UGC sponsored Refresher course on “Advances in Pedagogical Approaches” concludes at PU

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Chandigarh January 17, 2022

The UGC sponsored Refresher course “Advances in Pedagogical Approaches” concluded at Panjab University (PU) today.

Dean of Regional Institute of Education, Ajmer, Dr Nagendra Singh presided over the Valedictory session. The two week UGC sponsored Refresher course was organised by the Human Resource Development Centre (HRDC), PU.

In his valedictory speech, Dr Nagendra Singh highlighted the role of teachers in bridging the gap between educational reforms and actual teaching transactions. In the era of Inclusion and infusion Equity, Enrolment, Employability and Entrepreneurship have to be combined with Scale, Skills and Speed. There is a paradigm shift in teaching approaches and teachers have to encourage, empower and enhance the personality of their learners for the 21st century, he added. 

Hon. Director of HRDC Prof. S.K. Tomar and the Deputy Director 
Dr. Jayanti Dutta guided the smooth conduct of the online refresher course. Experiential learning, Universal design learning, Brain based learning , blended learning approaches were discussed and hands on sessions on using MOODLE, creating MOOCs and Podcasts were organised. Classroom engagement, curriculum as a tool of teaching and learning, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Inclusive pedagogy were deliberated upon during the various sessions.

The participants had continuously engaging sessions every day including practical sessions with experiential and theoretical inputs. 

Coordinator of the course, Dr. Latika Sharma informed that 32 participants from diverse academic backgrounds successfully completed the course.

PU alumna established the village’s first-ever library

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Chandigarh January 17, 2022

Panjab University (PU) Chandigarh student, Shikha Thakur, from the Department of English and Cultural Studies, 2019-21 batch, helped a small village of Rajasthan to have its first-ever library on January 7, 2022. The village is Nalu, which is located in Ajmer zone of Rajasthan.

Shikha is working with “SBI Youth for India Fellowship”, a 13-Month program that nominates 70 applicants out of more than 2 lakh India’s brightest young minds who are qualified to go live and work amongst rural communities to help solve pressing rural development challenges. Fellows are further supported in their projects by leading NGOs and experts across disciplines.

Shikha was called in July 2021 to be appointed to work with SWRC: The Barefoot College, Tilonia,  District Ajmer, Rajasthan, which is one of the major NGOs of the country. It’s apparent how the youth of India is just mugging up the facts and figures they’ve been provided, instead of interrogating the source of the information. And this pandemic era just worsened the already fragile state of India’s education institutions. After comparing her privileged learning atmosphere with the village’s, she was determined to be the change by bearing a little yet significant effort of taking the initiative to inaugurate Nalu’s first-ever library, with a hope to inculcate good learning and reading habits in them by introducing them to the world beyond their school or university curriculums.

“I wish to do a PhD in literature, but first I need to unlearn the knowledge I’ve been fed till now, and learn more about the people and their cultures, values and stories, while working in the field because that is ‘literature ‘. ” she quoted while sharing her future plans. ” And social service will always be a major part of my life. It always has been,”

When asked about her challenges, she responded, ” There were hell lot of challenges obviously; convincing your parents to let you live alone, from a huge city into a village that they’d never heard of, adjusting to a new place, then persuading the people in charge of the village (sarpanch, collector, etc) to grant you a portion of land for setting up a co-ed library in a highly patriarchal society that still practices parda-system even in the 21st century. “

The inauguration ceremony was held in Nalu, on 7 January 2022, which was attended by the village’s previous and present sarpanch, sarpanches of the adjacent villages, and many notable men and women of the village along with the villagers.

A galaxy of international and national stalwarts to deliberate during the one week Faculty Training Programme

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Chandigarh January 15, 2022

The University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Panjab University is organizing a one week faculty training school virtually on “NEW ERA TECHNOLOGIES IN FORMULATION DESIGN SPACE” from January 17 to 22, 2022 under the initiative of UGC Networking Resource Centre. The course will be attended by more than 70 selected faculty participants representing 21 states across the country.

Present training course has been planned with an aim to provide single platform dissemination on multiple forums of novel drug delivery design, development, and real time translation to plug the bench to bedside/ lab to clinic gap. Program will offer a blend of highly innovative state of the art interactive talks from national and international experts both from the industry and academia coupled with live workshops.

