Prof. K. N. Ganesh, the founding director of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, addressed Extentians at a breakfast talk on August 31. He has served on several important national and international committees and has published 150 research papers in internationally reputed journals. Prof. Ganesh spoke about the origin of nanotechnology and its implications in the modern world.
He began with the basics – a periodic table and water, to explain the breakdown of elements in nano form. He used relevant examples – high-rise buildings coated with materials to make them self-cleaning, and Olympic medalist, Michael Phelps’ swimsuit coated with silver to make it water repellant. The audience could connect with these instances. According to him, in science the more you know, the more you don’t know. So, it’s important to ask questions to progress. He added that nanoscience is slow, it depends on progress in other fields to move ahead. The conclusion was a rousing session with the audience, which kept them engaged.