Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham’s Amritapuri campus hosted ALARM 2024 (Amrita Legion for Antimicrobial Resistance Management) during World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW), which is celebrated worldwide from November 18 to 24. The program, conducted on November 22 and 23, was officially opened by Swami Shubamritananda Puri, the director of the Europe Mata Amritanandamayi Center.
The inaugural event featured prominent speakers such as Dr. Sabu Thomas, Director of the Kerala Center of Excellence in Microbiome; Dr. Taslimarif Saiyed, CEO and Director of C-CAMP, Bengaluru; and Dr. Bipin Nair, Dean of the Amrita School of Biotechnology. The keynote speech was delivered by Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, former Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization and Chairperson of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation.
ALARM 2024 included a range of activities aimed at engaging students, researchers, and the general public in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The two-day symposium gathered experts like Dr. Jason Gill from A&M University, USA, Dr. Victor Nizet, Head of Microbial Systems and Therapeutics, California, USA, and Dr. Anshu Bharadwaj, a Senior Scientist at the CSIR Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, along with other speakers from across India and the globe.
The event also saw the introduction of the Society for Interdisciplinary Biologists Platform. This new initiative aims to foster collaboration among students, faculty, and researchers in areas such as biology, engineering, artificial intelligence, big data, and cybersecurity. It seeks to promote cross-disciplinary research and innovation to address global challenges like AMR.