National Science Day Observed by USTM
Focus on Indigenous Technologies for Vikshit Bharat: National Science Day at USTM
9th Mile, Khanapara, Ri Bhoi, February 28, 2024: Like every year, this year too, the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) has enthusiastically celebrated National Science Day in honor of the great Indian physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman. The event was organized here today by the School of Biological Sciences with the theme “Indigenous Technologies for Vikshit Bharat”. As part of our celebration, the School of Biological Sciences organised various competitions among students on innovative models, prototypes, and poster presentations.
Addressing the valedictory session of the programme, Prof GD Sharma, Vice Chancellor of USTM said, “National Science Day is observed to induce critical thinking among the children”. He said that scientific entrepreneurship is very important. Emphasis should be made not simply on knowing, but more on the application of the knowledge, he added.
Dr. Kandarpa Saikia, Professor, Department of Bioengineering and Biosciences from the Gauhati University spoke on the significance of traditional Ayurvedic medicine. “We have the potential to validate the scientific knowledge and commercialization”, he said. Earlier, the welcome address was extended by Prof. Rashmimala Kakati, Dean, School of Biological Sciences, USTM. The concluding remark was offered by Dr RK Sharma, Advisor, USTM. The event ended with the prize distribution ceremony.
The five sub-themes of the competition include Indigenous traditional knowledge for sustainable livelihood, Innovation and Technology for sustainable development, Ethnomedicine and drug discovery, Ancient Knowledge of Environmental Sustainability and Healthcare, and Ingenious perspective on Technology Education. The best performance award was bagged by three departments: Zoology, Botany, and Applied Biology. The competitions were judged by two external judges, namely, Dr. Kandarpa Saikia, Professor, Department of Bioengineering and Biosciences, GUIST and Dr. Arup Kumar Hazarika, HoD, Zoology Department & Dean Lifesciences, Cotton University. The in-house judges include Dr. R. K Sharma, Dr Enamul Karim, Dr. Anil Sharma, Dr. Rashmimala Kakati, Dr. Gayatree Goswami, Dr.Thogiram Gogoi, Prof. P K Baruah, Prof. D.K Sharma, Dr. Amit Choudhury and Dr. Jainul Abudin.