The International Year of the Periodic Table 2019 | Join the celebrations!

The International Year of the Periodic Table 2019

The Periodic Table of Chemical Elements is one of the most significant achievements in science, capturing the essence not only of chemistry, but also of physics and biology. 1869 is considered as the year of discovery of the Periodic System by Dmitri Mendeleev. 2019 will be the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements and has therefore been proclaimed the "International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (IYPT2019)" by the United Nations General Assembly and UNESCO. Discover everything about IYPT2019 via its website. Join the celebrations!

https://www.iypt2019.org/ 

The Mystery of Matter: "Unruly Elements"

About the Documentary: Over a single weekend in 1869, a young Russian chemistry professor named Dmitri Mendeleev invents the Periodic Table, bringing order to the growing gaggle of elements. But this sense of order is shattered when a Polish graduate student named Marie Sklodowska Curie discovers radioactivity, revealing that elements can change identities — and that atoms must have undiscovered parts inside them. The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements is an exciting series about one of the great adventures in the history of science: the long and continuing quest to understand what the world is made of. Three episodes tell the story of seven of history's most important scientists as they seek to identify, understand and organize the basic building blocks of matter. The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements shows us not only what these scientific explorers discovered but also how,using actors to reveal the creative process through the scientists' own words and conveying their landmark discoveries through re-enactments shot with replicas of their original lab equipment. Knitting these strands together is host Michael Emerson, a two-time Emmy Award-winning actor. Meet Joseph Priestley and Antoine Lavoisier, whose discovery of oxygen led to the modern science of chemistry, and Humphry Davy, who made electricity a powerful new tool in the search for elements. Watch Dmitri Mendeleev invent the Periodic Table, and see Marie Curie's groundbreaking research on radioactivity crack open a window into the atom. Learn how Harry Moseley's investigation of atomic number redefined the Periodic Table, and how Glenn Seaborg's discovery of plutonium opened up a whole new realm of elements still being explored today. The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements brings the history of science to life for today's television audience.

https://youtu.be/wbuDmY5gpXQ

New Book | Modi Doctrine, Science Diplomacy: Changing Dynamics of Foreign Policy of India | by Dr Pawan Sikka

New Book

Modi Doctrine, Science Diplomacy: Changing Dynamics of Foreign Policy of India

edited by Pawan Sikka, 2019, Synergy Books India. 

About the Author

Dr. Pawan Sikka (b. 1944) is a former Scientist-G, Advisor, Government of India, Department of Science and Technology (Ministry of Science and Technology) New Delhi. Prior to it as Director (International Relations) for about 7-8 years, he coordinated the Bilateral and Multi-lateral programmes of Iwo international cooperation towards extending the frontiers of new and emerging fields in science and technology. He was Leader of the Indian delegation to SAARC Group Meeting on Science and Technology at Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 1995. He has received his M.Sc., Ph.D. as well as, D.Sc. degrees in Physics. He is recipient of the Commonwealth Visiting Fellowship (1984-85), at the University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K for carrying out Science & Technology Policy and Society and Government related studies, to shape the national and international development agenda. He also received Italian, Sweden, Switzerland, UNESCO, etc. scholarships for understanding the progress of science, technology and industry there. He is a well-read author and widely travelled in India and abroad. He has also delivered special lectures on Science Policy related issues to the M.Phil. and Ph.D. students at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He is a Life-Member of the: Materials Research Society of India, Semi-Conductor Society of India, Association of British Scholars (British Council, New Delhi), and Oxford and Cambridge Society of India.

Further Details  

Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose was the pioneer in "Open Innovation" in India. He refused to patent most of his inventions, because he believed that knowledge should be available to everyone.

• "The True Laboratory is the Mind, where behind Illusions we uncover the Laws of Truth.": Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose
  
• Sir J.C. Bose refused to patent most of his inventions, because he believed that knowledge should be available to everyone. He was the pioneer in "open innovation" in India.
• "India's Jagadish Chandra Bose is the Reason why the World will Enjoy Superfast 5G Internet"

New Report "Data Localisation in a Globalised World: An Indian Perspective"

Data Localisation in a Globalised World: An Indian Perspective

by The Dialogue, C/O Foundation for Progressive Narrative, November 2018.

Abstract: India is ushering into a crucial juncture, more than seventy years after independence. The country is taking important strides towards emerging as a middle-income economy, provide jobs to millions of people, take global leadership on issues of geopolitical importance and stake claim for a growing superpower. In all of this, data and technology will play a fundamental role for India going forward. If the 20th century brought the promise of the Internet as a decentralised and self-regulating space, the 21st century is marked by battles over the control of data. This study aims to study the impact of data localisation from various perspectives, analyse the government's objectives towards implementation of such policy, identifies alternate policy mechanisms that we believe are better suited to drive home the objectives as opposed to blanket data localisation. Some of the key highlights in this report include the Cross-Border Data Flow Fundamental, Huge Costs to Mandatory Data Localisation, Organic Data Storage through Progressive Policies, and Alternative Policy Mechanisms.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Cross-border Data Flows and Why They Matter

Chapter 2: Data Localization Driving Domestic Protectionism

Chapter 3: Sub-optimal Impact Of Forced Data Localisation

Chapter 4: Data Localization and the Indian Context

Chapter 5: Analysing the Motivation Behind Data Localization In India

Chapter 6: Alternative Policy Mechanisms

Chapter 7: Greater International Cooperation

Chapter 9: Towards Making India A Big Data Centre Hub

Chapter 10: Comparative Analysis With Other Nations

Chapter 11: Sectoral Analysis

Chapter 12: Content and Thematic Analysis

Download Full-text PDF (open access)

Just Released: "2019 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report - Migration, Displacement and Education: Building Bridges not Walls"

