The Mathura Road campus was abuzz with students from various disciplines in the last week of August as we hosted scholars from a prestigious exam – JBNSTS. JBNSTS, short for Jagadis Bose National Science Talent Search, Kolkata, conducts an annual exam within West Bengal for students who have completed their 12th standard and selects 50 scholars from across the state. These students are taken to one of the cities in India to visit various research institutes and interact with scientists. This time, they were visiting Delhi, and the IGIB Outreach Team was responsible for their logistics.
As a part of the outreach team, I am sharing some of my experiences of spending four days with the students.
The students had the spark of curiosity and a passion for science that we all begin with when embarking on our academic journey. They experienced various aspects of scientific research, spanning diverse subjects such as biology, chemistry, physics, robotics, and statistics. They also had the opportunity to visit research facilities, witness live demonstrations, and engage in some hands-on activities. While many people talk about how fascinating the world of science is and emphasize the importance of staying true to oneself and burning the midnight oil, a few key facts were overlooked. These are some of the things I wish I had been told when I began my academic journey.
I was surprised that my first interaction with the students involved recalling Dr. Mann from the movie “Interstellar” and how he fabricated data. What surprised me even more was their receptiveness in discussing the ethics of data fabrication and how they would respond if they found themselves in such a situation on Earth.
During our short discussions over meals, two other important topics came up: the significance of mental health, which includes following one’s hobbies, and the importance of choosing the right lab. They realized that a conducive work environment can be found even in a small institution.
The level of interaction and receptivity displayed by the students reminded me of how young minds can be shaped and retained in the field of science by providing them with a nurturing environment. Their enthusiasm for acquiring knowledge and putting it into practice was infectious. The final program of the session, which involved an interaction with Mr. Praveen Gupta from Premas Life Sciences, demonstrated this enthusiasm.
You can catch a glimpse of some of these activities in the August 2023 Events.
While we were hosting students on our campus, one of our students was in Germany for a month of training. She describes her experience in “Respite on the Final Days of My PhD?“.
Don’t forget to celebrate the Moon landing in “What Can We Learn from the Chandrayaan-3 Landing Event?” written by our young faculty member, Dr. Jitendra Narayan.
We hope you enjoy this month’s issue of Pulse. Please continue to send us your science and non-science content to keep future issues rolling.