Dr. Bezbaruah (PI) will collaborate with Dr. Robert Brueggeman (Co-PI) from NDSU Plant Pathology Department on a project to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying engineered nanomaterial induced physiological reprogramming of plant innate immunity that results in both enhanced and compromised resistance to microbial pathogens. The team will use this knowledge to engineer nanomaterial that retain beneficial attributes (i.e., fertilizer and fungicide delivery) while mitigating negative impacts.
Link: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1707093&HistoricalAwards=false
News

February 12th, 2018
The United States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has awarded a Fulbright Specialist Award to Dr. Bezbaruah. He is visiting India in fall of 2018 to work on “Environmental Science and Nanotechnology Education, Research, and Outreach Capacity Building at DIT University, Dehradun, India”. Bezbaruah will be also visiting local educational and research institutions in an effort to create a consortium to carry out basic and applied research that will benefit DIT University and local people. He will also help DIT design outreach activities to entice K-12 students to STEM education and careers.
Links: https://eca.state.gov/fulbright , https://www.dituniversity.edu.in/

January 13th, 2018
Doctoral Candidate Ms. Priyanka Deka presented a poster titled “Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Induce Transcriptional Reprogramming That Compromises Resistance to Pyrenophora Teres f. Teres in Barley” in Plant & Animal Genome Conference XXVI in San Diego, CA. PAG Conference is the largest ag-genomics meeting in the world. Her poster was co-authored by Doctoral Student Roshan Sharma Poudel, Dr. Chrysafis Vogiatzis (North Caroline A&M University), Dr. Bezbaruah, and Dr. Robert Brueggeman.
Link: http://www.intlpag.org/

November 27th, 2017
Dr. Bezbaruah and Dr. Brueggeman participated in PANNANO-2017 (1st Pan American Congress of Nanotechnology)
Fundamentals and Applications to Shape the Future) held in Guarujá (São Paulo, November 27-30, 2017) and presented research done within their joint NSF project. Dr. Bezbaruah presented work done by former doctoral student Dr. Mohammad Enayet Hossain (Nanoscale Iron Triggers Iron Uptake in Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) through LsHA2 Gene Regulation). Dr. Brueggeman presented work done by Doctoral Candidate Ms. Priyanka Deka (Barley-Engineered Nanoparticle-Phytopathogen Interactions: Induced Physiological Reprogramming of Innate Immunity). They travel was sponsored by NSF and NDSU Office of Research and Creative Activities.
Link: https://www.panamericannano2017.com/
November 15th, 2017
Dr. Bezbaruah was nominated as the Nation Secretary of SNO by Dr. Barbara Karn and Dr. Wunmi Sadik and approved by the Governing Body of the Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization (SNO) in its November 2017 meeting. In addition to overseeing Young Professional Activities (including Nano Pitch), he will now be involved in organizational matters of SNO.
Link: www.susnano.org

November 5th, 2017
Doctoral Student and ICAR Netaji Subhas Bose Fellow Mr. Tonoy Das presented findings from his doctoral research at the 6th Sustainable Nanotechnology Conference 2018 in Los Angeles, CA (November 5-7). His podium presentation on “Arsenic Removal by Graphene Oxide-Nanoscale Zero-valent Iron Hybrid” was very well received by those in attendance. He also presented his research in a poster which was co-authored by Dr. Bezbaruah.
Link: http://susnano.org/SNO2017/pdf/4a%20das%20SNO_Tonoy_Oral_2017.pdf

November 5th, 2017
Doctoral Student Ms. Priyanka Deka’s research findings (Transcriptomic Responses of Barley in Response to Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles) were presented by Dr. Bezbaruah at the 6th Sustainable Nanotechnology Conference 2018 in Los Angeles, CA.
Link: www.susnano.org

June 10th, 2017
Dr. Bezbaruah has taken responsibility of the Vice Chairperson of EWRI Groundwater Quality Committee for a two-year term.
Earlier he served as the Secretary of the committee (2015-2017).
Link: http://www.asce.org/environmental-and-water-resources-engineering/environmental-and-water-resources-institute/

May 10th, 2017
Dr. Bezbaruah has been awarded the 2017 Senior Faculty Teacher of the Year Award by Dean Dr. Gary Smith. In his nomination letter, Chair Dr. Dinesh Katti wrote, “Achintya is always a champion of issues related to education, advising, and training of our students. Achintya has been leaders in the college in promoting teaching and research scholarship. Most importantly he mentored three undergraduate students for prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSFGRFP) and two of them were awarded the fellowship and one got an honorable mention.” CEE senior Dylan Weber thought, “One of my favorite parts of Dr. Bezbaruah’s course was our class project. His courses are tailored to ensure proficiency by the entire class, while allowing individuals to excel.”

January 11th, 2017
Dr. Bezbaruah has taken charge as the first Director of National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Grand Challenges Scholars Program at NDSU. Introduction in 2008, NAE identified 14 Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century as being of utmost importance to humanity, and described as ‘call to action and serve as a focal point for society's attention to opportunities and challenges affecting our quality of life’. The NAE Grand Challenge Scholars Program is a combined curricular and extra-curricular program designed to prepare students to be the generation that solves the grand challenges facing society in this century. Many universities are participating in the program and NDSU has been selected as one of them and is offering this program to undergraduate engineering students.
Link: https://www.ndsu.edu/coe/grand_challenges_gc/