July 15, 2020 | Adamas University

#OPTICSPLUS: THE REFORM OF THE APPLIED OPTICS COURSE FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONALS

Is it possible to imagine the world without light? Life starts with blessing of light. Euclid, also called Euclid of Alexandria, was a Greek mathematician who was born between the year of 320 and 324 BC. In his Optica, he noted that light travels in straight lines and described the law of reflection. Urge of research in light and optics initiated from that ancient time even further than the work of Galileo and Newton. Recent trend in optics research has grown with the invention of the laser, semi-conductor, photography, telescope, microscope and imaging. The increasing interaction between optics and electronics develop various new materials with unique optical properties, and other extraordinary advances. Significantly, light-based research progress impulses our society forward, from transformation data through optical fiber around globe to diagnosis of some diseases early and bring hope to our own family.

But is our education system taking responsibility for awareness of students on light?

There is deficiency of optics education in high schools in India and it create very little knowledge about applied optics for the new students in our universities. The new generations are using smart phones, laptops etc. taking photos to store their every moment of life but they think optics as eccentric research field. Significantly, the students from Liberal and Arts, feel optics far away from them and not necessary, difficult stuff.

In 2015, the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies, various universities around the world offered the course Light-based Science and Technologies as a general education course for multidisciplinary students.

Spreading the knowledge of applied optics among multidisciplinary students could be a progressive upcoming step for this domain.

Popular and striking course design

Multidisciplinary course material should have wide range coverage comparing to a professional optical course. We could segregate the course as part one consists the time sequence of historic events of light and part two contents academic area. Aim of the course should be to connect our daily life with science, to make a bridge between optics and different field like politics, economics, law and arts. Recently, Zhejiang University has proposed a 16 weeks general course on optics having optics in Mozi, geometrical optics in ancient Greece and civilization in ancient Greece, geometrical optics in Europe and the invention of spectacles; Leonardo da Vinci’s arts: light and image, Snell’s law; optical achievements of amateur scientist Fermat; Galileo discovered the new universe; the invention of microscope, the observation of Levenhoek and the establishment of microbiology; Photography principles, Louis Daguerre and camera; the development of photography since 19th century etc.

Optometry education based on applied optics: Reform laboratory setting

Don’t you think that optics of the eye are a superb model to use in optics education? Optometry education starts with basic optics course, consists with geometrical, physical, and visual optics principals that will be the base of clinical understanding of eye and foundation of advance course like ophthalmic optics and contact lenses. In optics education, hands on experiences of looking at distant and close objects by using glasses and contact lenses as correcting devices is necessary for understanding of everyday visualization.

Introductory discussions of lens and human eye is possible with this model eye and includes many features that are useful in the demonstration of ophthalmic concepts such as: an object eye chart, a holder for correcting lenses, an adjustable diaphragm that may be filled with water to change lens power, and an adjustable screen/retina with marks for the fovea and optic disk/blind spot.

Picture Curtsey: Optical Society of America (OSA) (https://denoyer.com/products/jumbo-functioning-eye)

Reform teaching method: Discussion, argument on Optics and problem solving

Imaging, prediction, experimentation and confirmation, these are the four steps of evaluation of science. In 1864, Maxwell imagined the existence of electromagnetic waves and created Maxwell’s equations based on his previous studies and mathematical derivation. After almost 20 years, Hertz published a series of papers that permitted Maxwell’s theory to spread in Europe. Thereafter, he proved that light is an electromagnetic wave by experiments.

Discussion on this domain is very significant to start the growth in multidisciplinary area as well as professional. Arguments are very important to find truth; which certainly based on facts. An example on argument is about Galileo’s telescope and his observation; sometime it is wrongly controlled by powerful people, not with truth and justice. Reformation our teaching method will be opening up mind of next generation.

Digital platform of teaching-learning method could accelerate the understanding of optics. Course materials should not be simple which can fast-forward the student from a question to an answer. Avoiding the conventional descriptive type question answer, focus should be made on practical problem-solving ability. In these procedures, thought processes will get complete understanding of the solution. Encompassing the ideas learned in the classroom to the lab and vice-versa is awfully important and can facilitate this learning process.

