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Newsletter of the Royal Nepal Academy of Science and TechnologyKathmandu, Nepal May-July 2001

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FELICITATION

Royal Nepal Academy of Scienceand Technology (RONAST) organized acondolence meeting on June 12, 2001 atits premises in Khumaltar to mourn andpay tribute to His late Majesty KingBirendra Bir Bikram Shah. Late KingBirendra was the Patron of the Academyand its founder Chancellor. On theoccasion, tributes were also paid to Her lateMajesty Queen Aisworya, His late MajestyKing Dipendra and other members of theRoyal Family.

Offering his tribute, RONAST ViceChancellor Prof. Dr. DayanandaBajracharya highlighted the contributionmade by the late King Birendra for the en-hancement of Science and Technology(S&T) in the country. The late King, real-izing the vital role that S&T could play foreconomic development and modernization

of the country, in his own initiative estab-lished a number of S&T organizations inthe country. RONAST was also establishedin 1982 by the Royal Directive of the lateKing. In his condolence note, Prof.Bajracharya recalled the gracious visit ofthe late King Birendra, the late QueenAisworya and the then late Crown PrinceDipendra during the inaugurationceremony of the newly constructed mainoffice building of RONAST.

During the condolence meeting,flowers and garlands were offered on theportraits of their late Majesties, and twominutes silence was observed by all thosepresent on the occasion. Academicians,scientists and technologists, and theemployees of RONAST were present onthe occasion.

HM King Grants Audienceto VC

His Majesty King Gyanendra BirBikram Shah Dev granted audience toVice Chancellor Prof. Dr. DayanandaBajracharya on July 13 at the NarayanhitiRoyal Palace. His Majesty the King is thePatron of Royal Nepal Academy ofScience and Technology.

Tribute to their late Majesties

* 13th Academic Assembly* Awards Distribution* Cooperation with

INRA/TU/KU/BPKIHS/AEPC* Nomination* Grants & Fellowships* Article- In memory of Late

Patron King Birendra* Publication

RONAST family extends hearty felicitation to the Patron of RONAST His Majesty King Gyanendra BirBikram Shah Dev on the occasion of the accession to the throne of Kingdom of Nepal.

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he 13th Academic Assemblymeeting of RONAST was held on April11. The meeting was chaired by then Rt.Hon’ble Prime Minister and Chancellor ofRONAST Mr. Girija Prasad Koirala. MrKoirala, on the occasion observed thatRONAST must give something concreteto the society through the application ofS&T. That the Academy now is furnishedwith necessary infrastructure and has alsoimproved its physical facilities, the nation’sapex body of S&T should come up withresult oriented research and other activi-ties. The intellectuals of the sector shouldalso concentrate on what they can give tothe nation through S&T and come up withsuitable programs with respect to the needof the country.

Delivering the welcome speech,RONAST Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. D.Bajracharya highlighted on different activi-

he then Rt. Hon’ble Prime Minis-ter and Chancellor of RONAST Mr GirijaPrasad Koirala presented S&T awards tofive outstanding persons amidst a specialfunction on July 4 at the RONASTpremises, Khumaltar. HM King BirendraS&T Academy Award was conferred onProf. Dr. Mangala Devi Manandhar for hercontribution in chemical analysis and

identification of compounds in medicinalplants. Similarly, Crown Prince DipendraS&T Academy Award was given to Dr. DevBahadur Khadka for his work onCollisional De-excitation from Neonthrough nuclear techniques, Dr. SabitaShrestha for her work on study ofstructure and uses of Lanthanide Complexand Dr. Padam Bahadur Shahi for his work

on mapping and traffic pressure on hillyroads supported by simulation works. TheMohandhoj Basnet Technology Award wasgiven to Mr Kayeswar Man Sulpya for hisresearch, development and promotion ofimproved stoves.

On the occasion, then Rt. Hon’blePrime Minister Mr Koirala said, scientistsshould play a catalytic role in nation build-ing task by giving priority to programs withrespect to geo-physical situation of thecountry and the availability of naturalresources and manpower. He further addedthat people working in S&T should giveemphasis on conservation of nature andimplementation of sustainable develop-ment programs.

