Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Sunday, February 9, 2025
Geo Dialogue #3 With Ms. Aditi Chatterjee, Ph.D. scholar of Geoscience in the School of Natural Sciences at Macquarie University, Australia
In this Episode of Geo Dialogue, you are going to read the views of Ms. Aditi Chatterjee, born in Kharagpur of West Bengal. She graduated (B.Sc. Geology) in 2014 from Presidency University, Kolkata with Gold Medal and did her M.Sc. Geology from IIT Kharagpur and was awarded the Institute Medal. Her M.Sc. research resulted in a co-authored abstract and publication in the Journal of Earth System Science. Currently She is perusing her Ph.D research in the School of Natural Sciences under the supervision of Prof. Nathan Daczko at Macquarie University, Australia. She also carried collaborative research projects at IIT Kharagpur, IIHS Bangalore, Caltech, and ETH Zurich produced conference presentations at Goldschmidt and co-authored abstracts for Goldschmidt and EGU, along with three journal publications in Lithos and Earth and Planetary Science Letters. She is recipient of many scholarship, Awards and funded projects, including S. N. Bose Scholarship, ‘iMQRES’ scholarship & stipend for PhD, SNF funded project, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) scholarship, Institute Silver Medal, IIT Kharagpur, India, Dr. J. Coggin Brown Memorial Award, Gold Medal, Presidency University, Kolkata, India., SNF funded project, ETH Zurich, Switzerland. She qualified many National Level competitive Exams with very good ranks including CSIR-NET-2016 (AIR-8), GATE GG (top 2%), IIT JAM-2014(AIR-10), NTSE (AIR-13) etc. She also enriched herself with many conferences, workshops and Internships and presented her work to intellectual audience. During her academics, she participated in co-curricular as well as extra curricular activities with enthusiasms and spirit.
In her interaction with Exploring Geology, she talked about her sweet childhood memories to brilliant academic and impressive research journey along with her experience of research writing as well as fieldwork and presentations in various conferences/seminars. so let's enjoy this conversation...
Q. We highly appreciate your work as student
and Research scholar in Geoscience and welcome you for interaction with
Exploring Geology. You are a brilliant student throughout your academics so
what is the secret and whom you give credit of it?
Firstly, I would like to thank
the “Exploring Geology” team for inviting me in 'Geo Dialogue'. Thanks a lot for the
compliment, but I think my achievements are a result of a lot of blessing and
support from my teachers, colleagues, friends, and family, specially my father.
As a beginner, like everyone else,
examinations would cause a lot of fear and anxiety in me. Seeing this my father
started teaching me how to take academia and life sportingly with an open mind.
If I succeeded it only meant that I had the right skills, and if I failed it
only meant that it’s a chance to gather certain skills or try something else.
Gradually, since my higher
education days, my attitude towards examinations and achievements changed. I chose
to teach and compete with myself instead of focusing on the external. It didn’t
matter to me if I was ranking first or last, rather, I would keep reflecting on
my past performances, learn new things, work on my strengths, and identify my
weaknesses. Since then, I have made great friends, interacted with successful
professionals and kept learning from them. All these experiences combined
manifested into my degrees, and achievements.
Q. Please tell us about your childhood memories
and family, if you wish?
I was born and raised in a modest
Indian family in Kharagpur, West Bengal. Especially, my parents were a great
source of motivation for me. I was a communicative and curious kid and would
incessantly ask questions about anything and everything I observed in nature,
society, and my father would patiently answer them. Along with that, my
memories of childhood are full of love and care from family and our neighbours,
playing around in the grounds with my siblings and friends, and having picnics.
Q. How was your schooling and what role it played
for your further academic path?
I attended a Convent
school until the 10th standard and then moved to Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) for my
12th standard. My Convent school nurtured my inquisitive mind with diverse
subjects, science fairs, stage performances, and debates. My early schooling
gave me broad exposure and polished my skills. At Kendriya Vidyalaya, I gained
confidence in my English skills and deepened my interest in Science, leading me
to choose it for future studies.
Q. Would you like to mention some of your
school teachers and their influence on your academics or personality?
Of-course, I learnt a lot from many
of my school teachers, and surely those had an influence in my personality. I
am truly thankful to all of them for taking care of us and helping us grow.
