Dear Reader,

IndiaBioscience's motto revolves around Engaging Communities and Enabling Change. We have come a long way since the dinner table conversation between a cell biologist on a sabbatical in India and three young faculty members at the NCBS that sowed the seeds of our foundation. IndiaBioscience has grown in and out of itself, diversified in capacity, and filled a niche connecting the Indian life science community. We are delighted to share the story of our genesis/origin, journey till now, and way forward. Read the complete story here.

One of the prime goals of IndiaBioscience since its inception has been to establish and grow a well-knit mutually supportive life science community in India. Among other things, we foster networking, collaborations, and mentorship by building open and accessible databases.

Our "Interactive Database of Life Science Researchers" is a compilation of the best of India’s life scientists together. The interactive database can be accessed here. It aims to map life-scientists in India and serve as a tool to foster collaborations and cross-disciplinary interactions within the community. (To join, click -->)

We have also put together a "Database of Mentors and Resource People for various international funding opportunities" with the hope of supporting you in your journey of seeking international funds for your research. Everyone listed in this list has kindly agreed to mentor prospective applicants. This database can be accessed here. (To join, email us at iGAP@indiabioscience.org)

We hope that you enjoy searching through these databases and that you find them useful. These are growing databases. Therefore, we invite you to be a part of these databases.

Scroll down for more highlights of our activities last month. We wish you to stay home and stay safe from COVID-19, while enjoying all our articles, podcasts, and webinars, and tell us what you think of them through your comments. You can write to us at hello@indiabioscience.org and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Suchibrata Borah, Program Manager Digital Initiatives, IndiaBioscience and Shantala Hari Dass, Associate Director IndiaBioscience were to invited conduct a session on (the) Art of Science Communication at AAROHAN 2021. AAROHAN 2021 is the foundation program for incoming post-graduate students IIT Gandi Nagar for the 2021 academic calendar. Suchi and Shantala talked about the whys, whats and hows of science communication and walked through examples of good and poor communication with a very participatory audience of incoming students. Team IndiaBioscience wishes all the best to the students on this new chapter!

Shantala Hari Dass, Associate Director IndiaBioscience conducted an (interactive) Masterclass on cover letters and SOPs for the Kalpana mentees of VigyanShaala. Shantala talked to the undergraduate and postgraduate mentees on the necessity for and pointers to craft compelling cover letters and SOPs and conducted an in-session hands-on exercise.

Zill-e-Anam has taken up the role of Program Coordinator, Outreach at IndiaBioscience. In her new capacity, she will be contributing towards expanding IndiaBioscience Outreach Grant, and International Grants Awareness Program. She will also be working towards building outreach-related activities at IndiaBioscience. We are excited to have her aboard in this new capacity.

In the next episode of our series in International Grants Awareness Program (iGAP), we explore the DAAD’s binational doctoral degree or sandwich scholarship.

In this conversation, Sapana Sharma and Shivam Yadav (awardees of DAAD scholarship) discuss the don’ts for a successful DAAD Scholarship Application. Listen to the full podcast here.

In our next webinar, we will be exploring DAAD Opportunities for PhD Students in India. Join us in this informational webinar, that brings you multiple perspectives. Hear from Anuroopa Dixit (Programme Officer, DAAD), Vasudharani Devanathan (Assistant Professor, IISER Tirupati and previous DAAD Review Committee member), and Monika Saini (PhD Student, Shiv Nadar University and DAAD Bi-national Sandwich Programme Fellowship awardee). Register here. The webinar will also be live-streamed on IndiaBioscience's LinkedIn page.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) funding programme is an opportunity for researchers to acquire new skills through international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility. MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships’ call for proposals is currently open until October 2021. Here, Jaishree Subrahmaniam, who has been awarded a Fellowship in 2020, shares 10 pointers for the application process with Bhawana George.

How a dinner meeting between a cell biologist on a sabbatical in India and three young faculty members at the NCBS sowed the seeds for what is now IndiaBioscience.

Enam Reyaz, a student at the Jamia Hamdard Institute of Molecular Medicine (JH-IMM), recounts her physical and emotional roller-coaster of experience embracing pregnancy and motherhood while pursuing a PhD degree; what helped her challenge the taboos and what more can be done by research institutions to support expectant mothers.

Many biological phenomena, like respiration, osmoregulation or nerve conduction, have basis in physical processes like diffusion and osmosis.

Definitions and diagrams may contain nuances that students may miss, especially when these are not viewed through the lens of physics. In this article, Nagarjuna G., Former Professor, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR gives examples of some of these misconceptions and offers simple simulations to provide a more accurate picture of these processes.

A whopping twenty thousand people registered to participate in the Science Leadership Workshop held last June. The virtual event paved the way for aspiring science leaders across various fields of science to glean insights and avail an internship from a panel of prominent science leaders from India and abroad. Trishala shares a few takeaways from the week-long event.

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