Newsletter of IUSSTF Volume 11 (3) | January 2020 · Aravali House, 431/D-22, Chhatarpur Hills New Delhi-110074, India CONTENTS COVER STORY Smart Distribution Systems Advancing the

Indo-US Science and Technology Forum

Advancing the Energy EcosystemSmart Distribution Systems

Volume 11 (3) | January 2020

Indo-U.S. Science & Technology Forum

Newsletter of IUSSTF

Editor-in-ChiefDr. Nandini Kannan

Executive Director, IUSSTF

EditorNishritha Bopana

Principal Science Officer, IUSSTF

Associate Editor Pushpa Iyer

Program Officer, IUSSTF

Editorial Consultant Manoj Dabas

Layout Design / DTP Pramod Jha

Design, Production and CirculationCreative Edge Media and Services Pvt. Ltd. Aravali House, 431/D-22, Chhatarpur Hills

New Delhi-110074, India

CONTENTSCOVER STORY

Smart Distribution Systems Advancing the Energy Ecosystem

04

Second U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial DialogueExcerpts from the Joint Statement

10Indo-U.S. Virtual Networked Center

Designer Nanoparticle Assemblies

12

Indo-U.S. Fellowship for Women in STEMM

09

26Events DiaryStudent Speak

Giving Wings to Talent

21

OpinionsOpinions expressed in Connect do not necessarily reflect the opinion of IUSSTF or other organizations associated

with publication of Connect.

Comments and SuggestionsPlease email the Connect Team at

[email protected]

Published and Printed byIndo-U.S. S&T Forum, Fulbright House, 12 Hailey Road

New Delhi - 110 001

15Investigating the Nature of Star Formation in the Outer Dark Matter Dominated Regions of Galaxies

Starry Nights

Cover Photo : Smart Grid Word Cloud with Related Tags Source: Shutterstock

18Meet our new Executive Director

As 2019 draws to a close, it is time to reflect on IUSSTF’s accomplishments and the impact the organization has had on individuals, institutions, and the Science and

Technology ecosystem. IUSSTF is gearing up to celebrate its twentieth anniversary in 2020 and I am truly honoured to lead the organization as its fourth Executive Director! On behalf of the IUSSTF staff, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a very happy and prosperous 2020.

This issue of CONNECT takes a deep dive into the world of Smart Grids and Energy Storage. A strategic area for bilateral cooperation, the Indo-U.S. Joint Clean Energy Research & Development Centre (JCERDC) Phase II initiative, jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, made an award to a bilateral consortium in 2017. “UI-ASSIST: U.S.-India collAborative for smart diStribution System wIth Storage” is led in India by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and in the United States by Washington State University, Pullman. This ambitious project represents a unique public-private partnership bringing together researchers from academia, national laboratories, industry, and private companies as well as policy experts and utility regulators.

As the eminent researcher and educator Gordon S Brown noted “…engineering is not merely the possession of the capacity to get elegant solutions to non-existent engineering problems; engineering is practicing the art of the organising forces of technological change… Engineers operate at the interface between science and society.” From basic research in microgrids and cybersecurity, to field demonstration pilots, to developing policy recommendations, this project has the potential to create a truly transdisciplinary community addressing global energy and sustainability issues. We wish the team continued success on this journey!

The Indo-U.S. Virtual Networked Centers, IUSSTF’s flagship program, provide a platform to enable Indian and American scientists to pursue joint research in cutting-edge areas of science and engineering. Our Feature Section provides highlights from two of these collaborations: the first team is investigating nanoparticle assemblies to design new materials while the second team is investigating star formation in galaxies. From understanding the mysteries of our universe to futuristic materials, IUSSTF-supported teams are making fundamental contributions to basic science and engineering.

The popular “Student Speak” column provides a forum for our incredibly bright, talented young researchers to share their experiences as part of IUSSTF’s visitation and scholarship portfolio. Their stories are inspirational and aspirational and we wish them the very best as they embark on their new careers!

Every issue of CONNECT offers the reader a glimpse into the incredible world of science, engineering, technology, and innovation: from solving some of the world’s biggest challenges, investigating the evolution of galaxies, designing new materials, to supporting the next generation of researchers and scientists, we at IUSSTF are fortunate to be a part of these stories for the past nineteen years.

The end of 2019 also saw the unveiling of a new Science and Technology (S&T) Agreement during the second annual India-U.S. 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Washington, DC. This new bilateral agreement builds on, and strengthens collaborations in critical areas of science and technology and paves the way for new partnerships. IUSSTF will continue to play a critical role in fostering these partnerships through the development of new initiatives, leveraging the extensive network of US and Indian stakeholders, and building a dynamic and vibrant portfolio of activities.

As we reflect on our many accomplishments, it is time to develop a new strategic plan and vision for IUSSTF for the next twenty years. There are emerging areas that hold extraordinary promise in addressing global challenges: Artificial Intelligence is one such topic that is poised to have a significant impact in agriculture, medicine, education, and ecology. While AI’s potential as a disruptive technology is clear, there are many challenges related to fairness, bias, security, data quality, and privacy that will need to be addressed. Both the United States and India have identified AI as a priority area: IUSSTF can play a catalytic role in creating a community of researchers and innovators who can leverage the promise of AI to accelerate discoveries in science and develop solutions to these global challenges.

I would like to thank all of you for your continued support of this organization over these years. The future holds new challenges and opportunities and I am confident that IUSSTF is ready to embark on this journey.

From the Editor-in-Chief

Dr. Nandini KannanExecutive Director, IUSSTF

Connect - January 2020 | 3

Cover Story

SMART DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS

Advancing the Energy Ecosystem

Suresh Chandra SrivastavaIndian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur,

INDIA

Noel SchulzWashington State University, Pullman

USA

Anurag K. SrivastavaWashington State University, Pullman

USA

Deployment of autonomous microgrids will increase at the community level, strategic locations and remote areas to ensure continuity of quality

supply under contingent situations. The UI-ASSIST (U.S.-India collAborative for smart diStribution System wIth STorage) project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India, through the Indo-U.S. Science and

Technology Forum (IUSSTF) under the Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center (JCERDC) initiative, addresses essential issues related to the adoption and deployment of smart grid concepts, integrating distributed energy resources including storage in the distribution network and at microgrid level, for its efficient and reliable operation. The consortium is led in the U.S. by Washington State University (WSU), Pullman, along with

In the recent past, the electricity sector, specifically the distribution sector, has been experiencing rapid transformation, aiming at achieving secure and sustainable growth of smart power system network. Future distribution systems will have large deployment of renewable energy sources, both at feeder as well as consumer levels, supported by energy storage system, along with widespread communication, sensor network and automation, and embedding various smart grid features.

