Bengal Renaissance in the development of public libraries in India during colonial British rule. This paper also looks into the role of the individual reformist genres in the design and delivery of effective public library services and library outreach services in the province.
Keywords: History, community libraries, public libraries, metropolitan libraries, India, South Asia, Bengal Province, Bengal Renaissance, British Raj
Download: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0340035215603992

Call for Participation: India International Science Festival (IISF2015), 4-8 December, at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

India International Science Festival  (IISF2015)
4-8 December 2015
Venue: Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

India International Science Festival (IISF 2015), a joint event of Ministry of Science and Technology (DST, DBT and DSIR/CSIR) and Ministry of Earth Sciences, is being organized during December 04-08, 2015 at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) have been chosen as the nodal government institution to organize this mega event in collaboration with Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA). IISF aims to provide a single platform to promote interaction among the people and scientists from South Asian Countries to share and spread scientific ideas and discoveries. Around 3500 participants, delegates, invitees, renowned experts are expected to attend various components of IISF 2015.

Objectives
IISF 2015 is being organized with the following objectives:

•     Exposing the fruits of Science and Technology to the masses
•     Building strategy to instill scientific temper among the people
•     Showcasing Indian contributions in the field of S&T over the years
•     Providing platform to young scientists from South Asian and other neighbouring countries for exchange of knowledge & ideas
•     Supporting flagship programmes like Make in India, Digital India, Start-up India, Smart Villages, Smart Cities etc. initiated by the Govt. of India

Events
The events to be held under IISF 2015 are as follows:

•     Young Scientists' Conference
•     Industry Academia Conclave
•     National Level Exhibition & Project Competition (NLEPC) under 'INSPIRE' Programme of DST
•     Techno-industry Expo
•     Science Film Festival
•     Practical Science Laboratory Demonstration

Young Scientists' Conference
Young Scientists' Conference, the key component of IISF 2015 would focus on presentation of technical papers and posters in the following sub-themes :

•     Indigenous knowledge
•     Innovative agricultural practices & livestock management
•     Integrated healthcare including innovative diagnostic aids
•     Vector control & mitigation
•     Remote sensing applications
•     Smart design and advanced manufacturing technologies in line with 'Make in India'
•     Green energy
•     Waste to wealth technologies, water & ocean resources, environmental management & climate change

IISF 2015 targets to involve and include commoners with a view to improve their scientific understanding, temperament and appreciation for various feats in science & technology. IISF also targets to showcase innovative practices and achievements by Indian science & technology system. Another important milestone of IISF 2015 would be to promote India's Indigenous Knowledge, well acclaimed in the world. IISF 2015 would provide an effective platform for the scientists-students interactions and also host large-scale practical science laboratory demonstration. Concurrent with the conference, another component of IISF would encompass techno-industrial expo with the participation of national agencies such as DRDO, BARC, ISRO etc. along with the leading PSUs. Science communication by effective media interception such as science documentaries, films etc. would another key component of IISF 2015. All of these are expected to make IISF 2015 stand apart from other events held in the country.

Download IISF2015 Brochure: http://iisfdelhi.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/iisf-brochure-low-res-01-10-15.pdf

Online Register Here: http://iisfdelhi.org/members/

Current Science Editorial "Innovation – Which Way?" | 25 November 2015

Current Science Editorial
Innovation – Which Way?
Current Science, 109(10): 1759-60, 25Nov
Download: http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/109/10/1759.pdf

Current Science articles & book reviews | 25 November 2015

Accounting for gender research performance differences in ranking universities
by Giovanni Abramo and Ciriaco Andrea D'Angelo
Current Science, 109(10): 1783-9, 25Nov
Abstract: The literature on the theme of gender differences in research performance indicates a gap in favour of men over women. Beyond the understanding of the factors that could be at the basis of this phenomenon, it is worthwhile understanding if it would be appropriate to conduct the evaluation per population in a manner distinguished by gender. In fact, if there is some factor that structurally determines a penalization of performance by women researchers compared to men, then the comparative evaluation in the performance of organizations' that do not take gender into account will lead to an advantage for those that employ more men, under parity in the capacities of their staff. In this work we measure the differences in the performance and the rank of research institutions as observed when gender is taken into account compared to when it is ignored. The study population consists of all Italian universities and the performance measured in the hard sciences for the period 2006–2010.
Download: http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/109/10/1783.pdf

Indian Solar Radiation Atlas is launched
by Anup Kumar Das,
Current Science, 109(10):1765, 25Nov
Download: http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/109/10/1765.pdf

