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Radio Shoolini, the campus radio which was inaugurated on the Prerna Divas last year, celebrated its first anniversary in style.

Run by the students and for the students, it produced more than 450 shows under the guidance of station head Ms Richa Devesar and has also mentored dozens of talented Radio Jockeys (RJs).
These include RJ Bhuvnesh, RJ Dheeraj, RJ Nancy, RJ Vaishnavi, RJ Pushpgandha, RJ Sahil, RJ Mansi, RJ Yashoda, RJ Chandani, RJ Rahul, RJ Vicky, RJ Bharti, RJ Aman, RJ Komal, RJ Shivam, RJ Kunjali, RJ Pooja among others who presented shows of different genres, such as Yaadon ka karwan, ’90s special, Star’s life, My journey, Pyaar tune kya kia, Goof up show, etc.

Ms Ranjna Thakur, Assistant Professor in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication said that her journey and experience with Radio Shoolini have been astounding and she had a great friend and mentor in the station head, Ms Richa.

Assistant Professor Dr Anita Chauhan, who had contributed to a series of programmes on psychology, said ‘Radio Shoolini gave me a platform to express my ideas and reach out to the students, faculty and other employees of the university”.’

RJ Yash Chandra said he had a great experience in recording shows. RJ Alisha Garg said the Radio station is providing a wonderful experience and that she was looking forward to more contributions.
RJ Pushpgandha Tiwari, who has produced several programmes, said ‘it is a time of new beginnings, of infectious imagination, dynamism, and energy”.’

RJ Aman Kumar said he had got a golden opportunity to research celebrities, films and music. ‘The Classic Radio show has been my personal favourite since day one as it increases my knowledge about movies and I get to know more about many famous personalities”.’ RJ Neha Sharma said she had learnt a lot and gathered experiences like narrating stories on-air and writing scripts.

RJ Ronika Angelina said the studio has helped hidden talents to blossom and that she was already aspiring to be an RJ.

It was started by the department of journalism and mass communication but now students from other streams are also recording shows.

‘There is immense talent among students and faculty members and we are working towards having a full-fledged community radio station in the future’”, said the Station Head, Ms Richa Devesar.

Mansi Gupta
 
Lemongrass is a wonder plant used for a variety of purposes. However, the long and time-consuming process of Citronella Oil extraction from plants is a major challenge.

This is where Shoolini University researchers Dr Rajesh Kumar and Dr Mamta Sharma stepped in. They came out with a miraculous solution named ‘Rayansh’. This miraculous solution is an innovative, solar-based Essential Oil Extractor. Now, it is not only easy to extract the oil, sold at Rs. 6,000 per litre, but the solar-based process will also increase the production of oil manifold.

Solar-based Oil Extractor

Rayansh is economically viable. Hence, it will help small farmers across the country. A patent has been filed for the same as well.

This new technology is for effective, cheap and harmless extraction for secondary metabolites and oil extraction from plants materials, while using solar energy. It is also meant to frame flat plate solar air collectors with packed bed thermal energy storage.

The innovation, says Dr Rajesh Kumar, will have numerous benefits. It will not only save energy but oil can be extracted in less time and it will help reduce carbon emission with the utilisation of solar energy and solar storage system. 

“Earlier,” he said, “we used the traditional lab method to extract the essential oil from the lemongrass plant. About 12ml of oil was extracted in 15 hours.” Dr Rajesh added that the Soxhlet instrument used in the traditional method requires electricity for its operation.

Benefits of the model

Dr Rajesh said that they repeated the same extraction procedure with the solar method. With this method, the results were very encouraging, and the same amount of lemongrass produced 18ml of essential oil in merely 45 minutes.

Another important benefit of the model was its portability. It is convenient for farmers to carry it to their fields. They can place the raw material in the unit and procure essential oil within an hour. Yet another advantage is that farmers can grow lemongrass that will not attract monkeys, as most farmers have stopped the cultivation of other crops due to the monkey menace.

Dr Rajesh Kumar said the new technique would help farmers raise their income more than five times. The manufacturing expenditure on one unit will be approximately Rs 30,000, requiring a one-time investment and zero maintenance. The same unit can be used to extract essential oil from jasmine, lavender, etc.

Researchers have already contacted Him Saur Pvt Ltd, a solar energy-based company for its manufacturing and marketing and hope to get some subsidy on its per-unit sale to farmers.

Benefits of solar-based extractor

• Saves energy
• Less time consuming
• Helps reduce carbon emission
• Portalbility boon for farmers
• Will help farmers raise income 5 times
• One-time investment
• Zero maintenance

Lemongrass is used in the treatment of digestive tract spasms, stomachache, high blood pressure, convulsions, pain, vomiting, cough, rheumatism, fever, common cold, and exhaustion. It is also used to kill germs, keep mosquitoes at bay and is also a mild astringent.

