>Chhandama at 10:21, 13 September 2021

2021-09-13T10:21:44Z

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{{EngvarB|date=April 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kasturi Lal Chopra
| image = Inaugurating a seminar "New Horizons in Mechanical Engineering" at Rajiv Gandhi Technological University.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Inaugurating a seminar "New Horizons in Mechanical Engineering" at Rajiv Gandhi Technological University
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1933|07|31}}
| birth_place = Chahal Kalan, [[Gujranwala District]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[India]]
| death_date = 19 May 2021
| death_place =
| restingplace =
| restingplacecoordinates =
| othername =
| occupation = Academic, Material Physicist
| yearsactive = Since 1957
| known for = Nanoscience [[Thin film]] technology
| spouse = Asha Suri Chopra
| domesticpartner =
| children = 3
| website =
| signature =
| awards = [[Padma Shri]] [[Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize]] [[Indian National Science Academy|INSA]] P. C. Mahalanobis Medal [[Indian National Science Academy|INSA]] Aryabhatta Medal [[Om Prakash Bhasin Award]] [[University Grants Commission (India)|UGC]] Bhabha Award [[Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry|FICCI]] Award MRSI Distinguished Materials Scientist of the Year Award Kennecott Copper Corporation Patent Award IVS Distinguished Vacuum Scientist Award SESI Lifetime Achievement Award ISME Distinguished Engineering Educator Award IITD Freedom of the Institute Award [[Indian Institute of Technology Patna|IITP]] Distinguished Academician Award
}}
'''Kasturi Lal Chopra''' (31 July 1933 – 19 May 2021) was an Indian [[Materials physics|materials physicist]] and a former director of the [[Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur]].<ref name="Indian fellow">{{cite web | url=http://insaindia.res.in/detail.php?id=N78-0163 | title=Indian fellow | publisher=Indian National Science Academy | date=2016 | access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> He was the founder of the ''Thin Film Laboratory'' at [[Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi]] and the ''Microscience Laboratory'' at IIT, Kharagpur and held several US and Indian patents (though no patents anywhere are identifiable for any worth) for his research findings.<ref name="Top scientists misuse power, funds">{{cite web | url=http://www.downtoearth.org.in/interviews/top-scientists-misuse-power-funds-48988 | title=Top scientists misuse power, funds | publisher=Down to Earth | date=31 March 2015 | access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> Author of a number of books on [[thin film]] technology,<ref name="Listing on National Library of Australia">{{cite web | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/result?q=creator%3A%22Chopra%2C+Kasturi+L.%2C+1933-%22 | title=Listing on National Library of Australia | publisher=National Library of Australia | date=2016 | access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> he was a recipient of [[Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize]], the highest Indian award in the science and technology categories.<ref name="Brief Profile of the Awardee">{{cite web | url=http://ssbprize.gov.in/Content/Detail.aspx?AID=436 | title=Brief Profile of the Awardee | publisher=Council of Scientific and Industrial Research | date=2016 | access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the [[Padma Shri]], in 2008, for his contributions to science and engineering.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |date=2013 |access-date=20 August 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6U68ulwpb?url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 November 2014 }}</ref>

== Biography ==
[[File:IIT Kharagpur Main Building.JPG|thumb|235px|Institute Main Building, IIT Kharagpur]]
K. L. Chopra was born on 31 July 1933 at Chahal Kalan of the [[Gujranwala]] district of the [[Punjab Province (British India)|pre-Independence state of Punjab]] to Jagat Ram and Chanan Devi Chopra. He studied science at the [[University of Delhi]] from which he graduated with honors in physics in 1952, and followed it up with a master's degree from the same university in 1954.<ref name="Biodata on Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi">{{cite web | url=http://tfl.iitd.ac.in/Chop-Bio-1.pdf | title=Biodata on Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi | publisher=Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi | date=2016 | access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> He pursued his doctoral studies at the [[University of British Columbia]] on a fellowship and secured his PhD in ''low temperature physics'' in 1957.<ref name="Indian fellow" /> Continuing his stay in the North America, he served as a defence research fellow at the [[Royal Military College of Canada]] (1957–59) and as a staff scientist at Philco-Ford Scientific Laboratory (1962–64) and Ledgemont Laboratory of Kennecott Copper Corporation (1964–70), during which time he also took up academic positions as an adjunct professor at [[Northeastern University]] and as a visiting professor at [[Cornell University]]. Concurrently, he served as a consultant to IBM, Westinghouse and ARCO and had a short stint at [[Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society]], Berlin (1959–62) in between, as their fellow. Returning to India, he was appointed as a senior professor of [[solid state physics]] at the [[Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi]] in 1970 where he served till 1987, holding positions such as that of the Head of Department of Physics (1970–73), Dean of the Faculty of Science (1973–74), Chair and Dean Industrial Research and Development (1975–76), Dean of the Post Graduate Studies and Research (1976–79), Head of the Centre for Energy Studies (1983–85), Senior Professor of Physics and Head of the ''Thin Film Solid State Technology Laboratory'' and the Dean of Industrial Research and Development (1985–87) till his superannuation in 1987.<ref name="Biodata on Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi" />

