Face-to-face with bright sparks

DOLLY, POLLY and beyond. No nursery rhyme this. Ever since scientists cracked the secret behind that double stranded molecule, Dolly and Polly were catapulted from the nursery shelves into the laboratories.

Here in Chennai, we are about to hear all about it from people who come from the land where it all happened. The British Council is bringing six bio-technology scientists to town, as part of `Bright Sparks', the third year of the festival of Indo-British partnerships in science.

Because they believe that biotechnology is causing the next revolution, the British Council intends to find out more about those exciting, but disturbing issues that seem to have no known boundaries. Which is precisely why `Dolly and Beyond' is going to dominate the proceedings of this year's Bright Sparks. The one week programme which will be inaugurated on January 6, will include public lectures, specialist seminars, interaction with school students and discussions on biotechnology and its applications to food and health.

On the Chennai leg of the programme, which will begin on January 9, the first event is a colloquia on `genetically modified foods' organised along with Anna University's Biotechnology departments. British scientists, Prof. Janet Bainbridge and Dr.Nancy Lane, both recipients of the Order of the British Empire, will be in Chennai to interact with local participants.

The Indian partners in this programme, who have been chosen, have an established track record and are known for excellence in the field, according to Mr.Kartar Singh, of the British Council, Chennai. The other not-to-be-missed event is the panel discussion on the `Ethics of Cloning', organised along with the M.S.Swaminathan Foundation. Chennai students will get a chance to meet the two scientists as part of the Periyar Science and Technology Centre's `Meet the Scientist' programme.

By Ramya Kannan

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