Best Practice 2 Enhancing Environmental Awareness and Promoting Sustainable Practices CLEAN CAMPUS ACTIVITIES OF SWACCH BHARAT ENCOURAGING THE CONCEPT OF REUSE, RECYCLE AND UPSCALE SENSITISING THROUGH MURALS SAP PROGRAM CONDUCTED AT CSI BAIN SCHOOL, KILPAUK Demonstration by SMC students on the use of solar energy to school students as part of SAP SOLAR PANELS Students learning about the Solar Panels at Stella Maris College BIOGAS PLANT Students at the Biogas Plant of Stella Maris College MONITORING AIR QUALITY INDEX THE MIYAWAKI FOREST IN HERBAL GARDEN AT SMC THE MAKING CELEBRATING BUTTERFLY WEEK BIRD WATCHING Arts for Good Fellowship Forum jointly organized by Singapore International Foundation, Stella Maris College and Nalandaway The Department of Public Relations began Hyderabad from 28 to 30 August 2018 with a the academic year 2018-19 with a series pre-defined itinerary. The aim of this trip was of workshops in July 2018. A ‘Blog-writing to motivate the students to explore different workshop’ was conducted by Ms. Nikita areas of writing and designing and to stir Chawla, a practicing PR and Blogging their creativity. The Department conducted consultant, for the students to benefit in social its Social Awareness Programme this year in media and organizational communication. association with the Tamilnadu Tribal Welfare Mr. Satyan Bhat, Founder and Director, Department, Ootacamandalam. The first-year PRISM PR, conducted a workshop on ‘Press students, under the guidance of Ms. Deepa. S, Kit and Press Release Writing’ to hone the faculty, visited the Toda Tribal Community and PUBLIC RELATIONS writing skills of the students. Workshops on EMRS residential school, run by the State and the PUBLIC RELATIONS ‘Photography for PR’ and ‘Writing for Radio’ Central Government on 6 and 7 September 2018. were conducted by Mr. Prashanth Pakku, The objective of the visit was to learn from the Freelance Photographer and Ms. Srinidhi community about its occupation for its livelihood Vasudevan respectively. and the intervention of the Government for the education of the community. ‘Dastak’ is a mini project for the final year students of the Department, under the Dr. Shrinidhi. S, Head of the Department, was guidance of Ms. Usha Nandini. S, faculty, started selected as a participant of the Arts for Good in the year 2018 as part of the paper ‘Writing for Fellowship, organised by the Singapore Media.’ A travel magazine, it is conceived and International Foundation in Singapore (21- produced completely by the students who take 24 November 2018), and in Chennai (19 – care of all its aspects from gathering stories, 22 February 2019). The programme aimed creating advertisements to the designing of to build an ecosystem of art practitioners, layout. The final year students were taken to enablers and supporters in different forms 134 of arts for a positive social change within long campaign reached out to students communities. An International Conference on of twenty institutions (private and public ‘Peace Building and Conflict Transformation’ schools and colleges) and public spaces like was organised by the Department in community residences and the 45th Industrial association with the Departments of History, Trade Fair organized by the Tamilnadu State English, Economics, Fine Arts, Social Government, Education Department. The Work and International Studies on 30 and Campaign closed with a Mini-Marathon 31January 2019 at Stella Maris College. Sri. which was conducted on 3 March 2019 along Rajmohan Gandhi delivered the Keynote the Elliots Beach, Chennai. The Department, address. Professors and Students from in association with the Public Relations different universities and Peace Building Society of India, Chennai Chapter, organised Institutions from different parts of the world the annual lecture on ‘Best Practices in participated and presented papers. PR’ in the memory of Gyan Haksar and M. Gopalakrishnan on February 8, 2019. Ms. Nikhila Kesavan, Associate Vice-President, 20-20 MSL delivered the lecture on the topic ‘PR for technology and Technology for PR’. The Department organised an International Scholar-in-Residence Special Lecture on February 9, 2019. Dr. Roseann Mandziuk, Fulbright–Nehru Scholar to India and Professor, Communication Studies, Texas State University, USA, delivered her PReach -Campaign by the II M.A Students lecture on ‘The Need for Rhetoric in Public Relations’. Arts for Good International In January 2019, the Department launched Forum was organised by the Singapore its signature PR Campaign by the final year International Foundation and Nalandaway students under the guidance of Dr. Shrinidhi. Foundation, in association with Stella S. The Campaign, ‘STOP- Step Towards Maris College on 22 February 2019. Art for Zero Plastics’, aimed at creating awareness