Category Career Query

What is reverse engineering?

From fighter aircraft and missiles to cars, there are many examples of products made by reverse engineering.

Reverse engineering is the process by which a product is dismantled to find out how it works so that a duplicate can be made or it can be improved upon. It is done for commercial purposes. It tries to deduce details of product design and manufacture in the absence of complete documentation. It is also used in military or commercial espionage. The rival’s or the enemy’s prototype is stolen and disassembled to collect sensitive data so that a similar product can be made or countermeasures taken. During World War II, British and American forces found that German cans were sturdy and had an excellent design. They used reverse engineering to copy the design and produce similar cans. They came to be known as Jerry cans. From fighter aircraft and missiles to cars, there are many examples of products made by reverse engineering.

Reverse engineering is also used for software analysis. It is done to study the source code of a program if it is lost, or with a view to improving the program. It is also done to fix a bug or a virus.

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I’m an S.Y.B.A. (Sociology) student. What are my career options after I graduate?

The study of sociology offers valuable preparation for careers in law, journalism, business, social work, counselling, politics, public relations, public administration and other related disciplines. These fields require the conceptual and skill-based training that comes from undertaking a degree in sociology.

With a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology, you will be employed in businesses, which deal with social programmes and their implementation. Sociology is also one of the few sought after optional for the aspirants of the prestigious Civil Services Examination.

After earning a Master’s degree, you will be involved in conducting surveys, gathering data and evaluating the efficacy of different kinds of social and welfare programmes. This way, you help the companies to plan for the future, deal with organizational re structuring and downsizing and conduct market research for advertisers and manufactures.

Sociologists extensively use statistical and computer techniques in their research, along with qualitative methods such as focus group research and social impact assessment.

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I want to become a Vyomnaut but also serve in the air force

I’m a student of class 9 and I do well with Physics, Maths and Chemistry academically as well as being physically fit and playing sports. I want to become a Vyomnaut but also serve in the air force. I am thinking of taking PCM and pursuing Aeronautics after the 12th, then enter the Indian Air Force via AFCAT, apply at ISRO and see where that will lead me. What should I do?

If you want to become a Vyomnaut (astronaut), the Indian Air Force is the right choice. However, be aware that you may never become an astronaut, even if you join the air force and meet all the requirements. The reason being that India doesn’t have any active astronaut programme, and not even any deployment of astronauts on missions on a regular basis.

When any manned mission is planned, ISRO reaches out to the air force who select a handful of their best pilots and train them for the mission. Of these, one or two will get a chance to go to space.

For the country’s maiden manned Gaganyaan, the Indian Air Force (IAF) shortlisted 200 IAF fighter pilots. They were apparently given a questionnaire to solve by ISRO, after which they were subjected to physical examinations like cardiac, neural, dental, opthalmologic, psychologic and ENT. Out of 200 pilots only four were selected for the mission. They are further being trained by ISRO in rescue and recovery operations, surviving in zero gravity situations, centrifuge training, study of radiation environment and for long journey in space through water simulation.

AFCAT (Air Force Common Admission Test) is conducted by the Indian Air Force. The exam is held twice a year to recruit candidates as Class-I Gazetted Officers in Flying and Ground Duties (Technical and Non-Technical). For the Flying branch, eligibility is B.Sc/B.Tech.

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I want to make a career in wildlife and marine biology

I am a student of Class 10 about to enter Class 11. I am interested in wildlife and marine biology and want to make a career in both. Is it possible for me to be both a wildlife and a marine biologist? If so, please guide me as to which field to opt for in Class 11 and what I need to do after that.

Both fields are related and till graduation the courses are the same. Start with Physics, Chemistry and Biology in 10+2, followed by B.Sc. (Hons) in Biological sciences. Study covers a wide variety of subjects such as biochemistry, pathology, ecology, anatomy, ocean farming, development, reproduction, parasitology, conservation, etc. By that time, you will have a better idea about your interest. Later, you can go for 2 years M. Sc. in Marine Biology or Wildlife.

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AN INTERVIEW OF YOUNG ACHIEVER PRIYANKHA KAMALAKANNAN (AUTHOR OF THE BOOKS “THE POSITIVE POETRY CLOSET’ AND “FANTASIA ADVENTURES”)

This young author of the books “The Positive Poetry Closet’ and “Fantasia Adventures” used the lockdown to hone her writing skills. She’s also been a TEDx speaker. Priyankha Kamalakannan, living in Germany. She speaks about her journey.

How did your journey as an author start?

Writing started as a skill at school. One day, I randomly wrote a short story called The Bucket List Detectives’. My parents printed it as small booklets on my eighth birthday, and gave them as return gifts to guests. Everyone loved the story, and I was motivated by the appreciation I received. So, I wrote another story called ‘Liana’s Adventures In Wonderland. During the lockdown, I re-read my previous works and realised I could write them in a much better way. So I rewrote ‘Liana’s Adventures In Wonderland’, which turned into a newly sculpted tale very different from the original story. Rewriting this story resulted in my first book, ‘Fantasia Adventures.