New addition of applied optics into the undergraduate Physics

Students only can learn applied optics if they are allowed to proceed through sequence of discovery-based laboratory experiences. The aim of the course should be to provide hands-on experience and in-depth knowledge of students for graduate programs in optics or as applied optics professional for new emerging high-tech local industries. In unconventional way, the applied optics course should be inclined towards laboratory work. In consequence, four contact hours per week should include a one-hour lecture and a three-hour lab.

Multidisciplinary projects will be encouraged to successful implementation of knowledge. Students should be encouraged to perform application-based projects such as optical properties of thin semiconductor films, diffraction from thin films of self-assembled micron size particles, image processing, fiber optics-based sensor, diffraction effect from butterfly wings, digital holography, ocean optics, etc. The new introduction in domain could be extend knowledge on aberrations of any optical devices, microscopes and telescopes, cameras and photography, visual processing, light sources and detectors, optical fiber based devices, quantum nature of light, lasers, laser applications, holography, nonlinear optical phenomena, ocean optics, ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) optics materials.

The lab experiments have to be enlisted from a broad range of topics in optics and lasers, emphasizing on geometrical optics and aberrations in optical systems, wave optics, microscopy, spectroscopy, polarization, birefringence, laser generation, laser properties and applications, optical fiber and optical standards. The starting budget of about $60,000 is providing advanced lab equipment from Newport Co. and MICOS Co.

Know about optical technology careers

The rising industry creates a huge job opportunity and it is distributed in industries include: Aerospace & Aviation division, Laboratory & University, Space centre, Manufacturing equipment, Communications, Electronics/Semiconductor, Medical/Biotechnology, Military, Photonics, Chemical, Pharmaceuticals, Environment. There are demands of optical engineers/ optical fiber expert in different companies such as, Verizon, AT&T, Tata Communication, Comcast and Google Fibre etc.; in India, Reliance Jio, Vodafone, Airtel etc.; cosmetic laser technician etc.

Role of university for spreading optical education in benefit of optical industry & research

Most high school students receive small exposure to physics because of the mathematics involved with Physics and presuppositions that physics is a difficult science. As a result, few students are aware of the abundant career opportunities in this field. In order to bring student’s attention to this rapidly evolving discipline, offering workshops or any outreach program for high school students is very effective.

Optical technology is overwhelming in industrial applications and research fields such as laser processing, DVD, displays, barcodes, and advanced measurement in medical or material research. In 1960, the discovery of Laser by T. H. Maiman plays a vital role in the development of these optical technologies. Recent, in 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded for the development of optical tweezers and its application to biological systems and for the development of ultra-high power, ultra-short pulse lasers.

Definitely, Optics is recognized as an integrated field of knowledge. The universities should outspread optical education across different disciplinary, includes science departments, engineering departments, and departments in schools of medicine. Because the field of optics is not sharply defined by a job position or in a single professional society, it can be difficult to develop a quantitative picture of the volume of the optics research community. University should understand the causes of the gap between advanced optical research and optical industry and to explore its solutions from the perspective of light education.

Study on growth of optical technology based on statistics on different conference, workshop etc. attendee shows its rapid development. Annual U.S. Conference on Lasers and Electro-optics (CLEO), Optical Fiber Conference, annual meeting of the Quantum Electronics and Lasers Society, the International Quantum Electronics Conference, the annual meeting of the Optical Society of America, the Lasers and Electro-optics Society annual meeting, and conferences organized throughout the year by SPIE, such as Photonics West and Photonics East, altogether, the field involves more than 30,000 active scientists and engineers worldwide.

Impact on the economy is very remarkable, such as optoelectronics is now a major component of U.S. import and export trade. The rate of formation of optics-related businesses has grown rapidly during the 1990s.

The university should realize greater investment in research and education in optics with collaboration of other institutions and government funding agency. We are confident that these findings will produce the bringing up of optical engineers and the development of the optical industry.

Picture Curtsey: https://www.extremetech.com/

ENERGY NEXT #NUCLEAR POWER (Electricity)

‘Energy” is a very important word in modern life. It exists in different forms. Most amazing and life changing innovation of humankind is Electricity without which we would be in the dark-age. It has changed everything it touches in our life. We are well aware of the fact that in our daily life we can hardly live without electricity. It has a wide range of complex applications along with our daily commercial needs.