Academically, I think I must mention
one teacher who strongly influenced my ability to learn and understand advanced
level Science and Mathematics in my 11th standard. We used to call
him Ravish Bhaiyya, he was not my school teacher but I took extra classes from
him. At that time, he himself was a student at IIT Kharagpur and had a flair
for teaching. By far, he is still one of the most remarkable teachers I have
ever met. He taught me the fundamentals of physics, and mathematics, trained me
to solve mathematical problems, and was very creative with his teaching
methods.
Q. Why you decide to choose the Geoscience and
how you see this decision now because students of such an excellent academic
records usually prefer to go for NEET or JEE?
To be very honest, I needed more
training, time, and better resources to be able to crack NEET, or JEE. At that
point, I couldn’t get that kind of training and tutoring in Kharagpur to be
able to crack these examinations right after 12th standard. I did
give national-level competitive examinations and qualified some, but I wasn’t
getting good Universities/preferable subjects with my rank. I had to either
take a gap year stay in Kolkata and get rigorous training or look for other
Universities. I wanted to study at a university in the city because of higher
exposure and networking opportunities. Geosciences in Presidency University,
Kolkata felt like a good choice.
Q. What are your memories with your alma mater of Geology and faculty there and their influence in shaping your
career, if any?
I completed my B.Sc. degree at
Presidency University, Kolkata from 2011 to 2014, and I am highly thankful to
all the Professors who created the curriculum and taught us during that time.
My hard work combined with the guidance I received during those years helped me
build a strong base in Geology. The carefully designed lectures and fieldwork
at Presidency University motivated me to take up Geology for post-graduate
studies. In addition, my professors encouraged me to apply for JBNSTS and that
exposure helped me know more about research and academia at prime academic institutions
in India. Later in IIT Kharagpur I met a bigger pool of geologists, learnt
about internships, and thought about pursuing PhD abroad.
Q. From your academic record it appears that
you may get good job in reputed organizations like GSI, ONGC, AMD through UPSC
or GATE or even civil service so why you preferred research field?
I was always interested in
teaching, organizing workshops since my high school days. So, when I got
interested in Geology, I was motivated to pursue a PhD degree and try to become
a professor or lecturer in the future.
Q. With such an excellent academic record you
may get top research institute in India then why you prefer to go to Australia
for your research in geoscience?
With social media and modern
communication, the world has become a global village. Therefore, I always
wanted to explore the world, learn from diverse academic environments, and
pursue my degrees. I feel that just having an academic record isn’t enough,
what’s more important is how different communities think about a subject, and
the ways in which we can solve global problems. In US, Switzerland, and
Australia, I have learnt how to create projects combining geospatial analysis
and geochemistry, identify problems in applied geochemistry and petrology, and
collaborate with other research groups and industries. All this experience can
be helpful if I get a chance to pursue research in future.
Q. In the current time when unemployment is big
concern you are focusing on extending your research so what motivate you and
what is your thought behind it?
Unemployment is a big concern when we don’t have the right skills, mind-set, and network of supportive people. Throughout my career, I have consistently maintained an open mindset, ensuring that I understand the practical applications of my work and continuously update my skills. I prioritize fostering a collaborative environment where we can learn from one another and support each other's growth.
Q. You are recipient of many scholarships,
fellowships and awards during your academics and research journey but usually
most of the students are not aware about these fellowships during their
academics so what do you think, there is lack of awareness or lack of
confidence that students not apply for these scholarships and fellowships?
Yes, I took the leap, worked
hard, and applied for several scholarships and awards. However, I would say
that I am very thankful to some of my professors, mentors and friends who supported
me while applying these fellowships and always encouraged me to go ahead.
I think
students today are highly aware and confident in their abilities to pursue
opportunities. However, they often adopt a mindset that everything must be done
in isolation. Our education system focuses too much on individual pursuit and neglects
the importance of teamwork or collaboration. I think students need to be
proactive to be able to work as a team and find friends and trust-worthy
mentors who can empower them.
Q. May you please recommend few
scholarship/fellowship for UG/PG students and research scholars and brief
procedure to apply for these fellowships for our reader students?
Scholarships and fellowships are cyclic,
or biannual in nature, they depend on several financial institutes, country, and
societal parameters. They are certain opportunities that arise from time to
time. It’s very important to be alert, have the right friends and mentors
around to find out about these scholarships. For example, DST Inspire, IAS
fellowships, in India, DAAD scholarship in Germany, Mitacs scholarship in
Canada are some of them. However, there are several more that come up each
year.
