Press Note
Navrachana University hosted a Public Lecture by Prof. Chandrabhas Narayana
Navrachana University recently hosted a Public Lecture by Prof. Chandrabhas Narayana, Director- Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He delivered a lecture titled, “Raman- A Quintessential Tool for Research”. The lecture was the first in ‘NUV Lecture Series’. For this series, eminent academicians, researchers, leaders from diverse fields will be invited to deliver public lectures. The motivation is to build a strong platform at NUV to disseminate cutting edge knowledge to a wide range of audience sourced directly from the experts.
We all know about heart beating. Similar to that every molecule in living as well as non-living system (such as rocks, wood) vibrates. These vibrations are difficult to feel by human sensory organs and here is the role of Raman spectroscopy that comes into picture. Raman spectroscopy is a type of spectroscopy that gives information about vibrations of molecules and the energies associated with them. Raman effect was discovered by Sir C.V. Raman on 28th February 1928 and is the only scientific discovery in India that received Noble Prize in Science. To commemorate his outstanding achievement and to motivate the young minds, 28th February is celebrated National Science Day in India.
For years the applications of Raman spectroscopy were thought to be only in the field of Physics. However, with the advent of lasers and technology, it has become an important tool in the areas of Chemistry and Biology. Prof. Narayana explained the basics of Raman spectroscopy in simple terms and kept the audience engaged with his overwhelming speech. He gave unique examples from his own research work based on Raman spectroscopy applied to study porous materials, health science and agricultural science. His lecture gave the audience an overview of the unimaginable applications of Raman spectroscopy useful to the society.
Navrachana University takes pride in having a home built Raman Spectrometer as part of its research infrastructure. The spectrometer is built from the generous funding received from the Science and Engineering Research Board, Department of Science and Technology in 2017. With this spectrometer a wide range of materials can be investigated for their vibrational properties at ambient as well as under high pressure.
