Awareness
Awareness and volunteering activities for students for education about sustainable development goals
Nitte (Deemed to be University)’s vision is to build a humane society through excellence in education and health care. Towards this goal, the University provides multiple opportunities for students to inculcate an appreciation of sustainable development and social responsibilities.
As the majority of the programs of the University are related to health sciences, a large number of students have opportunities to participate in activities related to SDG3 – Good Health and Well being. Each year nearly 500 such activities cumulatively see participation from more than 90% of students in events that raise awareness of good health goals and other sustainable development goals.
Observation of National Energy conservation Day:
National Energy Conservation Day was held on 22nd December 2022 at Nitte DU with an objective to raise awareness about the importance of energy conservation and to provide information and resources to help individuals and organizations reduce their energy consumption among the students and Faculty of Nitte DU. The event began at 3:00 pm and featured a variety of speakers and activities focused on the importance of energy conservation. The event was opened by the Director of the Nitte Institute of Architecture Prof Vinod Aranha. The main speaker at the event was Ar. Tejendra Nagaboina who provided an overview of current energy usage trends and discussed the various ways in which individuals and communities can reduce their energy consumption. This included tips for using energy-efficient appliances and adopting renewable energy sources. At the conclusion of the event, awards were distributed for the best slogans and idea posters related to energy conservation.
Social media
Event Highlights : https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm9G-YXLWXD/
Event Poster : https://www.instagram.com/p/CmYwPMOvs6r/
Field trip to Sewage Treatment Plant, Kavoor, Mullakad, Mangalore:
As a part of the first-hand practical experience in the curriculum, the postgraduate students of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Biomedical Sciences of NUCSER visited the wastewater treatment plant at Mullakad, Kavoor, Mangalore on 26th November 2022. The visit led by Dr. Amit Kumar, KSHEMA was supported and facilitated by the Mangalore Municipal Corporation and was a part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6: Clean Water & Sanitation) of the University.Dr. Smitha Hegde, addressed the students on the importance of clean water and sanitation for a healthy society. Mr. Arumugam, the officer-in-charge of wastewater treatment plant explained the working of the plant. Ms. Roopa, Technical Assistant, conducted the guided tour of the entire primary and secondary waste water treatment process plants. The visit and first-hand experience helped the students to gain practical knowledge about the Mangalore municipal wastewater treatment. Dr. Divyashree, was the chief coordinator of the field trip. Thirty students and three staff members took part in the program
Link : http://aboutnitte.blogspot.com/2022/12/news-from-nucser-field-trip-to-sewage.html
NUCSER celebrates World Environment Day 2022:
Nitte DU celebrated World Environment Day, 5 June 2022. As a part of the celebration NUCSER organized an educational excursion to Bhagavathi Nature Camp, Kudremukh National Park. The tour was conducted in collaboration with Karnataka Forest Department, KNP division. 220 students and 10 faculty members participated in a jungle trail walk organized by the forest department followed by a formal function at the seminar hall of the nature camp. Mr. Ganapathi K, the Deputy Conservator of Forests, KNP division welcomed the gathering and introduced the theme of “Only one Earth” and context of the function towards living sustainably in harmony with nature. Mr. Prakash Netalkar, the Chief Conservator of Forests, Karnataka Forest Department, Mangaluru was the chief guest and in his address, he encouraged the students to have more outdoor activities in their schedule. He also motivated the students to join hands with the forest department in their plantation drives and also attempt the IFS examinations and become forest department officers.The guest of honour, Prof. Dr. Niranjan N Chiplunkar Principal, NMAMIT expressed his joy and delight for being a part of the program and spoke about his childhood days that he spent in those areas. Prof. Dr. Anirban Chakraborty Director, NUCSER presided over the function and Prof. Dr. Smitha Hegde, coordinated the entire trip and the formal event. It was a great experience for the students to spend a day in a pure and pristine environment, away from the hustle and bustle of city life and they thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Link: https://aboutnitte.blogspot.com/2022/06/news-from-nucser-nucsers-educational.html
NIPT celebrates World Environment Day 2022:
On the account of World Environment Day on June 5th 2022, Swachh Sena of Nitte Institute of Physiotherapy participated in the ‘Nethravathi River and Environmental Protection Program, The Eighth Stage River Environmental Cleanup Movement and Wildlife Festival’ to signify the theme ‘Only One Earth’. The drive was carried out in collaboration with the River Environmental Protection Committee, local community organisations, Lions Club Permannuru, Ullal Solidarity forum, and the citizens of Uliya village Ullal.
