KIIT Professor Invited as Chief Guest to International Conference on Silk Fibroin & Sericulture Resources
Dr. S.K.S. Parashar, Professor, School of Applied Sciences, KIIT Deemed to be University, and Convener of the ISCA Bhubaneswar Chapter, was invited as the Chief Guest at the International Conference on Silk Fibroin & Sericulture Resources (New Interface between Nano and Biological Sciences) – the 2nd IC-SFSR-24 – held from July 24th to July 26th, 2024, at Sinhgad Institutes, Solapur, Maharashtra.
Dr. Parashar was felicitated by Mahendra B. Dhawale, Deputy Director, Directorate of Sericulture, Govt. of Maharashtra. Other members of the organizing committee present included Prof. (Dr.) S. H. Pawar, Emeritus Scientist & Director, Center for Research & Technology Developments at Sinhgad Institutes, and Former Vice-Chancellor of DY Patil University; and Dr. Adhikrao Jadhav, National Advisor for Sericulture and Principal at Loknete Mohanrao Kadam College of Agriculture and College of Horticulture.
The main focus of the conference was to present the various applications of silk fibroin (SF) in films, sponges, gels, microspheres, and bio-medicine. In addition to the medical field, the conference also highlighted other applications such as super-capacitors and nano-generators based on the piezoelectric and triboelectric properties of SF.
Discussions emphasized the structure of silk, reverse engineering of silk structure, and advancements in silk processing, material utility, and stability. It is remarkable to see that natural materials like spider silk or silkworm cocoons can be outperformed by SF materials. Sericulture now extends beyond the production of silk yarn for fabric making, focusing on the numerous new possibilities for its use, such as in cosmetics and water effluent treatments (water filtration).
Dr. Parashar’s discussion topic was “Roadmap of Silk Fibroin & Sericulture Beyond Farmers.” His talk provided a new direction of thought, proposing the establishment of a new Centre of Excellence to explore various applications of silk, thereby increasing farmers’ income and positioning India as a global leader in silk production and its advanced applications in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. Dr. Parashar also released a book on the subject, which will be highly beneficial for farmers as well as the silk cottage industry.