World Ozone Day Observed at Himalayan School of Biosciences, SRHU

World Ozone Day Observed at Himalayan School of Biosciences, SRHU

Himalayan School of Biosciences marked 'World Ozone Day' by raising awareness about ozone depletion and its environmental consequences. The event commenced with a tribute to Swami Rama, following upon the lighting of the ceremonial lamp by Dr. C. S. Nautiyal and Professor Sanjay Gupta, alongside the faculty members. Dr. Sanjay Gupta delivered an inspiring speech underscoring the critical significance of preserving the ozone layer on a global scale, urging individuals to take action.

Dr. C.S. Nautiyal, Scientific Advisor, provided a comprehensive scientific perspective on ozone depletion.

World Ozone Day established by the United Nations, commemorates the acceptance of the Montreal Protocol 1987, signifying international collaboration in reducing ozone-depleting substances. The theme for 2023 is "Montreal Protocol: Fixing the Ozone layer and reducing climate change."

The event featured engaging student competitions such as poster making, model building, and collage creation, aimed at fostering creativity and ozone protection awareness. Dr. Archna Dhasmana and Dr. Nupur Joshi organized the event, which was conducted by proactive student Ritika Wadhwa and attended by various faculty members, including Dr. Vivek Kumar, Dr. Vikash Jadon, Dr. Geeta Bhandari, and Dr. Vishal Singh Rajput.

A Patent’s Success Story

A Patent’s Success Story - Swami Rama Himalayan University granted valuable Patent

An apparatus for spreading microbial culture on a petri dish developed by the university has been granted patent by The Patent Office, GOI.

A new invention by the Department of Biosciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University has added another feather to its cap. This invention relates to a novel method and invention of an apparatus for spreading microbial cultures on a Petri dish.

The procedure has utility in evenly spreading the microbial culture on a soft microbiological growth medium in a Petri dish without damaging the agar surface.

Traditionally, skilled laboratory technicians using a hand tool known as spreader, made up of glass, plastic, metal, or any inert material, have performed the isolation of bacteria manually. Now this newly invented hand-tool or spreader typically includes a terminal loop to make multiple streaks.

Such microbial inoculation and streaking on Petri dishes are highly repetitious and, in many pathologies or diagnostic microbiology laboratories the process is usually conducted in very high volumes, such as in volumes as high as 1,000 to 15,000 plates per day. It is a tedious and laborious work, for which reason is prone to error and inaccuracies.

Another drawback of manual method of use of spreader by different persons can significantly affect the counting of microbes, which leads to variable results. Since different persons use diverse force and techniques to spread the microbial culture using a spreader on an agar Petri dish.

Due to the use of force and pressure, a significant reduction in microbial cell count has been reported. This reduction in microbial cell occurs during spread plating due to the physical impact of the spreader on the solid microbial media, and this causes injury to microbial cells. Even bacterial spores have been reported vulnerable to injury during spread-plating due to physical impact.

Therefore, to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention will greatly help. The procedure has utility in evenly and uniformly spreading the microbial culture on a soft microbiological growth medium in the Petri dishes without damaging the agar surface in a reproducible manner.

The apparatus is made up of a tripod stand having a central vertical rod, connected to a handle. Rotation of handle moves the central rod, which in turn rotates the horizontal smooth metallic rod. This horizontal rod moves softly on the agar medium surface in the Petri dish. This evenly and uniformly spreads the diluted microbial sample. Four to five rotations are sufficient to spread the microbial culture evenly. Spreading of microbial cultures with the help of this novel apparatus does not physically harm the microbial cells, thus leading to accurate and errorless results. The use of novel apparatus also saves tedious and laborious work of a technician.

Chancellor SHRU, Dr Vijay Dhasmana stated that, “At SRHU we nurture creative thinking to discover new vistas of inventions in the quest of knowledge. The recent patent awarded to us is a utility patent based on a novel microbiology method to isolate a single microorganism. In future we will endeavor to focus on more discoveries, which will open up new frontiers for human welfare. I congratulate the researchers for their commitment and recognize their accomplishment with pride.”

