The Central University of Punjab successfully organized a seminar titled “Watson: Architect of Genomics”, jointly hosted by the Department of Zoology and the Department of Education. The programme, held under the patronage of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari, was coordinated by Prof. Aklank Jain, Head, Department of Zoology, along with Dr. Sidharth and Dr. Priyanka Department of Education.
The inaugural ceremony featured Lamp Lighting, Saraswati Vandana, and Watering of Plants, followed by the welcome address and introduction of the event by Prof. Sanjeev Thakur, Dean, School of Basic Sciences. The event continued with an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Anjana Munshi, highlighting the scientific legacy of Nobel Laureate Dr. James D. Watson—the co-discoverer of the DNA double-helix structure.
The event was attended by than 200 people, including BS-MS, MSc, and B.Sc. students of this university and Dashmesh Girls Senior Secondary School, Badal, Bathinda. An interesting Nukkad Natak (street play) on the theme of DNA and its discovery was then organized by the first- and second-year MSc students along with B Sc. students.
The play had been enacted by Navneet Pandey, Neha, Niharika Sharma, Mayank Singh, Shreya Pandey, Yashaswi, Isha, Anusuiya, Jitendra Kumar and Suzain. The street play not only represented the journey of DNA discovery but also brought a powerful ethical message that "knowledge without respect becomes arrogance" which later came out to be a major moral takeaway of the whole programme.
In parallel, a beautiful rangoli was created on the theme "DNA is Life", which through art, shows how the baby is gone from mother and how they are connected with each other by the unit of DNA and thus with the help of art, it was possible to reflect the inheritance and continuity of life. In his Presidential Address, Vice Chancellor Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari applauded the organizing departments and noted that Watson’s discovery of the DNA double-helix sparked a scientific revolution that reshaped biology, medicine, and biotechnology.
He urged students to draw inspiration from pioneering scientists, pursue innovative research for societal benefit, and strengthen India’s scientific future through interdisciplinary and curiosity-driven learning—bringing greater global recognition to the university. The special highlights of this event was a street play, a DNA extraction demonstration, and a documentary film on the legacy of Watson that helped students understand the evolution and impact of genomics research in an interactive manner.
The seminar continued with student oral presentations covering topics such as Photo 51, The Central Dogma, Role of Watson in the Human Genome Project, DNA Fingerprinting, Epigenetics, DNA Chip, DNA in Paleontology, and Applications of DNA research in medicine and forensic science. A quiz competition further enhanced academic engagement.
In the final session, students showcased their creativity through Poster Presentations and Model Presentations, followed by Prize Distribution to acknowledge outstanding performers. The seminar offered an enriching learning platform for students and scholars to explore the foundations and future of genomics while paying tribute to Dr. James D. Watson’s monumental contributions to DNA science.