Curiosity as a Career
What is the motivation for a scientist to pursue scientific research? Career? Fame? Doing something useful for the society? Or can there be something beyond?
Articles
Science meets journalism: from balled fists to handshakes to high fives
In the spirit of collaboration, lets work together to improve science communication and journalism. The quality of the product can only improve by co-opting one of the paradigms in science that is worthwhile – the notion of review.
National Institutional Ranking and Institutions of Eminence
The National Institutional Ranking Framework of the Ministry of Human Resource Development shows that institutions funded by the Central Government occupy the pride of place in the higher education sector in India, followed by state universities and then by private universities. Autonomy, internal democracy, emphasis on merit in appointments and admissions, flexibility in administration, ability of faculty to attract research grants etc. are pre-requisites for eminence. These attributes, which are worth fighting for, exist to different extents in centrally funded institutions. It is unfair to treat public and private institutions as two separate categories of equal importance for identifying Institutions of Eminence. Private universities need to be encouraged, but not at the expense of publicly funded institutions which have done the nation proud and are acclaimed in India and abroad.
Visualizing cellular and molecular science for science communication
Most science communication workshops for scientists often focus on only the writing component. The visuals that are used alongside have not received similar attention with respect to their legibility.
इयत्ता तिसरी शिकलेला क्रांतिकारी संशोधक – दादाजी खोब्रागडे
तुमच्यातील बऱ्याच लोकांना “इयत्ता तिसरी शिकलेला क्रांतिकारी संशोधक” – असे शीर्षक वाचून आश्चर्य वाटणे स्वाभाविक आहे . खरे पाहता संशोधन कार्यासाठी असावी लागेते ती इछा शक्ती , जिज्ञासू वृत्ती आणि काहीतरी नवीन शिकण्याची मनोवृत्ती. याच्याच बळावर नांदेड येथील , इयत्ता तिसरी शिकलेल्या श्री दादाजी खोब्रागडे यांनी तब्ब्ल ९ तांदळाच्या जातींचा शोध लावला. त्यांचे रविवारी , […]
Research fund crunch, real or created, is hitting India’s academia on the wrong side
In real terms, the per capita funds available for R&D activities have not increased but, in fact, may be less.
Issues across Science, Journalism and Media: Plagiarism, Scientists and the Media
The fact of plagiarism itself is easy to establish in most cases and the willingness of scientists to come on record to say so would show that the science enterprise in India is robust and well.
Issues across Science, Journalism and Media: Sexual harassment and the moral role of scientists, journalists and institutions
I discuss how cases of sexual harassment at the academic workplace could be covered by journalists, examining the responsibility of individual scientists and of the institutions they belong to.
Issues across Science, Journalism and Media: Conduct rules, the need for institutional openness and the journalist-scientist interaction
A scientific organization that gives its members the green light to interact with journalists and the public, without insisting that every such interaction be filtered through an administrative layer or otherwise controlled, is doing things right.
Issues across Science, Journalism and Media: Should journalists write about preprints?
Preprints level the playing field for scientists from the developing world. They may simply be the most innovative method we know of that enables such access to the best of science from all round the world.