“Universities are increasingly being looked as leaders in scientific research, innovation and economic development. At SRHU working for new inventions with continue to be the driving force.” - Vice Chancellor, Dr Rajendra Dobhal

“The utility patent awarded to us is based on a novel method and an apparatus used for spreading microbial cultures on a Petri dish without damaging the agar surface and microorganisms, leading to precise and reproducible results.” Dr. Vivek Kumar, Associate Professor

Guest Lecture on Sustainable Development HSBS

Forum on Sustainable Development held at SRHU

Securing a Resilient Future: Sustainability in Reference to Uttarakhand’ on May 31, 2023

Himalayan School of Biosciences, a constituent unit of Swami Rama Himalayan University, Jolly Grant, Dehradun organized a one day ‘Forum on Sustainable Development: Securing a Resilient Future: Sustainability in Reference to Uttarakhand’, on May 31, 2023.

The Form was organized in reference to G-20 Summit to contribute to the ongoing discourse on sustainable development in the Himalayas and help in identifying new approaches and strategies to tackle the challenges posed by climate change.

The Sustainable Development Forum provided a platform for collaborative discussions and knowledge exchange to cover various topics related to sustainable development in the Himalayas, including climate change adaptation, ecosystem services, renewable energy, community-based conservation, and sustainable tourism.

Patron of the forum Chancellor Swami Rama Himalayan University, Dr. Vijay Dhasmana introduced the participants to the motto of the University and conveyed his best wishes for the success of the program.

Vice Chancellor Dr. Vijendra Devisingh Chauhan acquainted the participants about his practical experience with H.H. Swami Rama, especially relating to scientific and yogic aspects and also apprised about his core philosophy.

Dr. K.K. Pant, Director, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IITR), was the Key Note speaker. He discussed in detail the contribution of IITR in sustainable development of Uttarakhand.

Dr. Rajendra Dobhal, Director Strategic Planning, Research and Development, shared his views about the concept of sustainable development with reference to the state of Uttarakhand.

Dr. C.S. Nautiyal, Scientific Advisor sensitized the participants about research and development for sustainable growth of the state.

Convener of the Forum, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Principal Himalayan School of Biosciences was instrumental in planning, managing and successfully executing the program.

In total 265 students from different schools of SRHU actively participated in the program.

SRHU Bioscience Assistant Professors earn accolades- Bag Prestigious awards at Agriculture Conference in Pokhra

SRHU Bioscience Assistant Professors earn accolades- Bag Prestigious awards at Agriculture Conference in Pokhra

Dr. Archna Dhasmana and Dr. Geeta Bhandari, Assistant Professors, Himalayan School of Biosciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, have bagged the ‘Best Oral Presentation’ and ‘Best Poster Presentation’ respectively at an International conference.

The prestigious conference on ‘Agriculture and Allied Sciences for Improving Environment and Food Security’ (AASIEF-2023), was held from 26 to 28 May, 2023; it was organized by Maharaja Agrasen Himalayan Garhwal University at Pokhra, Garhwal.

With exceptional expertise and remarkable presentation skills, Dr. Archna Dhasmana and Dr. Geeta Bhandari garnered accolades by winning the prestigious awards for their work at SRHU.

The AASIEF-2023, a renowned gathering of professionals, researchers, and experts from MAGHU, ICFRE-ERC, ICAR, FRI, in association with G20 and Namami Gange, showcased the latest advancements and breakthroughs in the field of environment and food security.

Participants from around the globe convened to exchange knowledge, engage in thought-provoking discussions, and present their cutting-edge research.

