Mangalore, August 16: Several pre-university intercollegiate competitions under the theme “The Many Faces of Chemistry” were organised by the Department of Chemistry of St. Aloysius College on August 16. These competitions were exclusively for the pre-university students in the region.
Delivering the keynote address at the inaugural function, Indrani Karunasagar, UNESCO Centre for Marine Biotechnology Director said that Chemistry was life. An optimist might see the glass as half-full, but a chemist sees it completely full – half filled with liquid and half with vapour. The unseen is seen by the chemist. What we know about the molecules in any object, we owe it to the chemist. The micro-organisms can be understood only because of Chemistry, she said.
Speaking on the importance of Chemistry, she said that one should go beyond the studies and learn about the applications of the subject. Citing various examples of applications of Chemistry in our daily sphere of lives, she explained the need to learn and understand it.
She also spoke of the role of chemistry in identification of DNA, gene therapy and how to use it to enhance human life. She said that we should not work with chemistry in isolation, since we had to learn the role of every molecule in the system. Hence it needs to be combined with other fields as well, she said.
Speaking at the inaugural function, Fr. Swebert D'Silva, Principal of St. Aloysius College (SAC) said that Chemistry could give us some inclination towards the attributes of things.
Prof. A.M.A. Khader, Chemistry Professor at Mangalore University, inaugurated the programme and spoke on the occasion. Prof. Ronald Pinto, Vice-President of SAC, Dr. Ivan Pinto, HOD of Chemistry, Dr. Richard Gonsalves, Professor of Chemistry and Janice Goveas, Programme co-ordinator were present on the occasion.
Over 120 students from 16 P.U. colleges in the region participated in various competitions related to Chemistry such as Chemical Computations, Seminar, Quiz, Collage, Model-making, Treasure Hunt and Interactive Chemistry.
Students from pre-university colleges like St. Aloysius, St. Joseph's, St. Ann's, Canara, Mahesh, Capitanio, Poornaprajna, Bharathi, St. Philomena's and NMPU College, Sullia, took part in the event.
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