Electricity is a secondary mode of energy and we get it by conversion of primary sources like coal, petrol, crude oil, solar energy, natural gas. While electricity exists in natural forms such as lightning and static electricity, it is usually generated for use on demand by electromechanical generators. These generators may be propelled by the kinetic energy of flowing water and wind, or by the movement of steam produced from water boiled by fuel combustion. The production of electricity and its effect on the environment is one of concern now a days. The electricity generated by natural fossils like petroleum, natural gases produces a number of byproducts that pollute the environment. The gases and chemicals like Carbon dioxide (CO₂), Carbon monoxide (CO),Sulfur dioxide (SO₂), Nitrogen oxides (NOx), Hydrocarbons and Heavy metals like mercury etc. are produced. These byproducts cause health hazards like inflammatory responses in the respiratory system, reducing the ability of the body to carry oxygen in blood, cardiac problems and damage to the central nervous system; fatigue; headaches; nausea and many more.

The structure of the electricity sector has been evolving over the past decade. Increasing global energy demand combined with the need to minimize GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emission require the diversification of energy sources and other technologies with lesser environmental effect. The electricity generation with Solar energy and Nuclear energy are the most promising way to generate clean energy. At present, Nuclear Power appears to be the best choice for many nations. It has a great prospect of supplying sufficient energy with creating less impact to the environment.

Nuclear Power Generation; Theory:

Nuclear power plants work on splitting of large atoms by nuclear fission process. When large atoms split into one or more smaller atoms, giving off other particles releasing energy, is called nuclear fission. Nuclear fission can happen spontaneously through radioactive decay. It can also be produced in a controlled manner on demand to get energy out of atoms in Nuclear Power plants. The process releases additional neutrons which cause fission in other uranium nuclei and a self-sustaining chain reaction leading to an enormous release of energy. The fission of rare heavy nuclei such as uranium-235 and plutonium-239 are triggered by the capture of one neutron. The nucleus then splits in two highly radioactive fragments, releasing energy and producing new neutrons. Atoms which exist in unstable forms called radioactive isotopes. They decay releasing energy. According to a basic conservation law of physics, the law of conservation of energy, the energy released in a nuclear fission reaction is equal to the total mass of the original atom and minus the total mass of the atoms it splits into which is called binding energy.

Nuclear Fission Process

Nuclear Power Plant:

The purpose of a power plant is to boil water to produce steam to power a generator to produce electricity. Power plants boil water to produce steam that spins the propeller-like blades of a turbine that turns the shaft of a generator. Inside the generator, coils of wire and magnetic fields interact to create electricity. In nuclear power plant steam is produced from the energy released by splitting atoms of uranium. The uranium fuel generates heat through a process of fission.

Nuclear Energy; Energy Next:

To deal with climate change clean energy is a necessity of present day world. Nuclear Power production is supposed to be the main way for production of electricity in future. While nuclear power plants have many similarities to other types of plants that generate electricity, there are some significant differences. It is Clean Energy, Sustainable and produces a huge amount of carbon free power and can produce more energy than other sources. Most of the countries worldwide are going to opt for generation of Nuclear power. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the United States avoided more than 476 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2019 which is the equivalent of removing 100 million cars from the road and more than all other clean energy sources combined. The world is marching forward to explore the full potential of nuclear power. This has taken the form of a revolution as countries like Russia, China, France, UK, USA have set successful examples of producing electricity by nuclear reactors. The nuclear capacity growth will be around 25 % in a difference of only 25 years (2015 to 2040). It is not only fulfilling the growing demand but also to ensure a safe environment.

India started her nuclear power program more than sixty years back. The most important source of energy in India in the coming decade will be Nuclear Energy. Tarapur Atomic Power Plant is the first Nuclear power plant in India commissioned in 1968. India has independent indigenous nuclear power program. A significant expansion has been taken which will enable millions of Indians to access electricity. But till date India produces only 3.22% of its total demand as nuclear electricity with install capacity 6780 MWe with 22 operating reactors and 7 nuclear power plants but determined to grow its nuclear power program as a part of a large infrastructure development program. Resource is the main point of concern in nuclear power production. India has small Uranium but large Thorium resources. Three stage nuclear programs have been adopted with the resource of small uranium but large Thorium availability of the country. India is planning to add around ~ 22,000 Mw nuclear power generation capacity over the next decade.