Good fellows from 11 Countries including on the health and environmental effects of Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, single-use plastics and the importance of Bangladesh, Australia, USA, UK and India responsible disposal of plastic waste. The participated and conducted workshops for Campaign was inaugurated by Ms. Vidhya the audience. Faculty and students of the Amarnath, Director, Patterson Energy Pvt. Department presented papers at national Ltd., and Mr. Nityanand Jayaram, Journalist- and international conferences and seminars turned-Environmentalist. The two-month throughout the year. 135 Department of Botany The academic year 2017–2018 proved to be concepts. Moreover, the joy of reaping harvests an eventful one for the Department of Botany. from plants personally tended to also aided in The Department set in motion several Green better faculty–student relations. Initiatives on campus, notable among them being the setting up of the Stella Green House The third year students were taken to schools at sponsored by the Rotaract club and Dr. Priscilla Thirupachur and nearby areas on 22 August 2017 Jebakumari, former Vice-Principal and faculty as part of their Service Learning programme. of the Department. The Green House nurtures The students visited St. Mary’s Primary School at rare medicinal and exotic species of plants under Kadambathur where they distributed seed balls. controlled conditions. They emphasised the importance of seed balls and demonstrated their dissemination A series of intradepartmental and interdepartmental to the students. competitions on a wide variety of popular eco- related themes like “Think Green”, “Reduce, The annual intercollegiate department fest, Recycle and Reuse” was conducted throughout “ASTERA” was held on 2 December 2017. Educating school students at Exhibition at Island grounds Thirpachur about seed balls the academic year. The herbal garden received Dr. D. Narasimhan, Retd. Associate Professor, a facelift with the cultivation of several flowering Department of Botany, Centre for Floristic species of plants by the students of the Elective Research, Madras Christian College, Chennai, Course in Horticulture and Floriculture. The was the chief guest. Loyola College secured students were trained to cultivate organically the title of overall champions and MCC secured popular vines of Tamil Nadu on campus. This the runners-up title in this event which saw the augmented students’ understanding of botanical participation of about seven city colleges. 134 The Department of Botany was actively involved commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of the in teaching the basic concepts of biology and its Department of Botany at Queen Mary’s College contribution to science and technology through on 5 January 2018. experimental learning to students of Hobart Government Higher Secondary School and In an effort to popularise the academic field of Irusappar Girls Higher Secondary School under Botany and kindle interest in the subject in school the Rashtriya Madyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) students, a comprehensive “Test Yourself Multiple programme on 7 December 2017. Choice Quiz” was prepared, based on the current syllabus of the State Board Senior Secondary S. Krishna Priya, III B.Sc., secured the consolation Curriculum. Copies of the quiz paper were given prize in the National Seminar on “Environmental to private and government schools in the city, Toxicology and its Impact on Biodiversity” in both hard and soft form through the school organised by the Department of Biotechnology, authorities. This innovative, novel and pioneering Kumararani Meena Muthiah College of Arts initiative of the Department was sponsored by I. and Science on 1 September 2017. The paper Sripriya an alumna of the Department from the 1992 batch. The Department of Botany also exhibited models, charts and laminated boards on the significance of proper nutrition for girl children right from birth till adulthood at the Trade Fair Exhibition organised by the Government of Tamil Nadu at Island Grounds from 8 to 13 February 2018. Think Green Competition was published in the International Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management Science under the guidance of Dr. H. Shakila. Zainab Irfana, III B.Sc., secured the second prize in the paper presentation competition held at the National Seminar on “Biodiversity of Medicinal Plants Emerging Trends and Challenges” in 135 Department of Zoology The academic year began with the faculty of A workshop on “Vermicomposting” was organised the Department of Zoology participating in a on 2 August 2017 for the first year students. Dr. workshop on “Molecular Biology Techniques” Chitralekha Ramachandran, former member conducted by Dr. Preethi Jeyakumar,