Department of 'MICROBIOLOGY'

On July 28, 2020, the Departments of Microbiology and Biotechnologyorganised a Webinar to commemorate ‘World Hepatitis Day”. The Webinar was conducted by Mr. Pushkar Bhojane, Faculty Member, Department of Biotechnology, Patkar-Varde College.

The World Hepatitis Alliance has launched a three-year global programme — “Find the Missing Millions” — to raise awareness, and for the diagnosis and treatment of Hepatitis.

The Webinar also aimed to promote such awareness. Prior to the Webinar, a survey was carried out to gauge the knowledge on Hepatitis among Students, working professionals, freelancers and homemakers. The Webinar was designed on the basis of the survey results.

Mr. Bhojane commenced the Webinar by a short introduction of Hepatitis, and also discussed the types of Hepatitis, and the transmission, treatment and prevention, as well as the myths regarding the disease. An interactive session followed Mr. Bhojane’s talk.

The Webinar was attended by 62 Students and 6 Faculty Members of the Department.

On August 1, 2020, the Departments of Microbiology and Biotechnology, in association with MANAV — The Human Atlas Initiative, organised an interactive webinar on “How to Read Scientific Literature? and Introduction to MANAV — The Human Atlas Initiative”. The webinar was attended by 168 participants and was conducted by Dr. Anupma Harshal W., Consultant, (Science Communication and Public Engagement), MANAV —The Human Atlas Initiative, IISER, Pune.

Dr. Anupma introduced the topic of reading scientific literature with basic details on research, gathering information and sources of information. She then gave a brief overview about the different parts of a research paper andthe time allocation for reading the different parts.

In the next part of the session Dr. Anupma spoke aboutMANAV, which is a citizen science project funded by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, and co-funded by Persistent Systems as a collaboration between Persistent Systems, NCCS, and IISER, Pune. The project aims to construct a comprehensive map of the entire human body to document explicitly macro- to micro-level information. Dr. Anupma explained the working of the project and urged students and faculty members to join.

Mental Health and Well-being

•    On July 18, 2020, a Webinar on “Mental Health and Well-being” was held, and which was attended by 52 TY Students of the Departments and 4 Faculty Members. The resource person was Ms. Shridevi Devadiga, who spoke on the current situation and the need and measures for achieving mental well-being. She also discussed the common signs of mental illness, associateddisorders, diagnosis, emotional well-being, and benefits and measures to improve emotional health.
•    A three-day Intercollegiate Quiz on “Mendelian Genetics” was held for Undergraduate and Postgraduate students, from July 22 to 24, 2020, to commemorate the birth anniversary of Gregor Mendel, Father of modern Genetics. A total of 259 students participated in the Quiz and those who scored 60% and above were given e-certificates.

 

GLP Certification

 

On August 8, 2020, a webinar on good laboratory practices, titled “GLP Certification in India”, was organised. The speaker was Mr. Abhishek Bairi, Microbiologist, Technician at Colgate Palmolive (Goa).

Mr. Bairi explained the principles and need of GLP at the institutional and industry levels, and explained some of the basic practices. Speaking of the GLP certification scenario in India, Mr. Bairi discussed the application process and requirements for certification and for online applications, costs, as well as the benefits of certification. He also mentioned the different certifying bodies in India.  

The session was highly beneficial and was attended by 93 Students and 4 Teachers of the Departments.

Organ Donation

 

On August 13, 2020, an awareness-raising webinar on “Organ Donation” was organised to commemorate World Organ Donation Day. The Webinar was conducted by Ms. Jaya Jairam, Project Manager, MOHAN Foundation.
Ms. Jairam explained the importance of organ donation and explained the types of organ donation (live and cadaver/deceased), and discussed the organs that could be donated by a living person, and which vital organs could be donated in case of death in hospital. She also explained the concept of brain death and its relevance to organ donation. Finally, Ms. Jairam dispelled myths about organ donation and sought to create a positive attitude among the audience, which consisted of 102 Students and 5 Teachers of the Departments.

 

Business Planning

 

On August 20, 2020, an webinar on “Business Planning” was organised, and  was conducted by Mr. Aditya Parab, Lecturer, Department of BMS, Patkar-Varde College.
Mr. Parab explained the concept of business planning and its importance for undertaking any business ventures. Concepts like market research, sources of finance/capital, and scope for women’s entrepreneurship were discussed. In addition, Mr. Parab also discussed Government of India initiatives to help start ups — schemes such as Startup India, Skill India, Kaushal Bharat-Kushal Bharat, Make in India,Mahila Vikas Nidhi, Priyadarshini Yojana, and Aatmanirbhar Bharat were highlighted. He ended his talk by explaining the certification schemes required for successful entrepreneurial ventures, such as Udyog Aadhar and GST.
The audience, which consisted of 56 Students and 3 Teachers of the Departments, found the webinar highly informative.