4 | Connect - January 2020

Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center


15 collaborating institutions including MIT, TAMU, three DOE labs, industries and utilities. In India, the project is led by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur along with 15 partner organizations, including 5 IITs, TERI, NTPC NETRA, utilities and industries. It was formally launched in Delhi on 18th November 2017.

To address various technical, societal and regulatory issues related to the emerging smart distribution systems, the project is divided into eleven theme areas, as indicated in Figure 1.

Research and Development (R&D) Activities Multi-disciplinary R&D activities in the project focus on five broad theme areas (themes-3 to 7 given in Figure 1) to study and develop various facets of technologies required to implement smart distribution network.

Energy Storage: The objective of theme-3 is to analyze and

model storage technology for smart distribution system. It also includes optimal siting, sizing and control of energy storage system at microgrid and feeder levels. As a part of this task, hardware models will also be developed to study the impact of storage systems under dynamic operation of microgrids.

Microgrids and Active Distribution: The objectives of theme-4 include development of novel converter topologies, associated controls and protection system for AC/DC microgrid application. primary controller design, secondary controls development for coordinated power management and control at microgrid level through microgrid Energy Management System (µEMS).

Cyber Infrastructure and Security: The objective of theme-5 is to study various cyber infrastructure suitable for smart distribution grid. To make the system intelligent and smart, R&D work on exploring various disruptive communication technologies, new protocols,

Cover Story

IoT integration issues, communication network issues in controls, cyber threat detection and cyber-security measures are also being carried out.

DSO Function and Regulatory Issues: The objectives of the task under theme- 6 include various Advance Distribution Management System (ADMS) functions, such as state estimation, volt-var management, optimal reconfiguration, optimal power scheduling in presence of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), demand side management, transactive controls, integrating market based signals etc., required to be performed by Distribution System Operators (DSOs) in future, apart from developing protection system scheme at distribution network level for detecting and locating the fault, islanding detection and adaptive settings, load, solar and wind forecasting tools.

Under study of market and regulatory Issues (theme-7), distribution market development, integration of market mechanisms with frequency regulation and volt-VAR control are being covered.

The research work also focusses on societal and policy/regulatory issues, aimed at providing a set of recommendations for successful adoption of such systems.

Benchmark Systems and Lab PilotsFew benchmark systems (theme-2) representing evolving microgrids and future distribution networks are being developed, on which most of the R&D concepts will be tested, and cyber-physical models will be embedded. Finally, few synthetic model-based systems will be launched and given open access for

use for researchers in this area. Various R&D concepts will be validated in practical environment through offline

Figure 1: Thematic distribution of UI-ASSIST project activities

(a)

(b)

Figure 2: (a) A lab pilot to study the impact of different types of sources in a distribution system, (b) Study of practical response of distribution system with DER in a power system using Power Hardware In Loop (PHIL) simulation.


Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center

and online simulations at lab levels (theme-8), for which six lab pilots in India and five in the U.S. are planned. For example, Figure 2(a) shows one such test-bed developed in IIT Roorkee, which will be used to study interaction of AC and DC microgrid. Figure 2(b) shows a reconfigurable test bed developed at IIT Kanpur, which provides a lab level model of a real distribution system.

Field Demonstration PilotsAn important component of UI-ASSIST is the demonstration of evolving microgrid and advance distribution system concepts in actual field (theme-9). For this purpose, 2 rural, 1 semi-urban and 2 urban pilots in India, and 2 semi-urban and 2 urban pilots in the U.S. are being set up. Before starting of these pilots, social surveys have been carried out and technology being adopted is in view of the local needs at various field demo sites. As an example, two village hamlets in Harnoo village in Kanpur, India were un-electrified at the start of the project. Through our utility partner, grid supply has been brought to these hamlets, and the villagers have started using electricity for lighting, and fan purpose, as is evident from the increased consumption of electricity shown in Figure 3(a). Looking at the local needs, available and unutilized resources in the village, biomass plant and solar irrigation pumps are also planned in the pilot. The scale of complexity in rural pilot implementation can be seen in Figure 4. A tie-line converter will be used to improve reliability of electric supply in both the hamlets. Finally, to generate

local employment, few cottage industries are planned to be developed. A new business model of the microgrid management is getting evolved primarily involving the villagers. In another rural project near Rihand, India, where microgrid is aimed at improving availability of supply and enhancing the output of few existing and new cottage industries, as in Figure 3(b).

Post commissioning, social survey in all the pilots are planned to study the technical and societal impacts, and bringing out few policy recommendations (theme-10).

Figure 3: Impact of rural pilots: (a) Growing electricity consumption in one of our un-electrified Rural sites. (b) Improving supply reliability through another rural pilot projects to enhance output of cottage industries.

Figure 4: Planned pilot in two hamlets of Harnoo village in Kanpur.


Cover Story

Joint Meeting, Workshop and Workforce DevelopmentBoth the U.S. and India teams are working together playing complementary roles in achieving the goals of the UI-ASSIST project. For this purpose, regular skype/web meetings, webinars, joint meetings, researchers/students’ exchange visits are being organized. The first joint Indo-US meeting was organized in Portland, USA during 2-3 August, 2018 (Figure 5). The second meeting was held in Spokane, USA from June 12-13, 2019 and the third at New Delhi, India during 18-19 December 2019.

Joint webinars are being held using online meeting platforms to discuss various issues in different theme areas involving students and the consortia members.

Many students, both at undergrad and postgrad levels, researchers, representatives from industry, utility and other organizations, are being trained as part of this project. An UI-ASSIST workshop on ‘Smart Grid Technology’ was organized at New Delhi, India during 13-14 February 2019 (Group photo in Fig.7). In the summer of 2019, US DOE sponsored 12 Indian researchers to spend an extended time at U.S. partner locations and one U.S. researcher spent several weeks in India. Additionally, international exchanges are happening regularly between UI-ASSIST partners, resulting in research collaborations and joint publications and presentations.