Whatever the scholarship or
fellowship, every student must know how to build a strong CV, have good writing
skills such as research proposal, letter of motivation, and communication
skills.
Q. You enthusiastically participated in
co-curricular as well as extra-curricular activities during your academics so
how you could manage it without affecting your study because usually toppers
preferred their study so what is your take on it and how much important are
there activities?
My primary focus was not to
become a topper, but to have an overall knowledge of the diverse range of
subjects that existed in our society. My extra-curricular activities helped me develop
leadership skills, team work, gain resilience, and helped me build critical
thinking. Gradually, I was able to use these skills to fundamentally understand
my subject of interest, and becoming a topper was a resultant of this broad
exposure.
Q. You also earned some diplomas in Dance,
Music and Visual arts so what is the importance of these hobbies in your
personal and professional life, if any?
I think any successful
professional needs to become creative and communicate their ideas to a wider
audience at some point in their career. These experiences in performing arts
and fine arts helped me gain a broader understanding of how our society
functions, inspired me to think creatively, and helped me become a better
performer.
Q. For writing and publishing research papers,
obviously, you had to read so many references and research literature so what
is your approach to read a scientific paper or article?
When I read a paper it’s very
important for me to have a purpose in mind. I can’t read or believe an article
just because it’s published. I read it with a critical mindset, I understand
some of it, but I keep reading and move on to the next. Sometimes re-reading a
paper after a couple of years makes more sense. Being able to understand a
research paper depends a lot on time, training, and the network of colleagues
around.
Q. You published many research papers at such a
young age so what is your way to approach a research paper for publishing?
People have various approaches to
writing an article, depending on their personality and working style. For me,
it’s important to think of the article in the form of a story, visualize the
figures, and then format it according to the regulations of the journal.
Overall, I prioritize building a narrative, test a hypothesis, organize the
methods and results, and then write a conclusion.
Q. You participated and presented your research
in many conferences and seminars. Would you like to share any interesting or
inspiring incidence with our readers?
I can think of so many stories, I
think I will need a longer chat to cover them! I did a workshop + field trip in
glaciers in Switzerland, went to Goldschmidt Paris, Barcelona, went for a
conference + field work with Prof. Richard White in Scotland. However, I would
like to suggest students to attend a conference or seminar with an open mind
and dedication. Take these opportunities as learning experiences and gain as
much exposure as possible.
Q. What is the difference between work culture
in Australia/other countries and India particularly in context of research, as
per your observations?
The work culture in Australia has
taught me to become more independent and take research decisions on my own. My
supervisors are there to provide the necessary feedback or input, but I take
the lead, collaborate with colleagues, and discuss the necessary steps. They
are there to support me when I fail and appreciate me when I succeed. I haven’t
pursued research in India, so I can’t comment on the nitty gritty of it.
However, having pursued my higher education in India, I feel that students be
it UG/PG or research, need to be proactive and develop more soft-skills such as
critical-thinking, communication, leadership skills, teamwork, and get
professional exposure.
Q. How you see the position of Geoscience in
India? According to you what more need to do, if so?
Geoscience
in India is on the rise, thanks to its diverse landscape and resources. To
further enhance its position, we need more academic-industry collaboration and
increased funding to promote natural sciences. By fostering partnerships,
investing in research, and highlighting the field's importance, we can attract
new talent and strengthen India's role in the global Geoscience community.
Q. Please tell details about “Natural
Selection” startup so that our readers may take benefits of it?
I am the Founder of a start-up
called “Natural Selection”. During my academic journey, I realized that there
is a big gap when it comes to training students to gain soft skills,
professional grooming (e.g. CV preparation), and be able to communicate their
ideas. As a community we focus on the importance of technical skills but
severely lack soft skills such as communication and presentation. This gets
neglected further as higher education progresses because students need to give
individual MCQ based tests, and study individually. While these are important,
this seriously hampers the social skills of students and impacts their
employability, and their ability to deal with professional problems confidently.
Therefore, through my start-up I talk to students individually as every problem and learning styles are slightly unique. I take time, listen to the problems, and both the students and I creatively try to sort it out as a team. This takes time because it’s not actively taught in schools or colleges, but I have seen amazing results once the student can navigate their own professional path.