Book Review "India: Science & Technology, Vol3, edited by CSIR NISTADS"
Current Science, 109(10):1875-6, 25Nov
Download: http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/109/10/1875.pdf

Scientification and Scientism in the Humanities: International Conference | at JNU Convention Center | 25-26 Nov

Scientification and Scientism in the Humanities: International Conference
Venue: Committee Room, JNU Convention Center, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
25-26 November 2015

Organizing Institutions:
Freie Universität Berlin
Heidelberg University
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Manipal University

Organizers
Christoph Wulf (Freie Universität Berlin)
Harish Naraindas (JNU, New Delhi)
Axel Michaels (Heidelberg University)
Sundar Sarukkai (Manipal University)

About: A joint conference will be organized by Prof. Christoph Wulf from FU Berlin and Prof. Axel Michaels from Heidelberg University at JNU on 25th November 2015. The topic of the conference is of central importance in the heated discussion in 'India if Sanskrit. Knowledge can be considered as an early form of scientific knowledge. In politics quite a few people assume that Sanskrit knowledge is a preform of scientific knowledge and use the label "scientific" to postulate continuity between Indian cultural traditions and modern sciences. The conference participants will discuss theses discourses and will analyze to what degree the notion of science is used or misused to reinforce and legitimize existing cultural and societal traditions.

Conference Program

Wednesday, 25th of November

9.00-9.30 Opening
9:00-9:10 Introductory Remarks by Christoph Wulf / Harish Naraindas
9:10-9:20 Opening Remarks by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. S.K. Sopory
9:20 – 9:30 Remarks by the Dean, School of Social Sciences, Prof. C.P. Chandrasekhar
Session I - Challenges and Limits of Sciences
Chair: Surinder Jodhka, Centre for the Study of Social Systems, JNU
09.30 – 10.15: Sundar Sarukkai (Manipal): How science itself challenges scientism
10.15 – 11.00: Christoph Wulf (Berlin): Dominance of Scientific Knowledge and the Devaluation of Other Forms of Knowledge.
Session II - Health and Medicine
Chair: Gordon McOuat, History of Science and Technology Programme, University of King's College, Halifax
11.30 - 12.15: William S. Sax (Heidelberg): The Birth of the (Exorcism) Clinic: medicine, media and the jinn
12.15 – 13.00: Ananda Samir Chopra (Heidelberg): The science in Āyurveda – forming contemporary Āyurveda between modern science and traditional knowledge
14.30 – 15.15: Harish Naraindas (New Delhi): Techno-sacramentalism. Magic, religion and science in German medicine
Session III - Nature, Agriculture, and Nutrition
Chair: Ram Ramaswamy, School of Physical Sciences, JNU
15.45 – 16.30: Susan Visvanathan (New Delhi): Thinking about agriculture in an industrializing economy
16.30 -17.15: V. Sujatha (New Delhi): Food: A numerical value. Understanding nutrition and body weight in the global South and North
17.15- 18.00 Daniel Münster (Heidelberg): After the agrarian crisis: alternative agronomics of natural farming in South India

Thursday, 26th of November

Session IV - Mathematics and Computer Sciences
Chair: Girish Nath Jha, Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies, JNU
09.00 – 09.45: Axel Michaels (Heidelberg): Mathematics and Vedic mathematics
09.45 – 10.30: Anand Mishra (Heidelberg): Sanskrit and computer science
Session V - Philosophy/Religion and Sciences: A difficult relationship
Chair: Gopal Guru, Centre for Political Studies, JNU
11.00 – 11.45: Franson Manjali: (New Delhi): Modernity, colonialism and the emergence of a scientific approach in language studies
11.45 - 12.30: Jan Houben (Paris): The Art of Grammar: 'science', human interest, and the construction of cultural and political worlds
Session VI- Language / Subjectivity and Science
Chair: NN
14.00 – 14.45: Babu Thaliath (New Delhi): The Scientism of Early Modernity and the prevailing scholastic discourse on principium individuationis
14.45 – 15.30: Almut Renger (Berlin): Legitimation strategies of a spiritual authority figure
16.00 – 16.45 Dhruv Raina:
Title TBA ("Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods." Albert Einstein)
Session VII - Final Discussion and Planning of future joint research on the relationship between practical knowledge and science
16.45-17.45 Concluding Remarks and Vote of Thanks by Harish Naraindas

Please register yourself at scientismconference2015@gmail.com (Name, institutional address, email id, phone number).

