We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and in good health. These are incredibly trying times and it is more important than ever to invest time in taking care of yourself. Please check out our COVID and mental health-related infographics for some suggestions on how to do this. Do share them widely with your friends, colleagues, and family.
To combat vaccine misinformation, the Indian National Young Academy of Sciences (INYAS) recently launched a nationwide vaccine awareness campaign. This initiative aims to make people aware about the benefits of immunisation through vaccine and abolish the myths which are deterring people from taking the shots. As part of this effort, comprehensive documents containing myths and facts about the vaccine in 11 different languages can be found here. We welcome you to check out their other activities, including an app, an infographic-audio-video competition, and the Gyanteeka webinar series, here.
Sometimes, in situations of dire crisis, it helps to step back and think about how we are connected to the world at large. As you know, we have been acting as publicity partners for the centenary lecture series of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS). In the third lecture in this series, we had the opportunity to host the legendary Jane Goodall for a webinar titled "Gombe and Beyond”. The recording of the inspiring talk can be found here.
We also invite you to take a look at the recordings of talks and panel discussions held during Young Investigators' Meeting (YIM) 2021 - the first successful virtual edition of our flagship networking meeting. You can check out some more of our most popular resources compiled here.
We love hearing your feedback and suggestions on our activities. You can write to us anytime at hello@indiabioscience.org, or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram. In the meantime, we urge you to continue following COVID-appropriate behaviour - maintaining physical distance, wearing masks, washing hands frequently, getting tested if you exhibit any symptoms, and avoiding any mass gatherings.
And now, here are some highlights of our activities last month.
The International Grants Awareness Program (iGAP) aims to improve the success rate for Indian applications at international funding opportunities. In this Ask Me Anything session we are joined by two EMBO GIN Awardees; Jyothilakshmi Vadassery (NIPGR) and Sunil Laxman (inStem) and Gerlind Wallon (Deputy Director, EMBO). Sunil Laxman and Jyothilakshmi Vadassery will share their experiences as EMBO GIN awardees and tips for applying and Gerlind Wallon will address any queries for EMBO. This webinar will feature a long Q&A session.
Among COVID-19’s many effects on society, one of the most insidious is the way it has affected global mental health, giving rise to new challenges and aggravating pre-existing issues. In this article, Subhra Sarkar, who is currently pursuing a PhD in psychiatric nursing, discusses the ways in which the pandemic has affected the mental health of a large segment of the Indian population.
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.
Many Indian researchers working abroad hope and plan to return to India to set up their independent labs in the future. However, they often find themselves stymied by a lack of information, both about the transition process and about the scientific ecosystem back home. This article, based on a panel discussion on the topic of “Return to India”, collates some useful advice for early-career scientists planning to make the move to India.
Felix Bast is an Associate Professor of Molecular Phylogenetics at the Central University of Punjab. In this article, he describes the MentX initiative, which is a pan-India open platform for matchmaking between mentors and mentees for the exchange of ideas.
Conservation research can be key to making effective conservation policies, but only when the policymakers are trained to understand and critically analyse its findings. In this article, Andrea D. Phillott highlights numerous resources that can help educators train students – future conservationists – in the use of evidence-based conservation. Phillott is a Professor in Environmental Studies and teaches Conservation Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Studies at FLAME University, Pune.
Students face many dilemmas and uncertainties as they commence their journeys towards a fulfilling career. A little guidance from someone who had once been in their shoes might be just what they need to get started in the right direction. In this article, educator Charu Dogra Rawat and student Gunwant Singh Atwal from Ramjas College, University of Delhi, write about an initiative with a similar purpose – an alumni-student mentorship programme that they and their colleagues started in the college.
