ILLUMINATI- ALTAR OF SCIENCE

  The Department of Physics, University of Kerala, Kariavattom Campus, organized an invited lecture on “Introduction to Severe Space Weather” on 1 June 2026 at the Department Seminar Hall. The session was delivered by Dr. Balan Nanan , Distinguished Professor, Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research (ISEE), Nagoya University, Japan. The lecture provided an engaging introduction to the science of space weather and its growing importance in the modern technological era. Dr. Nanan explained the physical processes occurring on the Sun, including solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and discussed how these phenomena propagate through interplanetary space to influence the Earth's near-space environment. He highlighted the effects of severe space weather on satellite operations, communication systems, navigation networks, power grids, and other critical technological infrastructures. Drawing from his extensive experience in space physics research, Dr. Nanan int...

Today, we were happy to host the Second Year M.Sc. Physics students of Mahatma Gandhi College, Thiruvananthapuram, at the Department of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, University of Kerala, as part of their industrial visit. The students were accompanied by their teacher, and it was also a pleasure to have Prof. Shyam, my dear friend and faculty member of the same college, joining the visit. The lab familiarization session was handled by Mr. Nithin, Technical Assistant, who introduced the students to the laboratory facilities, instruments, and basic research practices. I also fondly acknowledge Dr. V. M. Anandkumar Sir, Principal of Mahatma Gandhi College, who is an alumnus of our Department of Physics, University of Kerala. His support and encouragement made the visit more meaningful. The students showed good interest in understanding the scope of nanoscience, laboratory practices, and research facilities. Overall, it was a fruitful and pleasant academic programme.

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  One year in Nanoscience -and it still feels like a beautiful beginning. An institution grows not merely because of buildings, instruments, or titles, but because of the people who join it, strengthen it, and quietly believe in what it can become. Over this year, the Department of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology has begun to gather such people. Our postdoctoral team itself brings wonderful diversity in research: Dr. Aswathy P in nonlinear optics, spectroscopy, DFT, and optical limiting; Dr. Sreevalsa S in quantum dots, optoelectronics, phosphors, MOFs, and hybrid materials; and Bijimol B I in electrochemistry, hydrogen evolution, surface engineering, and advanced nanomaterials. Along with them, our students and research team have been taking the department forward through work in energy materials, nanocomposites, coatings, catalysis, and interdisciplinary nanoscience. It is especially encouraging that new interdisciplinary directions are also emerging. One such interesting li...

  The Two-Day National Seminar “Down to Earth: The Amazing Planet” , held on 25–26 March 2026 , was a memorable and meaningful academic event. It was especially significant because it was organized as part of the retirement ceremony programme of Pradeep Sir . I was happy to be part of this occasion and to present our paper titled: Mathematical Modelling of River Meandering Using Gamma Functions Authors: Parvana P, Dhanil Dev S R and Sibi K S This work brought together mathematical ideas and Earth system understanding through a model of river meandering based on Beta–Gamma functions. The presentation was a small but meaningful contribution to a very special academic gathering. The seminar was very well organized, and the paper presentation sessions were handled in a very aesthetic, gracious, and thoughtful manner. The atmosphere created by the session chairs made the student presenters feel comfortable and confident, allowing them to share the essence of their work witho...

Chairing a Session on Quantum Light: When Light Becomes Smarter Reflections on today’s lecture by Dr. Ashok Kumar, IIST Thiruvananthapuram Today, 18 March 2026 , I had the opportunity to chair a very engaging lecture by Dr. Ashok Kumar of IIST Thiruvananthapuram on the topic “Quantum Light for Technology: From Quantum Cryptography to Ultra-Sensitive Sensing.” It was one of those talks that reminds us how modern physics is no longer confined to blackboards alone; it is steadily entering the world of technology. For many people, light is simply something that helps us see. But today’s lecture showed that light can be much more than that. In quantum optics, light can be prepared in very special forms so that it behaves in a more coordinated and useful way than ordinary light. One simple way to imagine this is to think of normal light as a crowd walking in a busy street, each person moving with small random variations. Quan...