VALORIZATION-2026: A Platform for Science, Sustainability, and Innovation

An Idea Came to Me

An idea came to me clear and simple.

What if I could meet my blog readers in person?
Not online.
Not through comments.
But through science.

You may wonder what the connection is between this idea and the title of this post.

There is a connection.

If I write it in a simple, mathematical way:

Idea = f (VALORIZATION-2026) 

What Is VALORIZATION-2026?

VALORIZATION-2026 is an upcoming international conference focused on Science & Technology Integration for the Circular Economy. on 29-30 January 2026. 

Organised by BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, in collaboration with DST-SATHI, DST-PURSE, BITS-TEC, and the Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC), it brings together:

• students and researchers

• industry professionals and innovators

• policymakers and entrepreneurs

This is not just a conference.
It is a platform where research meets real-world application.

Why This Conference Matters to Me

VALORIZATION-2026 feels different.

There is space for student voices, early-stage ideas, and conversations that go beyond publications and citations.

The focus is on participation, dialogue, and responsible science—exactly what meaningful research should stand for.

I’m Participating as a Researcher

I will be presenting my Master’s research titled:

“Eco-friendly Biocement Production Using MICP Bacteria for Bioconcrete Applications”

The work explores Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) as a sustainable alternative to conventional cement—aligned with themes of green materials, circular economy, and sustainable construction.

What started as a thesis became a larger question about how we build.

Thinking Beyond Cement

MICP-based materials have the potential to:

• enable self-healing of micro-cracks

• reduce cement consumption

• extend structural life

• move toward low-carbon or carbon-negative construction

Instead of forcing strength through energy and emissions, biology allows materials to grow strength naturally and sustainably.

That shift in thinking matters.

Beyond Academia

You don’t need to be a researcher to care about this.

The buildings we live in and the infrastructure we depend on are shaped by material choices made today.
Conferences like VALORIZATION-2026 are where those choices begin to change.

A Simple Hope

I’m attending VALORIZATION-2026 to present—but more importantly, to listen, learn, and exchange ideas with people who believe research should serve the future, not exhaust it.

If you’re attending too, I hope we connect.

Sometimes, progress begins with a conversation.

Official Conference Information

Conference Title: VALORIZATION-2026

Full Name:
International Conference on Science & Technology Integration for Circular Economy

Dates:

• Main Conference: 29–30 January 2026

• Post-Conference Hands-on Workshop: 31 January 2026
  (for offline participants only)

Venue:
Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) Pilani – Hyderabad Campus
Jawahar Nagar, Kapra Mandal
Medchal-Malkajgiri District
Hyderabad – 500078
Telangana, India

Official Conference Website:
https://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/valorization/

Brochure & Detailed Information (PDF):
Conference themes, sessions, and contact details are available here:
https://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/VALORIZATION-2026.pdf

Conference Email (For Queries):
valorization@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in

A Crisis That Rebuilt Me: Lessons from My PhD Journey in Akola

When I moved to Akola to begin my PhD, I genuinely believed survival would be easy. I was wrong.

What followed became one of the most mentally demanding phases of my life. To my readers, I apologize for not updating this blog for nearly two years. That silence did not come from comfort or stability—it came from struggle. This period marked a clear crisis point in my PhD journey, both intellectually and personally.

Paradoxically, this phase also carried quite a few achievements. Before entering this transition, I had already published four research papers based on my earlier work. During this difficult period, I undertook my first major review article—a task that tested my patience and endurance far more than any experiment. That single review took nearly eleven months to complete. It moved slowly, stalled often, and forced me to read deeply, critically, and repeatedly. At the time, it felt like stagnation. In hindsight, it trained me to think like a scientist rather than merely execute experiments.

Around the same time, I received an offer for a Technical Assistant role at CSIR-IICB. It was a moment of validation—proof that my skills were visible beyond my immediate academic struggles. Yet I chose to stay with my PhD, knowing that unfinished journeys cost more than delayed comfort.

