ature Inspired Physics
A Leopoldina-INSA Lecture Hosted in Cooperation with the Embassy of India in Berlin
September 18th, 2018
On September 18th, the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina joined with The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) in organizing a special lecture presented by INSA-President Ajay Kumar Sood. The lecture was held in cooporation with the Embassy of India in Berlin in order to promote Indian-German science and research collaboration.
Established in 1652, the Leopoldina is currently gathering together more than 1,500 respected German scientists from about 30 countries. The academy represents the German scientific community in international committees. It offers unbiased scientific opinions on political and societal questions, publishing independent studies of national and international significance.
The Leopoldina organizes scientific research and public debates, supports young scientists, conducts research projects for German science community. The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) was founded in 1935 with the purpose of forming professional linkages between Indian scientists and international organizations, supporting science collaborations and giving opinion on national issues through debate and discussions.
Leopoldina and INSA have worked closely for many years by jointly organizing scientific conferences in India and Germany. The lecture in Berlin this autumn is a part of the Leopoldina-INSA lecture series, in which high-ranking members of both academies introduce their studies to the general public in order to promote the visibility of Indian and German science.
Professor Dr Ajay Kumar Sood is President of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) and Professor for Physics at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. Throughout the lecture, he clarified how nature inspires scientists to explore such fascinating phenomena in laboratories. As physicists, Professor Sood and his team have tried to understand flocking behavior by working with inanimate asymmetric brass rods made active by placing them on rapidly vibrating surface amongst spherical beads. In the lecture, Professor Sood presented his recent studies on how to separate active particles with same size but with different activities. He also discussed how these studies may be able to shed light, for example on the unfortunate phenomena of stampedes, which has been earlier ascribed as a fluid dynamics problem.
