Recent Trends in Applied Science and Technology

About the University

Alagappa University has emerged from a galaxy of institutions initially founded during late 1940s and 1950’s by Padma Bhushan Dr. RM. Alagappa Chettiar (06.04.1909 - 05.04.1957). It is a State Government University established by an Act of the Tamil Nadu State Legislature in 1985 as unitary type; later became Affiliating type in 2002. The University is recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and is accredited with an A++ Grade by NAAC (CGPA: 3.59) in the Fourth Cycle under the Dual Mode Category. The University has graded as Category-I University by MHRD-UGC and occupies 2nd place out of the 12 State Universities in the Country. It is the only State University in Tamil Nadu obtained the Category-I Status. The University is situated at Karaikudi, in the District of Sivagangai, in the State of Tamil Nadu. Alagappa University’s campus sprawls across 435.98 Acres of lush green land, (428.15 acres in Main Campus and and 7.83 acres in Thondi Campus) creating a highly secure, eco-conscious and student-friendly learning ambience. The University was brought into existence with the objective of fostering research, development and dissemination of knowledge in various branches of learning. The University has 44 Departments, 3 Academic Centres and 2 Constituent Colleges (AUCE, AUCPE) on its campus. 45 Colleges located in the districts of Sivagangai and Ramanathapuram are Affiliated to the University. The University is offering UG and PG programmes in the four Faculties (Arts, Science, Education, Management). The University's motto is "Excellence in Action" and the University keeps before it the vision of excellence in all spheres of its action.

Department of Physics

The Department of Physics was started in the year 1985. In a short span of time, the Department became a center of excellence in research. Since its inception, the Department has strong commitment towards teaching programs at the postgraduate level (M.Sc.) and research programs at the M.Phil. and Ph.D. levels. Thrust area research programs are being pursued intensively in the Department of Physics, which includes crystal growth of nonlinear, ferroelectric, and semiconducting materials; unidirectional growth of organic and inorganic crystals; organic conducting polymers for rechargeable batteries; electrodes for lithium, sodium, and sulfur batteries; supercapacitors; biodiesel synthesis; electrodes for fuel cells; oxide and semiconductor thin films for smart materials and solar cells; layered compound semiconductors for photoelectrochemical solar cells; and MEMS. The Department is very proud to record that it has been honored recently with a vice-chancellorship for one of the faculty, Prof. G. Ravi, and Dr. M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India, is our alumnus. The Department has been permitted to undertake research projects by national agencies such as UGC-SAP (DRS Level I, II, and III), DST-FIST (Level I and II), and RUSA. So far, the department and faculty members have generated Rs.1637 lakh through various funding agencies, which includes Rs.163 lakh from characterization consultancy. The total Scopus citation of the department is 38696 with h-index of 84, and the Web of Science citation is 30216 with h-index of 72.

ISTA

The Indian Science and Technology Association (ISTA) is a well-established and registered professional body dedicated to promote collaboration among experts from diverse research fields. The primary objective of ISTA is to create a unified platform for interdisciplinary interaction, with a special focus on advancing scientific knowledge and contributing to the development of rural students. This array of scholars belongs to diverse research fields ranging from theoretical physics, applied physics, general chemistry, applied chemistry, biotechnology, cryptography, engineering, and data sciences. It is actively involved in organizing conferences/seminars on various topics at various places to improve research exposure for College and University students, especially those from rural backgrounds. In addition to various other activities, the ISTA also has been actively working for the development of science in Tamil language and to kindle interest among rural students who were studied in Tamil medium towards scientific research. We work effectively to simulate the research interest, to improve understanding and to nourish research attitude among rural students who studied or studying in Tamil medium and to lay the firm foundation for their future research endeavours.

The Conference

The first International Conference on this theme was organized at Anna University in 2017. The Successive conferences were held at various Universities of Tamil Nadu. The 9th international conference is proposed to be organized at Alagappa University during 23-24 July 2026. The theme emphasizes the significance of materials development, various characteristics, and optimism regarding the potential applications of Applied Science and Technology including Nanotechnology. This would be a great platform for PG students and scholars to interact with reputed scientists and academicians of Tamil origins across the globe. It also opens up vistas by disseminating recent research for industrial applications. Further, it will pave an elegant way for them to innovate modern products, which will ease the processing and help society.

Organizing Secretaries

Responsible for executive departmental workflow execution at the core hub:

• Prof. Dr. M. Sivakumar - Alagappa University, Karaikudi
• Dr. N. Anandhan - Alagappa University, Karaikudi
• Dr. R. Subadevi - Alagappa University, Karaikudi
• Dr. M. Ramesh Prabhu - Alagappa University, Karaikudi
• Dr. R. Yuvakkumar - Alagappa University, Karaikudi

Co-Organizing Secretaries

Joint association operations and external structural college linkages:

• Dr. K. Gunasekaran - Secretary, ISTA, Chennai
• Dr. M. Karl Chinnu - Dr. Ambedkar Government Arts College, Chennai
• Dr. P. Anandan - T. K. Government Arts College, Vriddhachalam

Registration Fees

Account details

Wire routing clearing configurations:

• A/C Name: THE CONVENER, ICRTAST 2026
• Account No: 8324290579
• Bank Name: Indian Bank
• Branch: AC CAMPUS, Karaikudi
• IFSC Code: IDIB000A008
• Payable at: Karaikudi