Chopra was invited to head the [[Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur]] in 1987 and worked there till 1997 as the Director of the Institution when he was appointed as the Chair Professor of Renewable Energy at Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), a post he held till 2000.<ref name="Indian fellow" /> After retiring from active service in 2000, he continues his association with many scientific and academic institutions and chairs HDF School of Management, Bhubaneswar and Budge Budge Institute of Technology, Kolkata while holding the distinguished chair professorship of [[Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur]] (formerly known as BESU, Kolkata).<ref name="Biodata on Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi" /> He was also an adviser to the ''Thin Film Laboratory'' of IIT, Delhi, and [[Jaypee University of Engineering and Technology]], Madhya Pradesh. He was the founder member of the Society for Scientific Values, an organization serving as a watchdog for promoting integrity and ethics in scientific pursuit, and served as its president and then patron until his death.<ref name="Executive Council">{{cite web | url=http://www.scientificvalues.org/exec.html | title=Executive Council | publisher=Society for Scientific Values | date=2016 | access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> He served as the vice president of the Materials Research Society of India and was a life member of the society.<ref name="Life Members">{{cite web | url=http://www.mrsi.org.in/members-category.php | title=Life Members | publisher=Materials Research Society of India | date=2016 | access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> He was also a former member of the council of the [[Indian National Science Academy]] (1988–90) and served as an honorary professor at [[King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals]], Saudi Arabia, IIT Delhi, IIEST Shibpur and [[Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar]].<ref name="Biodata on Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi" />

He died on 19 May 2021 following an infection with COVID-19.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-05-24|title=NIT Srinagar paid rich tributes to Prof. KL Chopra|url=http://www.jammulinksnews.com/newsdetail/252829/Jammu-Links-News-NIT_Srinagar_paid_rich_tributes_to_Prof_KL_Chopra|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-13|website=Jammu Llinks}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
Working on [[thin films]] and [[nanomatter]], Chopra did pioneering studies through which he established ''specular scattering of electrons in epitaxial metal films'', discovered ''field induced nucleation and growth process'' as well as ''giant photocontraction effect in amorphous chalcogenide films'', developed ''semiconducting metallopolymer films'' and proposed new process protocols for low dimensional nanomaterials and high temperature superconductors.<ref name="Indian fellow" /> He published his findings through more than 430 research articles and ten books, which include ''Thin film phenomena'',<ref name="Thin film phenomena">{{cite book | title=Thin film phenomena | publisher=McGraw-Hill | author=Kasturi L Chopra | year=1969 | pages=864 | oclc=499963884}}</ref> ''Thin Film Solar Cells'',<ref name="Thin Film Solar Cells">{{cite book | title=Thin Film Solar Cells | publisher=Springer Science+Business Media | author=Kasturi Lal Chopra, Suhit Ranjan Das | year=1983 | isbn=978-1-4899-0420-1| doi=10.1007/978-1-4899-0418-8 }}</ref> ''Thin Film Device Applications''<ref name="Thin Film Device Applications">{{cite book | url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3574354-thin-film-device-applications | title=Thin Film Device Applications | publisher=Springer | author=Kasturi Lal Chopra | year=1983 | isbn=9780306412974}}</ref> and ''Vacuum Science and Technology''.<ref name="RaoGosh1998">{{cite book|author1=Dr. V.V. Rao|author2=Dr. T.B. Gosh|author3=Dr. K.L. Chopra|title=Vacuum Science and Technology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ys7yQ1lpVdUC|date=17 October 1998|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=978-81-7023-763-1}}</ref> He also edited two books, ''Thin Film Technology and Applications: International Workshop, New Delhi, Nov. 1984, Proceedings''<ref name="ChopraMalhotra1985">{{cite book|author1=K.L. Chopra|author2=L.K. Malhotra, Indian Institute of Technology. Thin Film Laboratory-Committee on Science and Technology in Developing Countries|title=Thin Film Technology and Applications: International Workshop, New Delhi, Nov. 1984, Proceedings|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gen7nAEACAAJ|year=1985|publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill|isbn=9780074515693}}</ref> and ''Thin Films 7: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Thin Films, New Delhi, India, December 7–11, 1987''.<ref name="Chopra1988">{{cite book|author=Kasturi L. Chopra|title=Thin Films 7: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Thin Films, New Delhi, India, December 7-11, 1987|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XvB3QAAACAAJ|year=1988|publisher=Elsevier Applied Science|isbn=978-1-85166-980-6}}</ref> He held six US patents and eight of his know-hows are in use with Indian industries. Besides, he mentored 100 MTech and 60 PhD students in their researches and served as a member of the editorial boards of many journals. It was during his tenure as the head of the institution, the ''Thin Film Laboratory'' of IIT Delhi<ref name="Padma Shri Prof. Kasturi Lal Chopra ">{{cite web | url=http://tfl.iitd.ac.in/ | title=Padma Shri Prof. Kasturi Lal Chopra | publisher=Thin Film Laboratory | date=2016 | access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> and ''Microscience Laboratory'' of IIT Kharagpur were established.<ref name="Indian fellow" />

