Singapore
PhD Bioscience at NTU Singapore | M. Tech Bioscience and Bioengineering | IIT Jodhpur, India |
I have completed a 4-weeks internship at Defence Institute of High-Altitude Research (DIHAR), Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Base Lab, Chandigarh, India where I studied the growth characteristics and micro-farming techniques of different seeds under harsh and arid soil which is found in areas at high altitudes. The internship was carried out under the guidance of Dr. Narendra Singh, Scientist ‘F’. The project involved studying and growing microgreens, which are seedlings of vegetables and herbs. The aim of the study was to analyze different seeds and their growing patterns, when grown in soil which is specifically tuned to act similar to the soil found at high altitudes i.e., arid and harsh conditions. Since at high altitudes food cannot be transported easily, it was emphasized to develop a technique which would enable the soldiers posted at high altitude, to fulfill their nutritional requirements and grow them easily on their own. The study concluded with the finding that Fenugreek stays viable for longer periods of time and shows germination percentage of 96.41% whereas seeds like Turnip and Cucumber show the least germination percentage and are not suitable for microgreen practice. The internship gave me an overview of the tough conditions prevalent in different geographical locations and how researchers are devising ways to overcome it.
This internship opportunity helped me in learning about the Quality Assurance of the products and how proper documentation report i.e., dossier is made. Each and every detail of the drug including but not limited to its shelf life, dosage for different age/sex/race groups, storage conditions, consumption route and such needs to be mentioned in the dossier. It allowed me to look at the corporate side of the medicine and how they are handled before being targeted for markets.