IOCD Director meets with students at University of Hyderabad

Kukatpally: Professor Alain Krief, the Director of the International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development (IOCD), and Emeritus Professor at the University of Namur, Belgium, interacted with students at a session organised by the Junior Science Club (JSC) at the College for Integrated Studies, University of Hyderabad (UoH).

The topics discussed included the IOCD, Chemists for Sustainability, and about how science has no boundaries – neither physical nor intellectual. He began by delving into the origins of IOCD, and the roles it serves in the modern world. He spoke of how it works to enable a world which is more sustainable, and is a better place to live in. He also spoke of C4S, (Chemists for Sustainability), which works on attaining the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

He then went on to speak of his research, and elucidated about how selenium was necessary for mammals, but how too much can kill. There was also a lot of discussion regarding how pyrethroid insecticides were superior to DDT, and how an effective drug for HIV was synthesized.

Connecting all this, he stressed on the importance of connectiveness, and how a systems approach was necessary to solve challenging yet important scientific problems today. He stressed on how the absence of such perspective could have negative repercussions later. The attendees got to have an interaction with Prof. Krief and many interesting questions were raised.