Guwahati: The Department of Applied Biology, University of Science & Technology Meghalaya (USTM), in association with Microbiologists Society, India (MBSI), and Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS), concluded International Microorganisms Day 2026 and a National Workshop on “Academic Writing and Scholarly Publications” recently.The programme, held from Sept 17, aimed to strengthen the academic writing, research communication and scholarly publishing skills of master’s students, research scholars and early-career researchers.The programme was inaugurated by GD Sharma, Vice Chancellor, USTM. Kumananda Tayung, Dean, Faculty of Sciences, Gauhati University, attended as chief guest-cum-resource person, while Niraj Singh, State President, MBSI (Assam & Meghalaya), was the guest of honour.The workshop featured expert sessions on scientific writing, manuscript preparation, publication ethics, scholarly communication and journal selection. The participants also took part in interactive sessions and practical training aimed at improving their research and publication skills.Distinguished resource persons included Tapan Kumar Mohanta, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; Vinay Kumar Pandey, Associate Professor, Graphic Era, Dehradun; P. Periasamy, Head, IQAC, Nehru Group of Institutions, Coimbatore; and Bishwambhar Mishra, Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology, Hyderabad. Jibanjyoti Panda served as master trainer for the practical sessions.Participants from The Assam Royal Global University, Cotton University and USTM took part in the programme and benefited from the academic and practical sessions.A Poster and Model Competition was also organised as part of the programme, providing participants an opportunity to showcase their scientific ideas, creativity and understanding of microbiological concepts. The programme concluded with the distribution of prizes to the winners.The programme was organised under the chairpersonship of Sony Kumari, Head, Department of Applied Biology, USTM. Yugal Kishore Mohanta served as convener, while Tamanna Bhuyan was the coordinator.
