As part of Science day celebration, the department has conducted Poster, slogan and short video competitions on Theme of National Science Day 2022 for the School and college level students during 14-25^th February 2022. Many school students, UG/PG student of MRU and other educational institutions also participated actively in the Slogan and Poster Presentation competitions. The second part of the celebration consist of an international webinar on Polymer chemistry titled “Chitosan Coated Nano and Microdevices for Anticancer Drug Delivery” was organized by the Department of Chemistry, Manav Rachna University on National Science Day 28^th Feb, 2022. Professor Rene Dario Peralta Rodriguez, Senior Researcher at Centre for Research in Applied Chemistry, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico delivered the talk which was attended by students of M.Sc. and B.Sc. (Hons), Ph. D Scholars, School students and faculty members from the other institutions.

Dr. Arpit Sand Associate Professor Chemistry welcomed the guest and the audience and give brief introduction about the guest speaker. More than 40 participants joined for the session.Professor Rene Dario Peralta Rodriguez is Senior Researcher at Centre for Research in Applied Chemistry, Saltillo. He has expertise in Microemulsion-based polymeric nanodevices for drug delivery, Polymeric coating dispersions for horticultural products, Radical polymerization in aqueous disperse media.

Professor Rene Dario Peralta Rodriguez initiated his talk on Chitosan Coated Nano and Microdevices for Anticancer Drug Delivery by addressing the on giant-dwarf model of cancer-drug relation.Then he discuss about Chitosan (CS), a biopolymer derived from chitin, the second most abundant natural polysaccharide (after cellulose). Its extraction from the exoskeletons of arthropods such as shrimp, crabs, and insects. Structurally, chitin is composed of a linear polymer formed by hundreds of units of β(1,4)-N-acetylglucosamine that repeat in the molecule was highlighted. CS preparation by the alkaline hydrolysis of chitin were discussed. He informed that “In addition to the biocompatibility of CS, an interesting property that it reacts to pH: its pKa is near  6.5 and can be used to design pH-responsive devices loaded with anticancer drugs to be delivered at tumorous tissues (extracellular pH of 5–6.8)”. In the presentation, he delivered his results of the formation of nanodevices based on microemulsions and coated with CS as well as CS microdevices, unloaded and loaded with anticancer drugs highlighting its developments.

The lecture was very informativeand beneficial to the students as well as faculty. The students  asked their questions to the professor regarding HLB value of surfactants in emulsion polymerization, its role and its thermodynamic stability. The session concluded with a note of thanks by Dr. Megha Bansal Head Chemistry Department, after the announcement of winners in the National Science Day Completions conducted by the Department during 14-25 February 2022 as given below;

Winners of Slogan Competition

Ms.PrachiMehndiratta – Class XI, Manav Rachna International School, Sector 46.

“Like a balanced chemical reaction, integrated science provides the perfect solution!”

Ms. Anuradha Raika– IV SEM BSc Chem, MRU

“Science is the process of learning when it takes us from confusion to rationality”

Mr. Manan Sharma – Class IX, Manav Rachna International School, Sector 46.

“Sci &Tech when integrated enhances the lifequality & will change the face of earth”

Winners of Poster Competition