World Congress on Microscopy begins

A three-day International Congress on World Microscopy began here today with a plea to the academics to bring in new age technologies.
The congress is being organized by International and Inter-university Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IIUCNN), Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam.
Inaugurating the Congress, Dr Babu Sebastian, Vice Chancellor, said the varsity is all set to become the front runner in technology absorption as well as in creation of strikingly fresh new domains of knowledge.
Sophisticated Analytical Instrumentation Facility being established in the University as an Inter-university Centre at an initial cost of Rs 6.5 crore with financial support of the Union Department of Science and Technology will be a boon for the scientific explorations of the academics in South India, he said.

Leszek A Dobrzanski (Poland) delivered the invited talk on advanced electron microscopy methods aiding the development of materials science and their surface engineering. Galina F Antonova (Russia), Ayanthi Navaratne (Sri Lanka), Somsubhra Gupta and Vijaya R Chavan, both from India made presentations on recent developments in microscopy.
The Congress is intended to emphasise the recent breakthrough in the field of microscopy, instrumentation, techniques and applications in life science and material sciences.
The scientists attending the Congress include Galina Antonova (Russia), Yves Grohens( France), Markus Pollnau (Sweden), Ayanthi N Navaratne (Sri Lanka), Maria De Lourdes Pereira (Portugal) and Mahendran Samykano (Malaysia).

A brain storming discussion will be held on October 11 in which joint project proposals, to be submitted to European Union under the 'HORIZON 2020' programme for funding between Europe, India and rest of the world, will be discussed.