science

Kalinga Prize

Kalinga Prize is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Kalinga Prize rather than just read about it. In short: The Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science is an award given by UNESCO for exceptional skill in presenting scientific ideas to lay people. It was created in 1952, following a donation from Biju Patnaik, Founder President of the Kalinga Foundation Trust in India.

Key takeaways

Kalinga Prize belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Kalinga Prize to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kalinga Prize from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science is an award given by UNESCO for exceptional skill in presenting scientific ideas to lay people. It was created in 1952, following a donation from Biju Patnaik, Founder President of the Kalinga Foundation Trust in India.

Background The recipient of this annual award must have demonstrated – during a brilliant career as writer, editor, lecturer, film producer, radio/television programme director or presenter – talent in interpreting science and technology for the public. The recipient should have striven to emphasize the international importance of science and technology and the contribution they make to improving public welfare, enriching the cultural heritage of nations, and solving problems facing humanity. Many past prize winners have been scientists, while others have been trained in journalism or have been educators or writers. Each member state is entitled to nominate a single candidate, through its National Commission for UNESCO, on the recommendation of the national associations for the advancement of science or other science associations, or national associations of science writers or science journalists. Applications from individuals are not accepted. The laureate is selected by the Director-General of UNESCO upon the recommendation of a four-member jury designated by him. Three members of the jury from different countries of the world are designated on the basis of equitable geographical distribution and the fourth on the recommendation of the Kalinga Foundation Trust. The Kalinga Prize is awarded during the Celebration of the World Science Day in odd years (2003, 2005, etc.) and in New Delhi, India, in even years. Under the terms of the Prize, the recipient receives forty thousand dollars (US$40,000) and a UNESCO Albert Einstein Silver Medal. The recipient is also awarded the Ruchi Ram Sahni Chair, introduced by the Government of India in 2001 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Kalinga Prize. As holder of the Ruchi Ram Sahni Chair, the winner travels to India for a period of two to four weeks as the guest of the Government of India. The Chair also comprises a token honorarium of US$5,000. In the years when the award ceremony take place during the celebration of the World Science Day, the recipient travels to the city where the science day is being celebrated (2003 in Budapest) as the guest of UNESCO. In the years when it is awarded in New Delhi, the recipient is invited, as the guest of the Kalinga Foundation Trust, to undertake a brief lecture tour in India. For this reason, it is preferable that the recipient be proficient in English. Each National Commission for UNESCO proposes a candidate only on the recommendation of the national associations for the advancement of science or other science associations, or national associations of science writers or scientific journalists. The Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science is administered by the Science Analysis and Policies Division of UNESCO.

Kalinga Prize laureates

Statistics By 2021 the prize had been awarded to 71 people from 26 countries:

Kalinga Samman From 2010, the Kalinga Foundation Trust instituted a state level prize under the name Kalinga Samman for Popularization of Science. The award will be presented annually to an eminent scientist and science litterateur from the state of Odisha for outstanding contribution for popularization of science among the public.

Kalinga Samman laureates Source: Kalinga Samman

See also Public awareness of science Popularization of science Science journalism Physics Outreach List of general science and technology awards List of science communication awards

References

External links "Kalinga Foundation Trust: List of Kalinga Prize Laureates". kalingafoundationtrust.com. Retrieved August 28, 2010. "Laureates". UNESCO. Retrieved December 17, 2023. "UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science". Retrieved December 17, 2023.

Illustrations

Kalinga Prize: Louis de Broglie, 7th Duc de Broglie, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1929, was the first recipient of the Kalinga Prize. — Louis de Broglie, 7th Duc de Broglie, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1929, was the first recipient of the Kalinga Prize.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kalinga Prize

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kalinga Prize claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kalinga Prize before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kalinga Prize ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kalinga Prize

In research: Kalinga Prize appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kalinga Prize in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kalinga Prize is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Kalinga Prize recipients, Memorials to Biju Patnaik, Science communication awards, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kalinga Prize outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Kalinga Prize in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kalinga Prize means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Kalinga Prize out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kalinga Prize in simple terms?

Why does Kalinga Prize matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kalinga Prize?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kalinga Prize.