Month: May 2020

Dark Spots of Modern Technologies : A Futuristic Perspective

Standing in this era of modern science and technology, I feel fortunate to see the world as it steps into a new realm of modernization, reaching towards superheroistic capabilities. Nevertheless, we should also give a thought to the “what if”s that might pop up in a pessimistic mind. What if something goes wrong? What if the good guy becomes the bad guy? To put these questions into perspective, in this article I will touch upon a few promising upcoming technologies outlining their darker sides for our future and the role of the scientific community to ensure safety. 

Recollections of a biology student: waiting for “achchhe din”, which never came!

The decades before the turn of the century, years prior to globalization, and emergence of internet, the prevailing scene of science training and research in India were replete with repetitive and meaningless research themes and decadence in the social and human dimensions of academic life. The author recalls, in a general and anecdotal manner, the overall atmosphere prevailing in academic institutions, as a student of biology in the 1980s. It is left open for the reader to decide whether situations have changed in the meantime.

Undergraduate Research, an approach to create sustained academic curiosity

Academic research should not be limited to students of an advance level alone, it is imperative to start acclimatising first-year undergraduate students to open up to independent academic thought. All academic institutions need to celebrate their undergraduates and give them a chance to participate in academic discourse, they need to feel welcomed, included and confident in the perspective they choose to represent.