On February 28, 2025, PhD scholars of BITS Pilani, K. K. Birla Goa Campus successfully organized the National Science Day celebrations under the guidance of Director Prof. Suman Kundu. Coordinated by Himani Arora, Nehal A. Waghchoure, and team, the event revolved around the theme: “Empowering Indian Youth for Global Leadership in Science and Innovation for Viksit Bharat.”

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Quiz Competition (for Goa school students) – 20 teams from 13 schools participated.

Winners:

The Kings School

G. S. Amonkar Vidya Mandir, Mapusa

St. Francis School, Duler, Mapusa

Flash Talk Presentations – 34 PhD scholars presented their research in 3-minute sessions, evaluated by a panel of faculty and scholars.

Top 5 winners (₹2100 each):

Kumudini Paliwal (Chemical Engg.) – Copper in Cancer Drug Development (Prof. Manjuri Kumar)

Utpal Mallick (Biological Sciences) – Horseshoe Crab Research (Prof. Sumit Biswas)

Priyanka Sahoo (Chemical Engg.) – Smart Separators for Oil-Water Separation (Prof. Pradeep Kumar Sow)

Jemi Gandhi (Chemistry) – Eco-friendly UVC LED for Water Treatment (Prof. Halan Prakash)

Megha Mishra (Physics) – Ultrasensitive Sensors for Environmental Monitoring (Prof. Teny Theresa John)

Distinguished Lecture – Prof. Anil Bhardwaj (Director, PRL) spoke on planetary science and space exploration. Title: “Indian Lunar Exploration Program”.

Best Thesis Awards – 10 PhD scholars were recognized for outstanding theses defended in 2024.

• Karle Suhas Balasaheb (Biological Sciences) – Arsenite Stress in Rice (Supervisor: Prof. Kundan Kumar)
• Akanksha Gavendra (Chemical Engg.) – Rheology of Particle-Filled Polymer Melts (Supervisor: Dr. Asima Shaukat)
• Bhosle Akhil Adinath (Chemistry) – Red-Emissive Molecular Probes & Sensing Applications (Supervisors: Prof. Mainak Banerjee, Prof. Amrita Chatterjee)
• Keshav Kaushik (CSIS) – Energy-Efficient Cooling Systems for Buildings (Supervisor: Prof. Vinayak Naik)
• Renjith Raj (Economics & Finance) – Climate Change & Adaptation in the Western Ghats (Supervisor: Dr. Arfat Ahmad Sofi)
• Anjli Varghese (EEE) – Leather Species Identification Using Image Analysis (Supervisor: Prof. Amalin Prince)
• Kulkarni Ashutosh Anilbhai (HSS) – Climate Change Impact on Indus & Spiti Glaciers (Supervisor: Prof. Rajiv Kumar Chaturvedi)
• Fathima Safikaa S N (Mathematics) – Topology of Flip Stiefel Manifolds (Supervisor: Dr. Shilpa Gondhali)
• Mane Sanjay Pandurang (Mechanical Engg.) – White Blood Cell Isolation in Microfluidic Devices (Supervisor: Dr. Siddhartha Tripathi)
• Naresh Kumar Patra (Physics) – Bayesian & PCA Analysis of Neutron Star Properties (Supervisor: Prof. Tarun Kumar Jha)

Cultural Performances – Srutilaya group & Mrs. Ananya Chattopadhyay’s group added vibrancy to the event.

The celebrations were a grand success, reflecting the excellence and enthusiasm of the research community at BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus.