Campus notes: Hydroponics unit set up

Department of botany and Eco Club of DAV College, Amritsar, in collaboration with the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology have set up a hydroponics unit on the campus. Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil. Principal Dr Amardeep Gupta inaugurated the hydroponics system and said this system is not only sustainable but also highly adaptable, allowing for year-round cultivation of a variety of crops. Simar Gulati, Chahat and Sahildeep, students of BSc (Medical), semester VI, have prepared and operationalised this hydroponics unit under the guidance of Dr Ashish Gupta. The unit will serve as a hands-on learning environment where students can study mineral requirements of plants and understand the principles of hydroponic farming. Dr Rajni Bala, head of Botany Department and Prof Nihita Sharma, convenor of the Eco Club, said, “By integrating hydroponics into our curriculum, we aim to inspire the next generation of scientists, preparing them to address the challenges of sustainable agriculture in the future.”

Intellectual Property Day celebrated

Golden Jubilee Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (GJCEI), GNDU, organised a national workshop to celebrate World Intellectual Property Day. Dr Balwinder Singh, coordinator, GJCEI, addressed an online national workshop titled “IP and Music: Your Music, Your Rights” that featured distinguished resource persons, Prof Lisa P Lukose, chairperson, IPU-IPR Cell, and Dr Zubair Ahmed Khan, associate director, Research and Development Cell (USLLS), Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU), New Delhi. Dr Navdeep Singh Sodhi, incharge, IPR Cell and Industry Linkage Programme at GNDU, introduced them to the participants. The resource persons shared valuable insights on protecting music in the era of artificial intelligence, emphasising critical need for a robust Intellectual Property framework to safeguard the rights of musicians, composers and producers.

Workshop on bioinformatics

The department of biotechnology, Khalsa College, Amritsar (KCA), organised a workshop titled “Introductory Bioinformatics: Searching, Retrieving and Analyzing Sequence Data”. The event was held in the department and aimed to enhance participants’ understanding of fundamental bioinformatics tools and techniques. Dr Taminder Singh, Dean Academic Affairs, also addressed the gathering, emphasising the utility of computational tools and resources in contemporary biotechnology research and education. Dr Atam Singh Randhawa, Principal, KCA, delivered the inaugural address, highlighting the growing relevance and necessity of bioinformatics. The workshop was structured into three comprehensive sessions and saw participation from 35 undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Amritsar