The National Sciece Day 2026, inaugurated in Department of Applied Chemistry at Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science (SGSITS), in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Council of Science and Technology (MPCST), Bhopal, organised an expert lecture on the theme “Women and Science Catalysing Viksit Bharat". This theme highlights the important role of women in advancing science and contributing to India’s development goals.
The Director of SGSITS Prof. Neetesh Purohit addressed the audience and told an inspiring story of few female scientists and urged all to read more about such personalities. The lecture was delivered by Dr. Vanchana Singh Parihar, Women Empowerment Officer and Administrator, One Stop Centre (Sakhi), Government of Madhya Pradesh. Dr. Parihar, honoured with the Vidya Gaurav Samman 2026 and soon to present her research on gender stereotypes in engineering at the SASS Conference in Singapore, shared her inspiring journey with the audience.
She emphasised that exposure and opportunity are key to achieving goals and discussed the growing participation of women in science, including fields like architecture and civil engineering. Dr. Parihar also encouraged women to pursue careers beyond traditional expectations and cited examples of trailblazing women such as Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams, whose success continues to inspire many.
In conclusion, she stated that greater exposure leads to increased confidence, growth, and contribution in science and technology.

The science week will also have events like Debate, science exhibition, poster making competition etc.
The session also marked the presence the Head of the Department of Applied Chemistry, Prof. Nitish Gupta and Assistant Professor Dr. Urmila Raghuvanshi who are also the coordinator for the event. Prof. J. T. Andrews, Head of the Physics Department and other faculty members from various departments along with students marked their presence.