Further Details: http://www.facebook.com/events/1694327937520481/

[UNESCO CI News] CI highlights

UNESCO Communication and Information Weekly Newsletter

• 20.11.15 South Sudan media stakeholders appeal for decriminalization of defamation in media laws A two-day conference held in Juba to mark International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (2 November), has recommended decriminalization of defamation as is contained in the South Sudan 2013 Media Authority Act. It also appealed to the government to speed up investigation of the seven journalists killed in South Sudan, with a view to end impunity on crimes against journalists and eliminate the country's rating on global impunity index.

• 20.11.15 UNESCO endorses new approach to Internet issues In a groundbreaking decision on UNESCO's role in the digital age, on Tuesday, 17 November 2015 the Organization's 195 Member States endorsed options for action on Internet-related issues, including embracing the concept of Internet Universality.

• 20.11.15 Global design contest for World Press Freedom Day 2016: Extension of deadline to 7 December 2015 The deadline for the global design contest for World Press Freedom Day 2016 has been extended to Monday 7 December 2015.

• 20.11.15 Director-General condemns killing of Brazilian community radio journalist Israel Gonçalves Silva The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today denounced the murder of Brazilian radio journalist Israel Gonçalves Silva.

• 20.11.15 UNESCO General Conference adopts unanimously a new normative instrument on the preservation of documentary heritage The preservation of documentary heritage materials is one of the daunting tasks of memory institutions worldwide. This task is becoming more and more important, not least because of the fast development of the Internet and the digital technologies as well as with the well-documented need for updated legislation at national and international levels. For UNESCO, it is beyond doubt that humanity's documentary heritage is a fundamental expression of the richness and diversity of different cultures and traditions and its preservation is therefore considered of the utmost importance.

• 19.11.15 What do young people want from their national broadcasters? On 4 and 5 November, young civil society practitioners, representatives from the Jordanian Radio and Television Corporation and Roya TV, regional and international media experts, came together in Amman to discuss how to develop TV programming that more closely reflects the views, concerns and interests of young people.

• 18.11.15 Training for security forces in Côte d'Ivoire on freedom of expression Security forces in Côte d'Ivoire participated in a three-day workshop on freedom of expression and public order organized by the UNESCO Office in Abidjan, with the support of UNDP, from 12 to 14 November 2015, in Grand-Bassam. In total 25 officers of the national police and five journalists attended the training.

• 18.11.15 UNESCO enhanced professional and accurate media reporting in times of elections in Skopje Media professionalism is crucial during election periods. A free and fair election is not just about the freedom to vote, it also depends on the information offered to citizens to engage in the public debate and make informed choices.

• 17.11.15 UNESCO upgrades its global toolkit for the digital world On the 70th anniversary of its creation, UNESCO adopts new tools to address privacy, freedom of expression, radicalization, hate speech, access to information and knowledge, and other key challenges of the digital age.

• 17.11.15 UNESCO Internet Freedom Series Publications launched at 10th IGF Six editions of UNESCO's flagship series publications on fostering Internet freedom were launched and presented at the 10th Internet Governance Forum (IGF), 12th November. All editions are available online, with 700 hard copies of the publications distributed at the Forum.

• 17.11.15 Libyan journalists tackle the challenge of widespread impunity As part of commemorations marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, Libyan journalists and Human Rights activists have recommended a number of concrete proposals to enable the continuity of their work and to ensure that crimes against media professionals do not go unnoticed or unchallenged.

• 17.11.15 UNESCO launched its comprehensive study Keystones to Foster Inclusive Knowledge Societies at the 10th IGF "We congratulate UNESCO for conducting such valuable research and engaging all stakeholders in the process", was the sentiment of several speakers at UNESCO Open Forum 13th November at the 10th IGF.

• 17.11.15 Director-General condemns killing of journalist Zaman Mehsud in Pakistan The Director-General of UNESCO today denounced the killing of journalist Zaman Mehsud, in the Tank district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on 3 November.

• 13.11.15 High-level participants from over 50 countries ready to join in the dialogue on gender equality in media The twin events International Development and Cooperation Meeting on Gender and Media, and the First General Assembly of the Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMAG) will take place in one month, from 7 to 10 December in Geneva.

• 13.11.15 UNESCO new research on balancing privacy and transparency debated at 10th IGF "Privacy and transparency do not balance each other, but complement each other", asserted by professor Joseph Cannataci at the University of Groningen, who has led the new UNESCO research project "Balancing privacy and transparency in the context of promoting online freedom of expression".

