The Young Scientist Awards presented

The Young Scientist Awards were presented at the valedictory function of the 22nd Kerala Science Congress here on Sunday.

The winners included Surya Sankar (Fisheries and Veterinary Sciences); S. Lakshmi (Biotechnology); Sampath Srinivasan (Chemical Sciences and Technology); S. Arjun (Earth system science and geo-informatics); R. Suja (Engineering Science); S. Babu (Environmental science); Praveenkumar B. Ravindran (Health Science); and S. Nishant Kumar (Life science). The subjects chosen by the winners in various categories included �Development and evaluation of whole cell and membrane protein vaccines against Mycloplasma gallisepticum� (Fisheries and veterinary sciences); �Anti-tumour potency of 5,7-dihydroxyflavone, a bioactive compound isloated from Alpinia galanga� (Biotechnology); �A

bioinspired self-cleaning nanocomposite� (Chemical sciences and technology); �Numerical validation of Kallakadal � coastal flooding due to remote forcing� (Earth system science and geo-informatics); �Rehabilitation of Thiruvananthapuram water supply network for improving its reliability� (Engineering Science); �Distribution and conservation status of owls in the southern Western Ghats� (Environmental science); �Germine hMLHI mutations in Indian colorectal cancer patients with suspected lynch syndrome� (Health science); and �New bioactive cyclic peptides from bacteria associated with entomopathogenic nematodes� (Life science).

K.V. Sankaran, director, KFRI; E.P. Yesodharan, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE); R.V.G. Menon, chairman of the Science Congress; C.G. Ramachandran Nair, former chairman of Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (STEC); and V. Ajit Prabhu, joint director, KSCSTE, spoke.