Best Science Colleges in India 2011

Browse through the top 10 list of 2011 for the Best Science Colleges in India.
The annual India Today survey results for the best colleges in the country for 2011 were declared last week. More than 1500 colleges had participated in the survey which ranked institutions stream-wise offering courses in arts, science, commerce, engineering, medicine and law.
The institutions were assessed for the following parameters:

• Reputation
  
• Academic Input
  
• Student Care
  
• Infrastructure
  
• Placement
  
• Perceptual Rank
  
• Factual Rank

While colleges like St Stephens and Loyola, Chennai have maintained their top positions from last year, this year's list also sees the addition of colleges like Hindu College, Delhi; Mount Carmel College, and St. Joseph's College, Bangalore in the list. 

 Top 10 science colleges in India >>

1. St Stephen's College, Delhi

Maintaining the top spot is St. Stephen's College, Delhi.

Founded by Rev Samuel Scott Allnutt, on 1 February 1881, St. Stephen's is the oldest college in Delhi.

The College commenced its academic journey with just five student and three teachers in a small house in Chandni Chowk. Since then, it has shifted its location thrice and is currently located in the university Enclave.

The college was known as one of the premier institutions offering degrees in liberal arts and science in the country.

While its founder members were not only great academicians, they were also active participants and contributed greatly to the cause of the nation.

Today, they cater to undergraduate and post graduate students besides offering all round development by initiating activities and dedicated student societies in debating, dramatics, mountaineering, film and music appreciation, social service, photography, electronics and astronomy.

2. Loyola College, Chennai

On second spot is Loyola College, Chennai
Founded in 1925, with an aim to provide university education to the Catholic Community, the college is known for its high academic standards and quality education in the city.

Although the college continues to be affiliated to the University of Madras, it functions as an autonomous body since July 1978.

It has a 100-acre campus and is conveniently located in the heart of the city.

There are 18 departments (for Arts, Commerce and Science) and 9 special Institutes offering more than 111 programs to over 10,000 students. It has 10 departments offering M.Phil programs and 14 departments that offer Ph.D programs.

Over 114 teaching staff members out of 277, hold doctoral degree.

3. St. Xavier's College, Kolkata

Moving two places up from last year is St. Xavier's College, Kolkata.
 
Named after St. Francis Xavier, a Jesuit saint of the 16th century, who travelled to India, St. Xavier's College was founded in 1860 with just 40 students.

It is an autonomous college affiliated to the University of Calcutta.

After gaining autonomous status in July 2006, it also came to be known as the first autonomous college of West Bengal, India.

The College offers UG and PG Courses under five faculties, namely Arts, Science, Commerce, Business Administration and Education and has close to 5000 students under its roll.

The college also owns the credit for having a commemorative stamp depicting the college campus issued by the Indian Post in its name.

4. Miranda House, New Delhi

Fourth on the list is Miranda House, New Delhi which was on the eighth position last year.

A residential college for women, Miranda House is also regarded as one of the premier women's institutions of Delhi University.
It was founded in 1948 by the then Vice-Chancellor Sir Maurice Gwyer with a student strength of 33.

Today, the college offers undergraduate and post graduate courses across 16 academic departments in liberal arts and science to more than 2,500 students.

The college building which was designed by renowned architect Walter Sykes George was recently declared as a heritage building.

5. Fergusson College, Pune

Sharing the fifth spot this year is Fergusson College, Pune
 
The college got its name on January 2, 1885, to acknowledge the efforts of Sir James Fergusson, the first patron of the Deccan Education Society who strived towards the formation of the college. The college was inaugurated by William Wordsworth, the grandson of the famous English poet.

Starting with Arts in its inception days, in 1892, it commenced offering courses in Science and since then has maintained high standards of education.

The college is located in the heart of the city, has a sprawling campus and caters to the many needs of the 5,500-odd student community from sports, games and cultural facilities.

6. Christ University, Bangalore

Improving its position by one rank from last year is Christ University, Bangalore.
Also known popularly as Christ College, the Christ University was established in July 1969.