Link: http://aboutnitte.blogspot.com/2022/06/news-from-nipt-world-environment-day.html
Conservation of the Mangrove ecosystem:
A session on celebrating the International Day on the ‘Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem by Prof. (Dr.) Shivakumar Magada, Dean, College of Fisheries, Mangaluru was organized by NUCSER under Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-14) on 26th July 2022 at the University auditorium, Paneer campus, Nitte DU. The formal programme as scheduled started at 2.30 PM with a welcome address by the Deputy Director and Coordinator of NUGIP, Prof. (Dr.) Smitha Hegde. Prof. (Dr.) Anirban Chakraborty, Director (NUCSER) introduced the resource person by to the participants. Prof. Shivakumar spoke about India’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans on the Ganges Delta. He illustrated the sustainable marshy, halophytic environment of mangrove forests along with the adaptations of plants, modification of leaves, seeds and roots for survival in the estuarine ecosystem. Research scholars, students, teaching and non-teaching faculty members attended the lecture and took part in the interactive session post lecture. The program was attended by 110 participants.
Observation of World Alzheimer’s Day-2022:
The Department of Psychiatric Nursing and NSS unit of NUINS observed “World Alzheimer’s Day” at Kepu Grama Panchayath, Bantwal, on 21-09-2022. A role play was enacted by 2nd-year GNM students on the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr.Shishir Kumar, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, KSHEMA enlightened the participants on Alzheimer's disease and its management. Mrs.Yashswini Shasthry, President, Ms.Vasanthi, PDO of Kepu Grama Panchayath and Mrs. Suchithra B.S, NSS Program officer NUINS, were present for the program. Around 60 people benefitted from this program.Media Responsibility in Suicide Prevention:h
The Research Cell of Nitte Institute of Communication (NICO) in collaboration with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), organised a one-day Workshop on Media Responsibility in Suicide Prevention on 6th September 2022. Between 4th and 10th September, the world observes suicide prevention week. The theme for this year was, "Creating Hope through Action". In her talk, Ms. Lekshmi Vimala (PhD Scholar, Dept. of Psychiatric Social Work, NIMHANS, Bengaluru), resource person said there was a great need to sensitize media students on ethical and responsible reporting. She was assisted by Mr. Bharath also a PhD Scholar at the Dept. of Psychiatric Social Work, NIMHANS. Dr. Anitha Shenoy, Sr. Resident, Dept. of Psychiatry, KS Hegde Medical Academy was the Guest of Honour and spoke about the importance of mental health and students' well-being. Prof. Raviraj, Head, NICO, welcomed the gathering. Dr Anisha, Coordinator of the Research
Link: http://aboutnitte.blogspot.com/2022/10/news-from-nico-one-day-workshop-on.html
Ayurveda: an evidence-based science of life with translational value:
NGSM Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences organized a guest lecture on "Ayurveda: an evidence-based science of life with translational value” by Dr. Sathyanarayana B, Principal, Muniyal Institute of Ayurveda Medical Sciences, Manipal on 23rd July 2022 at 11.15 AM at Seminar Hall (III floor, New block) of the institute. Prof. Dr. R. Narayana Charyulu, Vice-Principal welcomed and introduced the guest to the participants. Prof. Charyulu recalled the transformational journey and several research initiatives of the institute which has made it a preferred institution for aspirants who wish to pursue quality pharmaceutical education. Dr. Sathyanarayana started his speech with basics of ayurveda and its role to control health and mind of human beings to keep them healthy. He presented and explained several research articles which were considered as evidence for the scientific approach of the traditional medicinal system. He discussed about different types of ayurvedic formulations, their importance and methods of preparation and emphasized on the correlation of taste of ayurvedic medicine and the treatment of diseases based on the reported research works as scientific evidence. Ms. Pavithra P Prabhu, Asst. Professor was the master of ceremony and Dr. Santanu Saha proposed the vote of thanks. The teaching, non-teaching staff and students of the institute and group institutions of the university participated in the lecture.
Link : http://aboutnitte.blogspot.com/2022/08/news-from-ngsmips-guest-lecture-on.htm
‘Marine Turtles: The Life Around the Sea’:
Under the framework of United Nation’s `Sustainable Development Goals’, Nitte University has been putting conspicuous efforts towards sustainable development through teaching, research, outreach and partnerships. In this context, NUCSER, in collaboration with the Youth Red Cross (YRC) Unit of the university, conducted a session on ‘Marine Turtles: The Life Around the Sea’ as a part of the activities under SDG14-Life below water, one of the 17 goals outlined by the UN, on 28th June 2022 at the University Auditorium, Paneer campus. Mr. PV Sudheer Kumar, Secretary of Naithal, an NGO working towards the conservation of marine turtles at Nileshwaram, Kasaragod, Kerala for the last 23 years, was the resource person of the event. Mr. Sudheer Kumar spoke on different species of turtles found in various parts of the world and apprised the audience about the lifecycle of marine turtles. He explained the paramount effort of their organization towards the conservation of marine life. It was a great learning experience for the students of NUCSER as the topic was quite different from what they usually learn on a day-to-day basis. The event saw enthusiastic participation both by students and staff of the college.
