This month, we're excited to showcase a diverse range of events and initiatives designed to empower the life science community. With immense gratitude, we're elated to announce the shortlisting of YIM 2024 applicants. YIM 2024 will take place from 11 to 15 March 2024, and preparations are in full swing.
Recently, our team concluded two engaging Crafting Your Career (CYC) workshops at RYIMs in Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. Interested in hosting a CYC at your institution or conference? Write to us!
We're eager to continue this journey with you and share the stories, experiences, and opportunities that lie ahead. To stay connected and informed, make sure to follow us on social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube) and subscribe to our mailing list.
If you have an inspiring story to share, an insightful article to contribute, or a collaborative event idea, we invite you to reach out to us at hello[at]indiabioscience[dot]org. Your active participation contributes immensely to our shared journey.
We express our gratitude for the tremendous response to the 16th Young Investigators' Meeting. The participants have now been shortlisted. YIM 2024 is scheduled to take place in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, from 11 to 15 March 2024. Please stay updated by visiting the YIM 2024 website.
The Regional Young Investigators’ Meeting (RYIM) Pilani will be conducted across two days from 18 to 19 January 2024, followed by a Crafting Your Career (CYC) workshop on 20 January, 2024. With the theme, ‘Life sciences and interdisciplinary research’, the event is being organised at the Birla Institute of Science and Technology (BITS), Pilani as a multi-institutional effort with the organisers from BITS Pilani, IIT Jodhpur, and Central University of Rajasthan.
You can find more details about the meeting here. The last day to register is 01 January 2024, so apply soon. We look forward to seeing you at RYIM Pilani 2024!
The Regional Young Investigators’ Meeting (RYIM) Hyderabad will be held on 02-03 February 2024. The event will be hosted at Mahindra University, Hyderabad as a multi-institutional effort with organisers from IKP Knowledge Park, University of Hyderabad, DBT-CDFD, DBT-NIAB, TIFR Hyderabad, Osmania University, and Malla Reddy Dental College. With the theme ‘Industry academia collaborations to translate research to product’, this 2-day meeting will bring a series of scientific talks, poster presentations and professional development discussions. The IndiaBioscience team will lead a Crafting Your Career (CYC) workshop on 03 February 2024.
You can find more details about the meeting here. The last day to register is 14 January 2024. So, apply soon. We look forward to seeing you at RYIM Hyderabad!
Regional Young Investigators’ Meeting (RYIM) in Bhubaneswar and Kolkata
RYIM Bhubaneswar and RYIM Kolkata were held in early December at DBT-Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, and Presidency University, Kolkata, respectively. Arushi Batra and Karishma Kaushik from the IndiaBioscience team gave the welcome talk at RYIM Kolkata and RYIM Bhubaneswar, respectively. Ankita Rathore and Rohini Karandikar from the IndiaBioscience team were also part of these RYIMs.
IndiaBioscience is excited to announce the second edition of the grants compendium titled “Means to a Beginning - Funding Opportunities for PhD Students and Postdocs in India.” This compendium includes national and international fellowships, travel and skill-building awards along with their eligibility criteria, deadlines and relevant links. We have also included anecdotes from recent awardees of select fellowships to give you insights into what it takes to write a winning application.
You can download a free copy of the resource book here.
Our eighth YI Huddle is around the corner. We will host Amitabha Bandyopadhyay from IIT Kanpur and Praveen Vemula from inStem, Bangalore, along with interlocutors Bilal Mir from Kashmir University, Srinagar, and Karishma S Kaushik from IndiaBioscience. This YI Huddle is titled, ‘Scientist — Founders: Building Industry Collaborations and Partnerships,’ where we will discuss the nitty-gritty of the industrial collaborations. So, get ready and mark your calendars for 13 December 2023, from 4:00 to 5:00 P.M. IST.
While this webinar series is primarily intended for Young Investigators in India, it is open to everyone. To register, click here. We are eager to engage with you!
We released the next two podcasts from the new series, ‘Carbon Chronicles’, which delves into the fascinating world of Science Gallery Bengaluru (SGB), exploring how it bridges the gap between natural, human, social sciences, and the arts. In the second and the third podcasts, we interviewed the artists, Ana Laura Centera (Exhibit - Territorial Inhalations) and Jane Tingley (Exhibit - Foresta Inclusive). The podcasts are titled ‘Meet Ana Laura Cantera' and 'Meet Jane Tingley.'
This week, we are excited to unveil two new episodes in the series: RADIO PDF podcasts that delve into the experiences and career trajectories of postdoctoral researchers in India.
In the first and second podcast, we interviewed Mansi Srivastava, a visiting fellow at TIFR Mumbai, and Ankita Dave, a project consultant at a private company. You can listen to the entire first podcast here and the second one here.
SKILL BUILDING
‘Crafting your Career’ workshop at RYIM Bhubaneswar and RYIM Kolkata
IndiaBioscience team conducted two ‘Crafting Your Career’ (CYC) workshops on 06 December 2023 at RYIM Bhubaneswar and RYIM Kolkata.
The workshops were tailored for the Masters’ students and PhD researchers. The CYC program was started at IndiaBioscience in 2019, with a goal to raise awareness among life science students and postdoctoral researchers about the different science careers in India and to help them develop skills to navigate career paths.