After leaving my previous role at MGM, I entered a research environment entirely new to me, centered on doubled haploid technology. I was suddenly confronted with serious gaps in my understanding of plant breeding. For nearly two years, I struggled to find clarity and confidence. I was not simply learning new techniques; I was rebuilding my scientific foundation from scratch while questioning my direction and abilities.

The confusion, slow progress, and repeated self-doubt made this phase mentally exhausting. Yet, in hindsight, this crisis became the most defining period of my PhD. It forced discipline, humility, and deep introspection.

The Bhagavad Gita captures this phase perfectly:

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन

You have the right to perform your duty, but not to the fruits of your actions.

At that time, results felt distant and invisible. All I could do was show up, learn, fail, and repeat.

The Invisible Struggle: Communication, Isolation, and Inner Noise

The transition was not only academic. The research culture was unfamiliar. Expectations were different. I struggled most with communication—not language alone, but scientific communication. Understanding what was being planned, discussed, or expected from me felt overwhelming. Conversations moved fast, decisions were made quickly, and I often found myself reconstructing meaning after the moment had passed.

That confusion slowly turned into self-doubt. I began questioning my intelligence and worth. I made mistakes—not due to lack of effort, but due to misunderstanding. Each mistake felt heavier than it should have, pushing me toward silence.

During this time, I deliberately withdrew. I spent long periods alone—reading, thinking, re-reading fundamentals, and avoiding unnecessary social noise. Some new friendships formed slowly and quietly, grounded not in convenience but in shared understanding. Isolation was not always loneliness; often, it was survival.

Lesson 1: Communication with your PhD supervisor and peers is not optional. It is essential—not just for research progress, but for mental stability.

The Physical Cost of Scientific Work

Alongside intellectual struggle came physical exhaustion. Fieldwork is unforgiving. Long hours, harsh weather, repetitive labor, and responsibility that does not pause for fatigue or emotion. Until Akola, most of my research life had been inside laboratories—controlled environments, instruments, predictable routines. Here, research demanded my body as much as my mind. 

There were days of endless work, irregular meals, limited sleep, and emotional depletion. Financial instability added another layer. The stipend system, often delayed and always limited, teaches a harsh lesson early in a scientist’s life: intellectual ambition rarely aligns with immediate financial comfort. There were months of careful calculations, postponed needs, and quiet restraint.

This, too, is part of the scientist’s story—rarely discussed, deeply felt.

The Gita reminds us:

योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि

Remain steady in discipline, and perform your duty.

That steadiness more than talent kept me functioning.

Adaptation, Not Transformation

Despite confusion, exhaustion, financial strain, and mistakes, I survived my first year.

Not just survived. I adapted.

Slowly, breeding concepts began to make sense. Experimental logic sharpened. Long-term planning became clearer. The environment did not change—but I did.

Months later, I realized something fundamental:

I can function in extreme academic and living conditions.

I can learn unfamiliar domains.

I can endure uncertainty.

I can rebuild when confidence collapses.

I completed my experiments, collected data, processed results, and successfully cleared my probation seminar. Only then did I fully understand why people say, “Doing a PhD is not easy.”

It isn’t.

Sometimes it dismantles you before reconstructing you.

न हि कल्याणकृत् कश्चिद् दुर्गतिं तात गच्छति

One who strives sincerely is never destroyed

Redefining Success as a Scientist

Success never arrives gently. It comes through discipline, delay, sacrifice, and persistence.

It is acceptable to cry.

It is acceptable to pause.

It is acceptable to feel overwhelmed.

None of this implies weakness.

What is unacceptable is abandoning yourself.

One of the strongest lessons my PhD has taught me is this: work matters, ambition matters—but not at the cost of mental health, relationships, or self-respect. I no longer work to impress institutions or individuals. I work to satisfy curiosity and to grow—slowly, honestly, and sustainably.

I value people more deeply now. At the same time, I refuse to abandon my professional aspirations. I want both a meaningful personal life and a rigorous scientific career—and I am willing to work patiently for both.

Lesson 2: Avoid what makes you unnecessarily sad.

The paradox: Growth is painful—but quitting during pain guarantees stagnation.

This journey is shaping me—not merely as a researcher, but as a person.