Link: http://aboutnitte.blogspot.com/2022/07/news-from-nucser-session-on-marine.html
Observation of International Yoga Day 2022:
The NSS, Youth Red Cross, and SNA units of Nitte Usha Institute Nursing Sciences organized International Yoga Day on 21st June 2022 at Aditi Hostel, Paneer campus. Ms. Chethana Ajithkumar, Academic Director of Chira Educational Trust was the chief guest and the resource person. Prof Kaini Cecilia, PhD Scholar, NUINS was the guest of honor and the resource person for the week-long yoga training session. The chief guest enlightened the audience on the significance of yoga for holistic well being and conducted a practice session on various breathing techniques.
Link: http://aboutnitte.blogspot.com/2022/06/news-from-nuins-observation-of.html
World Food Safety Day 2022:
The World food safety day celebration was organized at the Technology Enabling Centre, Nitte DU on 7 June 2022 with a Theme “ Safe food, better health”. Dr. Praveen Kumar, FSSAI designated district food safety officer, DK was the chief guest. Prof. Dr. Iddya Karunsagar explained how food safety is everyone’s responsibility starting from primary producers, consumers, manufacturers, processors, warehouse logistics operators, food handlers, importers, retailers and distributors. He enlightened the audience on various food safety standards set by various international regulatory bodies like FSSAI, codex Alimentarius and FAO. Various competitions were conducted for the students.
Menstrual Hygiene Day – A talk on Sustainable Menstruation:
The Youth Red Cross Unit of Nitte Institute of Communication organized a talk on Sustainable Menstruation on the occasion of Menstrual Hygiene Day, 28th May 2022. Ms Anuradha Shetty, Head of the Department of Rural Development at School of Social Work Roshni Nilaya (Autonomous), Mangalore, was the resource person. She spoke at length on sustainable menstruation and the use of menstrual cups in place of sanitary napkins. While being a sustainable and eco-friendly option, this method also is cost-effective, she said. In the course of her talk, she enlightened students on the reason behind observing 28/5 as Menstrual Hygiene Day – a woman has a normal cycle of 28 days and her period goes on for 5 days every month. She lauded the Institute for keeping the session open to both men and women and said topics like these need to be discussed and the myths associated have to be cleared.
http://aboutnitte.blogspot.com/2022/06/news-from-nico-menstrual-hygiene-day.html
World No Tobacco Day 2022:
To commemorate the “WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY -2022”, the Department of Public Health Dentistry, A B Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences in association with District Health and Family Welfare Department, Chikkamagalur and Sharada Dhanvantri Charitable Hospital, Sringeri under the aegis of National Oral Health Programme conducted a Free Dental Treatment Camp and Oral Cancer Screening Camp at General Hospital, Koppa on 31st May 2022. Dr. Ganavi, Senior Dental Health Officer and Administrative Medical Officer of General Hospital, Koppa welcomed the gathering. Dr. Vandana, Staff in charge of Dental Wing, Sharada Dhanvantri Charitable Hospital, Sringeri delivered a health talk regarding tobacco and its ill effects on health. Dr. Mahindra Kiriti, Taluk Health Officer, Koppa Taluk and Dr. Srinivas, District Nodal Officer, NOHP, Chikkamagalur graced the occasion.
Link: http://aboutnitte.blogspot.com/2022/06/news-from-absmids-world-no-tobacco-day.html
World Water Day 2022:
On March 22, 2022 World Water Day was celebrated at Auditorium. Ar.Arul Paul enlightened on the importance of this day. Mr. Dharmendra Mehta who is the Chairman of Indian Green Building Council talked on the importance of water and even educated all about hydraulic power. Dr. G. Srinikethan who was a Professor of Chemical Engineering, NITK and presently is the Head of the Institution Innovation Council at Nitte informed the gathering about sustainable water development and shared his experiences and his contributions to water sustainability in some parts of Karnataka. Ar. Nikhil Sanjay Shah and Prof. Vishwanath addressed through the video call. Ar.Nikhil Sanjay Shah is a researcher, architect and urban designer. He is currently working as an Indian Smart Cities’ fellow with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Government of India and the National Institute of Urban Affairs. Prof. Vishwanath is a visiting faculty with the School of Development. He teaches courses on water conservation, sustainable ground water management, water reuse and recycling.