Professor Maria José Alonso, Full Professor, University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), SPAIN & Editor-in-Chief, Drug Delivery and Translational Research; Ex-President, Controlled Release Society, will inaugurate the function and deliver the Key Note Address on “Delivery of Proteins and RNA Molecules using Nanotechnology.” Prof. Alonso is a highly accomplished and recognised among the top 10 researchers in the World in Pharmacology (Times Higher Education international ranking, 2010) and appeared on ‘The Power List’ of most influential researchers in field of Biopharmaceuticals (The Medicine Maker, 2020-21). She has h-index of 98 and was Vice-Rector of Research and Innovation of the USC and Visiting Scientist at MIT, Cambridge, US; Univ of Angers, France; Univ of Paris XI, France and is known for her innovative industrial and entrepreneurial expertise.

Chairperson of the Institute, Professor Indu Pal Kaur is the Program Coordinator of the UGC-NRC & Coordinator of the Course, while Dr Vandita Kakkar will be the Joint Coordinator.

A galaxy of international and national stalwarts with in-house faculty will join us to deliberate during the Faculty Training Program on leading topics. All the stalwarts are not only highly accomplished in their areas of research, but are also credited with innovation, products and spin-offs.

1.       Professor May Griffith, Université de Montréal, Quebec, Canada

2.       Professor Tejal A Desai, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), USA

3.       Professor Samuel Gourion-Arsiquaud, TRI Princeton, USA

4.       Prof. Joachim Kohn, Rutgers University, USA

5.       Prof. Bo Michniak – Kohn, Rutgers University, USA

6.       Prof. Sanjay Garg, University of South Australia

7.       Prof. Mansoor M. Amiji, Bouvé Colg of Health Sci, Northeastern Univ, USA

8.       Dr Deepika Aggarwal, Director R&D, iX Syrinx Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Australia

9.       Dr Ashok Kumar, Wayne State University, USA

10.   Dr Vivek Gupta, St. John’s University, USA

11.   Dr Prashant Dogra, Houston Methodist Res Institute, USA

12.   Mr Sachin Kumbhoje, OpEx Accelerator Pvt. Ltd., Maharashtra

13.   Dr Sudip Roy, Prescience Insilico Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru

14.   Dr Parneet Kaur Deol GHG Khalsa Colg, Punjab

Webinar on National Youth day organised by Youth Welfare Department, PU

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Chandigarh January 12, 2022

To mark Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary, the Department of Youth Welfare, Panjab University, Chandigarh organized a webinar on the occasion of National Youth Day titled ‘Youth of 21st Century’ Century’.  Dr. Muneeshwar Joshi, Secretary to Vice Chancellor welcomed the Chief Guest Prof (Dr.) Harmohinder Singh Bedi Hon’ble Chancellor, Central University of Himachal Pradesh & Fellow, Panjab University, Chandigarh.

            Prof. H.S. Bedi stated that how the renowned scientists and personalities all over the world were amazed by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda. To encourage and motivate our young brains, Swami ji’s thoughts, speeches, and writings on the development and progress of youth were discussed. H.S. Bedi concluded his lecture with inspiring words of Max Muller to encourage our youth to remain focussed.

            Muneeshwar. Joshi while congratulating everyone on occasion of National youth day, appreciated the vibrant presence of the Youth, the harbinger of a change in society. He said that Youth of today are ready to take up the cudgels to fight for a constructive reformation in culture and represent themselves as a catalyst of such prospective change and future. It is capable leadership and patronage of worthy Vice-Chancellor, Prof Raj Kumar, the Department of Youth Welfare takes advantage of every chance to engage youth in various activities that span all elements of their development, from personal to professional. He congratulated Dr Nirmal Jaura, Director of Youth Welfare, for organising such a discussion. He also said that, according to Swami Ji’s different quotations, youth manifests joyousness, enthusiasm, keenness, power, dynamism, strength, ambition, perseverance, and other such emotions and characteristics. For our country’s future, we have the potential to develop constructive ideas, venture, or foray into any field, whether it is politics, science, societal responsiveness, business, or bureaucracy. Weu have the potential to shape a better future for our country as a metaphor and an accurate representation of the phrase “transformation and reforms.”

            Those present included Dr. Nirmal Jaura, Director of Youth Welfare, Dr. Monita Dhiman, Convener, Dr. Neena Seth Pajni, Principal, Gobindgarh Public College, Alour, Principals and youth club in charges from various affiliated colleges of Panjab University and young minds in this webinar.        

This is to inform that the result of examination May, June, August & September, 2021 (Golden Chance) of the following courses have been declared/made public today.

