National Science Day Celebration and Interactive session on: Translational Research from Basic Foundation

National Science Day Celebration and Interactive session on: Translational Research from Basic Foundation

Department of Studies in Biotechnology, School of Lifesciences, Pooja Bhagavat Memorial Mahajana Education Centre, Post Graduate wing of SBRR Mahajana First Grade College, Metagalli, K.R.S Road, Mysuru-570016

The NSD is celebrated with a view to spreading the message about the significance of science and how it improves the daily lives of the common folk. In addition, its celebration also has the following objectives in mind.

1. Display all activities, efforts and achievements in the field of science
2. To provide opportunity for those citizens of India interested in science
3. To foster and encourage interest in science and technology.

National Science Day is celebrated every year on 28th February to mark the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’ by Sir C.V. Raman on 28 February 1928. It was this discovery that got Sir C.V. Raman a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. Scientific development has changed the lives of human beings manyfold. Science has made lives better and easier for human beings. Therefore, science holds great importance in our lives. India has also contributed a lot to the field of science. Many great scientists were born in India and recognized India in the field of science and made a separate place too. The School of Life Science in the view of encouraging students to the field of research organized an interactive session on the topic entitled

Basic research is sometimes referred to as basic science or fundamental research. Basic research tries to generate a better understanding of a particular concept. Typically, basic medical research is conducted by highly specialized scientists in fields like biology and chemistry who try to understand how things like DNA, cells, and proteins work. The goal of translational research is to take the knowledge of a specific biological phenomenon and translate it into something that could potentially be used clinically. An example of translational research is testing large numbers of potential compounds on tumour cells to look for an ideal combination that kills tumour cells while minimizing the impact on healthy tissue. Another might be finding ways to deliver chemotherapy to cancer cells while minimizing exposure to the rest of the body. Because it is often unsafe to transition from studying basic concepts to patient testing, translational research is often conducted using animal models, which can be a valuable tool for testing different therapies before patient testing. The students were amazed at the work done by the speaker and also interacted with the professor to know about the subject as well as take information to reach out to IISC for project and doctoral research.

The chief guest and keynote addressee of the program Prof Ranganath who addressed the audience on “Science of Today is the Technology of Tomorrow” has served the University of Mysore for over three decades (1975 -2008) in different capacities. Since the early 1970s, Ranganath has made original contributions to Genetics and Evolution and has published extensively in reputed journals. Research projects of Prof. Ranganath are funded by INSA, UGC, DBT, DST, DFG (Germany) and other funding agencies. Prof. Ranganath was instrumental in establishing two national research facilities at the University of Mysore namely “Drosophila Stock Center” and “Unit on Evolution and Genetics” funded by DBT (Govt of India) and DST (Govt. India) respectively. After serving as Vice-Chancellor, of Bangalore University (2006 -2008), Prof. H.A. Ranganath was the Director, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) (2008-2013), an autonomous institution of UGC. Now he is recognized as the Distinguished Professor for Life of the University of Mysore. At present, he is a Visiting Professor at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Also, Prof. Ranganath is the Editor-in-Chief of one of the oldest and the prestigious journals, The Speaker of the interactive session Upendra Nongthomba (Chair), Professor, Developmental Biology and Genetics (DBG) New Biological Sciences Building, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore – 560012, India. His group works on understanding the molecular and cellular basis of myopathies and neurodegenerative disorders using genetically tractable model organisms, Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) and Danio rerio (zebrafish), to trace the etiology of these diseases and dissect the associated mechanisms. His research areas of interest are Muscle; Neurobiology; Immunity, Drug screening and biomechanics.

Target audience and No. of Participants/beneficiaries: 150

National Science Day Celebration – 28th Feb 2023