Talk To A Scientist (TTAS) is a weekly webinar platform for children aged 6 - 16 years. TTAS is also an awardee of 1st IndiaBioscience Outreach Grant. In this article, Joel uncovers the journey, experiences, logistics, highs and lows of running an outreach program intended for children in India.

In this article, Aditi Jain explores the implications of the draft Scientific Social Responsibility policy, released by the Department of Science and Technology, India. Through conversations with experts, she addresses the reactions of scientists, the ongoing debate over the mandate and incentivization, the clarifications required and the policy’s role in creating careers.

The stigma surrounding the term ‘mental health’ is especially severe in Indian culture, where any deviation from the so-called ‘normal’ is viewed with a negative pair of lenses. Why do people hesitate to seek help? Are there enough mental health professionals in our country? Is information about mental illnesses easily accessible to the public for them to make informed decisions? What is the way forward? These are some of the issues that Anushka Banerjee, a Junior Research Fellow at the Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru addresses in this article.

Scientists are increasingly lobbying for non-animal models for biomedical research, given that subtle genetic differences between humans and animals can lead to pronounced differences in disease severity. Advanced technologies such as organs-on-chips are showing potential to make biomedical research more human-relevant. Surat reports on a recent virtual event that initiated a dialogue on the possibilities and challenges of implementing human-relevant models and frameworks in India.

Many successful academics continue to be plagued by feelings of “not belonging” or “not being good enough”. Some even hold an implicit belief that they have defrauded everyone around them into believing in their capability. In this next article in our mental health series, Divya delves into the “impostor syndrome” and some possible solutions for this pervasive mental health challenge.