Cotton University and Aaranyak sign MoU to foster collaboration in academic and research initiatives
Guwahati, July 27
Cotton University signed an MoU with the Aaranyak on Monday to foster collaboration in academic and research initiatives focusing on biodiversity conservation, climate change, environmental governance, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development.
According to the press release, the MoU was signed by Dr Hiren Deka, Registrar, Cotton University, and Dr Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, Secretary General, Aaranyak, in the presence of Prof. Ramesh Chandra Deka, Vice Chancellor, Cotton University.
The five-year partnership will promote joint research, student internships, faculty and researcher exchange, capacity-building programmes, collaborative publications, and knowledge-sharing through seminars and workshops.
The MoU signing was witnessed by Prof. Santanu Sarma, Dean, Research & Development; Prof. Eeshan Kalita, Dean, Students Welfare; Dr Narayan Sharma, Department of Environmental Biology and Wildlife Sciences, along with two senior scientists and Directors from Aaranyak Dr Partha Jyoti Das and Udayan Borthakur.
This collaboration marks an important step towards advancing interdisciplinary research, environmental stewardship, and meaningful academic engagement for the benefit of society and the region, mentioned in the press release.
Reacting to the landmark development, Aaranyaks Secretary General Dr Bibhab Kumar Talukdar said, "On behalf of Aaranyak, I offer my sincere gratitude to the Hon'ble Vice Chancellor of Cotton University and his team members for making this MoU signing a reality. This will indeed provide a great opportunity for us to work together in the diverse field of applied research and conservation which will benefit the students and researchers."
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is a much-needed collaboration! Aaranyak has done commendable work in wildlife conservation, and tying up with Cotton University will provide students valuable hands-on experience. Hope this leads to more research on Kaziranga's flood mitigation and rhino habitat protection. Assam's future depends on such academic-practice partnerships.
Good step, but such MoUs often remain on paper. Need concrete action plans with measurable targets. Also, hope these internships and exchanges aren't limited to just a few elite students. Would like to see transparent selection criteria and broad-based participation. Still, kudos to both institutions for thinking long-term! 👍
As someone from Guwahati, this is heartening to see. The Brahmaputra valley faces so many environmental challenges - erosion, urban flooding, deforestation. If this MoU can lead to practical solutions like better flood warning systems or reforestation models, it'll be a game-changer for the region. Dhanyavaad to all involved! 🙏
Great news for wildlife research in Northeast India! The five-year duration is encouraging - shows commitment beyond short-term photo-ops. Would love to see this partnership extend to involve local communities too, since conservation without community participation rarely succeeds. Aaranyak's experience with community-managed conservation areas could be invaluable here.
As an alumnus of Cotton University, I'm proud to see this! The focus on disaster risk reduction is particularly timely given the recent floods in Assam. Hope students from the Environmental Biology department get first preference for internships. This MoU could also help address the brain drain - talented researchers might stay in Assam if they see such opportunities improving. 😊
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