• 13.11.15 National Open University of Nigeria commissions a unit for Open Educational Resources. With the support of the UNESCO Programme for Open Educational Resources (OER), the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) officially commissioned a dedicated Unit for Open Educational Resources. The specialised Unit marked NOUN's commitment to championing OER in Nigeria, West Africa, and beyond. The purpose of the Unit is to integrate OERs into all levels of teachings and learnings in NOUN to enhance the quality and access to higher education for thousands of Nigerians and African students.

• 13.11.15 Towards a Revised UNESCO's Language Vitality Index UNESCO, in cooperation with SOAS World Languages Institute supported by the London Middle East Institute in UK, is organizing a two-day consultative expert meeting on the revision of UNESCO's Language Vitality Index, which will be used for the development of UNESCO's World Atlas of Languages.

• 13.11.15 Inception workshop held for community radio stations under UNESCO/SIDA project in Uganda UNESCO organized a two-day inception workshop to lay foundation for support of four local community radio stations - Radio Apac FM, Speak FM, Nakaseke FM, and Mama FM - under its SIDA funded project themed: "Empowering Local Radios with ICTs" from 4 to 5 November 2015 in Kampala, Uganda. The workshop aimed at enabling community practitioners from the beneficiary stations to learn more about the project, select their priority activities, mobilize local involvement of various stakeholders from the media sector to ensure the smooth running of the UNESCO/SIDA project during the period of its implementation (2015-2017) in Uganda.

• 12.11.15 Internet Universality explored at the 10th IGF "The Internet Universality framework contributes to the achievement of the 2030 agenda in formulating a holistic, integrated and synergetic approach towards ICTs and the Internet", the Director of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science in Latin America and the Caribbean, Lidia Brito, has stated.

• 11.11.15 International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists commemorated in Tunisia As a part of the worldwide commemorations of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI), the workshop "Safety of journalists: practices and legislation in the transitional context", was organized in Tunisia, on 2 November 2015. Its aim was to assess the situation of safety of journalists in Tunisia and discussing the legislative framework and legal practices of administrative and judicial investigations into attacks and crimes committed against journalists in the country.

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Global Geoparks get UNESCO branding

UNESCO Press Release No.2015-129

Global Geoparks get UNESCO branding

Paris, 19 November – The 195 Member States of UNESCO have ratified the creation of a new label, the UNESCO Global Geoparks, on 17 November 2015. This expresses governmental recognition of the importance of managing outstanding geological sites and landscapes in a holistic manner.

The decision was taken by Member States at UNESCO’s General Conference, the governing body of the Organization, which met in Paris from 3 to 18 November.

UNESCO Global Geoparks tell the 4,600 million year story of Planet Earth and of the geological events that shaped it as well as the evolution of humanity itself. Not only do they show evidence of past climate changes, they also inform local communities of present day challenges and help them prepare for hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions.

UNESCO Global Geoparks strive to raise awareness of geodiversity and promote protection, education and tourism best practices. Together with World Heritage sites and Biosphere Reserves, UNESCO Global Geoparks form a complete range of sustainable development tools and make an invaluable contribution to the realisation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals by combining global and local perspectives.

This new branding formalizes a relationship with Geoparks first established in 2001. Since then, Geoparks through the Global Geoparks Network have grown to include 120 sites all over the world. They have become an increasingly important tool for UNESCO to engage Member States and their communities in the Earth Sciences and geological heritage.

During the 38^th session of UNESCO’s General Conference, Member States also decided to endorse the statutes of a new international programme: the International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme (IGGP). This allows the Organisation to more closely reflect the societal challenges of Earth Science today and provides an international status to a former network of sites of geological significance.

****

Media contact: Agnès Bardon, UNESCO press service. Tel : +33 (0) 1 45 68 17 64, a.bardon@unesco.org

Related links:

·       International Geoscience and Geoparks Programme (IGGP) http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/earth-sciences/

·       Statutes of the IGGP
Français | English | Español (PDF)

·       UNESCO Global Geoparks http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/earth-sciences/global-geoparks/

·       Photogallery https://flic.kr/s/aHskp921pd

 

New Book "Needham's Indian Network: The Search for a Home for the History of Science in India" by Dhruv Raina

Needham's Indian Network: The Search for a Home for the History of Science in India

by Dhruv Raina, ZHCES, JNU

New Delhi. Yoda Press, 2015, 148 pages, Paperback, ISBN: 9789382579113.

