Participants at the workshop on environment education. Picture by Ripunjoy Das Delegates at the 21st foundation day ceremony of Regional Medical Research Centre, N-E region, Dibrugarh. Picture by Ripunjoy Das

Workshop on environment

A four-day workshop on environment education was held recently at the Milanjyoti Sangha, Dibrugarh under the aegis of IRAB-KIRAB, an environmental education centre. Participants from various education centres of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts took part in the workshop. They listened to lectures on biodiversity and environment conservation, pollution, use of herbal medicines and preservation, environment conservation in folklore, wildlife conservation and bird-watching.

The lectures were delivered by Pradip Kumar Baruah, Popi Santana Bharali, Sudakhina Das, Lakhiram Saikia, Purabi Bormudoi, Rajesh Das, Anil Goswami of WWF, Ranjan Das and Anupam Das. The closing ceremony on the final day of the workshop was presided over by Ananda Bormudoi, director of the organisation.

Speaking on the occasion, chief guest Kulendu Pathak, vice-chancellor of Dibrugarh University, expressed concern over the fast degradation of rich biodiversity and rued the non-utilisation of water resources of state.

School seminar

A seminar was held recently in the Don Bosco School premises where K.K. Gupta, who served as principal in many renowned educational institutions of the country, focused on the various prospects of child growth, parenting and skills of classroom management. He articulated different ways that make classroom environment conducive for the teaching-learning process. The seminar was followed by live interaction. A.P. Swamy offered a vote of thanks.

Foundation day

The 39th foundation day of Dibrugarh University was observed recently with a daylong programme at the varsity campus. The programme began with a marathon race flagged off by Rajib Handique, deputy registrar (academic), in which nearly 50 students from various colleges participated. A general meeting followed the flag-hosting by H. Goswami, vice-chancellor-in-charge.

The annual endowment awards were presented to Anuradha Bhattacharjee from DHSK College, Dibrugarh, Niharika Dutta from MDKG College, Dibrugarh, Nirmali Borah from Dikhowmukh College, Sivasagar, Mohim Borah from North Lakhimpur College, Surabhi Deka and Pankaj Agarwalla from Tinsukia College, Sobha Agarwal, Abha Bhajanka, Sanjay Bijani and Rohit Agarwalla, the best graduates during the function.

The fifth volume of the Dibrugarh University newsletter was also released on the occasion. Kalpadhar K. Deka, varsity registrar and Khetradhar Gogoi, chairman of the College Development Council, were also present at the meeting.

Orientation

The 21st foundation day of the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC), N-E region, Dibrugarh was recently celebrated with a four-day-long programme. An orientation programme on biomedical research was organised for young children, including selected representatives from the National Children Science Congress, Sivasagar district branch, to increase their interest in medical sciences.

Earlier, the foundation day programme was inaugurated by S.C. Jain, former principal of the Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh.

In his inaugural address, he lauded the services rendered by this centre in public health with regard to locally significant health problems. He emphasised the necessity of imbibing the three Ds: dedication, devotion and determination in one’s character for attaining success, in the scientific session chaired by R. Mazumdar, chief medical officer of Jokai Central Hospital, Panitola.

R. Girme, group manager, Bokel TE, Hindustan Lever Ltd, delivered a talk on Tea Leaf Growth (Unfolding). N.C. Hazarika of RMRC spoke on Hypertension and Coronary Heart Disease. The scientific presentation evoked interested queries from the audience and a lively discussion. Delivering the foundation day oration on Science, Culture and Development, Kulendu Pathak, vice-chancellor, Dibrugarh University stressed the need for pursuing scientific investigation considering the country’s and regional needs rather than global requirements. He also released the second issue of the RMRC bulletin.

The other guests present on the occasion were N. Choudhury, principal-cum-chief superintendent, Assam Medical College and Hospital, D. Chaliha, J. Mahanta, director of RMRC, Dibrugarh and others.

English course

A five-day teacher orientation programme on functional English for BSc, jointly organised by the Gauhati University department of English language teaching and its department of linguistics, concluded recently. Teachers from 45 colleges affiliated to Gauhati University participated in the event, which was held at the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship at Basistha Chariali.

The orientation programme was part of efforts by the university to update the three-year degree structure in line with UGC guidelines. The decision to introduce functional English for BSc was taken by the faculty of science, which felt that a skill-based approach to the subject was necessary for the student of science.

Compiled by Pranab Kumar Nath and Ripunjoy Das