Lemongrass: The miracle plant

• Treats digestive tract spasms, stomachache, high blood pressure, convulsions, pain, vomiting, cough, rheumatism, fever, common cold, exhaustion, insomnia
• Kills germs
• Keeps mosquitoes at bay
• Vibrant flavouring agent in exotic cuisines
• Is a mild astringent
• Used in soaps, as insect repellent in sprays, candles, aromatherapy
• Lemongrass tea is refreshing, healthy

What’s more, it tastes great, smells great, and when you cut it, the plant grows right back! It is used for the production of Citronella Oil, which is an antiseptic, and used in the production of soaps, as an insect repellent in sprays and candles, and in aromatherapy. Lemongrass is also used for culinary purposes, as a flavouring agent.

Aayushi Sharma

For Ishwar Das Singh, a library is the best place in the world. No wonder, this MSc Biotech student spent about 100 hours at the Yogananda Knowledge Centre (YKC) in the month of January alone.
Hailing from Janjehli, Mandi district, he completed his higher schooling from his native place, and then moved on to graduate from Panjab University, Chandigarh.

The calm and serene environment of the library, apart from the fact that it was open *24/7,, was what appealed to this avid reader the most. Ishwar said he always wanted a peaceful place for study and research, and his experience at Shoolini had been heartwarming. The inspiring clean and green environment, high tech research laboratories and highly motivating faculty was what made the university a perfect place, considering all parameters, he said.

Though every book is a world waiting to be discovered, this young researcher is fond of books and magazines related to science and research. ‘Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry’ and ‘Immunology’ by Kuby are two of his favourite books. Michael Cox and David Nelson are the authors he admires the most. Ishwar is now preparing for CSIR NET and spends most of his time in learning and academic work at the Shoolini library.

He is totally devoted to research in the field of Biotechnology and believes that the inspiration for scientific research was much more personal than anything that could be triggered by someone.
Apart from brushing up on his knowledge, he likes playing and watching cricket. Ishwar loves reading science fiction and watching Bollywood movies, his favourite including ‘3 Idiots’ and ‘PK’.
Asked about his friends, he said Lalit Dogra and Randhir were among his close friends. When asked about his favourite teacher, he said every teacher was prominent in his or her own way and he found greatness in all of them.

Priyasi Parmar

Shoolini University’s Asst Prof & research scholar Ms Radha has been awarded the ‘Young Scientist Award’. She was at an international conference held at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Ms Radha also bagged the ‘Young Woman Scientist’ award last year.

Sharing about her research work, she said her favourite subject is Ethnobotanical, a study of local customs involving the practical uses of local flora for many aspects of life, such as plants and medicines, food and intoxicants. She wants to explore the unexplored area of the Western Himalayas and to carry out studies of wild medicinal plants for scientific research.

She has explored several untouched areas of Kinnaur up to the height of 4,000 meters. In fact, she has travelled all the way from the high altitudes of Chitkul, Rakchham, Batseri, Sangla, Kamru to the mid altitudes of Churdhar wildlife sanctuary, Chopal forest division to lower altitudes of Renuka and Paonta Sahib during her research project.

The winner of the Young Scientist Award thanked her guide Dr Sunil Puri (Dean of Academic cum Registrar), Prof PK Khosla (Vice-Chancellor) and Prof Adesh Saini for providing her moral support system. She said her mother and father have been the key persons to encourage her in this journey.

Also Read: Houston, Shoolini Tie-Up For Research and Academics

Ms Radha’s future plans include studying the socio-economic aspects of shepherds and their livestock. She has 19 research papers published in international journals and has also collaborated with professors from Germany and Mexico regarding her research work.

Vishakha Thakur

Prof Ashutosh Mohanty, Prof and Director, Disaster Management and Climate Science Department, is a widely travelled expert in disaster management. Here are excerpts from an interview :

What is disaster management all about?

Disaster is something when we are faced with a major situation that can lead to huge destruction for life, livelihood and property. For instance, in the Himalayas we are placed in two titanic plates and?when they collide there is a huge risk of earthquakes in the entire Himalayan region. With disaster management preparedness, there is a good potential to reduce the chances of vulnerability.

What is the potential for employment for students taking up Disaster Management as a subject?