Mr Surendra Prasad Chaudhary,then Minister for Science and Technologyand Pro Chancellor of RONAST, on theoccasion, said His Majesty’s Governmenthas given priority for advancement of S&T.He called on scientists to emphasize ontechnology that would raise production and

13Th Academic Assembly

ties of the Academy.Minister for Science and Technol-

ogy and RONAST Pro Chancellor MrSurendra Prasad Chaudhary and the ViceChairman of National Planning Commis-

sion, Mr Prithvi Raj Ligal were also presenton the occasion. At the assembly,Academician Dipak Gewali extended voteof thanks.

Chancellor Presents Awards and Releases Book

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productivity as well as meet the demandsof the country. Vice Chancellor ofRONAST Prof. Dr. DayanandaBajracharya pointed out that the fivetalented personalities have been honoredthis year in line with RONAST’s policy ofhonoring and encouraging persons andorganizations making outstandingcontribution to the development and

promotion of S&T.On the occasion then Prime

Minister Mr Koirala also released a bookScience and Technology in Nepal writtenby Vice Chancellor Prof. Bajracharya.Commenting on the book Prof. Dr. KrishnaManandhar, Dean, Institute of Science andTechnology, TU said, the book will beuseful for all those who seek information

on development of science and techno-logyin Nepal. On the occasion, RONAST Acad-emician Dipak Gewali extended Vote ofthanks. Earlier Dr Trinetra ManPradhananga, Chief of the PromotionDivision of RONAST, gave introductionof the recipients of the awards and theircontribution.

MOU Between RONAST and TU, KU &BPKIHS

VC Signs Agreement with INRA and Attends Meetingon Human Rights and Scientists

Recherche Agronomique (INRA), France,to promote scientific cooperation betweenNepal and France in Bordeaux, France. Theagreement was signed by Vice Chancellor

memorandum of understanding(MOU) was signed between the RoyalNepal Academy of Science and Techno-logy (RONAST) and the Institute de la

Prof. Dr. Dayananda Bajracharya, onbehalf of RONAST and President MrPierre Chassin on behalf of INRA on May14, 2001. Ambassador of France, MrClaude Ambrosini was also present on theoccasion.

The agreement will facilitatecooperation in areas of exchanging ofscientists, research workers and scholarsas well as in exchange of scientific andtechnical information and documentation.Other cooperation areas will be, organi-zing joint seminars and courses along withresearch programs that could lead toapplication of research results in industry,agriculture, etc.

Similarly other areas of cooperationwill be in setting up joint ventures andlaboratories along with studies to explorenatural resources and development ofsuitable technological processes andprocedures.

Earlier Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr.Dayananda Bajracharya attended ameeting on Human Rights and Scientistsheld from May 9-11, 2001 in Paris. Themeeting was jointly organized byInternational Human rights Network ofAcademies and Scholarly Societies, FrenchAcademy of Sciences and NationalAcademy of Sciences USA. About sixtyrepresentatives of Academies fromdifferent countries of the world participatedin the meeting.

ith a view to promote scientificcollaboration between RONAST and othernational organizations, RONAST hassigned memorandum of understandingwith Tribhuvan University, KathmanduUniversity and B.P. Koirala Institute ofHealth Sciences on separate occasions. The

MOU were signed by Vice-ChancellorProf. D. Bajracharya on behalf ofRONAST, Vice-Chancellor Mr NabinPrakash Jung Shah on behalf of TU,Vice-Chancellor Prof. Suresh Raj Sharmaon behalf of KU and Vice-Chancellor Prof.Shekhar Koirala on behalf of BPKIHS.

Left to right President of INRA, French Ambassador to Nepal and RONAST Vice Chancellor after signingMOU, in Bordeanx, France, May 2001.

