STCMMN '09

The last two days have been couple of the most memorable days of my life so far. I had been selected for participation in the Short-Term Course on Mechanics over Micro and Nano scale (STCMMN) 2009, organized at the Bengal Engineering & Science University(BESU) Shibpur on Dec. 21 and 22, 2009. It was time well spent, in the enlightened company of a galaxy of reputed professors and eminent personalities in the field of science & technology from well-known institutes.

Some of my readers might be interested in knowing what the programme is all about. Well, the idea of STCMMN was conceived by Prof. Suman Chakraborty of IIT Kharagpur, who is also a member of the Indo-US forum for research excellence in fabrionics. This particular forum came into being in Kanpur a few years back to facilitate collaboration between India and the USA in the fabrication of new technologies in microfluidics. The Indo-US forum organises the STCMMN every year in India; the 2009 venue being BESU Shibpur.

The subject of microfluidics is a relatively modern one, but its popularity has seen a considerable amount of work been done already, with further extensive research being taken up by several research groups in different parts of the world. The consequences will be far-reaching, with the possibilities of fabricating new techniques and advances in biotechnology, nanotechnology, lab-on-a-chip systems, DNA hybridization, cancer treatment, intelligent drug administration, and many more!!!

Being an interdisciplinary subject, microfluidics encompasses various branches of science & technology - physics, chemistry, biology, fluid mechanics, chemical engineering, image processing, tribology, genetics, and what not ! Question naturally arises as to how much would an undergraduate student like myself be able to garner from lectures that presented topics quite advanced for his/her level. In the days leading up to the event, I was quite apprehensive regarding this. The success of the programme, therefore, would lie in the fact that while it could cater to the needs and queries of enthusiastic research scholars and faculty members, it could also present undergraduate students with an overview of the subject, underlying the basic principles and fundamentals, as also the scope and applications of the subject in modern science & technology at present and in the near future. The entire programme was thus carefully designed to kindle interest among budding researchers and get us acquainted with the subject.

While all the lectures were fascinating in their own ways, for me, personally, the high point was the one delivered by the keynote speaker, Dr. Howard Stone, a professor and researcher from Princeton University, USA. He interacted freely with students and teachers alike, and his presentation is certain to have generated a new wave of understanding and developing fresh techniques in microfluidics. The entire 2-day session was sprinkled with timely tea-breaks, while the sumptuous lunches and the conference dinner on 21st Dec. night were just awesome! A big thanks to the co-hosts, BESU Shibpur and IIT Kharagpur for all the warm hospitality; the event was a huge success, and the organizers deserve special praise.

On my part, I would definitely like to take part next time as well - hope IIT KGP or BESU hosts the event next time too, for, however selfish it may sound, it would certainly facilitate an easy journey !