Q. Personality
(Geoscientist/Philospher/Celebrity etc.) inspired you the most and why?
I can’t name one specific
personality. I do listen to a lot of podcasts, read interviews, and consult
mentors and professors from time to time, so I absorb bits and fractions of
their wisdom. However, when it comes to building a personality, I strive to
become the best version of myself every day and every passing moment.
Q. Please share your contact details and social medial handles so that readers may contact you, if they need to discuss or collaborate.
Ans: It's my pleasure. here these are: Emails: aditi.chatterjee@students.mq.edu.au
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aditi-chatterjee-1993teachingandresearch?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
PhD, Macquarie University - Cited by 92 - mineralogy - fluid rock interaction - petrology - microstructures - geochemistry https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=ySLOkoQAAAAJ&hl=en
Here are some glimpses of Fieldworks, Workshops and conferences attended by Ms. Aditi
In 2023, During ‘Natural Selection’ Workshop conducted at Presidency University Kolkata, India.
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Exploring Geology extends sincere Thanks to Ms. Aditi Chatterjee for sparing her valuable time and thoughts in 'Geo Dialogues Series" and we wish her all the very best!
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are personal of Ms. Aditi and All rights reserved to her and 'Exploring Geology'.
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Sunday, February 2, 2025
Geo Dialogue #2 With Dr. V. Balaram, Former Emeritus Scientist at the Geochemistry Division, CSIR - National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, India
In this Episode of Geo Dialogue, you are going to read about the inspiring journey and views of Dr. Balaram Vysetti, Former Emeritus Scientist at the Geochemistry Division, CSIR - National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, India. Dr. V. Balaram is renowned geoscientist not only in India but all over the world. His name is continuously included in Stanford University's new list of the “Top 2% of Scientists in the World” in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024." There are many laurels in his account like "National Geoscience Award" from the Government of India, New Delhi (2000), the S. Narayanaswamy Award - from the Geological Society of India, Bangalore (2010), Eminent Mass Spectroscopist Award" from Indian Society of Mass Spectrometry, BARC, Mumbai, Dr. C.V. Raman Memorial Award from the Andhra Pradesh Academy of Sciences, Amaravati in 2019, and the ‘ISAS Sastra Pithamaha Award 2023’ from the Indian Society of Analytical Scientists (ISAS), BARC, Mumbai in 2024. Won 3 Lifetime Achievement Awards for Excellence in Science and Technology from i) ISAS-Kerala (2015), ii) Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, UP (2016), and iii) ISMAS, BARC, Mumbai (2019). He won the “SGAT Excellence Award 2024” from the Society of Geoscientists and Allied Technologists (SGAT), Bhubaneswar.
So let's explore the amazing journey of Dr. V. Balaram through his interaction with Exploring Geology.
Exploring Geology: We highly appreciate your work as
a Geoscientist Sir and welcome you for interaction with Exploring Geology
Platform, Sir.
Dr. Balaram: I am thrilled to be associated with the “Exploration Geology Platform” and for an opportunity to interact.
Q. Let’s start with your childhood memories Sir,
how was it?
Ans: I was born in an agricultural family in 1952 in
a village called Tarakatur, Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh. I was a merit
student even from my elementary and high school days. I was even a class leader
both in elementary and high school studies. Most of the time I was leading in
the respective classes and doing very well in my studies.
Q. Please tell us about your academic journey Sir.
Currently, you are known as an excellent geoscientist but how were you as a
school student?
Ans: Since I got a very good percentage of 73% in SSLC (1968), I got admission into the famous institute called Andhra Loyola College, Vijayawada. In those days we used to have students not only from all corners of our country, but also from countries like Ghana, Malaysia, and Singapore. I finished both PUC and B. Sc. from that Institute with 80% and 72% respectively and joined Andhra University Postgraduate Center, Guntur (which was later on upgraded to Nagarjuna University) for M.Sc. in Chemistry. I passed out with 73% after the final examination in M. Sc. and I was second in the class in my batch.
Q. How did you enter in Geology field sir and
how did this inclination increase with time?