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a six-member Managing Board was formedunder the chairmanship of the ViceChancellor. The main objective of SETSis to perform quality control of thecomponents of photovoltaic (PV) systemsinstalled under DANIDA energy sectorassistance program and to improve solarenergy technology in Nepal.

His Majesty’s Government ofNepal and the Government of Denmarkconcluded an agreement to provide subsidyto promote solar home systems and anumber of institutional systems. Under theagreement, within the first phase, approxi-mately 25,000 solar home systems will bedisseminated by March 2004. SETS willfocus on testing of the Solar Photovoltaic

components installed under the program.DANIDA under the ESAP program willprovide test equipment and also help incapacity building as grant to strengthenSETS.

Nationtal Talent Award toDr Regmi

Chief of the Science Faculty of RONAST,Dr. Chiranjeebi Regmi, has been awardedthe National Talent Award 2001 for scienceand technology for his research work on“Citrus virus and virus-like diseases”. Thisaward was established on 1993 in honorof the late Nepali Scientist GehendraShamsher JBR. The award carries a cashprize of Rs. 15,000 along with a letter offelicitation.

MOU Signed to Establish SETS

Memorandum of understandingwas signed between the Royal NepalAcademy of Science and Technology(RONAST), the Alternative EnergyPromotion Center (AEPC) and the EnergySector Assistance Program (ESAP) toestablish Solar Energy Test Station (SETS)in Nepal.

Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr.Dayananda Bajracharya on behalf ofRONAST, Executive Director Dr. MadanBahadur Basnyat on behalf of AEPC andActing Chief Adviser Mr Jan a Argiabodaof ESAP jointly signed the memorandumof understanding in RONAST on July 10,2001.

For the smooth operation of SETS,

several national and international journals.Prof. Manandhar began his carrier

as a demonstrator in chemistry laboratoryof Amrit Science College in 1967. In 1971,he joined Central Department of Chemis-try at TU as lecturer where he becameprofessor of chemistry in 1990. He servedthe university as Assistant Dean and finallyas Dean of IOST in 1994. During hiscarrier he has also made contribution inseveral committees, councils and govern-ing bodies of HMG.

The outgoing secretary ofRONAST Mr. Bishwa Nath Aryal’s termexpired on July 1, 2001 He servedRONAST for four years.

Financial Support to Profes-sional Societies

Under its professional societiessupport grant program, RONAST hasprovided financial support to NepalChemical Society, Diploma EngineersAssociation, Nepal, Nutrition Foundationfor Women and Children and Council forMathematics Education.

Prof. Dr. Manandhar,RONAST’s New Secretary

he Prime Minister, in capacity ofRONAST’s Chancellor has appointedProf. Dr. Krishna Manandhar as the new

Secretary ofRONAST. Hewas appointedaccording tothe RONASTAct, 2048 onthe recom-mendation ofVice Chance-

llor of RONAST. Prior to this appointmentProf. Manandhar was Dean of Institute ofScience and Technology, TribhuvanUniversity (IOST-TU).

Graduated in Chemistry from theTribhuvan University in 1969 with a goldmedal, Prof. Manandhar received hisdoctoral degree from Southampton Univer-sity (UK) in 1979 for his thesis entitled“Electrochemical studies of surface oxida-tion on electrodes”. He had his post-doctoral research in Karlsruhe University,Germany, in 1983 and 1990. To his credit,he has research articles published in

Fellowships Awarded

RONAST has provided differentFellowships and Research Grants underthe RONAST promotional activities.Persons provided with different fellow-ships are:

Ph. D. Fellowship

Mr Devendra Mananda BajracharyaCentral Department of Botany, TribhuvanUniversityMrs. Kanta PoudelCentral Department of Botany, TribhuvanUniversityMr Rabin Lal ShresthaCentral Department of Statistics,Tribhuvan University

Research grants

Dr. Tej Narayan MandalMahendra Morang Adarsha Campus,Tribhuvan University, BiratnagarMr Balram PantMahendra Morang Adarsha Campus,Tribhuvan University, Biratnagar

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inaugurated by late His Majesty on August28, 2000 was a part of that master plan.