Abstract: Needham's Indian Network traces the attempts to create a space for the disciplinary history of science in India in the first few decades after Independence. It does so by narrating the efforts of an important transnational network of historians and historians of science who attempted to institutionalize the history of science in India during the 1950s – a crucial decade as far as science and technology in India are concerned. An important part of this network was the remarkable intellectual and historian of science, Joseph Needham. This book delineates, for the first time, the connections between Needham and Indian historians of science as well as his lasting influence on many of them. During the first decade in the life of a newly independent nation, historians of science like A. Rahman tried to develop a curriculum for undergraduate and graduate teaching, while reflecting on the prioritization of research themes and programmes, and the central concerns of the historiography of science. With its narrative located at the end of the Second World War and the first decade of decolonization, this book also focuses on the problematic nature of the historiography of science and its relation with theories of modernity and modernization that were central to the projects of nation building.

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PUS Article "It will be a disaster! How people protest against things which have not yet happened" by Mathieu Quet (Visiting Fellow at CSSP)

It will be a disaster! How people protest against things which have not yet happened
by Mathieu Quet (Visiting Fellow at CSSP)
Public Understanding of Science, 2015, 24(2): 210-224.

Abstract: In the field of science and technology studies, recent works have analyzed the multiplication of promises and predictions as a major evolution of science management. The authors involved in this "sociology of technical expectations" have documented the role played by promises in the elaboration of scientific projects and their impact on the social reception of scientific issues. Yet, little attention has been paid to the predictions regarding undesirable technological futures. This article proposes therefore to analyze the discursive and argumentative practices through which journalists, scientists, and politicians denounce and propose to counter a public issue "which does not exist yet": gene doping (no case of gene doping has been recorded to date). After a literature review of the field of the sociology of technological expectations and a presentation of the corpus, the article describes the structure of predictions and analyzes the discursive strategies according to which social actors predict a disaster in the making. The analysis is based on the study of media discourses about gene doping, in a corpus of 163 French language articles from European newspapers, published between 1998 and 2012.

Download Full-text PDF: http://pus.sagepub.com/content/24/2/210.full.pdf+html

Indian Express "Behind Historic Top-100 Rank, IISc’s New Research Course"

Behind Historic Top-100 Rank, IISc's New Research Course
In its engineering streams, IISc has seen a surge in collaborative research with industries, forging alliances with global players in the telecom, automobile and aviation sector.
by Johnson T A, Bengaluru | Nov 16, 2015 | Indian Express

A new undergraduate course in research and close attention to details required to enter the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings for engineering and technology universities helped the Indian Institute of Science enter the top 100 rankings for the first time ever for an Indian university, according to IISc director Anurag Kumar.
Bengaluru-based IISc was ranked at 99 in the annual rankings of the top 100 engineering and tech universities by the London-based Times Higher Education last week. No Indian university has figured in the top 100 list for engineering and technology universities in the past.
Although IISc has figured at the highest position for Indian universities in the THE overall world university rankings in the past with a ranking between 276-300 in 2014-15, the institute has never entered the top 100 rankings for engineering and technology universities.
"We have not had the time to compare our rankings in the past with the 2016 rankings. What has given us a good ranking in my view is the completion of the first batch of our undergraduate programme and attention to providing complete data required for the rankings. The completion of the first batch of the UG programme has got us into the ranking," IISc chief Kumar said.
The four-year undergraduate BSc (research) course is a multi-disciplinary programme that combines science and engineering lessons, and prepares students to meet the vocational and research demands of the modern technology world.
For its ranking at 99 in the THE list of engineering and technology universities, IISc was, like other universities, evaluated on five parameters — teaching, international outlook, industry income, research and citations. An overall percentage of marking was also provided.
IISc, which never figured in these rankings in previous years, got an overall tally of 49.3 out of a maximum possible 100 while the top Asian university — the National Technological University of Singapore ranked at 13 — got an overall tally of 88.5 marks.
With a 8:2 student teacher ratio and one per cent international students in its 3,318 population, IISc got a 60.7 per cent marking for teaching, 21.2 for international outlook, 48.8 for industry income, 46.7 for research and 42.4 for citations.
In its engineering streams, IISc has seen a surge in collaborative research with industries, forging alliances with global players in the telecom, automobile and aviation sector.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/behind-historic-top-100-rank-iiscs-new-research-course/