Disaster management experts are in much demand because, as we know, disasters keep happening in various parts of the world. So if students want to pursue a career in disaster management and climate change they should also go for a master degree or a PG diploma in disaster risk management. On completion of the course, there is a number of NGOs like Care India and others which they can join for their career. Even the mass communication students can take up a course in disaster communication as it has a good scope for media students. Students can also go for research. I’m currently conducting two projects on the Himalayas. One of these is a study on the Indus river basin where students can opt. There is vast potential for students to make a career in the fields of disaster management and disaster risk management.

What is your disaster perspective for the Himalayas?

As per various studies conducted over the last many years, a big disaster is expected in a few years or maybe any time in the Himalayan region. Geologists have been keeping a close watch on the movements of Himalayan plates in the region and believe a major disaster is in the offing.

Which International tie-ups have you done for Shoolini University?

There are several. These include those with the University College London and the National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan. I have also worked with various universities in China and the United States besides Stanford University. We are in touch with more universities for collaboration and student exchange programmes. Recently we had a zero-waste management programme with the University of Portland, US.

What are your future plans?

I have a specialisation in disaster risk management in the Himalayas so I want to have an integrated disaster plan. I am also a member of the National Institute of Disaster Management of the Government of India. I plan to make a pool of research scholars so that in future if some disaster happens, they will have a good potential to reduce the chances of vulnerability.

How is your experience at Shoolini?

Shoolini is a very good University. Its location in a natural environment gives its several advantages. It has done very well in the last 10 years but there is still potential for much more in terms of international exposure and we are working towards that.

Shoolini University campus in Solan was abuzz with spirited activities and excitement on February 18 during ‘Prerna Diwas’, celebrated enthusiastically every year on the occasion of varsity Vice-Chancellor Prof P.K. Khosla’s birthday. The day was special for everyone this year as he turned into an octogenarian.

Celebrations began with a ‘Hawan’ ceremony on the campus temple as Prof Khosla thanked the Almighty for 80 joyous years of triumphs and victories. Prof Khosla’s family members and Shoolini staff, present for the special prayer service, greeted the Vice-Chancellor.

This was followed by the inauguration of Baker’s Hub, a bakery-cum-caf?, and a fire control room. Taking forward the university’s endeavour towards a cleaner and greener campus, Prof Khosla also planted a sapling. This was followed by a ‘Dham’, which all staff members and students enjoyed at the Milkha Singh Indoor Sports Stadium.

The competitive spirit took over at the sporting event as the Vice Chancellor’s XI and Registrar’s XI clashed on the cricket field amidst robust cheers by the audience. The VC XI team won after a tough competition that everyone enjoyed tremendously.

After day-long festivities, Shoolini students and staff gathered at the Open Air Theatre for a cultural programme, where the talented students presented scintillating dance and singing performances. This included a rap by Advik, besides a special dance-drama enacted on the life of Prof Khosla.

Certificates were also presented to students who taught underprivileged children under the Parivartan project.

Prof Khosla warmly thanked the students, faculty and staff members for their heartfelt birthday wishes and for making the special day truly memorable for him. He highlighted the various achievements and milestones accomplished by the university since its inception 10 years ago. The road had been laid, he reiterated, and the university would soon claim its place among the top universities of the world. Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Atul Khosla presented a vote of thanks at the conclusion of the function.

‘To Sir With Love’ for VC birthday

The highlight of the day was the launch of the book, ‘To Sir With Love: Decoding the DNA of Prof P.K. Khosla’. This surprise gift for the Vice-Chancellor as he turned an octogenarian weaves an interesting tapestry of memories and anecdotes shared by over 100 of his associates, colleagues, students, friends and family members.

The purpose of this compendium is to motivate young and impressionable minds, who could inculcate some of the values and learnings from the life of a brilliant researcher, teacher, administrator, entrepreneur and above all, a wonderful human being.

Students of B.Sc Yoga, Shoolini University won the District level Yoga Championship held in Baddi on February 9.
There were two categories of competitions – group performance and individual performance. In the group performance a team of six students including Pragya Nidhi, Deeksha Chaudhary, Shobha Thakur, Deepika,?Swati Sharma and Mona participated and bagged first position competing with five other teams. In the category of individual participation, Shobha Thakur, Mona and Deepika Chaudhady secured Gold, Silver and Bronze medal respectively.
The team will now participate at the State Level Yoga Championship.
(Anoushka Jain)