Download the Report and other materials in multiple languages. Join us in sharing its findings online via @GEMReport #EducationOnTheMove

The launch of the 2019 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report 2019 GEM Report out now The 2019 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report on migration, displacement and education: Building bridges not walls, is now available. It examines the education impact of all population movements: within and across borders, voluntary and forced, for employment and education. It also reviews progress on education in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In view of increasing diversity, the report analyses how education can build inclusive societies and help people move beyond tolerance and learn to live together. Education provided equally builds bridges; unequal provision raises walls between migrants and refugees and their host communities. Two new global compacts on migrants and refugees recognize education's role and set objectives aligned with the global commitment to leave no one behind. This report is a vital toolkit for these compacts. It covers policy issues that address seasonal migrants, rural school consolidation, intercultural curricula, refugee inclusion in national education systems and elimination of segregation, qualifications recognition, targeting of school funding, more effective humanitarian education aid and teacher preparedness for diverse classrooms in emergency, protracted and "new normal" contexts. The report calls on countries to see education as a tool to manage migration and displacement and an opportunity for those needing one. Download the Report and its supporting materials in multiple languages. Join us in sharing its findings and recommendations with your networks, and in online discussions via @GEMReport and #EducationOnTheMove See where launch events for this Report are taking place around the world, which you might wish to attend Watch an animation showing the key messages and recommendations from the Report   Watch a 3 minute video of people from around the world talking about migration, displacement and education  Watch the global launch live from Berlin at 08.30 GMT or the Regional launch live from Nairobi at 5.30 GMT on 20 November Share the social media pack.  Watch the presentation outlining the key findings in the 2019 GEM Report   See the infographics, which illustrate some of the Report's key messages   See the 35 background papers commissioned to feed into the Report.

IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C is Released

Global Warming of 1.5°C: An IPCC Special Report on the Impacts of Global Warming of 1.5°C above Pre-Industrial Levels and Related Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Pathways, in the Context of Strengthening the Global Response to the Threat of Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and Efforts to Eradicate Poverty

by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Geneva, October 2018. 

About this Report

Under the Paris Agreement, adopted in December 2015, 197 countries agreed to aim to hold the rise in global average temperature to "well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels" and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5 °C. As part of the decision to adopt the agreement, the world's governments invited the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to prepare a special report in 2018 on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways. At a meeting in Nairobi in April 2016, member states of the IPCC decided to accept the UNFCCC's invitation. A few months later at the next meeting in Bangkok in October, the Panel agreed on the title, outline, and scope of the Special Report. 

The Special Report on 1.5 °C (SR15) is being developed under the joint scientific leadership of IPCC Working Groups I, II and III, with support from Working Group I Technical Support Unit. There are two other Special Reports underway as part of the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Cycle. These Special Reports on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL) and on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) will be published in August and September 2019, respectively.

What does it cover?

The Special Report on 1.5 °C consists of five chapters. The Summary for Policymakers (SPM) is based on the key findings from these chapters. A separate Technical Summary collates the Executive Summaries that appear at the start of each chapter into one document. A series of boxes contain case studies or themes that cut across the whole report, such as scenarios or cities. The Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C feeds directly into the Talanoa Dialogue. Taking place in December 2018, the Talanoa Dialogue (Talanoadialogue.com) is the international process to take stock of collective efforts towards the long-term goal of the Paris Agreement and to inform countries' pledges to reduce their own emissions, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). 

More information about what each chapter and section of the report covers is in the agreed outline. Alongside the main report, there is also be a glossary and a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). The FAQs are intended to provide concise, accessible summaries of key topics in the report for non-specialist audiences.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Framing and Context

Chapter 2: Mitigation pathways compatible with 1.5°C in the context of sustainable development

Chapter 3: Impacts of 1.5°C global warming on natural and human systems

Chapter 4: Strengthening and implementing the global response to the threat of climate change

Chapter 5: Sustainable development, poverty eradication, and reducing inequalities

Summary for Policymakers

Headline Statements

Glossary

FAQs

Additional Resources

• CSE analyses the new IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C
  
• Factsheet, prepared by CSE
  
• WMO/UNEP Brief Understanding the IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C
  

Full IPCC Report  | Summary for Policy Makers | Factsheet, prepared by CSE

New Report | "Future of Work in India: Inclusion, Growth and Transformation – An Enterprise Survey" | by T Chapman, S Saran, R Sinha, S Kedia & S Gutta; ORF & WEF

Future of Work in India:  Inclusion, Growth and Transformation – An Enterprise Survey

by Terri Chapman, Samir Saran, Rakesh Sinha, Suchi Kedia and Sriram Gutta; the Observer Research Foundation and the World Economic Forum, 2018, ISBN: 9789388262323.

About the Report: The future of work in India is uncertain, but full of opportunities. This report answers key questions around the present and future of transformative technology in India and its impact on job creation, workplaces, employment trends, and the nature of work itself. This report outlines findings from the Future of Work, Education and Skills Enterprise Survey. Data was collected from 774 companies in India, from micro-sized firms to those employing more than 25,000 workers. It presents findings on the pace of technological adoption and digitization among Indian companies, and its impact on job creation, displacement and the nature of work. In addition to the effects of the changing nature of jobs on wages, contracts, protections and security. Finally, the report includes recommendations for policies, programmes and action needed for India to leverage the possibilities of technological disruption, manage the associated risks, and enhance its preparedness for the future of work in the digital age.  

Table of Contents

1 Introduction

2 The Vision

3 Methodology

4 Technology Adoption and Digitisation Among Indian Firms

5 Technology Driven Job Creation and Destruction

6 Enhancing Job Quality

7 Conclusion

Appendix / Industry Overviews: Textiles, Banking and Financial Services, Logistics, and Retail

Download the eBook