Ans: I got PhD degree in Analytical Chemistry from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam in 1979. Ever since I joined the CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, I have been interested in Geosciences, especially ‘Analytical Geochemistry’. I joined the Geochemistry Group of NGRI in 1979 and was continuously getting opportunities to use advanced methods of rock analysis by that time advanced techniques such as atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). In 1987 we purchased an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) for the first time in India. With these analytical facilities, we successfully completed several geology/geochemistry/mineral exploration/environment-related projects at NGRI and helped several scientists/scientific groups across the country and even a few countries outside with highly precise geochemical data. My colleagues and I were not only the first to introduce ICP-MS to the Indian earth and environmental scientist groups in 1988, but we also introduced microwave plasma atomic emission spectrometry (MP-AES), another new analytical technique, around 2013 and published the first papers from India. Three of our MP-AES publications were among the first ten worldwide by using this new analytical technique. This gave me a real opportunity to analyze all elements from Li to U in different kinds of geological materials at ppb and sub-ppb levels. This also offered me interaction with some very good scientists from other institutions both within our country and outside, apart from our group. I published several papers on the subject which put me today at No. 3 in the world in ‘Analytical Geochemistry (https://scholar.google.co.in/citationsview_op=search_authors&hl=en&mauthors=label:analytical_geochemistry).
Q. What are your memories of your early days in Geoscience and with top Geoscientists?
Ans: I started developing an interest in ‘Exploration Geochemistry’ after a few years. We worked on gold exploration in collaboration with Hutti Gold Mines Limited (HGML), Hutti, Karnataka and also Mineral Sales Private Limited (MSPL), Hospet, Karnataka, and with National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) for gold exploration in Madagascar, Africa, and with Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL), Azmer on zinc exploration studies under the leadership of Dr, S. M. Naqvi. I did a lot of field studies with stalwarts like Shri. Sawkar (HGML & Geological Society of India), Prof. Mihir Deb (University of Delhi), and Prof. Talat Ahmad (University of Delhi). I even had an opportunity to do geological fieldwork in Lake District in UK in 1994, and visit to a molybdenum mine in Rocky Mountains in Colorado, USA in 1997. I continued to work in this field of mineral exploration even after my retirement in 2016. One of my publications on rare earth elements (REE) published in 2019 obtained 1729 citations up to today which also fetched me the "Highly Cited Author Award 2023" from the Geoscience Frontiers Journal (Elsevier, Beijing, China) which was presented to me at Curtin University, Kuching, Malaysia in November 2024. These contributions put me today at World Rank No.4 in mineral exploration (https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?view_op=search_authors&hl=en&mauthors=label:mineral_exploration)
Q How was your experience as
young scientist in NGRI? How has the work culture changed there over a period of
time?
Ans: My early days as a scientist at NGRI were very confusing because I was a trained analytical chemist and did not know even ABCDs of Geology. Slowly I got into geochemical analysis, geochemistry, and mineral exploration with time. It was not an easy job. It took 8 years for me to publish my first paper after joining in NGRI. Afterwards I never looked back, and my last publication was a review on lithium in the International Geological Review in November 2024. In 1996 one of my papers published in Geostandards Newsletter (France, IF > 6) with a high impact factor was listed among the top 40 papers from all 40 CSIR Laboratories at that time. Mine was the only paper from NGRI that was on that list. In addition, on some occasions, I got certificates of commendation for years 1999, 2000, 2007 & 2008 from Dr. H. K. Gupta & Dr. V. P. Dimri then Directors, NGRI for publishing highest number of SCI publications. In 2013, the Geochemistry Group, I was heading got the “Best Performance” Certificate with a Cash Award from then Director, Dr. Mrinal K. Sen for the Group’s overall performance including publications. Such small things encouraged me to do further hard work. NGRI's work culture is much better even today when compared to other earth science institutes in India. Relatively our institute was better equipped with highly sophisticated instrumentation, one of the best in the world, and one only needs to work hard to compete with the best in the world. I even used to get opportunities continuously to attend national and international conferences and present my work before my peers.
Q. Were you influenced by the good work of
any Geoscientist during the early days of your career?
Ans: There was some influence of stalwarts like Dr.
S. M. Naqvi (NGRI), Dr. D. M. Banerjee (University of Delhi), and Dr. Kuldeep
Chandra (ONGC, Dehradun)
Q. Would you like to mention a few researchers
doing good work in Geoscience as per your observation?