GHS opens Hairport salon on campus

Good Host Spaces Pvt. Ltd. (GHS), the company that has taken over the functioning of hostels in the University, has introduced the first luxury salon called Hairport within the campus.
The company takes measures to offer students a new-age living experience and to make them feel just like home in the hostels. GHS has a presence in multiple locations across India which includes Manipal University Jaipur at Jaipur, Woodstock and County at Bangalore, TAPMI at Manipal.
Speaking about the inauguration of Hairport salon in the campus, a spokesman of the company said It is a full-service unisex Salon providing hair styling, coloring, highlighting, makeup, personal care and many more”.
GHS, the country’s largest purpose-built student accommodation in association with the respective Universities, has started operating Shoolini’s student housing from December 1. The process has already started to upgrade the services for the hostellers.
(Nikita Sahi)


National Geographic grant for $ 59,930

Shoolini University has won National Geographic Grant NGS-64405R-19 worth USD $ 59930 for proposal?: “What goes up must come down: Himalayan Upstream plastic waste solutions that minimise downstream marine inputs” with Katie Conlon, Fulbright Research Fellow Portland University USA.
Prof Ashutosh Mohanty, Director, Disaster Management and Climate Change, said the international project could promote Himalayan sustainability and expand our research scope to inter disciplinary water and waste management fields.

FIP scholarship to present paper

Dr Aditi Sharma, Assistant Professor, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, has been awarded with the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) scholarship to present her PhD work at FIP Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress which is going to be held at Montreal, Canada in May 2020.
The work was done under the supervision of Prof Rohit Goyal, according to Dean Prof Deepak Kapoor.

2nd prize for paper presentation on law

Students of law participated in National Seminar cum work shop on Climate Emergency, No Time Left , Act Now in Panjab University, Chandigarh on 15th February 2020.Which was presided over by? Honorable Mr. Justice A K Goel, chairman NGT. Students were accompanied by Assistant Professor Ms. Anupriya Thakur who also bagged 2nd position in paper presentation out of 94 participants.

Fully paid scholarships for Taiwan

Registrar Dr Sunil Puri, who is also Dean, Academics, has said fully paid scholarships (including tuition fee and living expenses) are available for Shoolini University students. He said these are for Masters and PhD programme in Taiwan. Interested students should contact International Office immediately, he said.?


Research paper published in RSC

School of Chemistry, Shoolini University has got a research publication in a very reputed journal green chemistry (RSC) with impact factor 10. The work was started three years ago with collaboration in PEC Chandigarh, according to Dr Neeraj Gupta, former Head, School of Chemistry who said it will be helpful to increase the research perception of the University.?
Meanwhile, a manuscript “Monotherapy of RAAS blockers and mobilization of aldosterone: A mechanistic perspective study in kidney disease” has been accepted for publication in Chemico Biological Interactions Journal (3.5 impact factor). Its co-authors include Gaurav Gupta, Deepak Kapoor, Rohit Goyal, Poonam Negi, Kamal Dua.

Aarushi Mishra

Shoolini University is all set to pick up pace and break new records in the field of research and education, besides extending its reach by opening off-campus centres in Himachal Pradesh and setting up a university in Punjab.
Speaking on the eve of his 80th birthday on February 18, which is also celebrated as Prerna Diwas, Vice Chancellor Prof P.K. Khosla said the university was on the right track to achieve its goal of being among the best global universities.
Providing data on various parameters, Prof Khosla said the university was already rubbing shoulders with the best in the world in several areas of research and innovation. Within India, it was rated very high in filing research-based patents and had achieved a high H-Index of 55.
He said the university placed equal emphasis in maintaining a high standard of teaching in liberal arts, engineering, pharmacy and other fields of education. Its unique SPRINT programme, which honed the soft skills of students and was credit based, was being replicated by other institutions, he said.
The founder Vice Chancellor said the University was now planning to construct a full-fledged Meditation and Yoga School as well as a Naturopathy and Health Care Centre, along with an Ayurveda College and Hospital. He believed a good Yoga School was the need of the hour for our nation. In the coming 10 years, this would be his contribution to the society.
Talking about the roadblocks he faced, Prof Khosla said, one must never be disturbed with the immediate results of any situation but have faith in God and focus on good Karma.
Now that the University had reached a certain stability, Prof Khosla planned on strengthening his idea of “Freeship”, and sponsor intelligent children’s education who lacked financial support, so that they could reach their full potential and recognised their self-esteem.
He also informed how the university had managed to generate 500 to 600 jobs for the locals and promised that it would only go higher in the coming years.?


On the anvil

Full-fledged Meditation and Yoga School
Naturopathy and Health Care Centre
Ayurveda College and Hospital
“Freeship” to sponsor intelligent children’s education
Off-campus centres in Himachal Pradesh
A university in Punjab
More jobs for the local population

The US-based University of Houston, a leading public research university in Houston, Texas, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Himachal based Shoolini University for collaboration in research and academic partnership.