Dr. Archna Dhasmana, whose passion for Nanotechnology was clearly evident, delivered an outstanding oral presentation on “Evaluation Of Biogenic Nano-Coating As Cost-Effective And Eco-Friendly Approach For Agronomic Application.” The compelling and insightful presentation captivated the audience, effectively communicating the significance of green nanotechnology and its potential impact on crop protection and food security. The judges acknowledged Dr. Archna Dhasmana's eloquence, depth of knowledge, and ability to articulate complex concepts in a clear and engaging manner.

In addition to the remarkable poster presentation, Dr. Geeta Bhandari also received accolades for her exceptional poster presentation on “Cultivation Of Newly Isolated Microalgae, Pesudochlorella Pringsheimii For Simultaneous Hospital Wastewater And Biomass Production.”

The visually appealing and informative poster showcased application of algai technology for wastewater treatment, capturing the attention of conference attendees and expert evaluators alike. The innovative approach and comprehensive execution exhibited in Dr. Geeta Bhandari's poster were highly praised, further solidifying the recognition and marking her as a standout participant.

Two SRHU research scholars bag top awards at International Conference

Two SRHU research scholars bag top awards at International Conference

Two research scholars from the Himalayan School of Biosciences, the top biotechnology college in Uttarakhand, bagged top honors at the International Conference GangaAyurCon-2022.
Anjali Uniyal and Sweta Upadhyay won the first and second positions respectively.
The Conference on "Medicinal Plants of Ganga River Basin and Their Therapeutic Importance in Indian System of Medicines," was held at Gurukul Campus Uttarakhand Ayurvedic University, Haridwar from 5th to 6th September, 2022

Anjali Uniyal presented her perspective on, ‘Genetic Diversity Assessment Using Molecular Markers for the Conservation of Rheum Species.’ This has been her research topic as well which she is conducting along with Akhilesh Kumar, Sweta Upadhyay, Sanjay Gupta and Vijay Kumar.

Sweta Upadhyay, a PhD Scholar at Himalayan School of Biosciences, SRHU was awarded 2nd position in Scientific Poster Category. The title of her presentation was ‘Molecular analysis of micropropagated Rheum emodi plants using RAPD and ISSR markers for ascertaining Clonal fidelity.’ Her co-researchers in the above research are Anjali Uniyal, Vijay Kumar, Sanjay Gupta and Akhilesh Kumar.

Overwhelmed with the achievement of SRHU’s students, Vice Chancellor Dr Vijay Dhasmana stated that it is a matter of pride for him that SRHU bioscience students are working on issues that will be hugely beneficial to mankind in the future. “Their research topic has huge relevance to the welfare of humanity. Their main projection is that Cultivation of plants can be planned to meet the needs of the industry in required quantities and at required time. If efforts were made for systematic cultivation of medicinal plants instead of collecting them from the wild, many of the problems like unplanned harvesting and threats to the plant species would be minimized. Properly identified, certified and biochemically characterized planting material can be supplied to the growers. Unintentional adulteration can be avoided and it will be easier to check deliberate adulteration.”

Himalayan School of Biosciences offers a variety of life science courses in microbiology, biotechnology, food science, and environmental science.

Workshop on ‘Entrepreneurship Development and Startups Facilitation In Uttarakhand’ held at SRHU

Workshop on ‘Entrepreneurship Development and Startups Facilitation In Uttarakhand’ held at SRHU

A one day workshop on ‘Entrepreneurship Development and Startups Facilitation in Uttarakhand’ was organized at HSMS, a biotechnology college in Dehradun located inside Swami Rama Himalayan University in technical and financial collaboration with Uttarakhand Council of Biotechnology, Haldi, Udham Singh Nagar Uttarakhand on 28th June 2022
Participants at the workshop included students from SRHU and other institutions of Dehradun district, who were acquainted about entrepreneurship and startups.

