The Hindu Business Line : Kerala Science Congress to focus on medicinal plants

Announcing this at a press conference in the city today, Dr A.E. Muthunayagam, Executive Vice-President, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, said the focal theme of this year's Kerala Science Congress is `Medicinal plants of Kerala: Conservation and beneficiation'.

The erala Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, will inaugurate the meeting on January 29. The Chief Minister will also inaugurate a new building at the Kerala Forest Research Institute on the occasion.

Dr B.N. Suresh, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre,Thiruvananthapuram, will deliver the `Pisharoty memorial lecture' during the Congress' inaugural session. A special session on the congress' focal theme will feature lectures by seven eminent scientists and researchers, said Dr Muthunayagam.

The subjects to be covered during this session include bioinformatics and documentation of nutraceuticals, commercialisation of medicinal plants vis-à-vis conservation strategies, intellectual property rights relating to medicinal plants, the history and prospects of Kerala's medicinal plants and so on.

Besides the special session, the technical sessions of the congress will cover nine themes, said Dr K.R.S. Krishnan, Director, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment.

The nine areas that will be covered during the conference include agricultural, fishery and veterinary sciences; biotechnology; chemical sciences; earth system sciences; engineering and technology; forestry, wildlife and environmental sciences; health sciences; life sciences and physical sciences.

Twenty-three scientific papers will compete for the awards being given to the `best papers' by young scientists. Six of these entries will be selected for the awards, said Dr Krishnan.

Another highlight of the event will be a special session in which sixteen `child scientists' selected during the Children's Science Congress will take part, he added. The `child scientists' will make short presentations before the gathering, he explained.

The congress, which is expected to attract over 300 participants, will also showcase the research being done by several institutions such as the Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram, and the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram. An exhibition of various commercial, scientific and pharmaceutical products will also be organised as part of the congress.

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