His late Majesty established in1982 the King Mahendra Trust for NatureConservation, a step that not only playedan important role in nature conservationbut also led to basic research in wildlifebehavior, flora, fauna, ecosystems, etc. In1989, Council for Technical Education andVocational Training was established toproduce middle-level manpower intechnical and vocational subjects.

An International Summer Schoolin Physics was jointly organized byRONAST and TU in 1989 under the spon-sorship of International Center for Theo-retical Physics at the initiative of late NobelLaureate Abdus Salam. The School wasinaugurated by His late Majesty. During theevent, late Abdus Salam proposed to Hislate Majesty King Birendra the establish-ment of an International Center for Scienceand Technology in Kathmandu. AbdusSalam assured his personal effort to mobi-lize manpower and financial resources atinternational level to run the center. Underlate King Birendra’s instruction HisMajesty’s Government set up a committeeof senior scientists, including the author,to prepare a proposal for the establishmentof the center. The proposal was preparedthat was also endorsed by late AbdusSalam.

Similarly, during the state visit toFederal Republic of Germany in 1985 Hislate Majesty King Birendra promoted theidea of seeking German assistance tostrengthen higher education in basicsciences under the Institute of Science ofTU. Accordingly, TU prepared a 15-yearsplan to develop basic sciences in the uni-versity and submitted to German Govern-ment. The German Government had agreedto further push the matter, sent appraisalteams and even made some fundsavailable to implement the project. Butunfortunately, both projects could not besuccessfully realized due to the politicalunrest. Had these projects beenimplemented basic sciences would havegot the same kind of priority and supportas did the technical subjects like medicine,engineering, agriculture and forestry in TU.His late Majesty’s concern for thepromotion of basic sciences is also evincedby the fact that under late His Majesty’sdirect intervention TU converted in 1987

other technical institutes of higher learn-ing have now been established in theprivate sector.

Nepal is today almost self-reliantin generating highly skilled technical man-

power in basic technical subjects, and aca-demic standard of some of these institutesis at par with that of some of the best simi-lar institutes in South Asia. Although thescientific community voiced since early1960s the need for a national body tocoordinate S&T activities in the country itwas only in 1976 that such a body, theNational Council for Science and Technol-ogy (NCST), was established by late KingBirendra’s royal directives. In 1982, lateKing Birendra established the RoyalNepal Academy of Science and Technol-ogy (RONAST) as an apex body of S&Twith the objective of promoting S&T in thecountry for its all round development. Bypersonally assuming the post of Chancel-lor of the Academy, late King Birendraplayed a direct role in Academy’s devel-opment. Necessary land was procured anda master plan was prepared for thelong-term development of the Academy.The present RONAST building, which was

is late Majesty King BirendraBir Bikram Shah (1945-2001)believed thatscience and technology (S&T) has a greatrole to play in the modernization andeconomic development of our country.

Various steps that late King Birendraundertook during his reign amply provethis fact. Under the direct initiatives of lateKing Birendra, Nepal witnessed the estab-lishment of several important national S&Torganizations

Although higher education beganin Nepal in 1959 with the establishment ofTribhuvan Univesity, higher education inthe field of technical subjects becamepossible only after early 1970s. In 1972institutes of engineering, medicine,forestry and agriculture and animalsciences were established under TU. LateKing Birendra played a direct role in theestablishment of these technical institutes.Massive foreign aid was provided todevelop infrastructure and manpower ofthese institutes. These technical instituteswere instrumental in the training of tech-nical manpower in numbers urgentlyneeded by the country. Following theestablishment of these institutes several

In Memory of Late Patron King Birendra

Late King Birendra’s Contribution in the Development ofScience and Technology in Nepal

By

Dayananda Bajracharya

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Late Patron King Birendra visiting RONAST laboratory, Khumaltar

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RONAST Communicator solicits articles, news items, achivements, researchworks and announcements from the science community in Nepal forpublication in the news letter. Please forward all such material to:

RONAST CommunicatorRoyal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (RONAST)

GPO Box 3323 Kathmandu, NepalTel: 547717, 547715 Khumaltar, Lalitpur Fax: 977-1-547713

E-mail: ronast@mos.com.np, info@ronast.org.npVisit us: http://www.ronast.org.np

Edited by : D. Bhuju and Birendra B. Pradhan

the then Faculty of Science into the Insti-tute of Science, according it the samestatus as the technical institutes of TU.

