Events

India Sakura Science Club President Presented about SSP and SSC at the Indian JSPS Alumni Event

On behalf of India Sakura Science Club Alumni Association (ISSCA), Ms. Antara Puranik, who is now the President of ISCA traveled to Shivaji University Kolhapur to deliver a presentation on Sakura Science Program (SSP) and Sakura Science Club alumni activities. Her presentation was made during the Indian JSPS Alumni Event titled ICFAST2023 “13th India-Japan Science and Technology Conclave: International Conference on Frontier Areas of Science and Technology,” on September 8, 2023. Many questions were posed to Ms. Antara. Below, we bring her report on the conference and the presentation she made there. The secretariat extends a huge thanks to Ms. Antara for explaining how the program had motivated her to seek her academic path in science and how the Indian chapter of SSC (ISSCA) had grown into an association to inspire many.

13th INDIA-JAPAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CONCLAVE:
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FRONTIER AREAS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(ICFAST-2023- September 8-9, 2023)

About the Conference:

The 13th India-Japan Science and Technology conclave: “International Conference on Frontier Areas of Science and Technology, (ICFAST-2023) was organised jointly by International Affairs Cell (IAC), Shivaji University, Kolhapur (SUK) and the Indian JSPS Alumni Association (IJAA) with the sponsorship of JSPS, Japan, during September 8-9, 2023, at Shivaji University, Kolhapur.

IJAA conducts Science and Technology meetings for scientists from India and Japan to come together and discuss the cutting-edge research and significant findings in both countries, covering various streams such as physical sciences, chemical sciences, life sciences, computational and mathematical sciences, and engineering & technology. In addition, scientific poster competition for students and researchers add to the interactive meeting experience.

This year IAC, SUK & IJAA jointly organized the 13th India-Japan Science and Technology conclave to commemorate the 71st Anniversary of India-Japan diplomatic relations. The conference had multiple parallel sessions, comprising keynote addresses, plenary sessions, and invited talks for life science and physical science.

The topics covered were:

  1. Artificial Intelligence
  2. Bioengineering and Biotechnology
  3. Bioinformatics
  4. Cancer Biology and Inflammatory Disorder
  5. Computational & Theoretical Science
  6. Data Science
  7. Diagnostic Virology
  8. Earth, Space & Atmospheric Science
  9. Environmental Toxicology and Health Epidemiology
  10. Genetics, Genomics and Epigenetic Regulation
  11. Internet of Things
  12. Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
  13. Photonics
  14. Plasma Science and Engineering
  15. Quantum Computing
  16. Renewable Energy Technology (Solar, Photovoltaic and Thermal, Hydrogen etc.)
  17. Reproductive Biology
  18. Robotics and Automation
  19. Smart Materials

The Chief Patrons for the India-Japan Bilateral Programs are H. E. Mr. Hiroshi Suzuki, Hon'ble Ambassador of Japan to India, Embassy of Japan, New Delhi, India, H. E. Mr. Sibi George Hon'ble Ambassador of India to Japan, Embassy of India, Mr. Sugino Tsuyoshi, President JSPS, Japan, and Dr. Rajesh S. Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India. The Chief Patrons for the Conference were Prof. (Dr.) D. T. Shirke Hon'ble Vice Chancellor, Shivaji University, Kolhapur and Prof. P. S. Patil, Hon’ble Pro-Vice Chancellor, Shivaji University, Kolhapur. The Chairpersons for the Conference were Prof. (Smt.) S. H. Thakar, Dean, Science & Technology, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, and Prof. D. Sakthi Kumar, Chairman, Indian JSPS Alumni Association. The Convener was Dr. S. B. Sadale, Director, International Affairs Cell, Shivaji University, Kolhapur.

The source of the above information is:
https://www.unishivaji.ac.in/workshop/pages/13-th-INDIA-JAPAN-SCIENCE-AND-TECHNOLOGY-CONCLAVE-INTERNATIONAL-CONFERENCE-ON-FRONTIER-AREAS-OF-SCIENCE-AND-TECHNOLOGY-2023.

Our presentation was on Day 1, at 12.45 hrs as per the schedule given below. The content of my talk is attached as a separate file.

Presentation-Final
Script of the presentation

A short report of the visit:

7 September 2023

We reached Kolhapur in the afternoon and our stay was booked at Sayaji Hotel.
There was a welcome dinner of all the invited honourable guest speakers and the committee members of JSPS. There was a lot of interaction and discussion during the dinner session, and I could talk to many esteemed scientists and hear about their research and experiences.

Dr. Ooi, Mr. Hoshino, and Ms. Antara at the Sayaji Hotel.
8 September 2023

In the morning, the conference was at the Rajarshi Shahu Senate Hall at Shivaji University. There were other parallel sessions at other venues.
An Inauguration function was held in the Rajarshi Shahu Senate Hall where esteemed guests like H.E. Mr. Hiroshi Suzuki (Ambassador of Japan to India),
H.E. Mr. Sibi George (Ambassador of India to Japan),
Mr. SUGINO Tsuyoshi (President, Japan Society for the promotion of Science),
Prof. D. T. Shirke (Vice Chancellor, Shivaji University, Kolhapur),
Prof. P. S. Patil (Pro-Vice Chancellor, Shivaji University, Kolhapur),
Prof. D. Sakthi Kumar (Chairman, Indian JSPS Alumni Association),
Prof. Osamu Sakai (Professor at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine)
Prof. S. H. Thakar (Dean, Science and Technology, Shivaji University, Kolhapur),
Dr. S. B. Sadale (Chairman, West Chapter IJAA), gave their talks and then the event was commenced.

After inauguration, there was a small tea break and thereafter the first Keynote Address talk was delivered by Prof. G. D. Yadav on the topic “The Net Zero Goal and Sustainability: Green Hydrogen Technologies, CO2 refineries, Biomass Valorisation and Waste Plastic Recycling”.

The second guest lectures was a Plenary Talk by Prof. Indradev Samajdar on the topic, “Residual Stress- A Microstructural Perspective”.

The third presentation was by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Japan: Sakura Science Program (SSP), by Prof. Hong Kean Ooi and Ms. Antara Puranik (Me). Dr. Ooi enlightened the audience about the Sakura Science Exchange Program, and I talked about my experience of my visit to Japan under SSP in the year 2018 as a high school student and alumni activities conducted by India Sakura Science Club Alumni Association. There were a lot of questions from the audience, however because of time constrain, the questions were carried forward to the lunch time.

In the evening a cultural program was organized by the music department of Shivaji University at V. S. Khandekar Auditorium, Bhasha Bhavan and there the culture of the Maharashtra state was shown.
The lunch and dinner was organized at Rajamata Jijausaheb Sabhagrah.

It was a very memorable experience for me to stand among the distinguished scientists of Japan and other esteemed guests. Such high dignitaries talked with me. I got a chance to personally speak to the distinguished guests and they too responded in a very simple and friendly manner. Overall, the experience of Kolhapur has humbled me and boosted my confidence to a large extend. I sincerely thank Mr. Yuji Nishikawa, Dr. HongKean Ooi, Mr. Kazuhiko Aoki, Mr. Hoshino, Mr. Ken Fujita, Ms. Kanako Nishibayashi, Ms. Erika San for giving me this prestigious opportunity.