Columns

• Public health in practice: PKC’s ecosystem model for disease surveillance and response

  

  The global pandemic served as an eye-opener for the need to learn about navigating public health crises. From this crisis emerged a lesson that cannot be ignored: building a robust ecosystem that enhances communication amongst all the relevant stakeholders, especially at the city level, is crucial to mitigating public health challenges. Among the many efforts that emerged to address this need, Pune Knowledge Cluster (PKC) has taken significant strides in developing pathways towards building a comprehensive public health management framework for Pune district.
  

  Posted on Sep 08, 2025 in Health & Medicine, Other, Training & Interdisciplinarity

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• A cultural perspective in academic publishing

  

  Aditi Jain, an India-based publishing professional discusses how scientific communication thrives at the intersection of culture, clarity, and community. Drawing from her interactions within the global research ecosystem, she highlights why being culturally sensitive is necessary to disseminating research—to turn feedback into learning, communication into collaboration, and science into a genuinely inclusive and meaningful undertaking.
  

  Posted on Aug 01, 2025 in Other, Education, Training, Personal Experience, Outreach & School Education

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• Short Summer Courses: Breaking barriers in science education in India

  

  The IISER Kolkata Alumni Association's Short Summer Courses (SSC) programme fills gaps in traditional science education by bringing together Indian university students and early-career researchers from around the world. In July 2025, SSC hopes to promote academic innovation and democratise scientific knowledge throughout India by offering engaging, state-of-the-art courses.

  Posted on Jun 30, 2025 in Education, Training, Career Development, Research & Education

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• Science for all: How citizen science is transforming research through community participation

  

  Citizen science is research conducted with the help of the general public, where amateur, non-professional, and passionate individuals are provided with an opportunity to contribute to science. It serves as a medium to foster scientific curiosity and collaboration between scientists and society, enabling individuals to contribute to data collection, organisation, and analysis—which are key elements in evidence-based decision-making and addressing community challenges through research and policy initiatives. Additionally, it also helps alleviate the workload and conserve the bandwidth of scientists and experts, allowing them to focus better on advancing research and innovation.
  

  Posted on May 19, 2025 in Education, Science Communication, Training, Teaching, School Education & Education

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• Catalysts of change: How PKC is aligning with NEP 2020 to build a brighter future

  

  India's National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) envisions an education system that aligns with the aspirations of 21^st century learning. It highlights the importance of nurturing human potential, strengthening institutional capacity, and fostering regional ecosystems for education, research, and innovation. The policy also aims to promote inclusivity and equitable quality education while cultivating a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
  
  

  Posted on Apr 21, 2025 in Education, Science Communication, Training, Teaching, School Education & Education

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• 10 Women, 10 Questions: Yashmin Choudhury

  

  Yashmin Choudhury is an Assistant Professor in Assam University, Silchar, with a keen interest in cancer biology. In this '10 Women, 10 Questions' interview, she gives a glimpse into her research work and talks in depth about her ideals about education.

  Posted on Oct 14, 2024 in Education, Training & Education

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• The “Hunger Games” of college education: Unhealthy competition over collaboration

  

  It is perhaps too well known to students, parents and educators alike that the Indian higher education system is highly competitive. While some competition may be unavoidable, the question is - are some aspects of this competitive environment unnecessary, or even toxic? In this article, biology researcher and educator Anil Kumar Challa, from the Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Delhi NCR presents a perspective on why a collaborative environment is better than a competitive one.

  Posted on Jul 15, 2024 in Science, Training, Career Development, Policy & Undergraduate

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