The current consumption rate of fossil fuel will make them extinct by the year 2050 to 2100. Based on these facts, a nuclear power plant is a strategic choice to develop clean energy. India always is in forefront. One of the problems in nuclear power plants is large capital cost and large commissioning time of the construction of the plant but nuclear electricity costs compare well with those of electricity from coal at distances of 800 to 1000 km from the coal fields. Return from nuclear power is also great. To minimize Greenhouse gas emission and global warming, nuclear power plants are one of the possible solutions. Radiation which comes out from the nuclear fuel cycle has less magnitude than natural radiation to ionizing radiation. With the development of science the safety factors related to the nuclear power generation can be well controlled and solved. Nuclear power plants are being integrated to the power production system due to increasing demand for electricity and minimal environmental damage.

References:

[1]. http://www.world-nuclear.org/informationlibrary/current-and-future-generation/plans-for-newreactorsworldwide.aspx.

[2]. Progress in Nuclear energy; Volume 101, Part A, November 2017, Pages 4-18

[3]. Sources and pictures courtesy: Google.

CHANGING URBAN ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH

Until the nineteenth and twentieth century, the ancient cities were smaller in size and were supported by the larger rural population. The process of urbanization has stimulated rapidly throughout the world since 1800 and subsequently, the cities have been continuously expanding their boundaries and population. The global urban population, since then, has increased from 13% to 50% at present. Massive work opportunities and modern lifestyle have led to a huge influx of people that accelerated the change of urban landscape horizontally and vertically by narrowing inter-building space and open green spaces. This urban development has resulted to changes in the urban microclimate, particularly of the thermal environment.

Formation of urban heat island

The structure of the city differs from its rural counterpart in terms of the building height, building materials, layout etc.; therefore, the thermal environment of cities quite different than the rural area. The concrete building materials, dark surfaces such as asphalt used for roadways and rooftop tend to have a low albedo, and absorb a higher amount of solar radiation and convert it to thermal energy (Pan, 2015). As a result, surplus heat energy accumulates in the urban environment and is likely to produce more heat than its suburban and rural counterparts. The urban regions, especially congested part become warmer than their suburban or rural surroundings, formulating an island of elevated temperatures in the landscape. This phenomenon of a gradual warming of the urban core in comparison to the adjoining suburban and rural areas is referred to as Urban Heat Island (UHI) (Comarazamy et al., 2010). The temperature difference from rural surroundings to the urban area can be as high as 12°C. During the night, when winds are calm, the temperature difference is highly prominent (Oke and Cleugh, 1987).

Why Cities Experiences heat island?

Deforestation: Rural and the less undisturbed landscape is mostly covered with vegetation and grasses that cool the lower atmospheric environment through transpiration and providing natural sheds. Deforestation and encroachment of green space reduce the natural cooling effect.
Encroachment of wetland and open space: The changes of landscape (surface cover) alters the interaction between surface characteristics and solar radiation, therefore resulted in micro-climate. In the rural area, a part of solar energy is consumed for evaporation of water from soil surface and water body. In the city region, the gradual encroachment of wetland, water body, open space etc. by the concrete structure reduces heat loss by minimizing evaporation, thus the cumulative accumulation of heat.
Radiative heat captured by urban structure: The invasion of the urban structure by replacing the green cover and other natural surface covers not only captures and accumulates heat during day time, but also store radiative energy during night-time making urban core as UHI. The tall urban buildings with narrow interspace between the buildings obstruct longwave radiation during the night and accumulate heat.
Artificial heat generation: The burning of fossil fuel (used by vehicles), industrial and domestic heating and cooling units release more heat than injected into the urban environment (1 to 3° C). The growth of urban area and increase of economic activity often led to amplify UHI.

