FOSIC2020: Science and Technology in Combating Current and Future Global Challenges (LASU Virtual Conference, 2- 4 December 2020)

The Lagos State University 7th bi-annual Faculty of Science International Conference 2020 tagged LASU FOSIC2020 was held virtually from 2nd-4th December, 2020. The theme of the conference was Science and Technology in combating current and future global challenges. To justify the theme, different sub-themes were combined cutting across biological/medical, chemical and physical sciences including: global ecology and challenges of combating infectious human and zoonotic diseases, emerging perspectives on epidemiology of infectious diseases, post COVID-19 effects on fisheries and aquaculture, molecular approaches in curtailing the scourge of diseases, chemistry of natural resources for sustainable product development, medicinal plants as antidotes, dynamical system analysis, modelling and optimization, artificial intelligence in the 4th industrial revolution, and demystifying 5G technology: the role of physics in tackling global health challenges. This summary therefore presents some of the observations raised at the conference. Topical models and practical strategies at flattening the curve of COVID-19 pandemic in African most populous city, Lagos was presented by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, while Director General of the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research delivered the keynote address followed by the special guest speaker from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General hospital, USA amongst others. To the best of our knowledge, FOSIC2020 was the first free and 100% virtual international conference organised by any Nigerian University to date. Overall, a total of 130 papers were presented by researchers out of the 334 registered participants representing 36 institutions from 14 countries across the world. FOSIC2020 was declared closed with a free technical workshop focusing on V2V global partnership from vulnerability to viability project by the team leaders from the University of Waterloo Canada and Lagos State University with members of panel as postgraduate students across different countries. Free electronics book of abstracts and certificates were given to all the participants.