Latest news with #SchoolofPhysics
Hans India
30-05-2025
- Science
- Hans India
UoH Prof chosen to visit NIMS, Japan under MANA scheme
Hyderabad: Professor GS Vaitheeswaran from the School of Physics, University of Hyderabad (UoH) has been selected to visit the National Institute of Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Japan, under the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) scheme for 2026. During his five-week visit from January 13, 2026, to February 20, Professor Vaitheeswaran will collaborate with Professor Kazunari Yamaura's research group on Quantum Solid State Materials. This collaboration aims to explore the technological applications of these materials and establish a long-term research partnership between the University of Hyderabad and Vaitheeswaran is a distinguished researcher with numerous accolades, including the DAE Young Achiever Award, BM Birla Science Prize in Physics, and Fellow Royal Society of Chemistry. He is also listed among the top two per cent scientists globally by the Stanford Survey for 2024 and serves as an Associate Editor of the Bulletin of Materials Science,' said a senior officer, UoH.
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
UoH faculty member elected as Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry
G.S. Vaitheeswaran from University of Hyderabad's (UoH) School of Physics has been elected as a Fellow of the prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry for his contributions to understanding the electronic structure of solids, particularly in the field of energetic materials. The fellowship will enable Prof Vaitheeswaran to expand his research network and collaborations with universities worldwide, facilitating international funding and participation in conferences. He has received several notable awards, including the DAE Young Achiever Award, B.M. Birla Science Prize in Physics, and the Chancellor Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research, as per a press release on Friday (May 1, 2025).
Irish Examiner
25-04-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
How to maintain safe and healthy air quality in your home
Thermal comfort and Indoor air quality (IAQ) are cheerfully referenced when discussing the experience of a new home with an A2 BER, or a retrofitting home with a sustainable heating system and heat recovery ventilation (HRV). But even where we've tightened every split centimetre of the envelope, energy efficiency can never be at the expense of fresh, safe air everywhere in the home. Several studies led by Dr Marie Coggins, senior lecturer in Exposure Science at the School of Physics and a member of the Centre for One Health at the Ryan Institute of NUIG, have found an increase in indoor air pollutants in Irish homes following some deep energy retrofits. Particulate matter (PM2.5) and carbon dioxide (CO2) had measurably increased in some homes without whole-house mechanical ventilation. That's worrisome. So, what can we do as householders to monitor and improve IAQ in our new homes, deep energy retrofits, and every other property in Ireland? Here's the advice of two experts in the field. Susan Vickers is the new chair of Healthy Homes Ireland (HHI), established to highlight the crucial links between health and housing quality. Marie Coggins has a place on its steering group. HHI is an initiative between VELUX and the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC), and it aims to positively influence public policy and practice, bringing stakeholders together to consider how to address the health problems caused by existing low-quality homes. Susan Vickers, chair, Healthy Homes Ireland. Picture: Marc O'Sullivan It also aims to ensure there is no compromise between health and energy efficiency in new builds and renovated homes. Susan Vickers suggests some key actions, including upskilling of the industry in indoor environmental quality; raising awareness in industry and among the general public of the importance of ventilation; and improving communication with home occupiers to ensure they know how to operate and maintain their ventilation system. "There needs to be wider awareness and behaviour change to ensure that everyone gets the necessary ventilation," says Susan. "The financial costs of a mechanical approach can be prohibitively expensive. This is especially true given the lack of grants available in this area. "The positive effects of housing warmth on respiratory health and wellbeing among both children and adults are a consistent finding in research. Insulation, air sealing, and heating upgrades can mitigate health issues such as heat- and cold-related stress, allergies, asthma, pulmonary and respiratory risks, as well as cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, and rheumatism. 'Ireland as the country had the second-highest rate of asthma hospital discharge in Europe in 2016. Fine particulate matter from the burning of solid fuel is responsible for an estimated 1,300 premature deaths per year across Ireland (EPA, 2020). Findings from the Warmth & Wellbeing scheme run by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) have found that retrofitting the homes of people with chronic respiratory disease reduces their usage of GP services, hospital emergency departments, and other hospital services, also reducing the volume of drugs that are prescribed. "However, to improve public health, energy efficiency improvements must be introduced alongside ventilation upgrades/ appropriate ventilation management to ensure that measures, such as draught proofing, do not hinder air flow, and to mitigate the risk of any negative impacts on these factors that could be created by inadvertently locking in toxins and damp.' There's a lot we can do to take control of our IAQ before getting in professional help. 