Urban Heat Island and air pollution:

Unplanned development, continuous development activities, heavy traffic load often increase the concentration of air pollutants and greenhouse gases that absorb radiation emitted from the surface. A large part of this absorbed energy reradiated downwards to warm the ambient air. On the other hand, UHIs can have an impact on air quality by rising ground-level ozone (O3). Sunlight and temperature exacerbate ozone formation, causing peak ozone levels during the summer season. Therefore, the cities experience a marked upswing in the formation of ozone. Interestingly, heat islands intensify the energy demand for cooling and add more pressure for electricity generation that, in turn, increases the emission of greenhouse gases. Vehicle transportation, construction activities, industrial work emit particulate matter (PM) and precursors to PM formation. Crutzen (2004) suggested that a high concentration of pollutants in the UHI plumes can alter atmospheric chemistry. Researches in different cities around the world have found the significant relation between the air pollution and UHI; for example, the relationship between urban climate and suspended particulate matter (Jonsson et al. 2004), urban heat with enhanced ozone levels (Stone 2005), aerosol concentration and UHI (Li et al. 2007). In the Indian background, however, such investigations are still limited (Pandey et al., 2012).

Impact of UHI and changing air quality on human health

The UHI effect alters the urban micro-climate and increases human exposure to heat, while increasing air pollution causes several health issues, mainly on the respiratory system. Heat island exposure can increase the risk of heatstroke in cities (Kjellstrom et al., 2009) and some common chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heat stress, discomforts, cardiovascular disease, respiratory distress, cramps, etc. and can even lead to death. Few researchers have found that peoples who have cognitive health issues like depression, dementia etc. are facing higher risk at higher temperatures. People suffering from overweight and diabetics may have sleep deprivation or cardiovascular syndromes due to extreme heat exposure.

Physiological responses to heat exposure may increase heat mortality by affecting the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The estimation of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention between 1979 and 2003 found more than 8,000 premature deaths in the United States caused by excessive heat exposure. For instance, 50% of the total heat-related mortality in the West Midlands during the 2003 heat wave was caused by UHI effect.

The ground-level ozone exposure and exposure to pollution contribute significantly to the respiratory tract irritation, and heart and lung disease-related mortality (WHO 2016). The combined exposure to UHI and air pollutants during hot season intensify the cardiovascular diseases (Kinney, 2008). Anenberg et al. (2011) have estimated the annual global mortality caused by exposure to ozone and PM2.5. They found that 0.7 ± 0.3 million respiratory mortalities were associated with surface exposure to ozone, while air pollutant PM2.5 was responsible for 3.5 ± 0.9 million cardiopulmonary and 220,000 ± 80,000 lung cancer mortalities.

Potential impacts in India

NCDs are historically considered as a problem of developed countries, though the problem is growing rapidly in most parts of the world (Kjellstrom et al., 2009). World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated US$6.2 trillion costs to be expended in India between 2012 and 2030 for the treatment of some NCDs like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes and mental health disorders (WHO, 2016).

The rapid urban growth has not only led to the formation of UHI but also reduce air quality especially caused by motor vehicles. The ‘safe’ Air Quality Index (AQI) is thought to be between 61-90 units, but in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Kolkata it has gone to very poor–to-dangerous levels of about 323 unit.

Urbanisation increases better access to health facilities but the residents of poor areas such as slums and informal settlers suffer from “disproportionately from diseases, injury, premature death and combination of ill-health and poverty entrenches disadvantage over time” (UNFPA 2012). Many of the poor residents even cannot bear the cost of health facilities for which mortality among them is on the rise as they tend to resort to unqualified and unregulated providers such as quack doctors.

Mitigation and future policy

According to the prediction of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the climate change is likely to exacerbate heat wave frequencies in future which, in turn, will increase the mortality from heat strokes. However, the scientific community needs to pay more attention to in-depth analysis of the cause-effect relationship between heat island, increasing air pollution level, global warming, and the resulted in diseases and mortality. Though industrialisation and urban development are essential for economic growth, the control of UHIs and their fallouts are similarly essential. Urban development through proper planning, policy adaptation, administrative control and vigilance, community awareness, however, could be a better solution to maintain a balance between urban growth and environmental protection. Urban climatologists, architect, engineers etc. are investigating for decades to minimize UHI effect. Measures including greener rooftops, cool roof, white or reflective materials to build urban infrastructure like buildings, roofs, pavements, roads etc. which increases the total albedo are used to minimize heat in the urban environment. UHI effects can also be minimized by implementing green roofs as plants absorb carbon dioxide with an increase in oxygen production. Increasing vegetation cover through the plantation in urban space also decreases the UHI effect. Green parking lots also helps in reducing the urban heat island effects as it uses surfaces other than vegetation and asphalt. Besides building engineering and plantation, several policies should be adopted and implemented strictly to minimize UHI effect and air pollution.