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Chandigarh January 12, 2022

1.      B.A. LLB.(Hons) (5 Years Integrated Course) 1st Semester Examination – May,2021

2.      M.A. Political Science 3rd Semester (Golden Chance)Examination held in September, 2021

3.      B.E (Information Technology) 8th Semester Golden Chance Examination September, 2021

4.      Bachelor of Hotel Management & Catering Technology 1st Semester Examination held in August 2021

5.      M.A. Public Administration (Golden Chance) 2nd Semester Examination held in September, 2021

6.      B.Sc. (Honours) in Geology 4th Semester Examination June, 2021

7.      Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) with MBA 2nd Semester Examination May, 2021

8.      B.Sc. (Honours) in Geology 6th Semester Examination June, 2021

9.      B.Sc. (Honours) in Geology 2nd Semester Examination June, 2021

            The same can be seen at the respective Departments/Colleges or Panjab University website.

Intellectual Property India, 2019-20 released

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Chandigarh January 11, 2022

As per the latest ‘Intellectual Property India, 2019-20 Report’, released this month by Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India, Punjab filed 1435 patent applications as compared to 660 filed in 2018-19, thus showing 117% increase in patent filings, which is maximum as compared other State of India. This percentage is way high than the 11% increase observed at the national level.  Punjab now occupies the fourth position in the total number of patent filings after Maharashtra (4741), Tamil Nadu (3546) and Karnataka (2230). Amongst Union Territories, Chandigarh tops the patent filing (171). Its tally was only 76 in 2018-19, thus showing a whopping increase of 125%. The other States of the northern region namely, Himachal Pradesh and J&K showed an increase of 29% and 12.5% respectively. However, Haryana showed a decrease by 36% for the same period.   

Analyzing the data at the national level, a total of 56267 patent applications were filed with Indian Patent Office (IPO) during 2019-20. Resident (i.e. Indian applicants) filing was 20843, which is 37.5% of the total filings. The rest of the applications have been filed by Non-Residents (i.e. applicants from other countries) such as USA (8718), Japan (3854), China (3433) and Germany (2065) and others. Computer/Electronics (11,126), Mechanical (10359), Communication (6862), Pharmaceuticals (5622) and Chemical (5198) are the major fields in which patent applications have been filed.

Professor Rupinder Tewari, IPR-Chair Professor at Panjab University, Chandigarh, informed that in 2021, Panjab University (PU) has been ranked first for innovation among government and aided (state-run and deemed) universities under technical category in India in the Atal Rankings of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) by MHRD, GoI. Patents is one of the important components of Innovation Index. During the period 2019-20, PU showed 66% and 100% increase in the patents filed and granted respectively, as compared to the Patent data of 2018-19.

He further shared that a surge in patent filing in the northern region is mainly attributed to enhanced awareness about IP amongst the educationists and scientists of this region. Digitization of the data in IPO and increased hiring of Patent Examiners by the government are the major reasons for the enhanced number of patents being granted annually.

Amongst Scientific Research & Development Organizations, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is at the top (169). Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO, 89) and Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR, 40) are ranked number two and three, respectively. Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) also figure amongst the top ten applicants.

The total number of patents granted during the year 2019-20 was 24936. This figure is 63% more than those granted in 2018-19 (15283). As in the case of patent applications filing, leading fields of inventions in which patents have been granted are Mechanical, Chemical, Communication, Electrical, Computer/Electronics and Pharmaceutical (in descending order).

Induction of Young Communicators Club School of Communication Studies, PU

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Chandigarh January 11, 2022

The School of Communication Studies (SCS), Panjab University, induced the Young Communicators Club in collaboration with the Public Relations Council of India (PRCI). The Chief Guests at the event were Mr. Charanjeet Singh ( National Vice-president, PRCI), Mrs. Renuka Salwan (North Regional Head, PRCI), and Mr. Vivek Atray (Chairman, PRCI Chandigarh Chapter).

Mrs. Renuka Salwan explained the role, attributes, and relation of the YCC with the PRCI. She emphasized developing public relations and media aspects of event management. She stressed the dissemination of the information after the event has elapsed and how YCC would help the students develop these skills.

Mr. Charanjeet Singh congratulated the faculty members and the YCC Executive Committee for the induction of the club. He encouraged the students with his wise words saying they need to develop and improve the skills required for the opportunities that will knock on their doors. He also added that youngsters have the ability to bring the necessary change in society.

The Chairman of PRCI, Mr. Vivek Atray, said, “To counter our own lack of confidence is a battle to be won. To project ourselves as an inspiration, to be knowledgeable and to share that knowledge is something that should be our goal”.

The students of the department interacted with the guests and asked questions around the public relations, communication, and media industry as a whole. This was followed by an activity raising awareness about World Braille Literacy month. The celebration concluded with a quiz activity related to the facts revolving around the occasion.

