Hyderabad, Aug 1 (Representative) CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, will welcome college students, educators, industry representatives, farmers, wildlife officials, and policymakers from August 1–5 as part of CSIR’s One Week, One Lab celebrations. Launched earlier this year by Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of Science and Technology, One Week, One Lab dedicates a week to each CSIR lab, aiming to promote its science and technology to relevant stakeholders. Dr N Kalaiselvi, CSIR Director General, who inaugurated the programme on Tuesday, stated, “Sustainability is the call of the nation today, and it requires different labs, scientists, entrepreneurs, and industry to collaborate together. COVID-19 brought many of these stakeholders together, and it is now important to maintain the momentum and solve the many problems in our society.” The event also featured an address by Dr Madhusudhana Rao, CEO, Atal Incubation Centre-CCMB, emphasising the importance of bridging the gap between academia and entrepreneurship.
This was followed by a brainstorming session between scientists and policymakers on how wastewater surveillance can be effectively used in Indian cities to track and curb infectious diseases. “During the week-long celebration, CCMB scientists will discuss how cutting-edge tools in life sciences help us not only understand living systems but also address problems in infectious diseases, wildlife conservation, agriculture, and more. We are looking forward to interacting with various stakeholders on these different aspects,” said Dr Vinay Nandicoori, Director, CSIR-CCMB. From August 1–4, CCMB will host interactive sessions and a technology showcase for college students on its campus. Additionally, they will conduct a teacher training workshop to popularise their educational kits on molecular biology for high schools. CCMB will also meet farmers and farming produce organisations from Telangana and nearby areas to distribute improved rice varieties. It will conduct a lecture on how wildlife forensics aids in wildlife conservation and host a consultative meeting on how to control invasive species in aquatic ecosystems, a release said.