Fakir Mohan University Students Shine in National Hackathon for Biodiversity

Balasore Students Make Their Mark at National Hackathon

Balasore: A group of students from Fakir Mohan University (FMU) in Balasore has advanced to the final stage of a national Hackathon focused on biodiversity conservation, hosted in Pune by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) to commemorate its 110 years of scientific contributions.

This hackathon, which took place at various ZSI regional centers, gathered talented individuals from all over the nation to tackle urgent challenges in wildlife and ecosystem preservation.

The FMU team demonstrated remarkable creativity and scientific expertise, clinching the top prize in the regional competition held at the Marine Aquarium and Regional Centre (MARC) in Digha.

The victorious team comprised Soumyaranjan Dash (team leader and research fellow at CRCIHSC), Ananya Devasmita Patra, and Bhaskar Beja (master’s students from the PG Department of Zoology).

Their innovative project aimed at the population recovery of Indian horseshoe crabs through a captive breeding model, representing a groundbreaking strategy to protect this ancient and ecologically significant species from its rapid decline.

During the national round at the Western Regional Centre, ZSI Pune, Soumyaranjan Dash represented FMU alone, competing against leading researchers from across India.