Special drive of spraying disinfectant  was undertaken at Panjab University campus

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            A special drive of spraying disinfectant  was undertaken at Panjab University campus, Chandigarh. This drive covered the sentization of Emerging Areas building, near students center and various other construction sites of sectors- 14, Panjab University campus. The said drive was executed by the students of Centre for Social Work namely Babita Sharma, Aashima Kajla, Robin Choudhary, Arpna Rattu and Aditya Sharma.

Chandigarh January 11, 2022

            A special drive of spraying disinfectant  was undertaken at Panjab University campus, Chandigarh. This drive covered the sentization of Emerging Areas building, near students center and various other construction sites of sectors- 14, Panjab University campus. The said drive was executed by the students of Centre for Social Work namely Babita Sharma, Aashima Kajla, Robin Choudhary, Arpna Rattu and Aditya Sharma.

            Gaurav Gaur, Chairperson, Centre for Social Work shared that, this initiative was undertaken by this team of students on a purely voluntary basis. This drive was initiated in the morning from the top floor of the Emerging Areas Building where seven  different departments are operational.  All the departments were senitized first and then the team of volunteers went to the senitize the hutments of all the migrant construction workers at different locations of the Panjab University campus. While doing this work Aditya said that “we are always there to act as the frontline workers and do the best whatever we can do for others”. Babita Sharma, research scholar participating in it said  “it is very important to do such a drive  on regular intervals, and to reach out to the unreachable”. The faculty members and all other staff members from all departments appreciated these efforts from the Centre for Social Work at this need of the hour.

Panjab University (PU) Vice Chancellor Prof Raj Kumar’s Statement at Senate Meeting held on January 8th, 2022

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Demokretic Front, Chandigarh :

1.   I take this opportunity of welcoming all the Members of this august House which has been constituted by the Hon’ble Vice President of India and Chancellor of Panjab University, Chandigarh.  I look forward to your valuable guidance for the growth of this historic University.

2.   My sincere greetings for the Happy New Year – 2022. We have been able to face the pandemic and I pray to almighty to help the entire humanity in remaining safe in the coming years in the wake of other variants e.g. Omicron etc.

3.   With a deep sense of sorrow, I may inform the honourable Members of the Senate about the sad demise of many distinguished personalities during the last two years after meeting of this august House on 13.12.2019:-

i)       Prof. B.L. Abbi, father of Prof. Kumool Abbi, former
Chairperson, Department of Sociology, on 18.12.2019;

ii)     Prof. (Miss) Jatinder Bhullar, Former Prof. & Chairperson,
Department of Physical Education, on 18.12.2019;

iii)   Shri S.S. Sethi, father of Prof. Rajesh Gill, Fellow, on 21.12.2019;

iv)   Prof. Sanjay Wadwalkar, former Chairperson, School of Communication Studies, on 25.12.2019;

v)     Prof. Shashi K. Sharma, former Chairperson, Department ofLaws, on 31.12.2019;

vi)   Prof. Darshan Singh, former Fellow & Professor Emeritus, on04.01.2020;

vii)  Smt. Naseeb Kaur, mother of Prof. Paramjit Kaur, UBS on 12.01.2020;

viii)            Shri K.K. Bandlish father of Shri Sanjeev Kumar Bandlish, Fellow, on 5th February 2020;

ix)   Dr. Ramdhari Singal, former Chairperson, Department of Hindi, on 25.02.2020;

x)     Padma Shri Harkishan Singh, Professor Emeritus, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, on 20.3.2020;

xi)   Mrs. Kuldeep Kaur wife of Dr. Anmol Rattan Sidhu, former Fellow & Legal Retainer of Panjab University, on 21.4.2020;

xii)  Prof. Rekha Jhanji, Department of Philosophy and wife of Prof. B.S. Brar, Department of Political Science and former Dean of University Instruction, on 8.5.2020;

xiii)            Prof. Shankarji Jha, former Dean of University Instruction, on 10.5.2020;

xiv)            Padma Shri Balbir Singh Senior, on 25.5.2020, hockey legend, who had won 3 Olympic gold medals and upon whom the University had conferred Khel Ratna Award in the year 2016;

xv)  Shri A.N. Grover father of Professor Arun Grover, former Vice-Chancellor of our University, on 26.5.2020;

xvi)            Shri Kehar Singh, Ex-Fellow on 23.06.2020;

xvii)          Sh. Suraj Sandhu f/o Dr. Iqbal Singh Sandhu, former Senator on 22.10.2020;

xviii)         Sh. B.L.Gupta, former Registrar of the university on 13.11.2021;

xix)            Sh. Laxman Dass Singla f/o Prof. Savita Gupta, Fellow on 22.11.2020;

xx)  Smt. Omvati Gupta mother-in-law of Dr. Namita Gupta, UIEASS on 6.12.2021;

xxi)            Dr. Anil Kumar Thakur, Department of Laws on 19.12.2021.