Ans: Currently, Dr. Waliur Rahman, & my student,
Dr. Parijat Roy (both from NCPOR, Goa), Prof. N. V. Chalapathi Rao (Director,
NCESS, Trivandrum), Prof. E. Shaji (University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram),
Dr. Nagender Nath (NIO, Goa), Dr. C. Manikyamba (NGRI) are some who are doing
good work in Geoscience in my opinion. There could be a lot of others I might
have missed.
Q. Why did you choose Geochemistry, Mineral
Exploration, Spectroscopy, etc. as your research field? I mean it was planned
or just situational or demand of your job at NGSI?
Ans: I was recruited to work on analytical instruments and to generate precise geochemical data by Dr. B. P. Radhakrishna, doyen of Indian geology who happened to be the Chairman of the then Selection Committee in 1978 at NGRI. I was not aspiring to become an expert in any particular field. As you very rightly said it was just a situational demand of my job at NGRI, and I just took the opportunities that were coming my way.
Q. Other than your publications, in what other
ways you contributed for the growth of geosciences and young
and budding geoscientists of our country?
Ans: I along with my colleagues, organized several National and International Seminars/Conferences/ Workshops/Training Courses on various contemporary and important themes in collaboration with elite scientific bodies such as the Department of Science and Technology, (DST), Government of India, New Delhi, Geological Society of India, Bangalore; Mineralogical Society of India (MSI), Mysore; Indian Society of Applied Geochemists (ISAG), Hyderabad, and with other prestigious academic and research institutions like CSIR-IMMT, Bhubaneswar, and University of Delhi not only at my institute but also at several other institutions across the country including remote locations like Andaman and Nagaland. I delivered ~ 800 invited lectures in 281 universities/R&D organizations in India and abroad. I visited several prestigious academic organizations such as British Geological Survey, (BGS), Nottingham, Cambridge University, Cambridge. Oxford University, Oxford (UK); Iowa State University, USA; Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; University of Pretoria, South Africa; University of Kiel and IFM-GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany; Okayama University of Science, Japan; University of Windsor, and University of Toronto, Canada; and University of Campinas, Brazil in more than 40 countries in all 6 continents and delivered invited talks on various related subjects. I also organized and convened Sessions in the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS) Meetings twice in Singapore, once each in Hyderabad, Taipei, Taiwan, and Busan, South Korea.
Q. You are the author of more than 340 SCI
publications which is not less than excellent so what is your approach to
writing a research paper this is a big dilemma for new researchers.
Ans: For any researcher, documentation is more
important. Whatever results you generate and whatever observations you make in
field or laboratory, you need to record them. You may be very good at memory,
but unless you record, your memory power will not help you. Everything needs to
be written; while writing, you get ideas. In addition, I used to spend an hour
every day in our library up to year 2000, to find out what is going on in my areas of
interest. Currently everything is available on your fingertips. Manuscripts
will come back and this can happen to even to Nobel laureates. Sometimes it
will be very frustrating. You should not get disappointed, and keep trying
until your manuscript is published. With this kind of
mindset, I could publish >345 international publications with Google scholar
citations ~10, 000, (h-index 49; i10-index 158, https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?hl=en&user=5Dm3QakAAAAJ)
Q. Your research papers are highly cited which
is nice but we want to know, Is the citation only criteria for a research paper
to be good and if not, what are the other criteria?
Ans: In my opinion, citation is the best criterion
which cannot be manipulated, and Google is not biased. People can be highly
biased and try to manage and manipulate, if you adopt any other criteria other
than publications in high-ranking journals.
Q. Which of your research paper do you
consider best as per your efforts and satisfaction?
Ans: There are more than 10 publications I consider
best which also gave me satisfaction. But if you want that I should mention
only one paper, the following publication in the Geological Journal:
Balaram V. Current and emerging analytical techniques for geochemical and geochronological studies. Geological Journal. 2021; 56, 5, 2300-2359. https://doi.org/10.1002/gj.4005
Once recently during on one of my visits to WIHG, Dehradun, Prof. Devesh K. Sinha, Department of Geology, University of Delhi was telling to a lot of other colleagues that Dr. V. Balaram deserves all awards of our country basing on just this particular publication. He also said that every year he will tell every new batch of geology students to take a copy of this publication and read it.
Q. Of course in the long journey of your career
as a Geoscientist there could be many interesting and sweet memories that
happened during research paper writing, data analysis, fieldwork, etc. Would
you like to share a few interesting memories with our readers?
Ans: Sure
1.
