Aizawl, 29 August 2025: The Department of Botany, Mizoram University, successfully conducted a One Day Workshop on “Medicinal Plants and Instrumentation for Researchers/Faculties of Science Colleges in Mizoram” under the Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) initiative of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), formerly known as the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Government of India. The workshop was aimed at fostering collaboration, skill development, and hands-on training in medicinal plant research and scientific instrumentation.
The inaugural session commenced with an inspiring welcome address by Prof. G. Gurusubramanian, Dean, School of Life Sciences, Mizoram University. Prof. Awadhesh Kumar, Coordinator of the Workshop from the Department of Botany, presented the objectives and rigorous proposal process of the programme, while Dr. Amit Kumar Mishra delivered the Vote of Thanks.
The second session featured insightful presentations from eminent resource persons — Dr. C. Karuppasamy (Associate Professor, RIPANS), Dr. Bendangchuchang Longchar (Department of Life Sciences, PUC), and Prof. Awadhesh Kumar (Department of Botany, MZU). Their talks, covering diverse areas of medicinal plant research, sparked lively discussions and broadened perspectives among participants.
The third session was dedicated to live demonstrations of advanced instruments from the Departments of Botany and Zoology, MZU. Led by Dr. Rakesh Kumar (Research Associate) along with Dr. Alex Zohmachhuana, Prof. Vikas Kumar Roy, and Dr. Amit Kumar Mishra, the demonstrations showcased a wide range of research equipment including Distillation units for essential oils, GC-MS, HPLC, Stereo-zoom microscopes, Bio-safety cabinets, Herbarium scanners, Bioinformatics workstations, AAS, Fluorescence microscopes, ELISA readers, Western blotting apparatus, Spectrophotometers, IHC tools, and more.
The concluding session saw a general discussion among invited experts and faculty members including Dr. K.S. Devi, Dr. J. Lalbiaknunga, Dr. Fanai Lalsangluaii (GZRSC), Dr. Prashant Kumar Singh (PUC), Dr. Esther Lanunmawii (Biotechnology), Dr. H.T. Lalmuankima, Dr. Herojit Singh, Dr. Sunil Kumar, Dr. Nirban Laskar, and Dr. Ankit Singh, alongside Ph.D. and Master’s students. The deliberations enriched the collaborative spirit of the workshop, which ended with a final Vote of Thanks from Prof. Awadhesh Kumar, the Workshop Coordinator.
The event was attended by faculty members and researchers from Pachhunga University College, Govt. Zirtiri Residential Science College, RIPANS, and Mizoram University, and was widely appreciated for its practical orientation and contribution to strengthening research capacity in Mizoram.
