‘For the Future of Bright Minds’ St Aloysius College hosts ‘EKA-VISION’- a Fest for PUC Students
‘For the Future of Bright Minds’ St Aloysius College (Autonomous) Dept of Chemistry hosts ‘EKA-VISION’- a Intercollegiate Fest for PUC Students
Mangaluru : To mark the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements 2019, and to raise awareness of Chemistry and its applications for sustainable development, the Department of Chemistry at St Aloysius College (Autonomous)- Mangaluru organized one day programme on 6 September for the students of Pre-University Colleges on the theme “EKA-VISIO- The Future of Bright Minds, an Intercollegiate Fest at LCRI Hall. Students from 43 colleges participated in the Fest.
Dr Nazareth further said, ” I feel proud to say that St Aloysius College is ranked 22nd at the All India Level for Science programmes and these programmes are ably guided by our directors Dr John D’silva at the UG level, and Dr Richard Gonsalves at the PG level. I must acknowledge the hard work put in by the convener of the Fest Miss Sahana, who is our meritorious student of M Sc Chemistry, and known for her organizational skills. Today a lot of debate is going on the concern that basic Science seems to be losing out to other disciplines, particularly the professional courses in attracting students. Even though the basic science stream has ample career opportunities, the widespread impression among students is that unlike professional courses, a career in basic science is not lucrative. Pre-university students are the right beneficiaries of a programme that can help them think beyond professional courses as a career”.
The programme was inaugurated by lighting of the lamp by chief guest- Dr Hemant Pandey- Scientist ‘F’, Head Chemistry Unit, Herbal Medicine Division Defense Institute of Bio-energy Research-Uttarkhand, along with other dignitaries on the dais, namely- Fr Dionysius Vas SJ- Rector of St Aloysius Institutions; Fr Praveen Martis SJ- Principal SAC; John Edward D’silva- Director of Xavier Block; Dr Richard Gonsalves- Director of LCRI block; Dr Ronald Nazareth; and Miss Sahana-the coordinator of the Fest.
On the herbal drug developed by the Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has given a new hope to those suffering from leucoderma, a skin condition in which white patches develop on the skin. Recognizing the benefits of the drug, the Narendra Modi government last had conferred Dr Hemant Pandey, with the prestigious “Science Award” for developing ‘lukoskin’ for treating the skin condition mired by social stigma. The autoimmune condition, also called ‘vitiligo’, can be life-altering. Some people develop low self-esteem and severe depression, an observation which prompted Pandey to work on an advanced version of Lukoskin drug for better results.
Speaking about Lukoskin, in his inaugural address chief guest Dr Hemant Pandey said, ” There are various remedies of vitiligo like allopathic, surgical and adjunctive available at present, but none of the therapies has satisfactorily cured this disease. Secondly, these are either costly or single molecule based, with very low level of efficacy and develop side-effects like blister, edema and irritation in the skin with most of the patients discontinuing the treatment,” said the scientist, who is a recipient of several prestigious awards for his contribution in the field of herbal medicine. Hence, we focused on the causes of disease (aetiology) and researched a comprehensive formulation for the management of leucoderma from Himalayan herbs by exhaustive scientific studies. Lukoskin is available in the form of ointment and oral liquid”
Dr Pandey further said, “The ointment has seven herbal ingredients having properties such as skin photo sensitizer, anti-blister, anti-irritation, anti-septic, wound healing and copper supplementing properties, while the oral dose has been formulated to check the emergence of new spots. Vitiligo is not contagious and is not life-threatening. The world wide incidence of leucoderma has been reported at 1-2 per cent. In India, its incidence is around 4-5 per cent in some parts of Rajasthan. In Gujarat, it is very high at more than 5-8 per cent. This skin disorder is considered a social stigma in India where people confuse it with leprosy”. While concluding his speech, he advised the budding chemist scientist to work hard with determination, dedication and commitment and success will be on their way. Achieve more and more knowledge, he said to the students.
Addressing the audience Fr Praveen Martis SJ said, “I compliment the dept of chemistry for their great efforts inn organizing this Fest, which has received tremendous response this year with 43 colleges participating, while comparing to 25 colleges which took part last year. Eka-Vision is indeed a name kept for all the budding scientists here. Many more attempts like this will boost students to consider basic science as a career and will definitely combat the general decline of students taking basic sciences.”
Rector Fr Dionysius Vas SJ speaking said, “This event is getting vibrant year after year, and this year we have a whopping number of 43 colleges taking part, which speaks that students are eagerly waiting to learn more through such Fests. Today’s chief guest has ignited your minds, and with no doubts you all have bright minds. You need to have a vision for a better future in the field of Chemistry career. You were and will be born original, having bright minds to make a difference in the field of chemistry in India. And with intelligent and budding scientists like you, India will have a bright future. Keep up the good work”.
The programme included interactive sessions, followed by various competitions related to Chemistry such as Ice-Breaker, Mock Press, Seminar, Collage, Interactive Chemistry, Turn Coat , Quiz, Chemistry Rangoli , Treasure Hunt, Chem Jumbles, Wealth Out of Waste, Chemistry Comedy, Creative writing, Pencil sketching, video Juggling and Model Making. The department of chemistry also honoured 12 students who have been awarded the INSPIRE fellowship because of their exemplary performance in academics (in PUC). The programme was an opportunity to explore chemistry and discover Science as a career, motivate young minds to develop a scientific temper while we celebrate the contributions of Chemists to science. The programme was compered by Miss Olinda Fernandes of Final year B Sc at SAC.