In September 1988, I attended and made an oral presentation of my work
at the “First International Conference on Plasma Source Mass Spectrometry” held
at the University of Durham, Durham, UK. I was the only Indian scientist who
made a presentation. This was my first international conference
participation outside our country.
2.
For my review publication: Balaram, V (1996) Recent Trends in the
Instrumental Analysis of Rare Earth Elements in Geological and Industrial
Materials. Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 15: 475-486 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-9936(96)00058-1, I got a reward of $250/- from the
publisher (Elsevier). Today the situation is the opposite.
3.
In 2022, I represented India at the United Nations/IAEA Meeting at IAEA
Headquarters in Vienna, Austria.
4. I won “The Academician Sazhin Medal 2024” from the ROSATOM
State Atomic Energy Corporation, GIREDMET JSC, Moscow, Russia for outstanding contributions to rare earths and rare metals. When Dr. Konstantin
Ivanovskikh, Deputy Director for Research & Innovation Giredmet JSC ROSATOM
State Atomic Energy Corporation, Moscow, Russia, invited me to deliver a talk
at an international conference on Rare Earths and Rare Metals in Moscow, he didn’t
mention about the award. I was the first person to be invited on to the dais to
receive this award in April 2024, and it was a very pleasant surprise to me.
5.
Even the “Highly Cited Author Award” by Geoscience Frontier Journal
presented to me at an International Conference held by Curtin University,
Kuching, Malaysia was a pleasant surprise to me as this kind of international
awards cannot be managed and manipulated.
6.
I was very happy when I won “Dr. C.V. Raman Memorial Award” from the
Andhra Pradesh Academy of Sciences, Amaravati in 2019 as this award was named
after Sir C. V. Raman. When Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman got the Nobel
Prize in Physics in 1930 for his work on the scattering of light and the
discovery of the effect named after him – the “Raman Effect”, he was not only
the first Indian but also the first Asian scientist to win the Nobel Prize in
science.
Q. There are many laurels in your account in
terms of Awards, honors, citations, etc. and of course, each one has its
importance and place but how do you rate them, it would be very interesting if
you could arrange them from Higher to lower order as your achievements?
Ans: All are very important and gave me immense
satisfaction.
National Awards:
1. National Geoscience Award,
Government of India, New Delhi
2. Eminent Mass Spectroscopist Award from ISMAS, BARC, Mumbai
3. Sastra Pithamaha Award, ISAS, BARC, Mumbai
4. Narayanaswamy Award from Geological
Society of India, Bangalore
5. Dr. C.V. Raman Memorial Award from
the Andhra Pradesh Academy of Sciences, Amaravati
6. SGAT Excellence Award 2024” from the Society of Geoscientists and Allied Technologists (SGAT), Bhubaneswar.
International Awards
1. Representing our country at the
United Nations/IAEA Meeting at IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, Austria in 2022.
2. The Academician Sazhin Medal
2024 from the ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation, GIREDMET JSC,
Moscow, Russia
3. Highly Cited Author Award 2023 from the Geoscience Frontiers Journal (Elsevier, Beijing, China) presented to me at Curtin University, Kuching, Malaysia
4. Inclusion in Stanford University's list of the “Top 2% of Scientists in the World” continuously in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024.
Q. Were you confident about these awards during
your registration for nomination or some are surprises for us also?
Ans: As I told above, I was never confident of any
award until it came in my way.
Q. Sounds good that you mentored at 80 DST Inspire
Science Camps all over India? Please tell us more about this event and
activities.
Ans: Mentoring young and budding scientists (mostly
12th-class meritorious students across India) and motivating them to take
up science as their career is a pleasant job that I have enjoyed from 2010
onwards. From Kamaraj College, Tuticorin in the south to Bundelkhand University
in the north, and from Saurashtra University, Rajkot in the West to Kalinga
Institute of Industrial Technology University in Bhubaneswar, Odisha in the
east, I participated in about 80 DST INSPIRE Science Camps. Usually, I used to
give two lectures: i) Combating Climate Change and Global Warming for a
Sustainable Living in Harmony with Nature, under Earth Sciences, and ii)
Chemistry, Environment and the Society, under Chemistry.
Q. You have continuously made place in the top
2% scientists of in the world since 2020 so what motivates you to be so active,
especially after you retire from the Govt. service?
