G. N. Ramachandran
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2012) |
C V Raman |
---|
Gopalasamudram Narayanan Ramachandran, or G.N. Ramachandran, FRS (8 October 1922 – 7 April 2001)[1] was an Indian physicist who was known for his work that led to his creation of the Ramachandran plot for understanding peptide structure. He was the first to propose a triple-helical model for the structure of collagen.[1] He subsequently went on to make other major contributions in biology and physics.
Early life and education
Ramachandran was born in the town of
Ramachandran then spent two years (1947–1949) at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge,[1] where he earned his PhD for 'studies on X-ray diffuse scattering and its application to determination of elastic constants' under the direction of Professor William Alfred Wooster, popularly known as W.A. Wooster, a leading crystallography expert in the world.
Research works
After completing his PhD, he returned to the
At Madras University, Professor Ramachandran was the favourite of the famous vice-chancellor and celebrated doctor and medical scientist, Sir Arcot Laksmanaswamy Mudaliar. Wanting to tackle problems at a more fundamental level, Ramachandran decided to use this information to examine the various
He was awarded the prestigious
Ramachandran and A.V. Lakshminarayanan developed convolution-backprojection algorithms which greatly improved the quality and practicality of results obtainable by x-ray tomography. Compared to previously used methods, their algorithms considerably reduced computer processing time for image reconstruction, as well as providing more numerically accurate images. As a result, commercial manufacturers of x-ray tomographic scanners started building systems capable of reconstructing high resolution images that were almost photographically perfect. In 1971, they published their research in PNAS.[9]
In 1981, Ramachandran became a founding member of the World Cultural Council.[10]
Notable awards that Ramachandran received include the
Later years
Ramachandran was devastated by the death of his wife Rajalakshmi in 1998 and his health gradually deteriorated. During the last few years of his life, he suffered a stroke and was affected by Parkinson's disease.[1] Ramachandran died in 2001 at age 78.
Legacy
Each year, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) awards the "G N Ramachandran Gold Medal for Excellence in Biological Sciences & Technology" in his memory for work in Biological Sciences & Technology.[11]
Further reading
- Sarma, Raghupathy (1999). Ramachandran: A Biography of Gopalasamudram Narayana Ramachandran, the Famous Indian Biophysicist. Adenine Pr. ISBN 0-940030-78-0.
References
- ^ a b c d e "(IUCr) G. N. Ramachandran". www.iucr.org. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- S2CID 70784146.
- ^ D. Balasubramanian (26 April 2001). "The prize that missed the master". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 May 2003. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
- ^ S2CID 21453587.
- ^ Balaram, P; Ramaseshan, S. (21 April 2001). "G.N. Ramachandran" (PDF). Current Science. 80 (8). Indian Academy of Sciences: 908–910. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
- ^ Venkatraman, Vijaysree (15 May 2017). "The world has nearly forgotten the Indian scientist who cracked the structure of collagen". Quartz. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- PMID 13990617.
- Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund.
- ^ Three-dimensional reconstructions from radiographs and electron micrographs: Application of convolution instead of Fourier Transforms, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., vol. 68, pp. 2236–2240, 1971
- ^ "About Us". World Cultural Council. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- ^ "G N Ramachandran Gold Medal for Excellence in Biological Sciences & Technology". CSIR.