'Passive ventilation (wall vents, for example) has an important role, and people need to be aware of this. "There is no reason not to open the windows — it's still a best practice, although home users should just not leave them open all day in winter, or it will increase their heating bills. Off-gassing from new furnishings and even decorating, together with other imperceptible issues with air quality — there's a lot to consider, especially where any family member has respiratory issues. Shock ventilation using open windows and turning on your cooker hood are still valid short-term solutions. File picture "There are relatively cheap monitors (around €100/€150) that can be used, but we would recommend ventilating the space well for 48h (if possible) when new furniture is being used. are introduced. Radon monitoring is also important in some parts of the country, especially post-renovation work. This typically costs less than €60-€70 and does not require involving any specialists.' What habits by householders degrade air quality even where there is good mechanical ventilation in place? Susan Vickers points to cooking, drying clothes indoors, wood fire, overuse of some chemical products, such as cleaning products, air fresheners and, surprise, surprise, the burning of scented candles (of any wax type). Even burning incense can release problematic agents into our air that hang around in the atmosphere and enter the lungs. There's no need to fly into a panic; just be more aware of what you're introducing to your home (occupant actions). The tiny airborne particulate matter from open fires and stoves is often overlooked, and it's drawing increasing scrutiny. If you have a stove, keep the door closed when the fire is burning, and check that the rooms are adequately ventilated. Don't smoke indoors and don't block wall vents. Beyond the use of CO alarms (along with smoke alarms, vital for every level), if you have a concern regarding radon gas (it can be brought in through small conduits in a home's floor), have the house tested. You can buy a kit with two detectors directly from EPA Registered Radon Testing Services at Go to for everything you need to know about another silent killer. Marie Coggins and her team have shown in their most recent studies that there is a 'growing body of evidence supporting the inclusion of mechanical ventilation as part of deep energy retrofit of domestic dwellings'. In a more airtight home with high levels of insulation, can we be sure the air we are breathing is optimised for our health and comfort? Bryan Buckley, Renewable Energy Advisor with Energywise Ireland, offers his observations. 'Some heat recovery units have sensors in them that will show factors such as CO2 concentration, VOC concentration, and relative humidity. However, these are often optional extras at a cost. "Standalone air quality meters are available that can be placed in any house or building to monitor the air quality. For every house that we retrofit the system into the clients always tell us how much better the house smells, or doesn't smell more like it, that there isn't a puddle of water on the window boards in the morning, that the mould problem is gone or greatly reduced, that the people in the house with allergies, hay fever, asthma are much healthier since getting the heat recovery ventilation system installed.' Building tight and ventilating right is a central tenet of building a sustainable, energy-efficient and healthy home. Could a HRV system be put in DIY, or is it important to engage specialists? What is the installation of a whole-house HRV is just too complicated. Bryans says: 'While it is possible to be installed as DIY, it is important that the system is designed by a ventilation specialist to ensure that the correct ventilation rate is accounted for and that the ducting and other components are sized to suite that ventilation rate. Everything is possible; it comes down to budget and compromises for concealment. "Single room heat recovery ventilation units, or a combination of a ducted heat recovery ventilation system and single room units, may be required to make it work. There are other ventilation methods that can be used, such as demand control ventilation, central mechanical extract ventilation, natural ventilation and positive-input ventilation.' Could we put HRV in single rooms without SEAI grant aid? 'There are single-room heat recovery ventilation units for when there is just one or two problem rooms in a house or as part of a whole house system,' Brian says. 'Some rooms are under a flat roof with no reasonable possibilities for running ducting to that area. Heat recovery ventilation is installed by us in houses as a single unfunded measure for houses that have damp and mould issues. It has always proved very successful.' When your HRV or any ventilation system is being handed over to you by the supplier, ensure you know exactly how to manage your IAQ post retrofit and actively monitor and protect your IAQ just a closely as you did before you jumped to that snug BER.