World Disability Day 2022:
Nitte Special Child Care Centre (N-SPECC), Dept. of Pediatrics & Preventive Dentistry, ABSMIDS, jointly with Samagra Shikshana Karnataka, Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat, Government of Karnataka, cordially invites you to the International World Disability Day on 6th December 2022 at 12.30 pm at Avishkar, 7th Floor, ABSMIDS.
Media Link : https://youtu.be/EOuZDcBnpIc?si=GhAnXNHhsJVM9xhZ
Livable World with Good Aquatic Stewardship Practices:
Under the Sustainable Development Goals initiative of the University, Nitte University Centre for Science Education & Research, Nitte (Deemed to be University), in association with the Department of Fisheries, Dakshina Kannada, GoK conducted a program on “Good Aquatic Stewardship Practices” at the University Auditorium, Paneer on 30th November 2022. Mr. Hemraj Salian, Managing Partner, Riverside farm, Mulki was the resource person. He talked about his experiences with cage farming and the importance of aquaculture and its benefits. He also advised the students to take up such entrepreneurship ventures that are highly lucrative. Prof. Iddya Karunasagar, Advisor (Research & Patents), NitteDU was the chief guest and Dr. Sushmita Rao, Dy. Director, Department of Fisheries, GoK was the guest of honour.Link: http://aboutnitte.blogspot.com/2022/12/news-from-nucser-livable-world-with.html
Zero Plastic:
As part of Harit-Prem Bharat Mahotsav (23-29 January 2022) announced by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), the Nitte Institute of Architecture organized a short video competition on the theme Zero Plastic. The intent of the competition is to spread awareness of the adverse effects of plastic and share some best practices for reducing plastic consumption.
A guest talk on "Sustainability & Development Communication":
Nitte University Green Initiatives Project (NUGIP) unit of NICO conducted a guest talk on "Sustainability & Development Communication" on 12th July 2022, at the University Auditorium, Paneer campus. The event started with an introductory remark by Prof. Raviraj, Head, Nitte Institute of Communication, who introduced the resource person, Shoumik Desai, Asst. Professor, Nitte Institute of Architecture. He also spoke briefly of the environmental issues surrounding development projects like the Yettinahole Project.Prof. Shoumik began his talk by speaking about how mobile phones are indirectly contributing to environment pollution and how development is causing challenges to the environment. He also spoke of the ways in which each one of us could work towards reducing carbon footprint. “Communication and sustainable development are the same side of the same coin” he said. The talk ended with an interactive session, with both students and faculty posing questions to the resource person. Dr. Tapaswi HM, NUGIP Coordinator for NICO proposed the vote of thanks.
Link : http://aboutnitte.blogspot.com/2022/07/news-from-nico-guest-talk-on.html
World Earth Day 2022:
Ila-2022, an awareness initiative to focus on sustainability and conservation, was conducted by the Environment Club of NICO at the Institute premises on 22nd April, World Earth Day. Dr Smita Hegde, Deputy Director, NUCSER and Dr Jagdish Paithankar, Research Associate, NUCSER were the resource persons. After opening remarks by Prof Raviraj, Head, Nitte Institute of Communication, the session began with Dr Smita Hegde’s thought provoking speech on Investing in our Planet. This was followed by Dr Jagdish Paithankar, an avid bird watcher sharing with the audience photographs of the birds on campus and surrounding areas. He spoke at length on the joys of bird watching and encouraged students to go on bird walks. Bird feeders, made by the members of the Environment Club were installed at different points in the campus. These feeders would provide water and food to birds during the hot coastal summer. The event was organised by Dr Anisha Nishanth, Faculty Coordinator, Akshay TS, Student Coordinator and members of the club.
Link : http://aboutnitte.blogspot.com/2022/07/news-from-nico-world-earth-day.html
“Industrial Revolution 4.0 & Education 4.0 -Opportunities & Challenges”:
Medical Education Unit, K.S Hegde Medical Academy (Nitte DU) organized a guest lecture on “Industrial Revolution 4.0 & Education 4.0 -Opportunities & Challenges” on 16th April 2022 at 10.30 am in Chinthana hall, Justice K.S Hegde Charitable Hospital. Prof. Dr. YM Jayaraj, Pro-Chancellor of Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Pondicherry, was the guest speaker. Dr. Kishan Prasad HL, MEU Coordinator, welcomed the gathering. Dr. Jayaprakash Shetty, Vice Dean, KSHEMA, introduced the guest speaker. Dr. Y.M Jayaraj enlightened about the Industrial Revolution, the evolution of educational system/methods & impact of covid-19 on education. He also stressed the importance of innovative curricula & evaluation methods.
