Photo: BSS

RAJSHAHI, July 15, 2026 (BSS) - A day-long scientific workshop titled 'From Conference to Exploration: Empowering Undergraduate Students in Research' was held today, organized by the Department of Chemistry at the University of Rajshahi (RU).
 
The main objective of this workshop is to familiarize undergraduate students with research, raise awareness about the importance and impact of research, create interest in research, and provide necessary guidance to get involved in research in the future.
 
The inaugural session was held at 9 am in the seminar room of the Department of Chemistry, where Vice-Chancellor Professor Md. Faridul Islam was present as the chief guest and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor Mamunur Rashid was present as the special guest.

The Chairman of the Department of Chemistry, Professor Chowdhury Zakaria, presided over the program.
 
As the keynote speaker of the workshop, Distinguished Research Professor Saidur Rahman from Sunway University, Malaysia, delivered a speech.

He discussed the importance of research, perseverance in research, international research collaboration, and various aspects of building a research-based career for a student.

An Invited Lecture was delivered by Dr. Faridul Islam, Senior Scientific Officer of the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Rajshahi.

He discussed practical experience in research, research planning, scientific thinking, and various strategies for succeeding in research.
 
A total of 21 posters and 14 presentations were presented in this day-long workshop.

Researchers at the PhD, MPhil and postgraduate levels presented the objectives, methods, results and potential applications of their research.

After each presentation, participating students took part in a question-and-answer session and exchanged views directly with the researchers.
 
One of the unique aspects of this workshop is the active involvement of undergraduate students in the evaluation process.

Each participating student was encouraged to provide written feedback on at least two poster presentations.

Based on the analytical nature of the feedback, its rationality, and suggestions for further improving the research, two students from each batch will be awarded.

Through this, students will have the opportunity to develop their critical thinking, scientific analytical skills, and research evaluation abilities.
 
In addition, presenters securing first, second and third positions will also be awarded based on the quality of the presented research, presentation of scientific content, skill in the question-and-answer session, and overall performance.
 
It has been decided that the Vice-Chancellor of Bogra University, Professor Qudrat-I-Jahan, was present as the chief guest and the Director of RU IQAC, Professor Md. Abu Reza was the special guest at the closing ceremony of the seminar.