Chief Guest Dr. Susheela Sharma, Registrar, SRHU said that the purpose of the workshop would gain in import only when the participants would make use of the knowledge learnt at the workshop. The Guest of Honor, Dr. CS Nautiyal, Principal, Himalayan School of Biosciences, informed the participants about the importance of entrepreneurship and how the startups are changing the economic scenario of the country. He further emphasised that instead of becoming job seekers, aspirants should endeavour to be job givers. There is slow progress in this area but steady movement in that direction would bring a new dawn in the country by carving a niche for entrepreneurs.

Coordinator Workshop, Dr. Prashant Singh gave an elaborate account of the workshop, stating that the motive behind holding such workshops by the government is only to ignite the young minds of the region and help them look into the key areas of relevance where the start ups can be developed or can be initiated for the economic welfare of the region.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Prof. and Head, HSBS informed that more than 100 participants from different institutes and universities, from the district of Dehradun participated in the workshop. The participants were informed about the various aspects of entrepreneurship, types of entrepreneurship and conceptualization of startups, their mechanism of registration, the different approaches to make them successful and the lacuna which sometimes lead to failure.

Different resource persons on the day were Shivam Dhaundiyal, Youth Development Officer SRHU; Dr. Geeta Rana, and Dr. Ravindra Sharma, HSMS, SRHU; Dr. Manish Prateek and Dr. Prashant Raturi, HSST, SRHU; Dr. Sanjay Agarwal, Head, Capacity Building and Skill Centre, Dolphin Institute, Dehradun; Dr. Kumar Sachin, HSBS, SRHU.

The special focus at the workshop was on biotechnology based startups, the different
funding agencies and the opportunities in the state of the Uttarkhand.
Dr. Vivek Kumar delivered the vote of thanks and the program was conducted by Dr.
Geeta Bhandari.

Training Workshop at SRHU

Ganga Water effective in Eradication of Human Viruses through Bioinformatics Tools

A training workshop on efficacy of Ganga Water in Eradication of Human Viruses through Bioinformatics Tools, was organized at Swami Rama Himalayan University on Monday June 13th. .In this workshop participants were trained through molecular biology for viral genome isolation and usage of bioinformatics techniques to study detailed analysis of the genome of viruses.

The four-day workshop was held under the joint aegis of Swami Rama Himalayan University and DAV PG College Dehradun in collaboration with Uttarakhand Council of Biotechnology. Chief Guest Pro Vice Chancellor Dr. Vijendra Chauhan said that the purpose of the workshop would be meaningful only when the participants make use of the knowledge learnt at the workshop.

Special guest Dr. CS Nautiyal, Principal, Himalayan School of Biosciences, informed the participants about the Corona virus. He said the slow progress in research shows that there is an urgent need for a larger number of studies. He said that Ganga water is known for its medicinal properties. But it can be used properly only when the viruses present in it will be isolated from the Ganges water.

Dr. RK Jain, Principal of DAV PG College urged the participants to take maximum benefit of the workshop. Coordinator Workshop, Dr. Prashant Singh provided detailed information about the purpose and theme of the workshop to the participants. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Head, Himalayan School of Biosciences informed that more than 100 participants from all over the state participated in the workshop. In the four-day long workshop, the participants were given hands-on training in various computer labs, after two days of theory sessions. Registrar Dr. Sushila Sharma, Dr. Sunil Saini, Dr. Akhilesh Kumar, Dr. Vijay Kumar, Dr. Vivek Kumar were present in the inauguration program conducted by Dr. Geeta Bhandari.

Dr. Manish Prateek, Prof. Department of Computer Sciences, HSST talked about his original work and role of STRT (Set Theoretic Rajan Transform) in the field of bioinformatics. STRT has capabilities to perform Image processing, Signal Processing, Data analysis, Data Compression and Data Encryption. STRT uses the basic operations such as ‘union of sets’ (U), which is analogous to numeric addition (+) operation and ‘symmetric difference of sets’ which is analogous to numeric difference (-).

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Prof. & Head, HSBS, delivered a detailed lecture on Immunological aspects of Virus growth management. He discussed about role of phages, phage proteins and their metabolites in controlling Coronavirus. He also enlightened the participants about phage therapy and its future aspects.

