CHENNAI: Hindustan College of Arts and Science (HCAS) successfully organised the National Conference on Biotechnological Advances in Biomedical, Environmental, and Agricultural Technology (BEAT-2025).

Hosted by the Department of Biotechnology, the event brought together 424 participants from 32 colleges and research institutions across Tamil Nadu and beyond.

The conference began with a welcome address by Dr D Uthira, Principal, followed by an overview of the theme by Dr C Elizabeth Juneius Rani, PG Head, Department of Biotechnology and Dean, School of Sciences.

Dr Susan Verghese, Director, highlighted the role of biotechnology in vaccine development and environmental conservation, particularly mangrove afforestation along the coastal belt. Dr K Malarvizhi, Vice Principal – Academics and Dean of Business Studies, and Samuel Sampath Kumar, Vice Principal – Admin, also graced the occasion along with other dignitaries.

Chief Guest, Vivek Kumar Parasnath Yadav, IFS, Assistant Mission Director, Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission, discussed climate change mitigation and resilience

strategies, while Special Guest, Dr M Baluswami, Director, Krishnamurthy Institute of Algology, emphasizsd the need for global research collaboration.

The conference featured five plenary lectures, interactive scientific discussions, and research presentations, including 232 offline oral presentations, 9 online oral presentations, 39 offline poster presentations, 4 online poster presentations, and 4 model exhibitions, evaluated by over 15 judges across 10 venues.