Do you want us to conduct this workshop at your institute? Write to us hello[at]indiabioscience[dot]org.
Have you seen our latest International Grants Awareness Program (iGAP) Dispatches yet? With a collated list of international funding opportunities for different career stages, and deadlines across the next few months, you may want to look into these open funding calls.
'Write On—2023', the science writing competition by IndiaBioscience is still open! We're calling for diverse styles of popular science writing: storytelling, fiction, book reviews, or interview articles. To submit your science article, fill the google form. Last date to apply for the competition is 05 January 2024. So hurry up, we are excited to read your science articles.
COLUMNS
In our science communication vertical, we published several columns and news articles last month.
Scroll down to get a glimpse of these articles below!
In this PhD café article, Karishma S Kaushik, IndiaBioscience, recounts her transformative experience at an American Society for Microbiology (ASM) conference during her PhD, highlighting mentorship, networking, and professional growth. She emphasises the conference’s value beyond scientific input, offering tips for maximising benefits, including attending diverse sessions, and following up post the event.
The second Regional Young Investigators’ Meeting (RYIM) 2023 – 2024 took place at University of Kashmir, Srinagar, from 19 to 21 September 2023. RYIM Srinagar offered a vibrant platform for early-career researchers and scientists with the theme, ‘Igniting curiosity and training young scientists of J&K for a sustainable future.’ In this article, IndiaBioscience team highlights the key takeaways from the CYC workshop held at RYIM Srinagar.
A recent study by researchers at the National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi, led by Arnab Mukhopadhyay, used C. elegans to show how damage to somatic tissues in the body can influence the development of reproductive cells — particularly eggs. They found that DNA damage signals from uterine tissue can stop egg cell formation through a key FOXO transcription factor, which is a highly conserved protein across different organisms.
To combat the COVID-19 pandemic and potential future outbreaks, a collaborative study from Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence (SNIoE), Noida, and other research institutes discovered a chemical compound called STL522228. This promising compound inhibits a crucial protein in the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus, shedding light on the pressing need for effective antiviral treatments.
In this new series, leading up to Young Investigators’ Meeting (YIM) 2024, researchers who have attended YIMs from the past tell us about what it was like for them back then, what they took away from the experience, how things have changed, their ideas for future YIMs, and tips for the newest generation of life scientists gearing up for their first meeting.
Sanjeev Galande is a cell biologist at Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR, and in this interview, he shares his YIM experience with Nandita Jayaraj.
DATA AND POLICY
#PolicyWednesday on first Wednesday of every month
This is the third post from our latest initiative to engage policy enthusiasts on social media, called #PolicyWednesday. On the first Wednesday of every month, we will post a question for you on all of our social media handles. We invite you to post your answers, see responses by others, and enjoy the thread of conversation.
The question for this month is about 'Science Communication.' Our constitution mandates scientific temper, humanism, and inquiry within every Indian citizen. However, is there policy support needed to promote science communication in India?
We released our second Data and Policy video from the ‘IndiaBiosnippets’ series last month. In this video, Suchiradipta Bhattacharjee from The International Water Management Institute discusses the Agricultural Research Innovation policy. Agricultural policies aim for sustainability, economic growth, while also safeguarding marginalised stakeholders.
You can watch the entire video here on our YouTube channel.
In 2021-22, IndiaBioscience developed and conducted a YI survey to assess issues faced by independent life science researchers in India across institutions / universities / organisations / colleges. The survey results were analysed in an anonymous manner. The survey results and recommendations have been collated into this report, with graphical and descriptive recommendations.
The goal of science education is not just to learn scientific facts but also to develop a scientific temper. But what is scientific temper? Why should students develop it? How is it relevant to college teaching? This webinar aims to delve into these questions and explore how teachers can teach scientific temper to college biology students. Register here to join.
Undergraduate students endure a transition phase as they leave the protected environs of a school to enter a college or a university. This phase comes with its challenges and celebrations, and educators play a significant part in it. In this article, Upasana Sarma, an educator from REVA University, Bengaluru throws light on some of the responsibilities that educators have in this phase of their students’ lives.
Food spoilage is covered in undergraduate biology courses with limited scope for practical experience. This article describes a simple module that not only helps students explore the topic experimentally but also develop a deeper understanding of various scientific concepts and gain experience in design thinking.
#EDUCATORSMONDAY
On the last Monday of every month, we post a question for educators on all of our social media handles. We invite you to post your answers, see responses by others, and enjoy the threads of conversation. The question for the month of November 2023 is: How are the life science departments of your college funded?
Through your responses, we hope to collect information about funding avenues for undergraduate biology departments of colleges and universities in India and turn the collection into a useful resource for educators across the country.
The newly proposed Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar awards’ structure is significant for many reasons. Karishma Kaushik writes for The Hindu in this fourth article of the series.
OTHER ACTIVITIES AT INDIABIOSCIENCE
New team member joins IndiaBioscience
We are excited to introduce our new team member, Rohini Karandikar. Rohini joins us as the Associate Director of IndiaBioscience. We can't wait to see her contributions to the IndiaBioscience team! Welcome, Rohini.
