C.N.R. Rao lecture series to bring panels, music May 17-22

Registration is now open for the seventh annual India-Purdue Collaborative Lecture Series in Honor of Professor C.N.R. Rao, scheduled for May 17-22. This year’s series will be entirely virtual, covering a range of thought-provoking topics in alignment with the University’s marketing theme “The Persistent Pursuit of the Next Giant Leap.”

The series will launch on May 17 with daily panel discussions Monday through Thursday. Events will culminate May 22 in an Indian classical musical performance by renowned Carnatic musical performers Ranjani & Gayatri, in collaboration with Indian Classical Music Association of Purdue (ICMAP). Registration is free of charge and Purdue affiliation is not required. All five events will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. ET.

May 17 (Monday): Panel
“Vaccine Development and Future Pandemics: A One Health Approach”
Panelists
* Vijay Chandru, adjunct professor, Indian Institute of Science; commissioner at Lancet Citizen’s Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System (moderator). 
* Suresh Mittal, Distinguished Professor of Virology, Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University.
* Deepak Sapra, CEO of Pharmaceutical Services & Active Ingredients, lead for the Vaccines Initiative at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories.

May 18 (Tuesday): Panel
“Social Media and Its Impact on Politics”
Panelists
* Robert Browning, professor of political science and communication and director of the C-SPAN Archives, Purdue University (moderator).
* Anant Goenka, executive director, The Indian Express Pvt Ltd., Mumbai, India 
* Sorin Matei, professor of communication and associate dean for research and graduate education, College of Liberal Arts, Purdue University.
* Vaiju Naravane, professor and head, Department of Media Studies, Ashoka University. 

May 19 (Wednesday): Panel
“Agritech”
Panelists
* Jerry Shively, associate dean and director of International Programs in Agriculture; professor of agricultural economics, Purdue University (moderator).
* Ram Dhulipala, theme leader - Digital Agriculture & Youth, Innovation Systems for the Drylands, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, India.
* Shaun Ferris, director of agriculture and livelihoods, Catholic Relief Services, Baltimore.
* Dharmendra Saraswat, associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, Purdue University. 

May 20 (Thursday): Panel
“Business and the Economy: Opportunities and Challenges in a Post-Pandemic World”
Panelists
* Rajan Navani, vice chairman, managing director and CEO, JetSynthesys (moderator).
* David Hummels, the Dr. Samuel R. Allen Dean of the Krannert School of Management; Distinguished Professor of Economics. 
* Deepali Rao, director, Product Management, Target, Bangalore, India.
* Anjana Reddy, CEO, USPL.

May 22 (Saturday): Music
Ranjani & Gayatri  - Carnatic Musical Performance followed by Q&A session in collaboration with Indian Classical Music Association of Purdue (ICMAP)

The India-Purdue Collaborative Lecture Series in Honor of Professor C.N.R. Rao was launched in 2014 and celebrates Purdue's longstanding links with India as well as current partnerships in research, education and commercialization. The annual series features distinguished faculty, experts and leaders in areas of interest for advancement of science, technology and the humanities in India.

Professor C.N.R. Rao was chair of the Scientific Advisory Council to the prime minister of India from 1985 to 1989 and again from 2005 to 2014. He founded, and continues to work in, the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and International Centre for Materials Science. Rao graduated from Purdue in 1958 with a doctorate in chemistry and received an honorary doctorate in science in 1982. Rao, who has authored more than 1,600 research publications and 51 books, has received numerous awards for scholarship and science and was the first recipient of the India Science Award instituted by the government of India.

The seventh annual India-Purdue Collaborative Lecture Series is being produced by the Purdue-India Partnership, Purdue Office of Global Partnerships and the Purdue for Life Foundation with technical support from the Purdue Hall of Music Productions. Thanks to sponsors Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, GVK, SMT, TVS, and Purdue Alumni India, all events are free of charge. For questions on the series, contact PurdueIndia@purdue.edu; for more information on the Purdue-India Partnership, visit www.purdue.edu/india.