Tell us about ‘Fantasia Adventures’ and ‘The Positive Poetry Closet?

‘Fantasia Adventures’ is a fantasy book, where the main character is a girl called Lizzy who lives on an English farm and is very special to her grandmother. One night, when she thinks about her grandma, she magically lands in a place called Fantasia, a magical land where she meets a lot of different people. She learns about an evil queen who wants to destroy all the good. She, hence, decides to go on a mission to stop the evil queen and save Fantasia and its people. This is the plot of the story, and I sought help from my friend and added illustrations to make the book more interesting for readers.

My second book is The Positive Poetry Closet. I had numerous poems written and piled up, so I thought of compiling them into a book. I gave the book a fun title and published it.

How was your experience as a TEDx speaker?

When I was in Class III, my teachers used to play TED Talks on the smart board. When I was in Class IV, my school got a licence to conduct a TEDx speech, and my teacher allowed us to participate in it. Only a couple of people were selected, and I was surprised and happy that I was one of them. We had mentors and teachers who supported us, and to make it more impactful, we took instances from real-life for our talks. Not having notes and memorising the speech I wrote was what was keeping me from being distracted. The whole experience was thrilling.

How do you manage school and other work?

My writing started over the lockdown period, so most of my school work was done online during class. Our teachers didn’t give us much work due to which there was a lot of leisure time, which I utilised for writing my books. Our school has a system where they don’t give homework till Class VI, which made it simpler for me. Apart from the time I spend on my school work and writing. I take part in extra-curricular activities too. I also started my YouTube channel during this lockdown, where I shared videos of me spending time with my friends, doing crafts, experiments, baking, etc.

If something has to be changed in society, what would it be?

Irrespective of all the work we should accomplish, we must prioritise what we want to do and what we believe is important to us. It is also important that we spend quality time on the things we are passionate about, as it is important to share our abilities with everyone. In society, I wish to change the pivotal situation of how people are not being able to pursue their dreams and passion due to age boundaries. I would like to break these boundaries that are an obstacle to people from reaching their full potential. Many people of young and old age have been proving that age is just a number and that age shouldn’t be used to question one’s ability.

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WHAT IS THE NEWSEUM?

It is an interactive museum of news and journalism situated in Washington DC, the U.S. It is dedicated to the history and evolution of newsgathering. Spread across seven floors with 15 theatres, an interactive newsroom, and two broadcast studios, it is massive.

History on the go

Established in 1997, The Newsuem showcases all forms of news-from the earliest newspapers to today’s digital ones complemented by audio-visuals. Its archive section has 35,000 front pages of newspapers, dating back to about 500 years. The front pages of over 800 newspapers from around the world are displayed daily in the Newseum and also on its website.

The Newseum displays some moving exhibits such as the laptop of Wall Street Journal’s correspondent Daniel Pearl who was killed by terrorists in Pakistan, several sections of the Berlin Wall, and the twisted remains of the broadcast antenna from atop the World Trade Center tower that collapsed on September 11, 2001.

When treatment goes electronic

Telemedicine refers to the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients using modern telecommunication tools such as the Internet, video conferencing, telephone, fax, and so on. Telemedicine enables the sharing of medical information about a patient electronically. The process of information sharing can happen in real-time, or the data can be forwarded and analysed later.

It has proved to be a boon for patients in smaller towns and remote villages where up-to-date medical facilities may not be readily available. Doctors from rural hospitals can electronically share patients’ data pathological, x-ray and ECG reports and clinical findings – with their counterparts from sophisticated urban hospitals and arrive at a proper diagnosis and line of treatment.

In advanced countries, telemedicine, has been used effectively to handle life-threatening emergencies. Indeed, doctors sitting thousands of kilometres away. have moved the arms and fingers of a surgical robot to carry out surgeries.

Telemedicine has already gained wide acceptance in India. Many major hospitals offer telemedicine services to its patients in remote locations.

Small change, huge consequence

At a scientific conference in 1972, Lorenz presented a paper titled Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly’s Wings in Brazil Set a Tomado in Texas? He explained that a minuscule change in atmospheric pressure (even as miniscule as a butterfly’s flapping wing) had the potential to bring about an overwhelming unforeseen change in the weather. He opined that long-term prediction of weather was impossible as changes in the initial conditions could result in vastly different weather.

Closer home, the 2008 Kamal Hassan-starrer, Dasavatharam, talks about the butterfly effect and chaos theory-in the film, biotechnologist and business tycoon Govindarajan Ramaswamy explains the concept, stringing together a series of incidents from 12th century in Chidambaram, to the present times, that effectively elucidate the concept

The butterfly effect laid the foundation for chaos theory, a branch of Maths that studies dynamical systems. It revolutionised scientific theory because it overturned the previous belief that an approximate idea about the initial conditions could lead to an approximate outcome.

While the butterfly effect is mainly concerned with weather and environment, it is also applied in Quantum Physics, economy, share markets, and business.

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