== Awards and honors ==
During his stay in the US, Chopra received four patent awards from Kennecott Copper Corporation between 1966 and 1970.<ref name="Biodata on Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi" /> The [[Council of Scientific and Industrial Research]] awarded him [[Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize]], the highest Indian award in the science and engineering categories, in 1975.<ref name="Brief Profile of the Awardee" /> He received [[Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry|FICCI]] Award in 1983 and two more awards in 1989, Bhabha Award of the [[University Grants Commission (India)|University Grants Commission]] and [[Om Prakash Bhasin Award]].<ref name="Om Prakash Bhasin Awards">{{cite web | url=http://www.opbfawards.com/engineering.html | title=Om Prakash Bhasin Awards | publisher=Shri Om Prakash Bhasin Foundation | date=2016 | access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> The Indian Vacuum Society awarded him Distinguished Vacuum Scientist Award in 1994, and the next year, he received the Distinguished Material Scientist Award of the Materials Research Society of India, the highest award of the society.<ref name="Distinguished Materials Scientist of the year award">{{cite web | url=http://www.mrsi.org.in/awardshonours.php | title=Distinguished Materials Scientist of the year award | publisher=Materials Research Society of India | date=2016 | access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> The [[Indian National Science Academy]] awarded him the Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis Medal in 1996 and the Aryabhata Medal in 2004.<ref name="Recipients of Medals/Lectures Awards">{{cite web | url=http://insaindia.res.in/recipients.php#abs | title=Recipients of Medals/Lectures Awards | publisher=Indian National Science Academy | date=2016 | access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> In between, he received two awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Solar Energy Society of India and ISI Citation Laureate Award.<ref name="Biodata on Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi" /> The Government of India included him in the [[Indian honours system|Republic Day honors]] list for the civilian honor of the [[Padma Shri]] in 2008 and he received the Distinguished Engineering Educator Award of the Indian Society of Mechanical Engineers, the same year.<ref name="Biodata on Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi" /> He is also a recipient of the Freedom of the Institute Award of the IIIT Delhi and Distinguished Academician Award of [[Indian Institute of Technology Patna]].<ref name="Indian fellow" />

The [[Indian National Science Academy]] elected Chopra as their fellow in 1978 and the [[Indian Academy of Sciences]]<ref name="Fellow Profile">{{cite web | url=http://www.ias.ac.in/describe/fellow/Chopra,_Prof._Kasturi_Lal | title=Fellow Profile | publisher=Indian Academy of Sciences | date=2016 | access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> and the [[National Academy of Sciences, India]] followed suit in 1980 and 1988 respectively.<ref name="NASI fellows">{{cite web|url=http://www.nasi.org.in/fellows.asp?RsFilter=C |title=NASI fellows |publisher=National Academy of Sciences, India |date=2016 |access-date=27 August 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315111634/http://nasi.org.in/fellows.asp?RsFilter=C |archive-date=15 March 2016 }}</ref> He was also an elected fellow of the [[Indian National Academy of Engineering]],<ref name="INAE fellows">{{cite web | url=http://inae.in/search-of-fellows/ | title=INAE fellows | publisher=Indian Academy of Engineering | date=2016 | access-date=27 August 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403030936/http://inae.in/search-of-fellows/ | archive-date=3 April 2015 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Asian Pacific Society for Materials Research and the [[American Physical Society]] and an honorary fellow of Punjab Academy of Sciences.<ref name="List Of Honorary Fellows">{{cite web | url=http://paspatiala.com/honorary.html | title=List Of Honorary Fellows | publisher=Punjab Academy of Sciences | date=2016 | access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> [[Uttar Pradesh Technical University]] conferred the degree of Doctor of Science ([[honoris causa]]) on him in 2006, followed by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in 2010.<ref name="Institute Lecture">{{cite web | url=http://www.iitk.ac.in/olddord/institutelecture_2008.pdf | title=Institute Lecture | publisher=Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur | date=2016 | access-date=27 August 2016}}</ref> He delivered several award orations and keynote addresses including K. S. Krishnan Memorial Award Lecture of the Indian National Science Academy (1992),<ref name="Recipients of Medals/Lectures Awards" /> Biren Roy Memorial Lecture Award (1997), Institute Lecture on ''Ethical Values in Science and Technology'' of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (2008) and D. S. Kothari Memorial Oration Award of the [[Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur]] (2009).<ref name="Institute Lecture" />