And perhaps, that is the most honest outcome of a PhD.

Stereochemistry an Introduction

Stereochemistry an Introduction

I'm made to realise that I'm not clear enough or good at something, I try to make myself clear with it. It happened , I am preparing for my exam during my preparation for Exam , The question was asked about Stereoisomer but, unfortunately, I was not very clear with the molecular reason behind it.(but, still I managed to answer the question as I know the theoretical information from my notes, but, knowing the molecular mechanism behind each concept clearly is very important, isn't it?).

But, nothing is wrong in it, I made myself clear with it now. That's good, right?

So, let me share with you some basic principle and an introduction with Streochemistry and how it affects molecular structure, Biochemistry and Metabolism so here we go

Just like with any other field of science, chemistry is not two dimensional. To get an accurate chemical analysis, the three-dimensional spatial arrangements of the atoms (and ions) in the molecules have to be considered. Amongst compounds which share the same molecular formula, there are a group of compounds with the exact same order in which the atoms are joined together yet are different. These compounds are known as stereoisomers. Despite their similarities, their arrangement of the constituent atoms in the three-dimensional space are different.

The subdiscipline of chemistry that studies this is called stereochemistry. As we progress through this blog, the differences in chemical properties of the stereoisomers will become increasingly apparent. This will have very profound impacts on the uses and applications of chemical compounds, particularly organic compounds. Amongst these are compounds of pharmaceutical importance, whose stereochemistry could determine the fate of the patients. A particular subfield that deals with this is called pharmaceutical stereochemistry, which we will get to learn more about in no time.

Let us return to general stereochemistry, given the numerous ways in which stereoisomers can be formed, there are also many ways to classify stereoisomers into different categories. Keep in mind that in a group of stereoisomers, more than one of these categories could apply. In fact, some of these classifications have overlaps, so it is best if we do not think of these classifications as mutually exclusive groups, but rather different ways to classify isomers [2].

The first type of classification is based on interconvertibility of the isomers amongst themselves: conformational and configurational isomers. Conformational stereoisomers (or conformers for short) are stereoisomers whose difference in spatial arrangement of their atoms are due to rotation about carbon-carbon (C–C) single bonds. Most conformers can easily interconvert to one another amongst themselves at room temperature. Configurational isomers, one the other hand, do not usually interconvert at room temperature since this will involve breaking and reforming of bonds [1].

A quick example would be to look at molecules (a), (b), and (c). Molecules (a) and (b) can interconvert between each other by simply rotating the carbon single bond. However, molecules (a) and (b) cannot convert to molecule (c) without breaking the carbon-substituent bonds and rearranging the substituents. Hence, molecules (a) and (b) are conformers, while molecule (c) is a configurational isomer to molecules (a) and (b).

The second type of classification is based on mirror images. If a molecule is non-superimposable on its mirror image, the molecule and its mirror image are called enantiomers. This only applies to a very specific type of molecules called chiral molecules, which neither have a plane of symmetry nor a center of symmetry. Enantiomers can interact with plane polarized light. If an enantiomer rotates plane polarized light by a specific angle in a clockwise direction, its mirror image rotates plane polarized light by that same angle in an anticlockwise direction [3].

Chiral molecules often have an asymmetric carbon atom (also known as chiral carbon) which is a carbon atom that is attached to four different types of atoms or groups of atoms. In a molecule with multiple chiral carbons, it is possible to have up to 2n stereoisomers [8]. Stereoisomers which share the same configurations on at least one (but not all) chiral carbon and are not mirror images of each other are called diastereomers. Diastereomers whose configurations on all, but one, chiral carbons are the same have a special name, epimers. Some of you may have noticed that in fact, all conformers are diastereomers, but not all diastereomers are conformers.

Amongst diastereomers that are configurational isomers, we have cis-trans isomers which are isomers of at least di-substituted compounds whose functional groups may be on the same side (cis) or the opposite sides of the carbon chain (trans). While the term is often used on molecules with one or more double bonds, cis-trans isomerism can apply to molecules with only single bonds too [6, 7]. For molecules with alkene group, an alternative convention called E-Z isomerism exists to prevent confusion in nomenclature. The details of the convention will be covered later.