His late Majesty King Birendraalways encouraged S&T professionals. Hislate Majesty inaugurated several nationaland international conferences organized byS&T professional societies enhancing theimportance of such meetings. During suchmeetings His late Majesty used to grantaudience to prominent foreign scientistsand discuss with them seriously abouthow international collaboration couldcontribute to the promotion of S&Tactivities in Nepal.

His late Majesty granted audienceto prominent world-famous scientists,including several Nobel laureates, whovisited Nepal, showing the importance Hislate Majesty accorded on the exchange ofviews with outstanding scholars topromote S&T in Nepal. His late Majestyalso gave prizes to national talents estab-lished by RONAST to promote researchand encourage young scientists andtechnologists of Nepal.

In a royal message for a booktitled “Science and Technology in Nepal”,published by RONAST in 2001 andwritten by the present author, His late

Majesty expressed the opinion that “theapplication of science and technology is avaluable tool to achieve economic wellbeing of Nepali people”. This proves howmuch importance His late Majesty attachedto the role of S&T in the economic devel-opment of the country.

These are only some examples ofHis late Majesty King Birendra’s contri-bution in the development of S&T in thecountry. The sad and untimely demise oflate King Birendra is a great loss for theS&T community of our country.

Talk Program

Date Speaker Institution/Country TopicApr 17, 2001 Dr. Dietrich Schmidtvogt South Asia Institute, University of Shifting cultivation in Thailand and Nepal:

Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany A comparative assessmentJun 1, 2001 Dr. Deepak Kumar Khadka RLAAB, Nepal NA-marker and genes linked to sex of dioecious

plants Mercuralis annuaJun 19, 2001 Prof. Dr. Judith W. Zysking Dept. of Biology San Diego State Elitra Pharmaceuticals: Ultra rapid screen to lead

University, USA technologies in antibiotic discoveryJun 19, 2001 Prof. Dr. Anca Mara Segall Dept. of Biology, San Diego State The new age of phage

University, USAJun 26, 2001 Mr Shanker Prasad Parajuli Junior Research Fellowship Program, Scientific investigation of some ponds in

RONAST Kathmandu ValleyJun 26, 2001 Mr Bhagawan Raj Dahal Junior Research Fellowship Program, Baseline information of birds at Tribhuvan

RONAST International Airport

Recent Publication

1. Science and Technology in Nepal by D. BajracharyaThis book provides an overview of

some contemporary issues of S&T inNepal. It should serve as a reference guideto issues, organizations, institutions,policies and activities related to S&T in thecountry and a resource bibliography forfurther study. The book brings together, forthe first time, a significant amount ofimportant information on a wide range ofS&T issues in Nepal. With a view to

keeping readers abreast with greatadvances made in the field of S&T a briefreview of the last century’s major discov-eries in S&T, with a special reference tobiological sciences, has been included. Thebook will be useful to the students,researchers, decision-makers, journalistsand he general public interested in thedevelopment of S&T in Nepal.

2. Status papers : Status papers based

on reports submitted to various studygroups have been published for circulation.The papers published are on Statistics(authors M. L. Singh, G. Shrestha, R. L.Shrestha), Forestry (author K. M.Bajracharya), Plant sciences (authors S. B.Rajbhandary, G. P. S. Ghimire, P.R. Shakya,K.R. Rajbhandari and D. R. Bhuju), andWomen in Science and Technology (au-thors G. Shrestha, J. Shrestha, S. D. Joshi,T. Shrestha and K. D. Yami).

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