The Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at SRM University-AP organised its 3-day International Conference on Advances in Environmental Sustainability, Energy and Earth Sciences ( AESEE 2024). The inaugural session on March 14, 2024, featured industry experts, with Prof. Prakasham Tata from the Center for Transformation of Waste Technology, USA, as the Keynote Speaker and Dr Prakash Chauhan, Director-National Remote Sensing Centre, Indian Space Research Organization, as the Chief Guest for the event.

He highlighted the attributes of the department and lauded the efforts of the faculty and students who contributed to the publication of 165 articles, of which 106 were featured in Q1 Journals. This momentous occasion was witnessed by Vice Chancellor, Prof. Manoj K Arora; Advisor, Prof. V S Rao; Associate Professor and Head of the Department, Dr Rangabhasiyam Selvasembian; the organising secretaries, Dr Javed Ahmad Dar, Dr Pankaj Pathak and Dr Subashree Kothandaraman, along with participants from diverse parts of the globe, both online and offline.

Vice Chancellor-Prof. Manoj K Arora, in his address, emphasised that a congregation of such an intelligentsia is the need of the hour. He implored the audience to work at ground level and not confine themselves to mere talks and conferences, “go to the community and provide solutions, and solutions cannot be provided in the classrooms alone”, he stated.

Prakasham Tata, in his exuberant address, stated that the nation does not lack the intelligence or manpower to combat the alarming ecological crisis; It is the lack of trained personnel, pollution control boards, corruption and lack of effective cooperation between societal institutes that is causing a lax. Prof. Tata insisted that “universities like SRM AP are knowledge centres and have the tenacity and wisdom to combat the growing threats.” He issued a clarion call to all the youngsters and environmental enthusiasts to walk the talk.

Dr Prakash Chauhan, Director of the National Remote Sensing Centre, in his speech, cited Indians’ inherent way of living a sustainable lifestyle and went on to encourage the young participants in attendance to become true ‘karma yogis’ by innovating and finding new ways to promote and work towards environmental sustainability. He implored the youth to brainstorm innovative ideas that could gradually lead to monetisation opportunities while also benefitting the environment.

The inaugural day of the conference also marked the unveiling of the abstract book compiled by the department. Dr Javed Ahmad Dar, Assistant Professor and organising secretary of the conference, mentioned that the book consists of a total of 271 abstracts across 15 thematic areas. The event concluded with the Vice Chancellor and the Advisor honouring the guests with a token of appreciation.