For more details about the project and its ongoing activities, please visit https://uiassist.org. l

Figure 5: Joint UI-ASSIST Meeting at Portland, USA (Aug 2-3, 2018)

Figure 6: UI-ASSIST workshop on ‘Smart Grid Technology at IIT Delhi (Feb 13-14, 2019)


In order to assess the impact of the Indo-U.S. Fellowship for

Women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathe-matics and Medicine) program, a day-long Interactive Workshop was organized by the Indo-U.S. Science & Technology Forum (IUSSTF) in association with Department of Science & Technology, DST on Friday, 18th October 2019 at IUSSTF Office, New Delhi.

The workshop aimed at interacting with the First Batch of WISTEMM Fellows and Interns, to learn about their experiences (professional & personal), challenges encountered, research highlights, outcome of collaborative work, future plans etc. after the successful completion of their tenure as WISTEMM Scholars. The vibrant event saw the participation of 17 WISTEMM Awardees, members of the Selection Committee, officials of Department of Science & Technology (funding partner) and the U.S. Embassy. l

Indo-U.S. Fellowship for Women in STEMM


Excerpts from the Joint Statement

Second U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue

19 December 2019, Washington D.C.

Report


Text Courtesy: U.S. Embassy, New DelhiFull text can be accessed at https://in.usembassy.gov/joint-statement-on-the-second-u-s-india-22-ministerial-dialogue/


Second U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue

19 December 2019, Washington D.C.

U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper welcomed

India’s Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh and Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar to Washington, D.C. for the second annual U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue. The four Ministers positively appraised the growing partnership between the United States and India, grounded in mutual trust and friendship, democratic values, people-to-people ties, and a common commitment to the prosperity of their citizens. The Ministers noted that the deepening strategic partnership between the United States and

India is rooted in shared values of freedom, justice, human rights, and commitment to the rule of law. They resolved to work together in the 2+2 framework as a whole-of-government effort to realize the full potential of the U.S.-India strategic global partnership, guided by the shared vision of President Trump and Prime Minister Modi.

Welcoming enhanced energy and resource cooperation between two of the world’s largest energy users, the Ministers emphasized the importance of building on the U.S.-India Strategic Energy Partnership to modernize power grids in support of India’s goal to provide reliable and affordable energy to its population; develop greater integration of modern energy sources into India’s power systems; and increase the focus on energy efficiency and combating air pollution. They emphasized knowledge exchange for reform in electricity distribution as well as the recently launched Flexible Resources Initiative under the U.S.-India Clean Energy Finance Task Force.

The Ministers welcomed the conclusion of a new Science and Technology (S&T) Agreement, which will further strengthen collaboration on science and technology, particle research, and innovation.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission and the founding of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Ministers recognized space cooperation, including on Earth science and lunar exploration, as a unique facet of the U.S.-India partnership. They applauded the close collaboration between their space agencies to launch the jointly developed NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite in 2022.

The Ministers welcomed growing cooperation through the biennial U.S.-India Civil Space Joint Working Group that spans cutting-edge Earth observation capabilities to interplanetary exploration and supported new opportunities for collaboration, including in the areas of human space flight and exploration. The Ministers also welcomed the sharing of bilateral Space Situational Awareness information, which will catalyze efforts to create the conditions for a safe, stable, and sustainable space environment. Both sides expressed intent to discuss areas of potential space defense cooperation in the next year.



Feature

Bhagavatula L.V. PrasadNational Chemical Laboratory

Pune

Sanat K. KumarColumbia University

New York City

PARTNERING INSTITUTIONSIndiaNational Chemical Laboratory, PuneIndian Institute of Technology MadrasIndian Institute of Technology BombayIndian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata

USAColumbia University, New York City

Harvard University, BostonUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor


Designer Nanoparticle Assemblies

Newsletter of IUSSTFIndo-U.S. Virtual Networked Center


Our interdisciplinary collaboration focuses on the science and engineering necessary to prepare

such assemblies. Specifically, we investigate nanocomposites where inorganic nanomaterials are dispersed in a polymer matrix.

Focus in the area of polymer nanocomposites has shifted from layered clay nanocomposites to polymer grafted systems. The early promise of polymer clay nano-composites as high performance structural materials remains only partially fulfilled. These materials have found use in only niche, low-volume applications and have not been widely adopted in the industry. In polymer-clay nanocomposites, layered 1 nm thick inorganic clay are exfoliated in a polymer matrix to afford nanofillers with very high specific surface area. Unfortunately, controlling the dispersion of inorganics in polymer matrices using conventional polymer processing operations remains challenging. This is primarily driven by the strong incompatibility between inorganic fillers and (typically) apolar polymer matrices. To address this issue, a new class of materials, “polymer grafted nanoparticles” have been developed. In these, polymers are covalently grafted onto the nanoparticle surface. These grafted chains compatibilize the nanoparticles with the polymeric matrix. While polymer grafted nanoparticles have conceptual similarity to surfactants (where incompatible chemical entities are covalently coupled), the polymeric nature of the grafted chain allows much

greater structural complexity. Thus, the state of dispersion of polymer grafted nanoparticles in a polymeric matrix can be tuned through a wide range of experimentally accessible parameters including the grafted chain length and graft density. By varying these, we have previously shown (G. P. Baeza, C. Dessi, S. Costanzo, D. Zhao, S. Gong,

Nanomaterials present exciting opportunities for the preparation of materials with unprecedented functional properties. The last decade has seen enormous advances in the ability to synthesize nanoparticles with precise control over size and shape. However, to be able to employ these in practical engineering applications, it is often necessary to assemble them into larger-scale constructs.

PARTNERING INSTITUTIONS

Feature

A. Alegria, R. H. Colby, M. Rubinstein, D. Vlassopoulos and S. K. Kumar, Nature Communications, 2016, 7 Art. No. 1368) that a diverse set of self-assembled states of the polymer grafted nanoparticles can be accessed, including individually dispersed nanoparticles as well as small clumps or strings or sheets of the nanoparticles. Control over nanoparticle dispersion has implications for tailoring the design of nanocomposites for specific applications such as high modulus/high strength structural materials or membranes for high selectivity and high flux separations.

