The elements of the periodic table always remind me of people. People around me, my students, mentors and even well known scientists, nobel laureates and personalities I look up to. A particularly explosive little boy may be nicknamed Hydrogen in my mind and Brenda Milner[1] who at the age of 105 continues to contribute to cognitive neuroscience reminds me of Oganesson*[2], the last element in the periodic table.
Gallium is an interesting element- and it reminds me of Poorti Kathpalia, the outgoing editor of Pulse. If you have used a non-digital thermometer, the liquid which we think is mercury is often a patented alloy of Gallium made up of Gallium, Indium and Stannum. At an ambient temperature of 29 degrees Celsius or less Gallium is a shiny solid but as the surroundings get warmer gallium will melt into a liquid. This might look like a frailty, a weakness, but it serves as a great indicator of the surroundings. Poorti reminds me of Gallium because she was a valuable team player, and like the elements in the aforementioned alloy she brought her reactive, sensitive self to a team and acted as an indicator of our surroundings. I would look at her face in the audience and quickly retract a carelessly worded statement on the tip of my tongue and often message her during a talk to check if the speaker was exciting, obnoxious or boring. She was my radar, reference point and conscience keeper at various points. On more than one occasion she has saved IGIB from plagiarism, inaccuracies and me from over-enthusiastic blunders. Her unerring people sense and uncompromising honesty couched in carefully chosen words were a great help.
Gallium compounds are an essential component of Light emitting diodes. Poorti as a science communicator made it her job to spread light in the form of scientific awareness in cool little packets. Traveling to remote locations and engaging with teachers and students from diverse backgrounds, she took our message far and wide. Many of us, me included, indulge in sci-comm as a hobby, but as a job it can pose a separate set of challenges especially in the modern world of social media posts and Youtube videos. She did this day in and day out with sincerity and dedication, in the process putting in place protocols and mechanisms for the correct use of such tools.
Gallium alloys replaced mercury because of the toxic nature of the latter. Gallium is not toxic but it leaves a dark brown mark on your palms if you handle it. She has indeed left a mark on IGIB and me, growing our network from nearly nothing to a few thousands, teaching IGIB students about quality of error free posters, videos and writing, creating showcases for talent through the Pulse and Sparks magazine both of which she started.
Gallium compounds are also used in semiconductors but often eclipsed by the more widely known Silicon. Ask a high-schooler about Bauxite he will tell you it is the ore of Aluminium, but that is where the lesser known Gallium comes too! It takes a special kind of strength to work in situations where you are often behind the scenes, allowing the limelight to shine on colleagues. In an interview, the popular actor, Pankaj Tripathi talks about a person who tries to walk up a steep hillside through bush and heather. Every step he takes is pushing back the bushes a bit, creating an easier path for another person who may follow. Fishes create currents in their wake which other members of the shoal can take advantage of. The path Poorti has created helps IGIB to take on the next logical steps- grow further, spread our reach into more communities in need of our messages for science and against misinformation. A big thanks from all of us at IGIB to Poorti!
[1] Brenda Milner – Wikipedia, her early work included the studies on HM, often called neurology’s most famous subject.
[2] Oganesson is in reality named after Russian physicist Yuri Oganessian
Beena Pillai received her early scientific training as a microbiologist and now studies gene regulation in the neural system using diverse models- zebrafish, earthworm, mice and cultured cells to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying neurogenesis, neural cell differentiation and neurodegeneration.