Kushtia: A daylong International Scientific Symposium 2026 was held at Islamic University (IU) in Kushtia with the theme Exploring Natural Product Research. The Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) Project and the Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (BTGE) jointly organized the symposium at the Birshrestha Hamidur Rahman Central Auditorium.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Nakib Muhammad Nasrullah attended the program as the chief guest, while Associate Prof. Bonglee Kim of the Department of Pathology at Kyung Hee University, South Korea, was present as the keynote speaker. The event saw participation from senior teacher Prof. Anwarul Haque Swapan, convener of the symposium Prof. Rezuanul Islam, Prof. Mizanur Rahman, and teachers and students from various departments.
The program was chaired by the chairman of the department, Prof. Abu Hena Mostafa Jamal, and moderated by Udisa Islam Subah and Sabbir Ahmed. In his address, the vice-chancellor expressed gratitude to the department for organizing the symposium and emphasized the importance of biotechnology as a field that intertwines research with learning. He highlighted biotechnology's connections with natural systems, organisms, molecules, agricultural technology, medicine, and environmental science.
Following the keynote speech, students participated in poster presentations, with six participants receiving awards in three categories. Mobinul Haque of the Biomedical Engineering department and Jannatul from Khulna Agriculture University secured first and second positions in the open category. In the master's thesis category, Amin Khan and Farhad Alom were awarded, while Huzaifa and Abdullah Al Hasan received recognition in the fourth-year synopsis category.
The symposium concluded with a farewell program for the 21st batch of the department and a cultural event, marking a successful day of scientific exchange and celebration.