 

Flow Cytometry and Its Application in Immunodiagnostics

 

On September 12, 2020, the Departments of Microbiology and Biotechnology organised a guest lecture on “Flow Cytometry and its Application in Immunodiagnostics”, for SY Biotechnology and TY Microbiology Students. The lecture was conducted by Ms. Neha Jodhavat, Research Assistant and PhD scholar at NIIH, Parel. The session was attended by 51 Students and 4 Teachers.
In the first session, Ms. Jodhavat discussed the basics of flow cytometry and the details of the set-up and calibration of instruments. She also explained the method of data analysis and interpretation of results. In the second session, Ms. Jodhavat spoke of the various applications of flow cytometry and its routine use in cell sorting and collection. She also discussed her ongoing research, displayed her experimental data and explained how different data analysis softwares can provide and predict valid results. She ended her talk by detailing the applications of flow cytometer in immunodiagnosis and its use in various immunological techniques.
The session ended with an interactive discussion with the Students.

Gnotobiology and Gnotobiotic animals

 

On September 23, 2020, the Departments of Microbiology and Biotechnology organised an online guest lecture on “Gnotobiology and Gnotobiotic animals”, for SY Students of the Departments. The speaker was by Dr. Anil Narsinge, Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Yogeshwari Mahavidyalaya, Ambajagai, Aurangabad. The session was attended by 56 Students from both Departments.
Dr. Narsinge explained the basics of Gnotobiology and its applications, as well as the importance of microorganisms in human beings. He also focused on the various tools and techniques that are involved in the creation, handling and study of gnotobiotic animals.
The lecture was followed by a QA session
    

 

Introduction to Gas Chromatography and its application in industry

 

On September 17, 2020, the Departments of Microbiology and Biotechnology jointly organised an online guest lecture on “Introduction to Gas Chromatography and its application in industry”,which was conducted by Ms. Srushti Sanghavi-Shah, CEO, Nanghavi Chromatographic Solutions.
Ms Sanghavi-Shah introduced the topic with basic details of GC equipment such as its working, and explained how gas chromatography can be used in industries for the analysis of desired products from a mixture of samples. The instrument was shown online and all of its parts were explained in detail. She also demonstrated the process of interpretation of results after analysing sample from the chromatogram obtained, and explained the precautions needed to be taken to avoid sample contamination.
The lecture was attended by 64 Students and 3 Teachers, and ended with a QA session.

ROOBAROO

On September 6, 2020, the Departments of Microbiology and Biotechnology, organised ROOBAROO — “A discussion and Talk with Alumni on MBA in Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management”. The speakers were Ms. Priya Mishra, Business Development Executive, Insignia Learning, Mumbai, Ms. Rutuja Raut, Account Manager, Insignia Learning, Mumbai, and Ms. Akshata Mhatre, PGDM Healthcare. All of them are MBA degree holder in Healthcare or Pharmaceutical Management and alumni of Microbiology and Biotechnology Departments.
The webinar began with an introduction of the concept of Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management, and went on to discuss issues related to MBA in Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management, such as eligibility, colleges offering the course, entrance exams, skill sets needed, scope, job profile, job area and average salary. The speakers also explained when to start the preparation for exams, how to choose a good college to get a better job profile and tips to increase the chances of getting a good profile.
At the end of the webinar there was an interactive session.

 

“BioSkit” – Skit Competition

On October 15 and 17, 2020, the Departments of Biotechnology and Microbiology jointly organized “BioSkit”, a Skit competition for their FY Students, in which 64 Students participated.

The elimination round was held on October 15, 2020, and was judged by Ms. Tanvi and Ms. Disha. Each group had to select a disease, and to enact the role of the causative organisms in causing the infection. Each skit was followed by a QA session. Three groups from each Department were selected for the final round, held on October 17, 2020, for which Mrs. Rohini Shetty and Ms. Karishma Sawardekar were the judges. The groups presented their skits before the judges and the following were the winners:

 

Group no.	Name of the Student	Department	Prize
2	Gupta Julie	Microbiology	First Prize
	Gurav Aarya
	Jadhav Akshada
6	Mali Jesika	Biotechnology	First Runner-up
	Masarankar Purva
	Mitra Deboshruti
5	Maurya Shubham	Microbiology	Second Runner-up
	Naik Advait
	Narvekar Rishita

E-certificates of participation were provided to all the Students.

Career Guidance Lecture

On November 20, 2020, the Departments of Microbiology and Biotechnology jointly organised an online lecture on “Career Guidance for FY Microbiology & Biotechnology Students”, which was attended by 46 Students of the Departments. The speaker was Dr. Manish R. Bhat, Assistant Professor and In-charge, Training and Placements, School of Biosciences, D.Y. Patil University, Navi Mumbai.

Dr. Bhat discussed various job opportunities for Students of Microbiology and Biotechnology, and also talked about such aspects as research-based courses, jobs in private industries and government sector, undertaking research in foreign universities, the preparation schedule for various competitive examinations, and how to improve one’s profile by completing training or certificate programmes and skill development courses. Dr. Bhat’s talk was followed by a QA session.