An International Conference on Advanced Functional Materials (ICAFM) kicked off at RGUKT Basar in Telangana

Hyderabad, December 18, 2017: An International Advanced conference on a rare subject Functional Materials kicked off at Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT), at Basar, the place known asthe Land of Knowledge, 200 kms away from Telangana state Capital Hyderabad. The conference will go on for 3 days and will conclude on 20th December.

It is matter of great pride that a ten years old budding University RGUKT is organizing such an international conference on such a rare subject with speakers of international reputation. RGUKT is the first state university to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based education for learning and evaluation.

Organized by Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies (RGUKT), 200 delegates from over ten countries such as USA, South Africa, UK and other countries as well as many cities from across India are taking part in the three day symposium.

Welcoming the gathering, Dr. A. Ashok, Vice-Chancellor of RGUKT Basar said RGUKT is an autonomous body, established in a 300 acre campus to cater the needs of rural meritorious students. It is adopted by Government of Telangana. The enrolment of girl students and general demand to get into RGUKT is exponentially increasing.

RGUKT is the first University to start integrated six years B.Tech program just after completion of 10th class, Dr. Ashok informed.

Speaking further Dr. Ashok added that inventions are crucial. The Conference on Advance Functional Material is being organized to enthuse interest in the students and young faculty and encouraging them to take up research and developmental activities.

Smt. Ranjeev R. Acharya, IAS, Special Chief Secretary, Higher Education graced as the inauguration function of the conference as a Chief Guest. Addressing the gathering immediately after the inauguration, she said. Technology is fundamentally innovation driven and universities must inculcate innovative thinking in students.

To boost quality learning in higher education, child education is crucial where cognitive development takes place. To encourage activity based learning and teaching from School level, government introduced more than 540 residential schools on par with international standards which is first of its kind in the country, informed Smt. Acharya.

The conference on Advanced Functional Materials is topical. Selection of materials, information on their composition, structure and surface are crucial for specific application. Physics and Chemistry of how atoms are arranged in materials underpin the design, fabrication and applications, Smt. Ranjee R. Acharya said.

Speaking further she said, the integration of basic and applied research on nanostructured aspects of materials is encouraged in Telangana Universities. The government is keen in developing research and developmental activities in the universities, she said.

The conference being interdisciplinary with a wide range of applications in optoelectronics, sensors, magnetic memory devices etc, she stated. And she hoped that the conference will inculcate scientific temper in students and enable scholars and the young faculty to update their scientific knowledge.

According to Dr. Ravi Varala, Convener of the meet, the internationally acclaimed scientists from Physics and Chemistry came together to discuss and showcase their research findings to researchers from India and abroad.

The seminar covers from basics to applications in Nano-Science and Nano-Technology, Synthetic Chemistry, Green Chemistry and Computational Materials Science, Dr Ravi Varala added.

Prof. Apparao M Rao, Director of Clemson Nano -Mterial Institute, Clemson University, a 128years old University in USA was the Chief Guest at the inaugural and delivered Keynote address. His research in nanoscience and nanotechnology has been cited over 30,000 in open literature

Prof. S. Jonnalagadda from University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa was the special invitee. Indian born Professor Sreekantha Babu Jonnalagadda, published over 240 Research Papers and participated in over 100 international conferences on the subject held in 40 different countries.
The theme of the conference is “Applications of Smart Materials in the areas of Nano-Science and Nano-Technology, Synthetic Chemistry, Sensors and Computational Materials Science”. The Conference aims to address the application aspect of these Functional materials in areas of societal relevance, to discuss current scientific issues and to ignite scientific temper in young researchers.

The Inaugural and Key Note Address was followed by a plenary talk by Prof. Jonnala Gadda from South Africa and the other Plenary and invited speakers include eminent Professors from IIT’s, NIT’s and IISER etc.