Anindita Bhadra is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, IISER Kolkata. In this opinion piece, which first appeared on Confluence, an editorially moderated discussion forum by the Indian Academy of Sciences, she writes about the collective responsibility that scientists bear for making their science accessible to the general public, and the consequences of failing to engage with the society at large.

Scientists and artists are more alike than different. Studies have shown that creativity in the sciences and arts have similar neural roots. Why then, do we have to choose one and shun the other? Anjali Vaidya exhorts scientists to broaden their horizons by embracing their artistic side. Paint a picture after hours of arduous PCR or indulge the writer in you while running your gel, she urges.

In last few years we have seen a surge in the number of people participating in online social networks. However, the scientific fraternity is somewhat wary about the whole idea of social networking. I know a lot of key scientists stay away from social networking. They swear by the fact that it is really a waste of time. However, in the middle of a hectic day I don’t hesitate to … More

If you are just working for the almighty paper, another number added onto your CV, you are missing a bigger part of life. If you somehow touch and improve the lives of your colleagues and students, you generate value, have a purpose, and make an impact beyond your experimental results.

There are a few successful individual initiatives in University-Institute interactions in the past, some of them sustained since the eighties. Even as there is scope for institutionalizing these efforts further by involving more such city colleges in the ambit, the reproducibility of this engaging interaction involving research institutes and colleges in other centers in the country, is not in any serious doubt. Rather, it is highly called for, since potential … More