Campus notes

PU institute gets Rs 42.58L for research

Chandigarh: Dr SSB University Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology (Dr SSBUICET), Panjab University (PU), has received the approval of Rs 42.58 lakh funding for its major CSR-funded research initiative on “Sustainable agri-waste polymeric composites (SAW-POLYCOM)” from Petronet LNG Limited. The project will be led by Prof Anupama Sharma, Chairperson, Dr SSBUICET, and Director, Energy Research Centre. She will be supported by project co-coordinators Dr Gaurav Rattan, Dr Surinder Singh Bhinder and Dr Nidhi Singhal. The tie-up aims to turn agri-waste into useful composite materials, cut stubble burning and open new income routes for farmers. The team will develop durable and high-performance composite panels using rice straw, rice husk and phragmites.

----------------------

Conference on women leadership

Chandigarh: The 55th Annual Conference of the Indian Pharmacological Science (IPC–IPSCON 2025) at Panjab University today discussed women leadership, healthcare innovation and youth empowerment during the second day of its three-day international conference on pharmacology. A large number of students, national regulators, global experts and senior industry voices participated in the conference.

-------------------------------------

Cyber Crime Awareness Camp

Mohali: Sri Sukhmani Group of Institutions, Dera Bassi, organised a Cyber Crime Awareness Camp aimed at educating students and staff about the growing dangers in today’s digital landscape. Officials from the Punjab State Cyber Crime Cell, Mohali — Inspector Manisha Verma and Inspector Manjinder Singh — addressed the audience with insightful presentations focused on modern cyber threats and safety practices. They discussed the sharp rise in cyber fraud cases, particularly among youth, due to the expanding use of smartphones, social media, and digital payment platforms. They shared real-life incidents to help participants understand how cybercriminals operate across different online spaces.

--------------------------------------

National-level innovation challenge

Mohali: Plaksha University, in collaboration with the Mphasis F1 Foundation, hosted the TrackShift Innovation Challenge at the Plaksha University Campus. The two-day national-level innovation challenge brought together over 150 students from 50 teams across India to co-create open-source, industry-ready solutions inspired by motorsport’s precision, data-led problem solving and engineering excellence. The initiative, inspired by Mphasis, official digital partner of the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, was aimed at students from STEM backgrounds to apply emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, data science and simulation to solve real-world challenges across mobility, infrastructure and manufacturing.

--------------------------------------------------

Capacity building workshop starts

Chandigarh: A two-day capacity building workshop on innovation, design and entrepreneurship (IDE) commenced today at Desh Bhagat University (DBU). The programme is being jointly organised by the Department of School Education and Literacy, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the Ministry of Education Innovation Cell (MIC), with support from the Wadhwani Foundation. The programme aims to equip District Education Officers and DIET members with skills in innovation, creativity, design thinking and entrepreneurship, in alignment with the NEP 2020.

--------------------------------------

Annual function at Dev Samaj School

Chandigarh: IS Dev Samaj Senior Secondary School, Sector 21, organised the annual function “Guldasta” for the pre-primary wing as a heartfelt tribute to the Nirmal Singh Dhillon. Dhillon was a social reformer and the secretary, Dev Samaj Society. The celebration spread over two days aimed at showcasing the talent of young learners, while spreading meaningful and healthy messages through a range of thoughtfully curated performances.