It has the rare distinction to be the first institution in Karnataka to be accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) UGC for quality education.

Spread over a 25 acre campus, the Christ University was granted the deemed university status in 2008.

Today, the college has over 2000 students enrolled in its science stream and offers integrated programmes in physics, maths, chemistry, biology and electronics.


Besides, it also offers courses in Law, Business Administration, Commerce, Management, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Among the professional ones, it offers courses in Business Management, Computer Application, Hotel Management, Mass Communication, Social Work, Engineering and Tourism.

7. Hindu College, Delhi

Appraising its position from thirteenth spot last year is Hindu College, Delhi.
Established in 1899, the Hindu College, Delhi is one of the oldest and profound colleges of the country.

An active participant of the freedom struggle movement, the college is known for its academic excellence across science, arts and commerce.

Spread over 25 acres of land, the college has over 15 departments offering undergraduate and graduate courses to over 2000 students annually.

It is ably supported by a strong academic and non-teaching staff.

 8. Mount Carmel College, Bangalore

It's a commendable achievement for Mount Carmel College, Bangalore which featured on the sixteenth position last year.

Since it was established on July 7, 1948, roughly a year after independence with just 50 students on its rolls, which dwindled to 32, by the end of the year owing to lack of proper infrastructure, the college has certainly come a long way.

Today it has a beautiful campus, large buildings and caters to over 4,000 students in the country.

It is the first woman's college in Karnataka and also the first all women college to start courses in PGDBA.

It has five departments, namely arts, science, home science, commerce and post graduate studies which specifically look into the academic and social needs of students.

9. St. Joseph's College, Bangalore

Also moving up the ladder from its 12th spot last year is St. Joseph's College, Bangalore.

Founded in 1882, St St. Joseph's College, Bangalore is one of the oldest colleges in Karnataka, India.

After it was declared an autonomous college in 2005, it started offering integrated courses in science, commerce and arts to students.

It has student strength of over 5000 students ably attended by a faculty of about 150 members.

 10. Hansraj College, Delhi

Sliding down from its ninth position last year is Hansraj College, Delhi.
 
The college came into being on July 1948, with student strength of 313 members.

Hansraj College is known for its large classrooms and extensive playfields, and boasts of a sports complex, an air conditioned electronic shooting range, well-equipped laboratories, a spacious library and hostel facilities among others.
It has nearly 15 academic departments and faculty of 85 members

The Most Unforgettable Space Shuttle Pictures

When the space shuttle Atlantis lands on Thursday, it will wrap up STS-135, the final shuttle mission in the U.S. program's 30-year history.

Even with the tragic losses of Challenger and Columbia, the space shuttle has become an icon among U.S. science and technology achievements. During the past three decades, shuttles carried the first U.S. woman and the first African American into space, deployed famous satellites such as the Hubble Space Telescope, and delivered valuable parts and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS).

"The space shuttle has been with us at the heart and soul of the human spaceflight program for about 30 years, and it's a little sad to see it go away," STS-135 mission commander Christopher Ferguson recently told reporters in a televised interview from the ISS.

"It's going to be an emotional moment for a lot of people that dedicated their lives to the shuttle program for 30 years. But we're going to try to keep it upbeat ... We're going to try to make it a celebration of the tremendous crowning achievements that have occurred."

View Fullscreen Slideshow

Sitting on a rolling platform, the space shuttle Challenger emerges from the mist at Kennedy Space Center in Florida as it heads toward the launch pad, just visible in the distance, in November 1982. Challenger lifted off on its maiden voyage in
April 1983 for the sixth shuttle mission.

Astronaut Sally Ride floats in front of the control panels for the space shuttle Challenger on June 25, 1983, while serving as a mission specialist for STS-7. Ride became the first U.S. woman in space during this mission.

Astronauts John M. Grunsfeld (right) and Richard M. Linnehan stand next to the Hubble Space Telescope, which was brought into the space shuttle Columbia's payload bay for repairs during STS-109, as seen on March 8, 2002.