Moreover, amongst conformers, there are very specific types of isomers. that are due to hindered rotation about a single bond or hindered inversion of bond angle. Those due to a hindered rotation is called atropisomers, while those due to a hindered inversion of bond angle is called akamptisomers [5]. Details of these two types of stereoisomers will be covered later.

Fun fact: the first akamptisomers were only discovered last year (2018)!

Tuberculosis & COVID-19 Pandemic

Tuberculosis & COVID-19 Pandemic

Corona-viruses are a large family of viruses that usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold, in people. There are hundreds of corona-viruses, most of which circulate among animals including pigs, camels, bats, and cats. Sometimes those viruses jump to humans—called a spillover event—and can cause disease. After a Pandemic outbreak from china, The disease is now called COVID-19. 

The virus has caused a widespread outbreak of disease similar to SARS throughout China, with exported cases occurring in 183 other countries, including India. 

Ultrastructure of  COVID-19

But, you need not suffer from this evil COVID-19, else we can say, you will not get affected with COVID-19 at all if you had vaccinated with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) (Vaccine for Tuberculosis)

Yes! Sam Behar, and his colleague at the Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, US. Recently published a peer-reviewed paper and show that “ BCG stimulates general immune response” called Trained Immunity. This results in faster response to infections that could reduce the severity of disease and lead to faster recovery.

BCG —(Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) developed in 1921 in France Epidemiological data, however, showed it could be effective against the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV2). This vaccine is composed of a live, weakened strain of the bacterium Mycobacterium Bovis, related to tuberculosis (TB) pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Trained Immunity

How Vaccines Works ...

when you are attacked by a microbe, the innate immune system started doing his duty.

Monocytes - types of white blood cells — penetrate the infected tissue, convert to macrophages and provide the first line of defense.

But Vaccines, on the other hand, lead to the development of the acquired immune system in the human body. This works slowly and focuses specifically on certain invaders.

BCG vaccination has been shown to produce positive “heterologous” or non-specific immune effects leading to improved response against other non-mycobacterial pathogens. For instance, BCG vaccinated mice infected with the virus were protected by increased IFN-Y production from CD4+ cell. 

This phenomenon is called Trained immunity and is proposed to be caused by metabolic and epigenetic changes leading to the promotion of genetic regions encoding for pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Multiplication of COVID-19 in alveoli cells. 

BCG vaccination significantly increases the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, specifically, IL-1B, which has been shown to play a vital role in antiviral immunity. 

The correlation between the beginning of universal BCG vaccination and the protection against COVID-19 suggests that

BCG might confer long-lasting protection against the current strain of coronavirus. 

However, randomized controlled trials using BCG are required to determine how fast an immune response develops that protects against COVID-19. BCG is generally innocuous with the main side effect of the development of inflammation at the site of injection so care should be taken when applying these possible interventions for COVID-19.

I'm trying to understand the molecular mechanism behind this, and, once I'm clear with it, I'll share it with you.

Understood this relation? Got any doubt? anything wrong in my explanation? Kindly comment and I would try to reply or correct as soon as possible.

Disclaimer: I wrote this article based on my understanding after reading a paper. There may be mistakes. If you find any, kindly let me know with your valuable comments.

References :