        Some names might not have been included because of lack of knowledge.  Our sincere apologies for that.  These will be added upon getting any such information through our Hon’ble Members/other quarters.

        (To pay homage to the departed souls, two minutes silence, all standing, may be observed).

4.   I am happy to inform that our University has attained top ranking in the Innovation, Start-up and entrepreneurship development among Govt. and aided Universities of India as per Atal Ranking of Institutions of Innovation Achievements (ARIIA).  There have been various other distinguished accomplishments by our University fraternity during all these 2 years.  Our heartiest felicitation to all of them.  27 of our faculty members have been included in the list of 2% Scientists of the world.

5.   The Department of Youth Welfare has conducted 12 Zonal Youth and Heritage Festivals followed by 62nd PU Inter Zonal Youth & Heritage Festival successfully during the month of Nov/Dec, 2021 in which about twenty thousand students/teachers/accompanists participated. Student’s artists showed their talent in 65 events of Music, Dance, Theatre, Fine Arts, Literary and Folk Arts.

6.   It is a matter of great proud that the University has won the prestigious MAKA (Maulana Abul Kalam Azad) trophy for the 3rd consecutive year.  PU also won overall championship in the first Khelo India University Games-2020.  I congratulate the Director (Sports), coaches, all the players and entire PU fraternity who put in their best efforts to win the same. 

7.   UIPS has received a grant of Rs.1 crore under Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) from a multinational pharmaceutical company, M/s Mylan Laboratories Limited, facilitated by its alumni. This is the highest grant received under CSR by Panjab University.

8.   Dr Gurmeet Singh, Fellow and Associate Professor Department of Hindi was invited as visiting Professor by the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He taught at the department of translation studies and international journalism in the months of Oct-Nov 2021.

DST- UKIERI Workshop starts at PU

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Chandigarh January 5, 2022

Indo-UK partnership development workshop started at University Institute of Engineering & Technology (UIET), Panjab University (PU) here today.

The prestigious workshop is being jointly organised by UIET and Birmingham City University, UK from January 05, 2022 to January 07, 2022 under UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) in Hybrid (Physically/Online) mode with the support of Department of Science and Technology (DST) and UKIERI on the issue of “Solar pump based village microgrids – potential for tackling the energy/water/food nexus in Punjab”.  

The scientists, engineers, economists and political scientists from different Universities of UK and India such as PAU Ludhiana, CCSHAU Hisar, NIT Kurukshetra, PU Chandigarh, Jammu University, Govt. of Punjab, NABARD and BCU UK etc. would participate in the workshop. While following the latest pandemic protocols, few participants from India joined physically whereas remaining from India and UK joined through on-line mode.

Former Advisor World Bank and COO in UN Sustainable Energy for All, Mr Mohinder Gulati delivered the keynote address. Mr Gulati highlighted policies related to various World Bank supported projects such as Direct Benefit Transfer Experiment in Punjab and Rajasthan Study on “Grow Solar, Save Water, and Double Farmer Income”. Consequent upon, the important talk on Solar Power as a Remunerative Crop and SKY Implementation Experience was presented by Dr Shilp Verma, from International Water Management Institute.

Indian Lead Coordinator Prof. Yajvender Pal Verma welcomed the guests and presented theme of the workshop. He also presented a case study related to the technical and economic feasibility of a solar pump based microgrid system in the villages of Punjab. The lead coordinators from UK, Prof. Cham Athwal, Prof. Lynsey Melville presented the context of the workshop related to Village Micro grid.

The workshop was inaugurated by Prof. J.K Goswamy Director UIET PU Chandigarh. Delegates from UKIERI Miss Henna Jairath, Dr. Jaya Goyal, Prof. Sunil Labroo from New York State University, Members from Punjab State Technical Council and British council were present during the inaugural ceremony. 

Prof. J.K Goswamy Director UIET PU Chandigarh presented his views on the concept of the workshop and emphasis on the practices to be adopted for developing the smart villages in Punjab.

During the next three days, various experts from engineering, economics, Social Science, management start-up, industry and power companies will deliberate upon the issues related to energy/water/ food nexus in Punjab and come out with some practically feasible solutions to address the same.  The focus of the workshop is to address the issues of depleting water level and energy requirement for irrigation pumps in the state of Punjab. This workshop would also explore joint research collaborations with a potential of creating innovations and social impact through industry or society engagement. Workshop would establish new research links with institutions in both countries with the potential for longer term sustainability.