Science Awards
Science Awards – Complete GK Capsule for Railway Exams
1. Nobel Prize (Science Categories)
- Instituted: 1901 (as per Alfred Nobel’s 1895 will)
- Fund: Nobel Foundation, Stockholm
- Cash (2023): 11 million SEK ≈ ₹8.3 crore
- Medals: 18-carat green gold, 175 g
| Category | First Indian | Year | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physics | C. V. Raman | 1930 | Raman Effect |
| Medicine | Har Gobind Khorana* | 1968 | Genetic code |
| Chemistry | Venki Ramakrishnan** | 2009 | Ribosome structure |
*Naturalised US citizen
**Shared UK-US citizen, born India
2. Bharat Ratna (Science Laureates)
- Instituted: 2 Jan 1954
- Maximum per year: 3
- Youngest scientist: C. N. R. Rao (2014) – age 79
- Only engineer: M. Visvesvaraya (1955)
3. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize
- Field: STEM research (<45 yrs)
- Instituted: 1958 (CSIR)
- Cash: ₹5 lakh + citation
- 2023 winners: 12 scientists (max 2 per discipline)
4. Infosys Prize
- Areas: Math, Phy, Life, Engg, Soc Sci, Humanities
- Cash: ₹65 lakh + 22-k gold medallion
- First awarded: 2008
5. Ramanujan Prize (ICTP)
- For developing-country mathematicians <45 yrs
- Cash: US $15,000
- 2023 winner: Neena Gupta (India)
6. Breakthrough Prize
- Nickname: “Oscars of Science”
- Cash: US $3 million per category
- Founders: Milner, Zuckerberg, Brin, Anne Wojcicki
7. Abel Prize (Math)
- Instituted: 2003 (Norway)
- Cash: 7.5 million NOK
- First Indian: Srinivasa Varadhan (2007)
8. Turing Award
- Field: Computer science
- Cash: US $1 million (Google-sponsored)
- First woman: Frances Allen (2006)
9. IEEE Honorary Medal
- Highest IEEE honour
- Cash: US $1 million
- 2023: Asad Madni (USA) for sensors
10. Dhanvantari Award
- Medical excellence (India)
- 1971–present
- 2023: Dr. Randeep Guleria (AIIMS)
11. J. C. Bose Fellowship
- DST, India
- Age ≥ 45 yrs
- Cash: ₹25,000 pm + HRA
12. Vigyan Gaurav Award
- CERN–India collaboration
- Started: 2017
- 2023: 5 Indian physicists
Quick-Reference Table: Global Science Awards
| Award | Country | Since | Cash (latest) | Special Fact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nobel | Sweden | 1901 | ₹8.3 cr | No posthumous |
| Fields Medal | Canada | 1936 | ₹90 k | <40 yrs, every 4 yrs |
| Abel | Norway | 2003 | ₹55 lakh | Math Nobel |
| Breakthrough | USA | 2012 | ₹24 cr | 3 m USD |
| Turing | USA | 1966 | ₹8 cr | CS Nobel |
| Draper | USA | 1988 | ₹7 lakh | Engg innovation |
| Wolf | Israel | 1978 | $100 k | Agri, Chem, Math, Med, Phys |
| Kyoto | Japan | 1985 | $500 k | Advanced tech |
| Balzan | Switzerland | 1961 | 750 k CHF | 50 % to young researchers |
| Infosys | India | 2008 | ₹65 lakh | All disciplines |
Important Dates to Remember
- 10 Dec – Nobel Ceremony
- 14 Mar – Pi Day & Einstein b’day (common prelims question)
- 28 Feb – National Science Day (Raman Effect discovery)
- 15 Sep – Engineers’ Day (M. Visvesvaraya birth)
- 11 May – National Technology Day (Pokhran-II, 1998)
One-Liner Revision Facts
- C. V. Raman was first Asian Nobel science laureate.
- Homi Bhabha never won Nobel but got Adams Prize (1942).
- APJ Abdul Kalam: Bharat Ratna 1997; never Nobel.
- Amartya Sen is only Indian Nobel winner in Economics (1998).
- Ramanujan Prize 2023: Neena Gupta (ISI Kolkata).
- Fields Medal 2022: Only 2 women among 4 winners.
- Breakthrough Junior: student prize US $250 k.
- IEEE Medal of Honor 2023: Madni; first Indian-origin in 2020 (Dipankar Sengupta).
- L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science: 2023 India fellow – Dr. Niti Kumar.
- CSIR Young Scientist Award: age ≤35, ₹1 lakh.
Practice MCQs (Railway Pattern)
1. Who was the first Indian to win a Nobel Prize in Physics?
Answer: C. V. Raman
2. The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize is given for excellence in which age group?
Answer: Below 45 years
3. In which year was the Abel Prize first awarded?
Answer: 2003
4. The Infosys Prize carries a cash award of ______.
Answer: ₹65 lakh
5. National Science Day is celebrated on ______ to commemorate ______.
Answer: 28 February, discovery of Raman Effect
6. Who won the Ramanujan Prize in 2023?
Answer: Neena Gupta
7. The highest honour of IEEE is called ______.
Answer: IEEE Medal of Honor
8. Breakthrough Prize is often termed as ______.
Answer: Oscars of Science
9. Which Indian scientist was awarded Bharat Ratna in 1955?
Answer: M. Visvesvaraya
10. Fields Medal is awarded every ______ years to mathematicians under ______.
Answer: 4, 40
11. The cash component of Nobel Prize 2023 was approximately ______ SEK.
Answer: 11 million
12. Who among the following is associated with the Dhanvantari Award?
Answer: Medical professionals
13. The Kyoto Prize is given by which country?
Answer: Japan
14. Vigyan Gaurav Award is related to ______ collaboration.
Answer: India–CERN
15. J. C. Bose Fellowship is administered by ______.
Answer: DST (Department of Science & Technology)
16. Turing Award is considered the Nobel Prize of ______.
Answer: Computer Science
17. The first woman to win a Turing Award was ______.
Answer: Frances Allen (2006)
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