Prof. Bradley Arnold of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry was selected as the “Guest of Honor” at the International Conference of Multifunctional Materials in Uttar Pradesh, India. He participated in the inaugural events by lighting a ceremonial candle and presenting leis to the statue of Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, the founder of the university. In turn he was honored to receive gifts of flowers, a shawl, and plaque from members of the organizing committee. He spoke of the similarities between UMBC and BHU concerning diversity issues and how it is the scientific community’s duty to maintain communication while fostering understanding. He also invited the assembled guests to visit UMBC to participate in the up-coming Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society in 2019.
Additional participants from the United States included Mrs. Gianna Julian-Arnold, who discussed the importance of patents and technology protection in the plenary session, and Dr. S. K. Singh (Lockheed Corporation) and Dr. Narasimha Prasad (NASA Langley Research Center). Dr. Prasad described his collaborative research with UMBC students on the nano-engineered lead selenide for high operating temperature infrared detectors.
The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is the largest central university, governed by the Federal government of India. It is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and it is considered the “Harvard of India”. This university has two campuses. With area more than 20 square miles. This university is celebrating its one hundred year anniversary this year. The IIT part of the BHU had arranged an international conference on multifunctional materials. Researchers from Italy, Korea, USA, Canada, Japan and many other countries participated.
