Education

One of the biggest concerns of educators across India today, is making the present generation learners future-ready. Performance trends reveal that urban learners always secure better grades than their rural counterparts. It is not calibre that affects the performance of rural students, but the resources and opportunities available to them. It’s fair to say that being a role model teacher in a rural education setup is an enormous challenge. It takes patience, passion, resilience, and a lot of commitment. Meet Srinivas Gunda, Associate Professor and HoD of Commerce and Business Management department in NSV Degree College, Jagtial, Telangana; who is a positive, guiding light for his students, providing them hope and the tools they’ll need to succeed well beyond their graduation years. He has been recently honoured with Best Faculty in Rural Institution Award by Arunai International Research Foundation.

Our lives and well-being depend upon our ability to invent a better future. If we want the young generation to respond to challenges with creativity and inventiveness, we must create the conditions in which innovation is not only possible but encouraged. Meet Dr. Yaswanth Bhanu Murthy, award winning professor of Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE) from Vasireddy Venkatadri Institute of Technology (VVIT), Guntur, who uses active learning techniques to engage students and encourage innovation and creativity. The result - his students have been making it to the finals of ISB TEP Design Challenge every year. He was recently honoured with EET-CRS Certificate of Excellence in Mumbai for his academic achievements.

Over 99% of plastics are fossil fuel origin and their rapid increase has put tremendous pressure on the already limited non-renewable resources on earth. There is a worldwide concern regarding the development of biodegradable polymer materials as a remedy towards harmful effects caused by plastic waste on the environment. This provides researchers with a huge prospect of developing biopolymer-based functional ingredients to design improved or novel industrial applications. Meet Akola based Dr. Prasad Andhare, whose research opens up new possibilities of application of microbial biopolymers as emulsifier, thickener, viscosifier and stabilizer agent in various industries.

A great teacher can make you enjoy a topic you don't particularly like, change and expand your perspective on what you already know. Faculty members who do the best they can and make sure students are always on their feet, and confront them if they aren't doing their best, are what make great students. Meet Dr. Ravindra Gaikwad, award winning Professor and Head of Dept. of Chemistry, Pravara Rural Engineering College (PREC), who is transforming his department and the lives of his students through his outstanding academic and research work.

Pharmacy is the science and technique of preparing and dispensing drugs. It is a health profession that links health sciences with chemical sciences and aims to ensure the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs. As a medical discipline closely related to human life, research and development in this field is of paramount importance. Many educators in India are contributing significantly towards advancement of this science, overcoming the challenges and constraints in-spite of limited availability of resources. Meet Nirav Soni, working as Asst Professor in A-One Pharmacy College, Anasan, Ahmedabad, who in just couple of years in his teaching career, has already bagged multiple awards for his research efforts and innovative teaching-learning methodologies.

One of the most useful extant remains of a plant that can survive for millions of years under favourable conditions is its pollen or spores. The study of these particles, called Palynology, gives clues to the life, environment, and energetic conditions that produced them. Meet Dr. Daramsothu Seetharam, a Palynologist, Palaeobotanist and a UGC - RGNF Senior Research Fellow at Osmania University, Hyderabad, who's research in this field has provided fascinating insights ranging from Telangana region's geological evolution to how allergies and asthma get developed in residents of certain regions.

National Service Scheme (NSS), under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Govt. of India, was launched in Gandhiji's Birth Centenary Year 1969 with primary focus on the development of personality of students through community service. Today, NSS has more than 3.2 million student volunteers on its roll across India. Meet Niket Shastri, Sr. Assistant Professor of Physics who has been actively spearheading the NSS efforts at Sarvajanik College of Engineering and Technology (SCET), Surat, as a Program Officer. His team of NSS Volunteers have the unique distinction of winning the Best Volunteers award for last three years in a row from Gujarat Technological University (GTU) and also the Best NSS Unit award for 2014-15. Recognizing his outstanding contribution and innovation in social and cultural activities, Niket has been honoured with Pedogogical Innovation Award (2017) and Best NSS Program Officer (2016) by GTU.

It was a tremendous academic year for BOL - The Debating Society of Jamia Millia Islamia University. The debating club won a total of 53 awards all across the nation including at some of the prestigious universities like Aligarh Muslim University, Banaras Hindu University, Law College Dehradun, Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University etc.

Fringed by Pir Panjal range and bestowed with verdant green meadows, alpine mountains and stunning natural lakes, Poonch is one of the most scenic places in Jammu and Kashmir. However, bounded by Line Of Control on its three sides, the area is in the news these days for its counter insurgency operations. In the midst of the tensions prevailing in the area, here is a zoologist who is spinning the web of skills development among the masses for their social upliftment. Meet Dr. Shamim Banday, an award winning professor of Zoology working in Government Degree College (GDC), Poonch; who has been instrumental in making his district shine on the world map.

You might have heard about artificial teeth that are used to replace a missing tooth or teeth. The placement of artificial teeth is done by dentists through Dental Implant surgery. Dental Implants are metal posts or frames that are surgically positioned into the jawbone beneath your gums to provide stable support for artificial teeth. Dr. Prerna Karde, pursuing MDS at K.B.H. Dental College & Hospital, Nashik, has created a device that can potentially reduce the cost and time incurred in dental implant surgeries. She recently received first prize among Post Graduate students in Medicine and Pharmacy discipline at the State level research convention, Avishkar, for her innovation.