Design rules that prescribe the structure of the polymer grafted nanoparticles required to access a desired dispersion state in a polymer matrix need to account for the effect of structural polydispersity inherent in any experimental synthetic scheme. This refers to polydispersity along multiple axes: in the size of the core nanoparticle, in the molecular size of the grafted chain as well as in the density of chain grafting on the surface of the nanoparticle core. In real experimental realizations, structural polydispersity along all these axes occur simultaneously and strongly determine the dispersion state in nanocomposites. The problem of understanding the effect of polydispersity simultaneously along different structural axes is complex and was considered intractable. We have addressed this recently through an elegant theoretical framework. Our theory builds on the celebrated ideas of Daoud and Cotton, and extends the theory that was derived for star-like polymers to the case of polydisperse nanoparticle cores grafted with polydisperse polymer chains. This allows us to explore a wide range of parameter space and predicts the “phase

diagram” for the aggregation state of polymer grafted nanoparticles in a matrix. Our results indicate that the dispersion of polymer grafted nanoparticles is primarily determined by polydispersity in core nanoparticle size, and is only weakly influenced by polydispersity in the grafted polymer chain. Thus, we predict that a well dispersed state of the nanoparticles can be obtained by reducing particle polydispersity and enhancing grafted chain polydispersity. These results provide important directions for the design of synthetic strategies to prepare nanocomposites with well dispersed nanoparticles in a matrix. Our work indicates that it would be useful to focus on synthetic strategies aimed at controlling the size distribution of the inorganic nanoparticles used in nanocomposites, rather than in control of grafted chain length polydispersity. Our theory was well received by the community and was recently published in a leading ACS journal, Macromolecules.

In addition to collaborative research, we have also organized a workshop to train senior Ph.D. students and early career researchers on fundamental aspects of nanoscience and to expose them to emerging themes in nanoscience and nanotechnology research. This was organized immediately after the Complex Fluids national meeting at IIT-Roorkee, in December 2018. Indian and U.S. members of the Joint Center, including Prof. Vinothan Manoharan from Harvard, Prof. Sanat Kumar from Columbia, Dr. Guruswamy Kumaraswamy and Dr. B.L.V. Prasad from NCL were instructors at the workshop. A total of 45 students participated in the workshop. All the students appreciated the content, the tutorial style of the lectures and depth of coverage of topics. l

Participants at the Indo-U.S. Workshop on Soft Matter-2018 held at IIT-Roorkee


Investigating the Nature of Star Formation in the Outer Dark Matter Dominated Regions of Galaxies

StarryNights

IndiaIndian Institute of Astrophysics, BengaluruRaman Research Institute, Bengaluru

USACase Western Reserve University, ClevelandUniversity of Oregon, Eugene

PARTNERING INSTITUTIONS

Tracing star formation in galaxies is one of the best ways to understand galaxy morphology, disk dynamics and galaxy evolution. The bright spiral arms of galaxy disks are often the sites of the most spectacular star formation, with star forming knots clustered along the ridges of the spiral arms. In some galaxies these spiral arms can extend out into the outer quiescent disk as well and small star forming knots are found to lie along them. In the inner disk, the spiral arms are often associated with elongated structures called bars, and spiral arms arise from the bar ends.


Mousumi DasIndian Institute of Astrophysics

Bengaluru

Stacy McGaughCase Western Reserve University, Cleveland

Spiral arms and bars are the dynamical drivers of star formation in galaxies. They are

usually triggered by galaxy interactions but are sometimes found in isolated galaxies as well. In the latter cases, the bars and spiral structure may have been triggered by a past interaction or due to an interaction with a low luminosity galaxy which may remain undetected in optical images. Both bars and spiral arms are located in the inner disks of galaxies, where star formation is most prominent.

However, UV studies of galaxies in the past two decades have shown that some galaxies have star formation in their extreme outer disks as well in their inner regions. Such galaxies are called extended UV or XUV galaxies. The XUV disk star formation is thought to be either cosmological in origin, triggered by gas accretion from the intergalactic medium or due to interactions with close neighbours. There are two main issues regarding XUV star formation. The first is whether there is enough interstellar cold gas to support the star formation and the second is what is the surface density of the underlying stellar disk which is also important for supporting the star formation. In this project we have used both computer simulations and observations to investigate outer disk star formation and its relation to the dark matter halo in galaxies. The Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) which is part of India's first space telescope ASTROSAT has played a key role in this study. We have also done observations using the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (GMRT) at Pune. Archival data from the Very Large

Figure 1 : The figure shows the ASTROSAT far-UV image of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC6946. Note that the spiral arms extend into the outer disk regions and have star forming knots along them.

Figure 2 : The plot on the left is the ASTROSAT far-UV image of the star formation around an HI “hole” in the disk of NGC6946. The star formation and hole are located within a spiral arm of the disk. The figure on the right is the FUV contours superimposed on the HI image of that region in NGC6946. The high resolution of UVIT allows us to correlate these holes with star formation.

Feature


Indo-U.S. Virtual Networked Center

Array (VLA) and NASA Spitzer telescope data have also been used.

In our theoretical studies, Sandeep Kataria, who is a Joint Astronomy Program (JAP) Ph.D student of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) working at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) has studied the effect of galaxy bars on the mass profile of dark matter halos. He has shown using N-body simulations that the cuspy profiles of halos can be eroded by bars. However, the timescales are large compared to the rotation period of the bars (Kataria et al., in preparation). Another IISc.-IIA joint student, Ankit Kumar, has been studying how minor interactions of galaxies can change the halo structure. Such interactions do not lead to mergers and are often termed flybys. They are also strong drivers of star formation in galaxies, even though the galaxies do not merge. Flybys have not been studied much in literature and their effect on halo properties has not been properly explored. Our study is hence an important step to fill this gap. The project is ongoing but our early results indicate that halos are dramatically affected in flybys and our simulations reveal a very extended distribution of dark matter which cannot be otherwise detected using observations.

We have been using far-UV observations of star formation in the nearby galaxy NGC6946 to resolve the compact star forming knots in the outer disk regions where the galaxy halo dominates the mass distribution (Figure 1). This galaxy is also well known to have holes in its' interstellar gas distribution. The holes are due to powerful star formation winds that could have driven gas out of the disk supernova explosions (SNE). We have used our UVIT observations to correlate the star forming regions with the apparent "holes" in the gas disk (Figure 2). The good spatial resolution of the UVIT also allows us to compile a list

of the star forming complexes over the entire galaxy disk, study their sizes and derive their star formation rates (SFRs). As expected the SFR in the outer disk is much lower that of the inner disk. We have used archival VLA neutral hydrogen (HI) data to correlate the SFR with the gas surface densities, which is shown in Figure 3. Our early results suggest that the SFR-gas surface density slope is unusually steep in the outer disks of galaxies. This suggests that the disk is close to local instability, even though the SFR values are low (Yadav, Patra et al. in preparation). In summary, we find that star forming complexes in the outer, halo dominated regions of galaxies are more compact and have a lower SFR compared to the inner disk regions. The star formation and gas surface density correlation is steeper in the outer disk, compared to the inner regions. Our simulations of galaxy disks suggests that bars and galaxy interactions, both of which are drivers of star formation, also effect the internal structure of galaxy halos as well. l

Figure 3 : The correlation of star formation density with HI gas surface density in NGC6946.