The nearly a century-old Houston University, ranked among the best colleges in America, is home to award-winning faculty, innovative research centers, has one of the most diverse student populations in the US, and alumni who have become international leaders.

As per the agreement signed by Dr Jiwen He, Professor and Chair, Department of Mathematics at University of Houston and Dr Dinesh Singh, Distinguished Professor, Shoolini University, the Mathematics Department of the University of Houston has offered Shoolini University to admit five of its graduate students into their Graduate Ph.D programme every year.

The students recommended by Shoolini University would be evaluated and tentatively approved by the University of Houston a year in advance. They would study in the Solan campus of the University for a year and complete their programme at the Texas campus of the University of Houston. The selected students would be entitled to a stipend for first-year and fellowships subsequently as per the rules of the University.

Shoolini University Vice-Chancellor Prof PK Khosla welcomed the agreement and said that? it would provide golden opportunities to students concerned. He said the University, which already has tie-ups with over 200 universities across the globe, has initiated steps to open more such avenues for its students.

Dr Dinesh Singh, a former Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University, who is also an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Houston, said that graduates and PhDs of the Mathematics Department of the University are serving in leading positions in multinationals, finance and banking firms, at NASA and at the famed Medical Centre at Houston in addition to universities across the globe.

This is an unique opportunity for students of Shoolini to take full advantage at no financial cost for furthering their careers. It is also a recognition of the standing of Shoolini University, he added.

Established in 1927, the University of Houston empowers students in their pursuit of learning, discovery, leadership and engagement as per a spokesperson. It provides students with cutting edge programmes including undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, distance and continuing education.

“At the University of Houston we prepare students to envision their future, emerge as leaders and launch careers that transform the world”, the spokesperson added.

Pushpgandha Tiwari

Life is truly unpredictable. It might be good, it might be bad, it might be weird and it might not interest you, but just expect anything to happen. Every beginner possesses a great potential to be an expert in the chosen field. But for someone who struggles with the unknown, someone like me, freshman year of college can feel like walking a path lined with land mines – heart racing, feels like disaster around every corner.

Well, I am just another troubled, irrational, impulsive, fanatically passionate, confused being.

Since class 12th, I dreamt of becoming a genetic engineer and here I am, at its first step. Well college life has been and still is portrayed as being nothing but partying and having fun by the media. Pure freedom… leaving home for the first time&the parties&well, here terms like tutorials, lectures and existential dread are silent. With many house rules abandoned and existence without a curfew, students get the first taste of adulthood.

I thought everything will be easy. However, from the hostel mess’s food to having no money I learnt that being an adult is harder than what parents display. Campus life shows students what they perceive is very different from the reality of life. College is not quite the romantic lyceum that I had imagined. No, it’s definitely not like its shown in movies. You would think that you have enough time but blink, here are your internals, blink, sessional exams.

The moment you realise you need to study, one semester is over. There is no time to even communicate with one’s own thoughts. College is full of pressure and tormenting tasks because at this point in time, you are being equipped with the necessary competencies needed in the field of specialisation which you have chosen.

Being from the plains I have always admired mountains a lot and the air here still has oxygen, unbelievable! Studying here is basically like a vacation for me but every time I have to climb up from F block to my hostel room uphill, I wish I was dead (just kidding !).

In school I always felt like I was the only intellectual person in a room mostly full of morons obliterating precious IQ points. College, on the other hand is diametrically opposite. There’s room full of smart, funny people who are all used to being the smartest, funniest people in the room, if not the entire planet. The hardest part of the entire day is dragging myself with my last two brain cells in the morning lectures, spent entirely on my phone, rethinking whether all this is really worth a college degree.

In the beginning my mind used to be so full of heterogeneous matter that I almost despaired of ever being able to put it in order.

College taught me that my potential can grow only when I can think and grow out of my comfort zone, that anything practical you learn will be obsolete before you use it, except the complex math, which you will never use.

As I’m moving forward I’m falling in love with this life, no doubt why people mention college as the best experience of one’s life, from bunking lectures to studying all night before exams, the hostel life and the most important aspect friendships, these moments carry a lot of sentimental value and the networks created here are going to help us for the rest of our lives.

I am also a part of the Chatterbox Club here which keeps me creative among all the studies and never ending lectures. I have decided to explore this place a bit more rather than just sitting around in my room eating and watching youtube videos about cats.

I am armed with a fierce independence, well-grounded sense of self, a strong work ethic, drive to succeed and disarming personality. I am looking forward to upcoming years with enthusiasm. I’ve learned one thing and that’s to quit worrying about stupid things. I have four years to be irresponsible here, so yes, relax!