== Selected bibliography ==
* {{cite book|author=Kasturi L. Chopra|title=Thin Film Phenomena|year=1979|publisher=Malabar : Robert E. Krieger Publishing Company|isbn=978-0-88275-746-9}}
* {{cite book|author=Kasturi L. Chopra|title=Thin Films 7: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Thin Films, New Delhi, India, December 7-11, 1987|year=1988|publisher=Elsevier Applied Science|isbn=978-1-85166-980-6}}
* {{cite book|author1=K.L. Chopra|author2=S.R. Das|title=Thin Film Solar Cells|date=31 July 1983|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-0-306-41141-0}}
* {{cite book|author1=K.L. Chopra|author2=L.K. Malhotra, Indian Institute of Technology. Thin Film Laboratory - Committee on Science and Technology in Developing Countries|title=Thin Film Technology and Applications: International Workshop, New Delhi, Nov. 1984, Proceedings|year=1985|publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill}}
* {{cite book|author1=Dr. V.V. Rao|author2=Dr. T.B. Gosh, Dr. K.L. Chopra|title=Vacuum Science and Technology|date=17 October 1998|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=978-81-7023-763-1}}

== See also ==
* [[Scientific plagiarism in India]]
{{portal|India|Science}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

<gallery>
File:Prof Chopra as Chief Guest at DCE presenting an award to a student.jpg
File:Barna, Peter, Chopra, & Dhere puszta 1983 - at an international conference in Budapest, Hungary.jpg
File:Prof K.L. Chopra & Prof M.S. Sodha on receiving Freedom of the Institute (IIT Delhi) Award.jpg
File:ABET-Group Accreditation Visit at Vellore Institute of Technology.jpg
File:Prof K.L. Chopra walking to receive Padmashri award.jpg
File:Prof Chopra as Chief Guest at Convocation at Dhronacharya College of Engineering.jpg
File:Prof K.L. Chopra inaugurating a conference on Nanoscience & Nanotechnology at Delhi Technical University.jpg
File:Prof Chopra at the Thin Film Lab, IIT Delhi, Picnic with colleagues and families.jpg
File:Prof.Chopra,Chief Guest of the Haryana State University Convocation,being received by the VC Prof. Dahiya.jpg
File:Hon'ble A.P.J.Kalam honoring Prof.Chopra with 'Friend of IIT Patna'award at its First Convocation.jpg
File:Prof Chopra attending the court meeting of CUJ chaired by the Honorable Governor Mr. N.N. Vohra.jpg
File:Prof Chopra, Pres. Society for Scientific Values, with Former President Dr.A.P.J. Kalam delivering Dr. A.S. Paintel Memorial Lecture of The Society for Scientific Values.jpg
File:Inauguration of Nanoscience conference at DTU.jpg
File:Group photo of Padmashri Awardees.jpg
File:With Nobel Laureate Klaus von Klitzing at ICTF-87 organized by TFL, IIT Delhi.jpg
File:Rath Yatra 2012.png
File:At Delhi Technical University with the Vice Chancellor for inauguration of a function.jpg
File:Prof.Surinder Prashad,Director IIT Delhi,at the Padma Shri felicitation at IIT Delhi.jpg
</gallery>

== External links ==
* {{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7J8sgGykEA | title=Research Ethics | publisher=Roopesh Verma | work=Keynote address at Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati ([[YouTube]] video | date=20 March 2016 | access-date=27 August 2016 | author=K. L. Chopra}}

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Science & Engineering}}
{{SSBPST recipients in Engineering Science}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chopra, Kasturi Lal}}
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering]]
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:People from Nawanshahr]]
[[Category:People from Gujranwala District]]
[[Category:University of Delhi alumni]]
[[Category:University of British Columbia Faculty of Science alumni]]
[[Category:Royal Military College of Canada alumni]]
[[Category:Northeastern University faculty]]
[[Category:Cornell University faculty]]
[[Category:Max Planck Society people]]
[[Category:IIT Delhi faculty]]
[[Category:Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur faculty]]
[[Category:King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals faculty]]
[[Category:Indian materials scientists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian physicists]]
[[Category:Indian scientific authors]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Indian National Science Academy]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Indian Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:Fellows of The National Academy of Sciences, India]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Physical Society]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Engineering Science]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Scientists from Punjab, India]]

Kasturi Lal Chopra - Revision history

>Chhandama at 10:21, 13 September 2021