News

The Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) welcomes our new Executive Director Dr. Nandini

Kannan! Dr. Kannan brings leadership experience in academia and government, an understanding of the critical role that science and technology play in this global inter-connected society, and a deep commitment to education and workforce development.

Dr. Kannan spent over 20 years in academia, first as a faculty member and then as Chair, Department of Management Science and Statistics at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). During her time at UTSA, she

helped to develop new undergraduate and graduate programs and led a university-wide initiative on quantitative literacy. Since 2014, Dr. Kannan has served as a Program Director at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) where her responsibilities included core disciplinary research, mathematical sciences research institutes, and workforce development programs in the Division of Mathematical Sciences as well as a number of cross-directorate and cross-agency activities. She has served as a co-chair for several Data Science related activities in support of “Harnessing the Data Revolution”, one of NSF’s 10 Big Ideas. She helped to create new programs to support data science

Meet our new Executive Director


foundations as well as data-intensive research in different science and engineering domains. Dr. Kannan also helped to create partnerships with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support collaborative efforts in biomedical data science. She has been a former president of the International Indian Statistical Association (IISA).

Dr. Kannan received her B.Sc. in Statistics from Presidency College, Chennai and an M. Sc. degree in Statistics from the University of Madras before joining the Indian Statistical Institute as a Junior Research Fellow. She received an M.S. in Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Ph.D. in Statistics from The Pennsylvania State University under the supervision of Professor C.R. Rao. She is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute. Dr. Kanan has also recently been elected Fellow of AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science).

Dr. Kannan’s research interests include statistical signal processing, survival analysis, and applications of statistical theory and methodology to solving real-world problems. She collaborated with a team of physiologists, scientists, and mathematicians at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Brooks Air Force Base on

models to predict Altitude Decompression Sickness (DCS) using data from human subjects exposed to simulated altitude in hypobaric chambers. These collaborations resulted in the development of the Altitude Decompression Sickness Risk Assessment Computer (ADRAC) program and represented the first time an altitude DCS model was successfully validated using subsequent human subject exposures and rigorous experimental/statistical techniques over a wide range of exposure profiles. The program is in current use by the United States Air Force for operational planning.

Dr. Kannan took over the position of the Executive Director of IUSSTF on 2nd September, 2019. We at IUSSTF look forward to working under her leadership and aspire to take the organization to even greater heights! IUSSTF wishes Dr. Kannan every success in her new assignment! l

Meet our new Executive Director



GivingWINGS TO TALENT

To address the need for human resource development and capacity building in science and technology, IUSSTF is committed to nurture contacts between scientists and students from India and the United States. It has been unambiguously demonstrated that providing students and young scientists

with an exposure to cutting-edge scientific research experiences at a formative stage not only broadens their intellectual horizons but also leads to increased engagements in scientific and technological research careers. In this section of Connect, we share with you the experiences of some of our bright, young Interns and Fellows in their own words!

Student Speak


I am designing a genetic switchboard comprised of synthetic RNAs called the riboregulators/toehold switches which would serve as a platform with efficient tunability, component

modularity, fast response time, leakage minimization and negligible crosstalk. This platform would later be employed as a means of diverting fluxes reversibly to the desired pathways for producing industrially valuable products.

While my lab has expertise in metabolic and bio-process engineering, it was obvious to me diving into core synthetic biology would require me to take help from experts in the field. My guide, Prof. Guhan Jayaraman, suggested that I apply for the Indo-U.S. Genome Engineering/Editing Technology Initiative Fellowship (GETin) Program. I received an invite from

Prof. Andrew Ellington from the University of Texas at Austin, whose lab holds expertise on directed evolution, protein engineering and ribo-switches.

As I started working in the Ellington lab, I was extremely impressed with Prof. Ellington’s way of approaching problems. He is driven by his curiosity and instills energy in everyone. I found my lab-mates to be extremely helpful, who taught me the fundamental principles of designing a genetic circuit. I worked on two projects in the lab. One of them was the riboregulator project proposed by me in the GETin program and the other was to design a genetic circuit for biosensing different terpene compounds. More importantly I made a lot of friends, who will probably be among the best in their respective fields in the near future.

I believe I have not only brought back technical know-how but also good-will which help establish collaborations in the future! Thank you IUSSTF for your support!!l

Genome Engineering/Editing Technology Initiative Fellowship Program (GETin)

Sandeep Kumar PandaIndian Institute of Technology Madras

Genome Engineering/Editing Technology Initiative Fellowship Program (GETin):Webpage: https://www.iusstf.org/program/genome-engineeringediting-technology-initiative-program E-mail: [email protected]

Student Speak


Fellowship for Women in STEMM (WISTEMM)

I started my career as Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Technology

Bombay in the year 2015. The Indo-U.S. Fellowship for Women in STEMM (WISTEMM) overseas fellowship which I availed for 3 months has provided me an excellent one-of-a-kind post-doc experience to work with an eminent expert like Dr. Pierre Emmanuel Kirstetter at the National Weather Center (NWC), University of Oklahoma. As the NWC is comprised of Federal, State and Academic units all working together to study the Earth’s atmosphere, I was engaged in stimulating technical discussions with stalwarts in the field. Techniques for Big Data Analysis and Data Assimilation were encouraged and in the process, I could see myself pushing my limits in research. I was working hands-on in developing codes for big data digression and analysis. In

the process, I was inducted into the International Precipitation Working Group (IPWG). I also visited and presented my work at the Advanced Radar Research Center (ARRC) which specializes in mobile Doppler radars for weather forecasting.