Strict land-use policy formulation and implementation to restrict illegal encroachment over wetland and open space in the urban and peri-urban area.
Implementation building bylaws for each urban area considering a national policy.
Encouraging electric vehicle transportation and controlling motor vehicle pollution through vigilance on Pollution under Control (PUC) certificate.
Increasing community awareness, transparency in governance, effective traffic management etc.

Reference:

Pan, J., 2015. Analysis of human factors on urban heat island and simulation of urban thermal environment in Lanzhou city, China. Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, 9(1), p.095999.

Comarazamy, D.E., González, J.E., Luvall, J.C., Rickman, D.L. and Mulero, P.J., 2010. A land–atmospheric interaction study in the coastal tropical city of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Earth Interactions, 14(16), pp.1-24.

Oke, T.R. and Cleugh, H.A., 1987. Urban heat storage derived as energy balance residuals. Boundary-Layer Meteorology, 39(3), pp.233-245.

Crutzen, P.J., 2004. New directions: the growing urban heat and pollution” island” effect-impact on chemistry and climate. Atmospheric environment, 38(21), pp.3539-3540.

Jonsson, P., Bennet, C., Eliasson, I. and Lindgren, E.S., 2004. Suspended particulate matter and its relations to the urban climate in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Atmospheric Environment, 38(25), pp.4175-4181.

Li, Y.M., Zhang, J.H. and Gu, R.Z., 2004. Research on the Relationship between Urban Greening and the Effect of Urban Heat Island [J]. Journal of Chinese Landscape Architecture, 1, pp.72-75.

Pandey, P., Kumar, D., Prakash, A., Masih, J., Singh, M., Kumar, S., Jain, V.K. and Kumar, K., 2012. A study of urban heat island and its association with particulate matter during winter months over Delhi. Science of the Total Environment, 414, pp.494-507.

Stone Jr, B., 2005. Urban heat and air pollution: An emerging role for planners in the climate change debate. Journal of the American planning association, 71(1), pp.13-25.

Kjellstrom, T., Holmer, I. and Lemke, B., 2009. Workplace heat stress, health and productivity–an increasing challenge for low and middle-income countries during climate change. Global health action, 2(1), p.2047.

Kinney, P.L., O’Neill, M.S., Bell, M.L. and Schwartz, J., 2008. Approaches for estimating effects of climate change on heat-related deaths: challenges and opportunities. Environmental science & policy, 11(1), pp.87-96.

Anenberg, S.C., West, J.J., Horowitz, L.W. and Tong, D.Q., 2011. The global burden of air pollution on mortality: Anenberg et al. respond. Environmental health perspectives, 119(4), pp.158-159.

UNFPA 2012. UNFPA Annual Report 2012. Available at: https://www.unfpa.org/publications/unfpa-annual-report-2012

WHO 2016. WHO annual report on noncommunicable diseases 2016. Available at: http://www.emro.who.int/annual-report/2016/noncommunicable-diseases.html

COVID-19 vaccine development: research and job opportunities in Biotechnology

Scholar members: Ms. Sanjukta Dey, Ms. Samanwita Das, and Ms. Arunima Saha, Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Adamas University

General Introduction: COVID-19

The world health organization (WHO) was informed of the prevalence of pneumonia of a unique cause which was detected in Wuhan, China on the 31st of December 2019. Later scientists came to know that the causal organism was a new fatal virus strain of Coronavirus family, which was named SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) that causes a respiratory disease termed COVID-19 (Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019). Since then, COVID-19 has spread around the world covering every continent and the World Health Organization has declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020 following the announcement of a worldwide pandemic from 11^th March 2020. Treatment unavailability of this fatal coronavirus (COVID 19) has already caused more than 600,000 deaths and the curve is on the rise.

Figure 1: COVID-19 World Map by WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION MARCH 24, 2020, SOURCE: [ https://scitechdaily.com/covid-19-world-map-372757-confirmed-cases-190-countries-16231-deaths/]

Although few re-purposing old drugs are already used to prevent coronavirus presently, there is no specific promising treatment along with any vaccine for preventing COVID-19. Therefore, developing a dedicated vaccine has never been as dire a need as in the present time when the survival of the human race is in danger. It is a do-die situation – we come back with a glorious victory or we give in to COVID-19.