Dr. Vivek Kumar, HSBS presented a lecture on “Major Human Viruses in Ganga Water”, and talked about virus families present in Ganga water stream starting from Gaumukh and their role in Ganga water purification.

Dr. Vijay Kumar, HSBS delivered a lecture on various nucleic acid isolation strategies from Ganga water: a metagenomic approach. He discussed about the structure of viruses, their precipitation and filtration techniques and DNA/RNA isolation methods. He discussed about the metagenomic approaches to explore the diversity of viruses from environmental samples including water samples.

Dr. Akhilesh Kumar, Assistant Prof. HSBS presented an overview of PCR and PCR based molecular markers. He discussed various versions of PCR and molecular markers used in molecular biology to study plants and animals and microbes.

Dr Kumar Sachin, Asst Prof, HSBS, delivered an informative lecture on Bioinformatics tools applicable in Virology. Bioinformatics serves to facilitate the study of viral genome, analyses in a metagenomics approach as well.
On the third day “Ganga Water in Eradication of Human Viruses through Bioinformatics Tools” was the highlight. Dr. Vijay Kumar, Assistant prof. HSBS, delivered a lecture and conducted hands on training on “Viral Nucleic acid isolation from water and soil samples”. He also discussed and demonstrated the functioning of PCR.

Dr. Akhilesh Kumar, Assistant prof. HSBS, delivered a lecture and conducted hands on training on “Nucleic acid Quantification through spectrophotometer and preparation of PCR reaction mixture and PCR amplification of samples using RAPD markers.

Dr. Geeta Bhandari, Asst Prof, HSBS, delivered a lecture and demonstrated the process of “Agarose gel electrophoresis”.

Dr Vijay Kumar and Dr Akhilesh Kumar discussed and demonstrated the basic tools used in sequence search, and phylogenetic analysis, as well trained the participants on these tools.

Dr Kumar Sachin, Faculty HSBS, took a practical session on the final day on “Introductory database mining and analysis tools”. The participants were acquainted with various Bioinformatics based resources and a host of analytical tools and their interpretations. Each participant was provided with a system terminal with high-speed internet to carry out the practical session.

Dr. Vivek Dhar Diwedi, Principal Scientist and Group Leader, Centre for Bioinformatics Noida delivered a lecture on Bioinformatics-based solutions for managing Viral Infections and Sequence analysis of viral genomes.

The valedictory function was presided over by Dr. K.R. Jain, Principal, DAV (PG) College, Dr. C.S. Nautiyal, Principal, HSBS, SRHU, and Dr. H.P. Uniyal, Director WATSAN Group, Swami Rama Himalayan University.

The participants completing Phase I and Phase II of the workshop were given certificates by the dignitaries. It was further assured that the participants from different institutes, colleges, and universities of Uttarakhand will work on the translational aspects of the learning rendered to them by the experts at the workshop.

The event was attended by Dr. Prashant Singh as Coordinator Workshop, Dr. Sanjay Gupta as Convener and Resource Person, Dr. Vivek Kumar, Dr. Vijay Kumar, Dr. Akhilesh Kumar, Dr. Geeta Bhandari (Organizing Secretaries and Technical Persons), Dr. Kumar Sachin, Dr. Vishal Rajput (Technical persons).

Dr. Prashant Singh Coordinator Workshop

Dr. Sushila Sharma Registrar SRHU

Dr. RK Jain Principal of DAV PG College

Dr. Vijendra Chauhan Pro Vice Chancellor SRHU

Dr. CS Nautiyal, Principal Himalayan School of Biosciences

Dr. Sanjay Gupta Head Himalayan School of Biosciences

Pro Vice Chancellor Dr. Vijendra Chauhan addressing the students

Dr. C.S. Nautiyal, Principal, HSBS

Students attending the workshop