I am happy to state that WISTEMM has laid the foundation for the potential of setting up an MoU between Advanced Radar Research Center (ARRC), University of Oklahoma and IIT Bombay. Presently, this possibility is being explored in accordance with the IIT Bombay guidelines through the International Relations office. Through this WISTEMM fellowship, I have attended the AGU Fall meeting at Washington DC and had the opportunity to discuss my ongoing research work with stalwarts of this field at NASA and the deputy director of GPM satellite mission. They have expressed willingness for a long- term collaboration based on my ongoing work in the

United States. The encouragement provided by this fellowship and the undying support from my family was a complete confidence booster to my career which has kept the student in a teacher alive!l

J. Indu Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

IUSSTF-WISTEMM Program:Webpage: https://www.iusstf.org/program/indo-us-fellowship-for-women-in-stemm

E-mail: [email protected]

Student Speak


Khorana Program for Scholars:Webpage: https://www.iusstf.org/program/khorana-program-for-scholarsE-mail: [email protected]

Amartya Pradhan Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology, New Delhi

Khorana Program for Scholars

Student Speak

To start with, I never expected that I would be selected as a Khorana Scholar! I remember managing all the communication with

my host mentor, preparing for visa interviews, completing all kinds of formalities between my final examinations, and what not? But all that hard work paid off!

I was fortunate enough to be able to travel with a few Khorana and SN Bose scholars from New Delhi to Chicago with a layover at Frankfurt. It was an enjoyable experience to have met such amazing friends. After arrival at Chicago, Illinois, we were welcomed at the Chicago Gateway Hostel by Dr. Eric Horn and Ms. Pushpa Iyer. The next day, all the scholars visited the beautiful campus of the University of Chicago (UChicago). It was my pleasure to meet Dr. Aseem Ansari (Director of Khorana and SN Bose programs), Mr. Sudhakar Dalela (Indian Consul General to


Khorana Program for Scholars:Webpage: https://www.iusstf.org/program/khorana-program-for-scholars

E-mail: [email protected]

Student Speak

Chicago), Dr. Bobby Kasthuri (renowned neuroscientist), Dr. Marsha Rosner (student of Dr. Har Gobind Khorana), and other distinguished intellectuals at the Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery, UChicago. Later, we were taken on a bus tour around the city of Chicago, where we got a glimpse of the present and the history of the city.

After Chicago, I took off to Atlanta, Georgia, to join the Aneja Lab under Dr. Ritu Aneja at Georgia State University (GSU). I was stunned by the amount of systematic organization and facilities in the lab and within the department. At GSU, I studied the effect of drug-mediated metabolic stress on the lipid droplet abundance, one of the most significant emerging hallmarks of cancer. I was fortunate to have been mentored by Chakri and Shriya. The Aneja lab was diverse

with people coming from various races and nationalities. This was demonstrated in the lab meetings, where we discussed a plethora of solutions to multiple problems in cancer biology. Here, I also understood that research is more collaborative than competitive. My experience at GSU really shaped me to think more clearly about my future in research.

I learned to be independent during my stay. I used to cook my food, do my dishes and clothes, clean my house, take care of my monthly expenses, etc. My stay in the States changed my personality completely.

During my three months stay in the states, I visited other cities including Boston, Cambridge, New Haven, New York City and New Port, with other Khorana and SN Bose Fellows. I also got an opportunity to visit labs at Harvard University, Yale University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

My first visit to the United States was super productive in terms of laboratory and cultural experiences. I would like to express my gratitude towards WSF, IUSSTF and DBT (Government of India) for selecting me as a Khorana Scholar. I am thankful to Dr. Aneja for accepting me to her prestigious laboratory, Chakri and Shriya for being fabulous mentors. I thank Dr. Shobhna Kapoor, visiting professor from IIT Bombay, and my lab mates, Manav, Komal, Shristi, Pavan, Riri, Raven, and Lihan for their consistent support in the laboratory. I thank Ahnaf, Sujal, Aniket, Vriti, Cheshta, Akshina, Roshan, Iqra, Srinath, Lea, Anisa, Giorgia, Seda, Katja, Shaina, and Saahil for all the fun memories outside the lab. I want to thank Hari, Dr. Dhawan, Dr. Basu, Dr. Sinha, Dr. Bhatnagar, Dr. Yatender, my lab mates at NSUT, IISER Pune and NIMR, former Khorana and Bose Scholars, and my friends for their critical guidance during the application procedure. Most importantly, I would like to thank my parents and my sister for always believing in me and being with me during my ups and downs.

I thank y’all (in the southern accent)!!l


Fertilizer nutrients play an important role in crop production, however, the removal of nutrients is far higher than the nutrient

additions creating a net negative balance of 10 m tonnes for nutrients which are currently being removed from soil every year and causing serious threat to soil health. Extremes of temperatures and rainfall will also impact agricultural production, soil health, and agricultural pollution. Therefore, it is important to develop innovative efficacious fertilizers such as Nanofertilizers.

A joint symposium on the theme “Next Generation Biologically Synthesized Nanofertilizers for Seed Coating and Foliar Application” was organized by Alok Adholeya (The TERI-Deakin Nanobiotechnology Centre, Gurugram), in collaboration with Braj Raj Singh (International Fertilizer Development Center, Alabama). The objectives of the symposium were to apply nanotechnology interventions in the fertilizer sector for better crop production with minimal impact on the ecosystem and to create a platform for the exchange of ideas, concepts, and knowledge to further advance technological innovations. The symposium provided an opportunity to showcase the latest nanofertilizer innovations and future potentials to scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs.

05-07 September 2019The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) Gurugram, INDIA

Events Diary

Advanced biofuels gained substantial global attention as cleaner energy alternatives as these are carbon neutral in nature and do not

rely on use of conventional fossil based resources. Among various forms, advanced biohydrogen and biobutanol production from lignocellulosic agri-waste residue received substantial global attention as these biomass residues are generated in substantial quantities. Extensive

05-06 September 2019 The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI), Gurugram, INDIA

SEPTEMBER 2019

Recent Advances in Advanced Biofuel Technologies Biohydrogen, Fuel Cell & Biobutanol: Understanding the Challenges for moving towards Commercialization

SEPTEMBER 2019

Next-Generation Biologically synthesized Nanofertilizers for Seed Coating and Foliar Application


Events Diary

The main objective of the Indo-U.S. Minimally Invasive Surgery Live Operative Workshop organized by Siddharth Yadav (VMMC and

Safdarjang Hospital, New Delhi) and Ashok Kumar Hemal (Wake Forest Baptist Health Urology, North Carolina) was to promote exchange of knowledge, surgical skills and ideas between urologists of both nations. The workshop witnessed clinical case - based panel discussions on prostate, bladder and kidney cancers. Latest updates and recent advances were deliberated upon by experts. Live Robotic and 3-D Laparoscopic surgeries were demonstrated like Radical Prostatectomy, Partial Nephrectomy, Radical Nephrectomy, Radical Nephroureterectomy, Radical Cystectomy with Intracorporeal Neobladder, Adrenalectomy, Robot assisted MRI fusion prostate biopsy, Robotic HIFU and HIVAC (Hyperthermia intravesical chemotherapy).