Ans: In general, by the time of retirement, one will get a complete understanding of what he or she has been doing in that subject. I did not want that knowledge to go waste. Moreover, I was getting invitations continuously to deliver talks at different academic institutions both within India and outside. In all cases, the host institutions paid my travel, accommodation and living expenses. I traveled to Dubai, UAE; Rome, Italy; Oxford University, UK; Moscow, Russia, UN-IAEA, Vienna, Austria; Materials Research Society (MRS), USA; Kurtin University, Kuching, Malaysia, after my retirement in 2013. These invitations encouraged and made me continuously read, write, and publish which led to be in Top 2%.
Q. We are eager to know the story of one of
your most cited papers with more than 1742 citations and earned you “Highly Cited
Author Award-2023” by Geoscience Frontiers Journal (Elsevier, Beijing,
China).
Ans: My journey with rare earth elements (REE) started in 1987 when NGRI bought the country’s first ICP-MS. Prof. V.K. Gaur was the Director, NGRI at that time. Until that time, we used to depend on BARC, Mumbai to obtain REE data by Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) on very few samples with long wait times. With ICP-MS in our hand and with its capability to provide very accurate and precise geochemical data of about 50 elements in about 100 samples a day, I published several papers including some review papers in addition to helping several hundreds of active groups not only in our country but also outside. After my retirement, I went to my daughter’s home in London, UK in 2017 to stay there for a few months. There I started writing this manuscript which took a lot of time to publish because the two anonymous reviewers also took a lot of interest in that manuscript and suggested me to add several related aspects and discuss. Finally, it was accepted and published in 2019 in Geoscience Frontiers. I didn’t expect that publication would attract the attention of hundreds of groups and thousands of scientists across the globe which is very rare in earth science.
Q. As per your observations,
which are the domains in Geoscience where new researchers should focus so that
they may make good careers?
Ans: The following topics are of
contemporary interest:
1.
Mineral exploration – Geochemical
exploration methods for critical minerals/metals like REE, Li, Co, graphite, etc
2.
Environmental – for example, uranium in
groundwater, toxic heavy metal pollution, climate change, etc
3.
Analytical geochemistry, for example
determination of lithium in sedimentary rocks, brines, and pegmatites, etc.
Any topic you choose must target
the contemporary issues and interests. Most of my current publications are in
these areas.
Q. How do you see the current
status of Geoscience in India in terms of career perspective and importance for
society how has it changed over time and what more needs to be
done by policymakers, academicians, industrialists of Geoscience?
Ans: The progress of geoscience in
India is good but not the best. In geology departments in most state
universities in India, there is no proper research activity. First of all,
there are no good teachers. Some departments are being managed by a single
professor. There are cases where the staff of the whole earth science department
is completely retired and there is no recruitment. When compared to other
countries such as the US, China, Germany, the UK, and Israel, our investment in
R&D is meagre. In R&D and Sports, the outcome will be directly
proportional to the investment.
Q. What message do you want to
convey to new researchers and students of Geoscience? Sir thank you very much
for sparing your valuable time and thoughts with the Exploring Geology Platform
and we wish you a happy, healthy, and long life, Sir!
Ans: First of all, I convey my
heartfelt thanks to the ‘Exploring Geology Platform’ for this opportunity to
share some of my thoughts as a geoscientist. I also take this opportunity, to
thank all my Group Members at NGRI, my Ph.D. students (Osmania University, Hyderabad:
SRTM, Nanded, Maharashtra; Punjab University, Chandigarh, & and Aligarh
Muslim University, Aligarh), my national and international collaborators. We
all worked across borders, cultures and disciplines on similar objectives. All
through my professional career, I believed only in hard work. For getting
success, there are no shortcuts except hard work and sincerity in what you are doing.
Hard work always gets rewarded in one way or the other. For example, despite my
consistent performance for more than 45 years, I couldn’t become a Fellow of at
least one of the Indian Academy of Sciences, but I feel that I got much more in
the form of International Awards/Recognitions as stated above which I
never thought even my dreams that I would get them. This was possible only through hard work.
With Dr. P.A. Freedman, the developer of MC-ICP-MS at the Application Laboratory, Nu Instruments, Wrexham, Wales, UK in 2009 with a backdrop of the photo of F. W. Aston who built world’s first mass spectrograph in 1919.
Disclaimer: The Views expressed here are personal and All rights reserved to 'Exploring Geology'.