• Kristensen, I., Aaby, P. & Jensen, H. Routine vaccinations and child survival: Follow up study in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. Br. Med. J. 321, 1435–1439 (2000).
• Zwerling, A. et al. The BCG world atlas: A database of global BCG vaccination policies and practices. PLoS Med. 8, (2011).
• Zhou, F. et al. Articles Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China : a retrospective cohort study. Lancet 6736, 1–9 (2020).
• Japan was expecting a coronavirus explosion. Where is it? | The Japan Times. Available at: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/03/20/national/coronavirus-explosion expected-japan/#.XnllWahKjIU. (Accessed: 23rd March 2020)
• Development and expectation of the tuberculosis service system in China. Available at: http://www.zgflzz.cn/EN/Y2012/V34/I9/557. (Accessed: 24th March 2020)
• Komine-Aizawa, S. et al. Influence of advanced age on Mycobacterium Bovis BCG vaccination in guinea pigs iatrogenically infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Clin. Vaccine Immunol. 17, 1500–1506 (2010).
• Moorlag, S. J. C. F. M., Arts, R. J. W., van Crevel, R. & Netea, M. G. Non-specific effects of BCG vaccine on viral infections. Clinical Microbiology and Infection 25, 1473–1478 (2019).
• Horwitz, M. A., Harth, G., Dillon, B. J. & Masleša-Galić, S. Commonly administered BCG strains including an evolutionarily early strain and evolutionarily late strains of disparate genealogy induce comparable protective immunity against tuberculosis. Vaccine 27, 441– 445 (2009).
• Fact Sheets | Infection Control & Prevention | Fact Sheet - BCG Vaccine | TB | CDC. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/factsheets/prevention/bcg.htm. (Accessed: 23rd March 2020)

Happy Valentine's Day ; Don't Forgot sweet's for your sweetheart

Hiiiii.......
Reader's

It feels so good to write here, after a long (so long, in fact) gap. How are you all doing? I’m doing great, did you know, I'm near about Final year of my course
since I wrote a post here. And now, got time to share with you.
me trying to keep me busy with books for Competitive exams like ICAR-AGRIL, JNU like university for  M.Tech (Biotechnology)
This is time for valentine search ! For the valentine's day, we youngster's use to celebrate this day like a festival Many ppl around us  celebrate Valentine's Day by showing appreciation for the people they love or adore. Some people take their loved ones for a romantic dinner at a restaurant or Give chocolate ;
Most all of us love the taste of chocolate, you may find lucky if u got such gift on such special occasion ;  but for some it means someone may get hurt! no need to get hurt we can buy and enjoy from any shop (like me do always)

Chocolate is a traditional Valentine's Day gift, in a heart shaped box, or in a heart shaped candy, wrapped in red foil.

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."
I goggle this thought ; anyway it's not important what it means that important

Chocolate comes from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao originate in Mexico,and distributed  Central and South America, in india also northern state cultivate chocolate,
chocolate is fermented product,
The seeds of the cacao tree have an bitter taste, and fermented to develop the full flavor of chocolate.

Much like coffee beans, the cocao beans are then dried, roasted, and ground to form cocoa mass, a pure chocolate called chocolate liquor. The liquor contains two principle ingredients: cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Cocoa solids contain theobromine, a methylxanthine alkaloid chemically similar to caffeine with like physiological effects.

There are numerous types of chocolate made by mixing four ingredients,

cocoa solids,
cocoa butter,
sugar, and milk

solids in varying proportions. Additional agents such as lecithin (an emulsifier), vanilla and vegetable oils increase the possible formulations. Here are some of the most common forms used:

Unsweetened chocolate: Also known as “bitter” or “baking” chocolate. It is unadulterated chocolate: the pure, ground, roasted cocoa beans rendering a strong, deep chocolate flavor.

Bittersweet chocolate: A dark chocolate that contains at least 35% cocoa solids. Most bittersweet bars contain at least 50% chocolate liquor, with some bars pushing 70-80% chocolate liquor. This chocolate has a deeper, more bitter flavor than sweet dark or semi-sweet chocolate.

Semi-sweet chocolate: A dark chocolate containing at least 35% cocoa solids but is sweeter than bittersweet due to additional sugar.

Sweet dark chocolate: A “dark chocolate” as it does not contain milk solids, but with a high percentage of sugar so it is much sweeter than other types of dark chocolate. Many brands of sweet dark chocolate have only 20-40% cocoa solids.

Milk chocolate: In addition to containing cocoa butter and chocolate liquor, milk chocolate contains either condensed milk or dry milk solids. Milk chocolate must contain at least 10% chocolate liquor, 3% butterfat, and 12% milk solids. Milk chocolates are typically much sweeter than dark chocolate, and have a lighter color.