21-22 September 2019 New Delhi, INDIA

SEPTEMBER 2019

Indo-U.S. Minimally Invasive Surgery

Live Operative Workshop

investigations have been made on next-generation advanced biofuel production domain. However, these technologies are still in the pre-pilot/ pilot stage. While intensive research explorations are being carried out in advanced biofuel domain by scientists in both the United States and India, there is no active collaboration among the experts working in various upstream and downstream advanced biofuel production processes. In order to move these technologies towards commercialization, there is a need for sustained research collaborations. Keeping this in mind, this Indo-U.S. joint workshop titled

‘Recent Advances in Advanced Biofuel Technologies; ‘Biohydrogen, Fuel cell & Biobutanol: Understanding the Challenges for moving towards Commercialization’ was organized by Vibha Dhawan (The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi) and Wei Liao (Michigan State University, East Lansing). As a part of the deliberations, the group jointly made an action plan on the final day for Indo-U.S. research collaboration in ‘Advanced bio-based energy and value added commodity production’ to address challenges through knowledge sharing.


Events Diary

The chief focus of the Indo-U.S. Symposium on Translational Research in Genetic Neuromuscular Disorders: Bench to Bedside and Beyond

organized by Prajnya Ranganath (Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad) and Priya S. Kishnani (Duke University School of Medicine, North Carolina) was on translational research in the area of genetic neuromuscular disorders. Various aspects related to this theme ranging from the molecular basis, clinical evaluation, molecular diagnosis, management, physical rehabilitation and genetic counseling to ongoing pre-clinical studies, clinical trials and emerging therapeutic modalities including CRISPR-Cas9 and other gene editing technologies, were discussed by eminent experts. The scientific deliberations over the course of three days of the symposium were planned to cater to the clinical and research interests of medical practitioners as well as scientists working in the area of genetic neuromuscular disorders. The post-conference workshop on interpretation of genetic tests in the clinical setting was targeted to help clinicians from all specialties and super specialties to understand the nuances of conventional as well as recently developed genetic diagnostic tests and their utility in the clinic.

21-23 November 2019 Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences Hyderabad, INDIA

NOVEMBER 2019

Translational Research in Genetic Neuromuscular Disorders: Bench to Bedside and Beyond

The term “Aging Aircraft” suddenly entered our lexicon in 1988 when

a commercial jet aircraft operating in the United States suffered an in-flight structural failure. Though a major catastrophe was averted, the ill-fated aircraft’s structural integrity was found to be severely degraded due to fatigue and corrosion. The aircraft was operating well beyond its manufacturer-suggested economic life of 20 years, like many aircrafts in present day service are. However, it must be emphasized that current

NOVEMBER 2019

India – USA Lecture Series on Aging Aircraft (IULSAA)

27 – 29 November 2019 Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru, INDIA


Events Diary

regulations offer adequate protection to ensure that even if an aircraft has reached or exceeded superannuation it would be airworthy but only if structural degradation like what was found in the ill-fated aircraft is absent.

Although there are several other reasons for developing awareness among the community in India about the challenges involved in operating aging aircraft, the unacceptably high threat that could be posed to the nation’s transportation infrastructure by aging aircraft was sufficient motivation for conducting the India – USA Lecture Series on Aging Aircraft (IULSAA) organized by S.

Gopalakrishnan (Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru) and Lalita Udpa (Michigan State University, East Lansing). The main objective of this lecture series was to provide regulatory personnel, fleet operators, managers, military commanders, designers and industry personnel responsible for upgrading the capabilities and safety of their fleets, maintenance personnel at air logistics centres and depots, and specialists involved with design an insight into issues involved in ageing aircraft and their impact on safety and economic factors due to higher cost of maintenance, repair and replacement.

Infection and immunity provide new insights into the interactions between viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic pathogens and their

hosts. Specific areas of interest include mechanisms of molecular pathogenesis, virulence factors, cellular microbiology, experimental models of infection, host resistance or susceptibility, and the generation of innate and adaptive immune responses. Beyond host genetics, the environment determines microbiota-immunity interactions. Most recent studies have focused on the interconnections between microbial and immune populations. The primary goal of the symposium on New Insights into the Inflammation, Immunity and Pathobiology of Diseases organized by Jayasri Das Sarma (Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, Kolkata); Debnath Pal (Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru); Randall Cohrs (University of Colorado, Denver) and Kenneth S. Shindler (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia) was to bring together the microbiologists and immunologists in a single setting to discuss their research in this area as well as explore avenues of potential collaboration. The symposium aimed towards formulating research questions and experimental directions that will enhance the development of new concepts on pathophysiology, a discipline stands in front of biggest challenges of its history.

4-8 December 2019 Port Blair, INDIA

DECEMBER 2019

New Insights into the Inflammation,

Immunity and Pathobiology of

Diseases


Events Diary

The growing adoption of wide (GaN and SiC) and ultra-wide (β-Ga2O3) bandgap power devices and electronics in various applications

ranging from high power/low frequency requirements in railways to low power/high frequency mobile communication, made this workshop on Frontiers of Excellence in Wide and Ultrawide Bandgap Semiconductors and Electronic Systems timely and relevant. This workshop was organized by Saurabh Lodha (Indian Institute of Technology Bombay) and Siddharth Rajan (Ohio State University, Columbus). IITB and OSU are well known as leading centres of excellence in (ultra) wide bandgap semiconductor research in India as well as the United States. More importantly, the expertise in these institutes ranges across the entire spectrum of materials growth, device design and fabrication and power electronic systems development.

The workshop brought together researchers from India and the U.S., from academia, R&D centres as well as industry, for understanding, exchanging and brainstorming ideas on challenges and opportunities in state-of-the-art communication and power devices and power electronic systems. The workshop involved talks on state-of-the-art and future disruptive technologies including underlying science as well as applications, delivered by experts in the field. The plenary talks focused on overviews of material and device candidates for a range of established and emerging technologies (e.g. Si, SiC, GaN, Ga2O3, diamond) while the sessions focussed on more in-depth presentation of new results pertaining to these technologies – especially material growth and quality, novel device designs as well as power electronic system challenges.