The space shuttle Endeavour—payload bay doors ajar —rushes past Earth while docked to the International Space Station on May 28, 2011.

Suspended above the planet, the space shuttle Endeavour is silhouetted against the layers of Earth's atmosphere in a picture taken by an ISS crew member on February 9, 2010. The shot shows the shuttle shortly before it docked with the space station during STS-130.

Seen outside the space shuttle Discovery during STS-51-A, astronaut Dale Gardner enjoys a moment of levity as he completes a spacewalk to recover two broken communications satellites from orbit on November 14, 1984. Astronaut Joseph P. Allen IV is seen reflected in Gardner's helmet visor.

The space shuttle Columbia sits on a launch pad at Kennedy Space Center on March 5, 1981. Columbia launched on the first shuttle flight, STS-1, on April 12, 1981.  Following the first two launches, NASA calculated that they could safely shave 600 pounds (272 kilograms) from a shuttle's overall launch weight by not painting the large external fuel tank white and instead leaving its orange insulating foam exposed.

A softly glowing plume is all that remains visible of the space shuttle Endeavour after a nighttime launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center on March 11, 2008.

Originally slated to bear the name Constitution, the first space shuttle to be built was dubbed Enterprise following a write-in campaign from Star Trek fans. Above, cast members from the science- fiction show attend the shuttle's rollout ceremony in Palmdale, California, on September 17, 1976. From left to right: Leonard Nimoy, who portrayed Vulcan science officer Spock; George Takei, who was helmsman Hikaru Sulu; DeForest Kelly, who was chief medical officer Leonard "Bones" McCoy; and James Doohan, who was chief engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott.

Spectators gather in the late-morning heat to watch the space shuttle Atlantis lift off for STS-135, the final shuttle mission, on July 8, 2011.

A cloud of debris spreads in the sky over coastal Florida as the space shuttle Challenger breaks apart on January 28, 1986. The orbiter disintegrated 74 seconds after launch during STS- 61-C, killing all seven crew members.

Earth seems ready for loading into the space shuttle Endeavour's open payload bay in a picture taken in December 1998 using an onboard IMAX camera. The large-format camera was sent into space during STS-88 in part to film the installation of the Unity Node, the first U.S. module for the International Space Station.

Technicians work on a test firing of a space shuttle main engine at the National Space Technology Laboratories in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, before the first flight of Columbia in 1981.

The crew of STS-102 works on the flight deck of the space shuttle Discovery to dock the shuttle with the International Space Station on March 10, 2001.

A technician inspects one of the nylon parachutes used to slow the descent of a space shuttle's solid rocket boosters before STS-1 in 1981. The 80-ton rockets detached shortly after launch and splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean, where they were recovered for reuse.

Riding piggyback on a Boeing 747, the test shuttle Enterprise glides over the New York City skyline in June 1983. Unable to fly like airplanes under their own power, shuttle orbiters had to be transported long distances atop of other aircraft.

A tornado forms a dark column near the launch pad, where the space shuttle Columbia waits to launch on STS-93, as seen on July 20, 1999. The shuttle lifted off July 23, carrying NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory into orbit.

Staff at the Mission Control Center of Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, monitor the landing of the space shuttle Columbia on April 14, 1981, after the first ever shuttle mission to reach orbit.

Curling like bizarre sigils in the sky, plume remnants from the June 8, 2007, launch of the space shuttle Atlantis glow with the light of the setting sun. The so-called night-shining clouds created by the launch are seen over the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB.

Seen from the space shuttle's payload bay, astronaut Mark Lee goes for an untethered spacewalk outside Discovery in September 1994

A huge crowd—many driving recreational vehicles— gathers to watch the space shuttle Columbia land on July 4, 1982, at Edwards Air Force Base in California at the end of STS-4.

