Guwahati: Assam’s Nagaon University has emerged as a contributor to an international scientific conference on mercury pollution, with its faculty presenting research on mercury contamination in agricultural crops and soil and its students showcasing the cultural heritage of Northeast India.
The university participated in the 17th International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant (ICMGP 2026), held at the IIT Hyderabad Convention Centre from October 4 to 9.
The conference brought together scientists, researchers, policymakers and experts from across the world to discuss mercury pollution, its environmental and health impacts, mitigation technologies and policy responses.
The 2026 edition was particularly significant for India, as it was the first time the international conference was hosted in the country.
This year’s theme for ICMGP is “Reaching Ten Years of Enforcement of the Minamata Convention: Achievements, Challenges and Road Map for the Future”.
Nagaon University’s participation extended beyond research presentations. Farishta Yasmin, Academic Registrar and Head of the Departments of Botany and Biotechnology, served on the conference’s Scientific Steering Committee, contributing to its scientific planning and deliberations.
She also participated as a panellist in the Women’s Event, which focused on the role and representation of women in science.
The university’s mercury research was presented through one poster and two oral presentations by Yasmin, Prantik Sharma Baruah and research scholar Bhargov Mudhukailya. The presentations focused on mercury contamination in agricultural crops and soil, highlighting the university’s emerging research engagement with an environmental pollutant of global concern.
The university also brought a cultural dimension to the scientific gathering. Its students performed traditional dances representing the cultural diversity of Northeast India alongside other performers at the conference.
University officials said the participation reflected an effort to connect research emerging from Assam with international scientific networks while also taking the region’s cultural identity to a global audience.
The conference also had a significant connection with the university through Jagannath Biswakarma, who served as Chair of ICMGP 2026.
A former student of the institution, Biswakarma has continued to advocate stronger research engagement and international scientific collaboration, encouraging the university to connect local research with global challenges.
His role at the international conference has provided another link between Nagaon University and the wider global mercury research community.
For Nagaon University, the participation brought together scientific research, international academic engagement, women’s leadership in science and Northeast India’s cultural heritage on one global platform.