14-15 December 2019 Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Mumbai, INDIA

DECEMBER 2019

Frontiers of Excellence in Wide and Ultrawide Bandgap Semiconductors and Electronic Systems


Additive manufacturing has great potential in India not only in the manufacturing operations of capital goods industry like automobiles,

appliances, engineering industries, but also in strategic and aerospace industries. The technology of machine building has to be internalized along with the manufacture of aggregates like fiber laser, electron beam source. Quality control, precision improvement, avoiding, certification and reducing post processing are all areas where Indian academicians can do focused research in collaboration with Indian and U.S. counterparts. The goal of this Indo- U.S. Workshop on Metal Additive Manufacturing-Technology Gaps and Research Directions organized by P. Radhakrishnan (PSG Institute of Advanced Studies, Coimbatore) and Jyoti Mazumdar (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor) was to bring together top U.S. research faculty in the area of metal additive manufacturing with India’s leading research faculty, graduate research assistants, and interested industry collaborators to identify the current technological gaps between metal additive manufacturing and conventional subtractive manufacturing and to discuss the steps to be taken not only to bridge the technological gaps through directed academic research, but also to identify technological solutions to reduce costs.

16-18 December 2019 PSG Institute of Advanced Studies

Coimbatore, INDIA

DECEMBER 2019

Metal Additive Manufacturing-

Technology Gaps and Research

Directions

Events Diary

Now-a-days, advanced materials such as inorganic, bio and nano-materials play a vital role in our lives because of its uniqueness

in properties and extended application in various industries. Advanced Materials are at the heart of many technological developments that touch our lives and find applications such as electronic materials for communication and information technology, biomaterials for better healthcare, sensors for the intelligent environment, energy materials for renewable energy and environment, light alloys for better transportation, materials for strategic applications and more. The objective of this Indo-U.S. symposium on Synthesis Characterization and applications of Nano-Structured Materials organized by Munish Kumar Gupta (Chandigarh University) and Mandeep Singh Bakshi (University of Wisconsin, Green Bay) was to provide a forum for researchers from academia and industries to explore and share the advancements in different kinds of materials and their applications.

DECEMBER 2019

Synthesis, Characterization and Applications

of Nano-Structured Materials

20-21 December 2019 Chandigarh University

Chandigarh, INDIA


Indo-US Science and Technology Forum: Catalysing Indo-US Science & Technology Cooperation over a decade.

For program details visit:

http://www.indousstf.org

Indo-US Science & Technology ForumThe Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF), established under an agreement between the Governments of India and the United States of America, is an autonomous, not for profit society in India, co-funded and co-governed by both the governments. IUSSTF promotes and catalyzes Indo-US collaborations in science, technology, engineering, biomedical research and innovation through substantive interaction among government, academia and industry.

Foster excellence by capitalizing on the scientific and technological synergyDisseminate information and create awareness through scientific exchangesBuild linkages through networking between academia and industryExplore new frontiers by nurturing contact between young and mid-career scientists Pave way to sustainable interactions and establish long term relationshipsEncourage public-private partnership to inculcate elements of innovation and entrepreneurship

Academia-Industry Connect ProgramsAdvance Schools & Training ProgramsBilateral Workshops & SymposiaFlagship EventsKnowledge R&D Networked Joint Centers

Programs on Innovation and EntrepreneurshipPublic-Private Networked R&D Joint CentresResearch Fellowships for FacultySpecial Initiatives for Strategic PartnershipsStudent Internships & Visiting Professorships

Exciting and innovative collaborative programs cutting across disciplines and institutions

What we do

Who we are

We support

We invite

How to contact us?

Indo-US S&T Forum

IUSSTF

Proposals which are peer reviewed both in India and USA for awards Bilateral Indo-US Workshop/Symposia & Indo-US Training/Advanced SchoolsSubmission Deadlines Award Announcements15 February 30 June15 August 31 December

Indo-US Public-Private Networked Centres & Indo-US Knowledge R&D Networked CentresSubmission Deadline Award Announcement15 August 31 December

Submission Deadlines Award Announcements1 March 31 July31 August 31 January

Submission Deadline Award Announcement31 August 31 January

IUSSTF: Catalysing Indo-US Science, Technology and Innovation Collaborations for 18 Years!Indo-US Science and Technology Forum:

Catalysing Indo-US Science & Technology Cooperation over a decade.

For program details visit:

http://www.indousstf.org

Indo-US Science & Technology ForumThe Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF), established under an agreement between the Governments of India and the United States of America, is an autonomous, not for profit society in India, co-funded and co-governed by both the governments. IUSSTF promotes and catalyzes Indo-US collaborations in science, technology, engineering, biomedical research and innovation through substantive interaction among government, academia and industry.

Foster excellence by capitalizing on the scientific and technological synergyDisseminate information and create awareness through scientific exchangesBuild linkages through networking between academia and industryExplore new frontiers by nurturing contact between young and mid-career scientists Pave way to sustainable interactions and establish long term relationshipsEncourage public-private partnership to inculcate elements of innovation and entrepreneurship

Academia-Industry Connect ProgramsAdvance Schools & Training ProgramsBilateral Workshops & SymposiaFlagship EventsKnowledge R&D Networked Joint Centers

Programs on Innovation and EntrepreneurshipPublic-Private Networked R&D Joint CentresResearch Fellowships for FacultySpecial Initiatives for Strategic PartnershipsStudent Internships & Visiting Professorships

Exciting and innovative collaborative programs cutting across disciplines and institutions

What we do

Who we are

We support

We invite

How to contact us?

Indo-US S&T Forum

IUSSTF

Proposals which are peer reviewed both in India and USA for awards Bilateral Indo-US Workshop/Symposia & Indo-US Training/Advanced SchoolsSubmission Deadlines Award Announcements15 February 30 June15 August 31 December

Indo-US Public-Private Networked Centres & Indo-US Knowledge R&D Networked CentresSubmission Deadline Award Announcement15 August 31 December

www.iusstf.orgFor program details visit:

Indo-US Science and Technology ForumFulbright House 12 Hailey Road, New Delhi - 110 001

Newsletter of IUSSTF Volume 11 (3) | January 2020 · Aravali House, 431/D-22, Chhatarpur Hills New Delhi-110074, India CONTENTS COVER STORY Smart Distribution Systems Advancing the

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