3 Planetaria at Gopalpur, Rayagada and Baripada
5 Science Centres at Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Jeypore, Gopalpur and Khandapada
Bhubaneswar: Senior professor and head of the department of pulmonary medicine in Chandigarh-based Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research(PGIMER) Dogambar Behera received Biju Patnaik Award for Scientific Excellence for the year 2016. Computer Science professor of University of California Prasanta Mohapatra also received this award for 2015.
Instituted by Odisha Bigyan Academy (OBA), the award is given to an Odia scientist working any where in India or abroad each year for his/her lifetime research contributions in the field of science and technology.
The Samanta Chandra Sekhar Award for 2016 was given to Prof Swapna Mahapatra, Prof Banshidhar Majhi and Prof Sukumar Mishra. The award for 2015 went to Dr Sharat Kumar Pradhan, Prof Sarat Kumar Swain and Prof Bhishma Kumar Patel.
The award is given by OBA each year for outstanding research contribution in science and technology, during the five years preceding the year of award.
The Odisha chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, Wednesday conferred these awards to the distinguished scientists.
After felicitating the scientists, Patnaik said,”My government is aware that science and technology can only grow and flourish on the bedrock of pure science. We should encourage our children to take up pure science in higher studies and choose scientific research as a career.”
The chief minister said that the state government is setting up three planetaria at Gopalpur, Rayagada and Baripada and five Science Centres at Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Jeypore, Gopalpur and Khandapada.
The school & mass education and science & technology minister, Badri Naryan Patra, development commissioner, R.Balakrishnan, science & technology secretary Vir Vikram Yadav, Odisha Vigyan Academy president Prof.Sanghamitra Mohanty were present at the award giving ceremony.
