Dr. S. Sharmila, Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor in Botany, Vellalar College for Women, Thindal, Erode-12, Tamilnadu have organized a Northeast collaborative foldscope workshop on the topic “Foldscope – A new research tool for better understanding of Biological Sciences” under DBT – microgrant Foldscope Project funded by Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India in collaboration with Foldscope Instruments Inc. and Prakash Lab (Stanford), USA on 13 ^th November 2018.

The workshop was conducted in Mizoram-University, which is a central university under University Grants Commission, Government of India, and the university was established on 2 July 2001, by the Mizoram University Act (2000) by the Parliament of India. According to the Act, the objectives of the university are  to take appropriate measures for promoting innovations in teaching-disciplinary studies and research; to educate and train man-power in development of the state of Mizoram; and to pay special attention to the improvement of social and economic conditions and welfare of people in that State, their intellectual, academic and cultural development”. Keeping these objectives in view, Mizoram University has embarked on various programmes for academic and administrative development.

The 12 ^th Annual Convention of ABAP & International Conference on Biodiversity, Environment and Human Health: Innovations and Emerging Trends (BEHIET – 2018) was organized on November 12 – 14 ^th 2018 by the Departments (Botany, Zoology & Biotechnology) of Mizoram University, Aizawl. At this junction, I have presented my research findings entitled “Anatomical exploration under foldscope and phytopharmacological studies of Acacia caesia (L.) Willd”.

Foldscopes are origami microscopes that have potential to change the way we view life and microorganisms around us. For popularizing the origami microscope, I have conducted a Foldscope workshop in the Conference and the workshop was attended by the participants who came from various states and the same central University life science students who came for attending the conference.  In view of spreading knowledge and awareness about foldscope, the same were explained by putting stall during the conference where assemble methods and live sample was viewed using mobile camera. Initially the session was beginned with power point presentation for easy understanding and also you-tube videos were explained on ‘How to assemble the foldscope’. Foldscope was totally new to them. They never heard it before about foldscope. They assembled the pieces and tried to peep through it and become well – versed with its usage. They become very much interested to assemble it. At the same day memorandum of understanding was signed between Vellalar College for Women, Erode and Mizoram University, Aizawl for collaborative research work.