PROUD OF ASTROPHYSICS

Dr A.K Saxena

Dean (E) and Head ( Photonics Division)

Indian Institute of Astrophysics , Bangalore

Prof A.K.Saxena has been working in the field of Photonics Instrumentation and Optical Technology for the past 35 years. He obtained his M.Sc and Ph.D. degree in Physics from Lucknow University, India in 1968 and 1977 respectively. Early part of his research activities has been mainly directed towards developing some new polarization techniques for the study of refractive index fields. These techniques were found quite useful in the study of flames and in the study of concentration dependent diffusion in reactive and non-reactive liquid-liquid system. Also these techniques have potential application in wind tunnel studies.Later then he designed various types of optics for the filed of Solar research , developed instrumentation for Optics Slope Error Characterization i.e LTP , Setting up of Optical Coating Plants etc are one of his biggest achievements . The Detailed Professional background of him given below :

: EDUCATIONAL PROFILE:

Ø B.Sc , Lucknow University,1966

Ø M.Sc ,Lucknow University,1968

Ø PhD , Lucknow University,1977 (Optical Instrumentation)

Ø Diploma in Russian Language

Passion: Optics, Photonics Instrumentation, Telescopes, Astrophysics etc

: EMPLOYMENT PROFILE:

Ø Lecturer in Girdhari Singh College, Lucknow, 1969-71

Ø Junior fellow Council of Science and Industrial Research, Lucknow, 1971-74

Ø Joined Indian Institute of Astrophysics(IIA), Kodaikanal, as a Research Associate in 1974-79

Ø Fellow at IIA, Bangalore, 1979-83

Ø Reader at IIA, 1983-89

Ø Principal Scientific Officer : IIA , Bangalore, 1989-1995

Ø Sr.Principal Scientific Officer:IIA, Bangalore, 1995-2006

Ø Visiting Scientist Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, 1992-95

Ø Visiting Professor at University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada, July to December 2003;

Ø Visiting consultant Lions Eye Hospital, Bangalore, 1994-to 2004.

Ø Head : Photonics Division ,IIA 1989-to 2011

Ø Dean (E) and Engineer G, Bangalore, 2006-to 2011

Ø Superannuation from IIA on 20^th July 2011 (62 years)

MOST INNOVATIVE: DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT/SET UP*:

Ø Polarization interferometer technique using a simple device (Babinet Compensator) for the precise quantitative evaluation of optical surfaces and wave front sensing in situation like active and adaptive optics systems.

Ø Designing Optics of Various Sizes for the different type of Telescopes

Ø Sunshield panels for INSAT, 3D imager and sounder coolers and W2M

Ø Synchrotron Radiation Beam Lines (61A, 450 Mev) and Monochromators

Ø Long Trace Profilometer ( Version 1 and 2)

Ø Setting up of Veeco Profilometer for surface metrology & measurement of micro roughness

Ø Set up of Vacuum coating Unit facilities at IIA Bangalore, Kavalur and Hanle Observatories

Ø Setting up of Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy Facilities at Metrology Lab, IIA

Ø 10.5 Micron QWIP Detector

Ø Lyman Alpha Filters

: ACHIEVEMENTS:

Recipient of Republic Day Award of the National Research Development Corporation for the innovative invention work related to the passive radiant cooler used in VHRR of INSAT II series of satellites.

: PUBLICATIONS:

Ø Articles : 35*

Ø Lectures/Popular Talks: 21*

Ø News and Reports: 6*

Ø Symposium/Conference: 34*

: ACTIVITIES:

Ø Visiting Worldwide Scientific Institutions: 12*

Ø Supervision of Students for Graduate Studies Project: 4*

Ø Supervised PhD Research Scholars: 4*

Ø Memberships: 8*^#

#Memberships in various Scientific Projects as an Advisor/Consultant i.e. BARC, ISRO ; In the Selection Committee for the Recruitment of Scientific/Faculty Posts i.e. IIT ; Member of the International Astronomical Union, Astronomical Society of India, Indian Vacuum Society, Indo French Technical Association ,SPIE etc

*Still is Adding

Fore More info , kindly click on the given link :

http://www.iiap.res.in/people/personnel/saxena/ProfSummary.htm

PHOTONICS AND PATIENT CARE !!!

Esophageal Cancer Detected with Light

DURHAM, N.C., Jan. 10, 2011 — A tiny light source and sensors at the end of an endoscope may provide a more accurate way to identify pre-cancerous cells in the lining of the esophagus.

Developed by biomedical engineers at Duke University and successfully tested on patients during a clinical trial at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the device holds the promise of being a less invasive method for testing patients suspected of having Barrett's esophagus, a change in the lining of the esophagus due to acid reflux. Acid reflux occurs when stomach acid splashes, or refluxes, up into the esophagus.

Long periods of acid reflux can change the cells that line the esophagus, making them appear more like intestinal cells than esophageal cells. These cellular changes can also be a precursor to cancer. As in most cancers, early identification of these pre-cancerous cells often leads to better outcomes for patients. Barrett's esophagus afflicts more than one percent of the US population, with most patients above the age of 50.

Using an endoscope to reach the esophagus via the nose, physicians shine short bursts of this light at locations of suspected disease and sensors capture and analyze the light as it is reflected back. In particular, they are trying to spot characteristic changes within the layer of cells known as the epithelium, which line cavities and surfaces throughout the body.

"By interpreting the way the light scatters after we shine it at a location on the tissue surface, we can the spot the tell-tales signs of cells that are changing from their healthy, normal state to those that may become cancerous," said Neil Terry, a Ph.D. student working in the laboratory of Adam Wax, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering, who developed the device.

The team published their findings online in the January issue of the journal Gastroenterology.

"Specifically, the nuclei of pre-cancerous cells are larger than typical cell nuclei, and the light scatters back from them in a characteristic manner," Terry continued. "When we compared the findings from our system with an actual review by pathologists, we found they correlated in 86 percent of the samples."

UNC gastroenterologist Dr. Nicholas Shaheen conducted the preliminary clinical trial of the device on 46 patients with Barrett's esophagus.

"Currently, we take many random tissue samples from areas we where we think abnormal cells may be located," Shaheen said. "This new system may make our biopsies smarter and more targeted. Early detection is crucial, because the cure rate for esophageal cancer that is caught early is quite high, while the cure rate for advanced disease is dismal, with a 15 percent survival rate after five years."

The technology that Wax and his team developed for cancer detection is known as angle-resolved low coherence interferometry (a/LCI). The technique is able to separate the unique patterns of the nucleus from the other parts of the cell and provide representations of its changes in shape in real time.

"This optical approach of sampling allows us to cover more tissue sites in less time and has the potential to significantly improve our ability to spot and monitor these pre-cancerous cells," Wax said. "This type of approach could be used to improve and perhaps one day supplant the physical biopsies currently being used."

Wax pointed out that since approximately 85 percent of all cancers begin within the layers of the epithelium in various parts of the body, he believes that the new system could also work in such cancers as those of the colon, trachea, cervix or bladder.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and Oncoscope Inc., a company Wax founded in 2006, based on the Duke technology. Wax has a financial interest in the company, and Terry is a consultant.

Oncoscope plans a clinical trial of the system for approval, and Wax said there could be a commercially available device as early as 2012.

Source : Photonics.Com