Two Kerala scientists bring laurels to state

Assistant professor at ISST Ramiya A M and associate professor at ISST Anoop C S have brought the award home.
Ramiya AM
Ramiya AM

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two scientists from the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) have brought laurels to the city. They have been awarded the Kerala State Young Scientist Award (KSYSA) for 2021, in recognition of their outstanding contribution in science and technology.

Assistant professor at ISST Ramiya A M and associate professor at ISST Anoop C S have brought the award home. The duo is among the four scientists who won the prestigious award in the state. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000, the Chief Minister’s gold medal, a research grant up to Rs 50 lakh and travel support for a visit abroad for presenting their research work at a conference.

Ramiya has been working in the field of remote sensing and said it was her research in Lidar technology that fetched her the award. The award has been given to her for developing algorithms and methods for the extraction of information from data collected using Lidar. The application of the technology is used in a variety of streams such as disaster management, forest biomass estimation, roadway alignment, elevation model creation and so on.

“Lidar is a relatively new technology in India. But abroad, it is used widely. Not many are working in the field in Kerala. My work in developing the algorithm helps in 3D modelling and getting all relevant data of plants, buildings and so on about the earth’s surface. In other words, we can extract very detailed information. It will help in smart governance and decision-making,” says Ramiya. She had recently worked on the Koyikkal Palace and obtained the information regarding the palace, among other works.

“Instead of working on a 2D model and information, you get very detailed information. It helps in surveys, conservation and the future renovation,” says Ramiya who is on cloud nine after getting the award.

Anoop is equally thrilled and echoes the same sentiments. He says the award will give a fillip to future scientific work. Anoop has been awarded in recognition of two of his works. He developed high-performing circuits for different types of sensors with a wide span of operation and remote measurement capabilities. He also developed an electronic system for current output sensors.

“I developed an electronic system that can detect feeble current, say in terms of picoampere. It can be applied everywhere including space technology,” he says. Through his other work, developing high-performance circuits, he has made it easier to take measurements in remotely located sensors. “The award gives us a great boost to move ahead and is fuel for future research aspiration,” he says.

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