Vadodara: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s congratulatory message to India’s medal-winning team at the 37th International Biology Olympiad (IBO) on Sunday has also brought the spotlight on an M S University professor who played a key role in the country’s best-ever performance at the prestigious global competition.Prof Ranjitsinh V. Devkar, associate professor in the Department of Zoology at the Maharaja Sayajirao University, was part of the official Indian contingent as a mentor and jury member at the Olympiad held in Vilnius, Lithuania. India returned with one gold and three silver medals from the event, which saw the participation of 307 students from 78 countries.Speaking to TOI after returning from Lithuania, Devkar said his role began months before the competition. Nominated by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), under the Department of Atomic Energy, he analysed the host university’s research strengths and helped prepare the Indian team for the practical examinations.“This year’s theme was animal sciences, my area of expertise. We designed 24 innovative laboratory experiments based on the kind of practical questions that were likely to be asked, and one of them actually featured in the Olympiad,” Devkar said.He said the preparation gave the Indian students a significant edge during the practical examination. “Many teams struggled because they had never been exposed to similar experiments. Our students had already worked on comparable exercises,” he said.Apart from mentoring the team, Devkar also served on the international jury, which scrutinised every question before the examination to eliminate ambiguity and ensure scientific accuracy. The jury also oversaw the statistical moderation process used to adjust marks based on the difficulty level of questions.This was Devkar’s second stint at the International Biology Olympiad, having represented India in the UK in 2017, when the country won two bronze medals. He has been mentoring Indian participants for the past seven years.The Indian team comprised Bhavyaa Gunwal of Haryana, who won the gold medal, and Soumil Maity of West Bengal, Nishit Kalani of Rajasthan and Anmol Kumar of Punjab, who secured silver medals. Congratulating the team on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the achievement reflected India’s scientific talent and would inspire many more young minds to pursue excellence.Calling it a proud moment for MS University, Prof Hitesh D. Raviya, OSD (Public Relations and Communication), said Devkar’s selection reflected his scientific expertise and academic standing. “As the only representative from MS University in the official Indian delegation, Prof Devkar carried the university’s academic distinction to an important international platform,” Raviya said.
