Karnataka school teens from rural and tribal backgrounds make scientific mark with international journal publication

Four Karnataka schoolgirls achieve international recognition by publishing research on eco-friendly copper nanoparticles in a prestigious journal.

Four young girls from Karnataka, one of them from a tribal community, have achieved a rare feat by co-authoring a research paper published in a Scopus-indexed international science journal.

Class 11 students, namely, Kirat Kaur from Bidar, S. Yamini from Hosadoddi village and Reshma J.V. from Hosahalli, H.D. Kote, and class 10 student Lakshmi G. from Kaggalipura village, contributed to research that explored an environmentally safe method to create copper-based nanoparticles using plant extracts.

Their research article titled “Green synthesis of saponin-capped copper (II) oxide (CuO) nanoparticles and their efficacy in photocatalytic dye degradation” was published in Sustainable Chemistry One World, a peer-reviewed, Scopus-indexed international journal by Elsevier.

“For students from tribal communities, the problem is not lack of skills or ability, but access. Most often, they don’t know who to turn to. If they receive the right opportunities, they can show their abilities,” said Ms. Reshma, a first-generation learner who hails from the Jenu Kuruba community and a student at Viveka Tribal Centre for Learning, Nagarahole Forest Region.

The students participated in the research between March and August 2024 as part of Anveshana, a fully funded science research programme by Prayoga Institute of Education Research. The project was undertaken under the guidance of Subhadip Senapati, lead researcher – Chemistry, Vagdevi Rao K.C., research associate – Botany, and Parikshit Kumar, research associate – Green Energy Technology. 

The green copper-based nanoparticles developed in the research showed improved antibacterial and antioxidant activities, making them useful for biomedicinal applications. These particles can be used to purify contaminated water and eliminate harmful microbes, offering a low-cost and sustainable solution for rural and underserved communities where clean water access remains a challenge.