So I hope you did not forget your sweetheart this Valentine's Day and bought her a box of her favorite health food, Chocolate!

HITLER AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

HITLER AND BIOTECHNOLOGY- Ultimate killing machine 

Nazi scientists secretly researched the possibility of dropping malaria-infected mosquitoes behind enemy lines during World War Two, a German academic has claimed

Hitler’s scientists planned to use malaria-infected mosquitoes as biological weapons by sending them behind enemy lines in the Second World War, according to research.

SS leader Heinrich Himmler ordered secret research into how insects infected with the disease could be kept alive long enough to be used against the allies, German academic Dr Klaus Reinhardt has claimed.

In January 1942, the SS chief created a special laboratory at Dachau concentration camp with the official aim of finding new remedies against diseases transmitted by lice and other insects, as well as the typhoid that plagued German troops.

But in the journal Endeavour, Reinhardt said records kept by Dachau Entomological Institute revealed its scientists also pursued research into biological warfare.

They tested the life spans of different mosquito breeds to try and find one that would remain alive long enough to be dropped into enemy territory.

At the end of the trials in 1944 a breed of anopheles mosquito, particularly effective in transmitting malaria to humans, was recommended by the director of the institute, according to Reinhardt, from Germany's Tuebingen University.

Image Source : INTERNET 

It is not known whether there was a connection between the work of the Entomological Institute and the chilling experiments carried out by Dr Claus Schilling who used prisoners as human guinea pigs deliberately infecting them with malaria.

Schilling was sentenced to death by hanging after the war.

The mosquito research had to remain secret because Germany, alongside the allied nations, had signed up to the 1925 Geneva protocol banning the use of biological and chemical weapons.

But Reinhardt dismissed the project as "a bizarre mix of Himmler's smattering of scientific knowledge, personal paranoia, an esoteric world view, and genuine concerns about his SS troops" which proved of no use to Hitler’s war effort

MEMORIES

Since childhood I am passionate about natural science. I grew up in a village surrounded by forests with many different animals and plants where my parents were the accomplices of my discoveries, transmitting their passion for observing and understanding nature. When it came time to decide on my academic orientation, I did not hesitate at any time to specialize me in the field of Biotechnology.

Biotechnology is, as a traditional definition, “the technique that allows the application of biology to make a profit”. Actually, all applied biology can be defined as Biotechnology, placing its origin in the technique of making beer in ancient Mesopotamia. The new vaccines, treatments or stem cell gene therapy, are Biotechnology. Transgenic crops or production of insulin for diabetics, are Biotechnology. Currently, the development of new biotechnology, thanks to genetic engineering, is so great that it has come to be called “the science of the future”.

Traditionally, Biotechnology is divided in five colors, each one corresponding to an area of ​​application:

• Red Biotechnology, applied to medicine. Stem cells or gene therapy are clear examples of Red Biotechnology.
• White Biotechnology, applied to industry. This is the case of the production of insulin for diabetics.
• Green Biotechnology, applied to agriculture, as in the case of GM crops or new pest control systems.
• Gray Biotechnology, applied to environmental protection, a good example is the bacteria used to degrade oil.
• Blue Biotechnology, an obsolete term for marine applications of Biotechnology.

Biotechnology is an exciting universe that mixes in a surprising way mysteries and certitudes. Studying Biotechnology Grade I became aware of the importance of science and began to look around me in a different light… And very quickly I became passionate for Biotechnology! It cleared me the way to life and general scientific knowledge (Physics of biological processes, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry…) and then delving into some areas of biology (Genetics, Microbiology, Biochemistry …) and finally treating biotechnology issues (Agricultural Biotechnology, Applied Microbiology …).

During my career I had the opportunity to meet with renowned researchers and professionals who contributed to making me a professional excited by science.

Currently I have the good fortune to work in this field and I am very proud to have dedicated my career to several projects that will changed my life. It is a privilege to work on what you like and what you studied. Also, it is essential for me to continue increasing my creativity and improving my knowledge to follow the technological advances of science. Like many professionals of nowadays, leaving the routine and freshened up towards a new direction

Thank you

Tahakik rushi