Link: https://kshemaigateway.wordpress.com/2022/04/27/news-699/
"World Breastfeeding Week 2022:
The Department of Paediatrics organized a Public Awareness Program, "World Breastfeeding Week 2022 from 01st -to 07th August 2022 " from 01-08-2022 to 07-08-2022 at Justice K S Hegde Hospital. The theme for this year is “Step Up for Breastfeeding- Educate and Support”.
Link: https://kshemaigateway.wordpress.com/2022/08/08/public-awareness-program-kshema-265/
Drug Resistance in Fish pathogens:
An aquatic environment, especially if it is eutrophic, provides a suitable niche for many drug-resistant bacterial pathogens to survive and multiply. From the Division of Infectious Diseases (AMR), Nitte University Centre for Science Education and Research (NUCSER), Nitte University, Dr Deekshit, Dr Biswajit Maiti, Dr Krishna Kumar B, Ms Akshatha K, Ms Gellaine Pinto, Dr Iddya Karunasagar, Dr Indrani Karunasagar in collaboration with Dr Melba G. Bondad-Reantaso from Fisheries & Aquaculture Division, Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy published a comprehensive review that details about the rarely understood drug resistance mechanisms in aquatic fish pathogens and alternative risk mitigating strategies. It was published in a journal of international repute, “Reviews in Aquaculture”, a Wiley publication with a high impact factor and citation score.Link : http://aboutnitte.blogspot.com/2022/12/news-from-nucser-drug-resistance-in.html
Silent AMR genes and their relevance and importance in public health
Drug resistance genotypes are primarily associated with corresponding phenotypic resistance against the particular antibiotic. However, bacterial communities harbouring silent antimicrobial resistance genes - genes whose presence is not associated with a corresponding resistant phenotype exist. From the Division of Infectious Diseases (AMR), Nitte University Centre for Science Education and Research (NUCSER), Nitte University, Dr Deekshit in collaboration with Dr Shabarinath from the Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture & Veterinary Medicine, UAE University, Al Ain, UAE published a comprehensive review that discusses the presence of silent AMR genes and their relevance and importance in public health. The article was published in a journal of international repute, “The Journal of Applied Microbiology”, a Wiley publication with a high impact factor and citation score.Link: http://aboutnitte.blogspot.com/2022/12/news-from-nucser-silent-amr-genes.html
Field-visit session for the participants of Mangalore Placemaking week
Nitte Institute of Architecture hosted a field-visit session for the participants of Mangalore Placemaking week on 02-12-2022. Urban public spaces are venues of public activities and they play very important role in the quality of life of city dwellers. Nitte Institute of Architecture hosted a field-visit session for the participants of Mangalore Placemaking week on 02-12-2022. About 80 participants comprising of professionals, academicians and students from India and abroad participated in the event to understand the current situation of public space in the historic Bunder port of Mangalore. Some of the notable places visited during the session include the famous Zeenath Baksh Masjid, Albuquerque Tile factory, Dakke Fish market, Spice markets etc. Participants recorded the multi-sensorial experiential journey, interacted with local community to understand the perceptions of people towards the public spaces, identified some key issues and discussed some ideas for improving the quality of public spaces. Link: http://aboutnitte.blogspot.com/2022/12/news-from-nia-field-visit-session-for.html
Talk on Khap Panchayats and Democratic Traditions in Haryana:
As per the suggestion of the University Grants Commission vide letter no. D.O.21-229/2022(CPP-II) of November 2022 an online guest lecture was organized on 29th November 2022 by the Electoral Literacy Club of Nitte DU, under the guidance of the Registrar, Dr. Harsha Halahalli on the occasion of India celebrating Azadi ka Amritha Mahotsava.Dr. G Srinikethan, Director (Technical Research), Nitte DU delivered the opening remarks. He thanked the UGC for selecting Nitte University for this special guest lecture. He said, ‘Nitte DU has been in the forefront in organizing several activities throughout the year, as India celebrates 75 years of independence’.
The guest lecture on “Khap Panchayats and Democratic Traditions in Haryana” was delivered by Prof. Dr. Rajbir Singh Dalal, Dept. of Public Administration, Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa. The lecture dealt with the significance of Khap Panchayats in protection & promotion of democratic traditions in Haryana; concept & historical profile of Khap Panchayats; mode of working; challenges to Khaps; their present perspective and remedial steps to overcome these challenges.
.Link: https://aboutnitte.blogspot.com/2023/01/guest-lecture.html
