Media Release

Mangaluru, Sept 16: The Department of Chemistry, St Agnes College (Autonomous), Mangaluru, organised a one-day National Conference on “EcoChem: Science for Sustainability” on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.

The chief guest for the inaugural programme was Dr Pramod Katti, research director at Environmental Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI), and he spoke on the topic “Evolution of Green Chemistry in Insect Pest Management.” Sr Dr Venissa AC, principal of the college presided over the event.

The first technical session was by Dr Rajesh Sankaranarayanan, director (Peptide Synthesis) at Syngene International Limited, Bengaluru, who addressed the audience on the subject of “Sustainability in Peptide Synthesis.”

Dr Venkatesha N J, assistant professor, Department of Chemistry, Bangalore Institute of Technology, Bengaluru delivered the next lecture titled “Strategic Microwave-Induced Heterogeneous Catalysis in Organic Synthesis”.

The final technical session titled “Small Devices, Big Impact: Biosensors for Sustainable Future” was delivered by Prof B Ramachandra Bhat, department of Chemistry, NITK Surathkal, Karnataka.

The conference focused on the importance of Chemistry and scientific inventions for sustainability and for tackling present-day environmental issues. It brought together students, research scientists, faculty members, and industry people who shared their views on Sustainable Science.

The programme provided a platform for oral and poster presentations, enabling students, research scholars and faculty members to showcase their research and interact with experts in the field. These discussions emphasised the importance of developing innovative and environmentally responsible solutions for a sustainable future. The highlight was the participation of students, faculty and research scientists of 25 colleges from all over India.

The valedictory programme had an illustrious entrepreneur, Sameeksha Shetty, founder, Amata Build Care Solutions &  co-founder Hayka, as the chief guest.

Dr Sapna Kumari M, the convener and Helen Serrao, the co-convener played key roles in organising the conference along with joint coordinators Dr Amrutha K,  Mayalakshmi and Neha Bangera, sssistant professors from the Department of
Chemistry.

The conference concluded with an emphasis on the importance of green chemistry, sustainable technologies and scientific innovation in addressing environmental concerns and building a sustainable future.