Vaccination: the only way to win the war against Covid-19

To understand how vaccine development can be a prospective area of research and can be a sector offering job opportunity we must first understand what is a VACCINE? As a kid, we have all been immunized with various vaccines. Vaccine and immune system are correlated (with the high association) and is used as a tool for fighting infectious diseases. To define a vaccine – it is a biological formulation of weakened microbes, its toxins and/or one of the surface antigens – anything which can elicit a weak immune response against the pathogen and /or antigen while giving our body the acquired immunity and preparing our immune system to fight future incidence of the disease. It can be used both as prophylactic (preventive) or as therapeutic (post pathology) and are undoubtedly one of the greatest discoveries of all time. Vaccination has helped us eradicate and/or fight deadly infectious diseases in the past. However, the unavailability of vaccines for the treatment of fatal diseases has caused problems and driven global attention towards the production of safer, easier, and more effective vaccines. There are three types of methods through which vaccines can be produced. They are the cell-based vaccines, the egg-based vaccines, and investigational-manufacturing systems based vaccine production. Traditional vaccines consist of inactivated or attenuated pathogens and are not entirely safe and may carry the risk of regressing to virulence, as well as other difficulties in terms of antigenic variability between species, low levels of immunogenicity and possible gene transfer to wild-type strains. Henceforth the greatest public health challenge of this millennium is to develop a safe, easy to manufacture and transport, and cost-effective vaccine to protect suffering mankind from this highly infectious and transmissible disease. Unfortunately, the researchers have little knowledge of the molecular details of SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially into the specific effective molecular targets which are developing broadly and acting as the antiviral therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, the path for vaccine development will require extensive research work, not only in terms of efficacy but also safety. More than 90 vaccines are being developed against SARS-CoV-2 by research teams in companies and universities across the world. Researchers are tracing several different strategies, some of which haven’t been considered as the production method of a licensed vaccine before. For safety trials, some volunteers have been taken and they are subjected to the trials by injecting formulations conducted by six groups; others also have started testing in animals.

Mode of action: How Vaccine recognize and develop immunity, Source [https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01221-y]

Vaccine development can be a job opportunity for students of biotechnology:

India is reorganized as a mega bio-diversity country and biotechnology offers opportunities to convert our biological resources into economic wealth and employment opportunities.

The Biotech Industry in India is witnessing a robust growth rate. The estimated valuation of the industry was at US$ 7 billion in FY15, which is expected to grow at 30.46 percent

Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) to US$ 100billion by FY25.

In the present pandemic condition, the power of biotechnology can be used in industries that use biological systems for the production of useful entities like the production of new vaccines to eradicate the Corona virus. These recent job opportunities in industries can activate their working powers to produce new vaccines to eradicate the Corona virus. Students of biotechnology can avail of a variety of careers in the basic area of research and development of a vaccine, it’s production, clinical trials, and distribution of vaccine to the public. Students having biotechnology as their background study can attain the basic research jobs as resource person that focuses to understand mechanisms of increasing immunity to protect the people from the dreadful infectious virus. Biotechnology students can get medical training for understanding mechanisms in increasing immunity which will guide them regarding the development of vaccines for combating infectious diseases. Medical biotechnology offers many students an important chance for the Indian industry for establishing strong pharmaceutical sector, which helps in growing several small and medium biotechnology companies, with a large network of research institutes, universities, and medical schools for production of the low cost of products and their evaluation. Bioinformatics helps the students who hold out strong expectations of reducing the cost and time of development of new products such as new drugs and vaccines for controlling infectious diseases like COVID 19.

Join School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Adamas University: Be a COVID 19 Warrior

School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Adamas University has different biological sectors under its canopy catering to various specialized outcome-based education in biotechnology. Dreaming to be a global biotechnologist and securing a research-based job especially at this devastating situation when unemployment is a burning problem may come into a reality in the School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology where eminent and qualified professors nurture and shape the students with academic knowledge and lab-based lessons. Moreover, with an efficient Placement Department and Incubation Center Adamas University provides Biotech students with curated placement options in established Biotech Firms and Biotech Startup Companies across the country.