A charred astronaut helmet lying in the grass near Norwood, Texas, was among the debris found after the space shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry on February 1, 2003. The orbiter had completed STS-107 and was returning for landing, but damaged heat shielding caused the craft to disintegrate, killing all seven crew members.

In preparation for STS-135, the space shuttle Atlantis is lifted high inside the Vehicle Assembly Building on May 18, 2011, so it can be attached to the "stack"—the combination of the large external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters.

The gentle green glow of the aurora australis—or southern lights—curls over Earth in a picture taken by an astronaut aboard the space shuttle Discovery on August 6, 2005.

Like a delicate water ballet, astronauts practice for a shuttle mission on December 10, 1997, in the Sonny Carter Training Facility—a giant swimming pool filled with life-size replicas of space hardware—at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Cocoa Beach surfers watch from the water as the space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from nearby Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 8, 2000.

Scientists found new molecule that may lead to better drug for TB

Transitmycin was extracted from marine microorganism isolated from soil sample

Scientists at the Tuberculosis Research Centre (TRC) here have hit upon a new molecule with anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties that could potentially lead to a better drug for the treatment of TB and common HIV sub-types.

The team at TRC extracted the molecule, Transitmycin, from the marine microorganism Streptomyces sp. isolated from a soil sample off the Rameswaram coral reef.

The brominated and pigmented (yellow) antibiotic was found effective during in vitro tests against dormant and active forms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis — the pathogen that triggers one of the leading infectious diseases worldwide.

Another capability

The Transitmycin molecule also exhibited promising inhibiting capability against certain common HIV sub types such as clade B and C (HIV clade C is the most common HIV strain in India) and pathogens such as E. Coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

“The significance of the discovery of this molecule is that it comes at a time when there is very little to offer to patients developing multi-drug resistance to otherwise effective drugs in the regimen like Rifampicin and isoniazid,” said Vanaja Kumar, Head of Bacteriology at TRC, Chennai.

The combined resistance to Rifampicin and isoniazid has an adverse impact on the TB control programme. Compounding matters is the emergence of extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR) involving resistance to fluoroquinolone and one of the three second-line injectibles (capreomycin, kanamycin or amikacin).

Simultaneous treatment

“Equally significantly, the molecule's dual anti-bacterial and anti-viral action could lead to a drug that could simultaneously treat patients co-infected with TB-HIV,” she said. Conventionally, Rifampicin (TB) and Nevirapine (HIV) cannot be used simultaneously.

“Given the antibiotic efficiency of the basic molecule, further refinement of the compound could improve potency by 10 to 20 times,” said Mukesh Doble, Professor, Department of Biotechnology, IIT-Madras.

Along with IIT-M, Periyar University, Salem also collaborated in the Rs.20-lakh project funded by the Department of Science and Technology.

Simple structure

Among all the compounds under testing, Transitmycin proved to be the best by virtue of its simple structure, status as a polar and water-soluble compound and minimal cyto toxicity, said Luke Elizabeth Hanna, TRC scientist.

However, despite all the promise at the laboratory-level, a Transitmycin drug could be far away — at least ten years — when it is put through the acid tests of animal trials and clinical trials. The project would also require funds to the tune of around Rs.300 crore from here on.

After filing for a patent in February, the scientists have also sent a 64-page proposal to the ICMR to push the case for funded research to take the project forward.

Animal trials

R. Balagurunathan, co-investigator and head of Microbiology, Periyar University, hoped that animal trials could soon be launched as the Indian Council of Medical Research had agreed to provide linkages with ICMR institutions with animal houses.

Scientists pointed out that while actinomycetes are the most valuable microorganisms capable of producing chemically diverse metabolites with wide-ranging biological applications, the rate of discovering new compounds from terrestrial actinomycetes has decreased in the recent past.

Transitmycin belongs to the family of marine actinomycetes that are becoming the promising source for secondary metabolites. And, if it paves the way for a drug, Transitmycin holds the advantage of having its coral reef origins sterilised from human interference — this extends the time cycle of humans developing resistance to a drug derived from this molecule.