लेख

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought science and scientists to the forefront of public scrutiny. At the same time, it has forced many scientists to take a step back and introspect as lockdown procedures are implemented throughout the country. We spoke to LS Shashidhara, Professor, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune (Currently, on Lien at Ashoka University), about the impact the current situation has had on the way scientific research is conducted in our country, and the lessons scientists can take away from it for the future.

In order to find a potential cure or vaccine for COVID-19, it is necessary to grow the novel coronavirus in large quantities in safe and contained laboratory settings. In the last few months, institutes around the country, including CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, and National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, have joined the effort to grow the virus. Somdatta Karak from CCMB provides us with a first-hand peek inside one such laboratory.

In this new series, we ask scientists from different backgrounds, disciplines and career stages to reflect upon their life in lockdown and how it has influenced how they approach doing science

In this Q&A, Amitabha Bandyopadhyay describes how startups in India have risen to the challenge of providing COVID-19 solutions, highlighting the example of Nocca Robotics, a startup that swiftly developed a low-cost ventilator in record time.

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is the largest publicly funded R&D organization in the country. We spoke to Dr. Shekhar C. Mande, the Director General, about CSIR’s role in the COVID-19 crisis. In this “as told to” article, Dr. Mande outlines the various strategies and efforts being undertaken in CSIR labs to combat the pandemic.

Going to a hospital can be stressful for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for those in high-risk groups. Fortunately, hospitals are increasingly embracing telemedicine as a convenient alternative. New guidelines have also been outlined to encourage this practice amidst the crisis. Cancer patients require special consideration during the COVID-19 pandemic, and telemedicine can safely attend to many of their daily needs, enable independence, and improve the overall quality of life.

The COVID-19 crisis and the physical distancing measures to control it have forced educators to connect with their students remotely. As a result, digital tools have become a necessity, not just an accessory, in their pedagogical toolkit. In this article, Charu Dogra Rawat, an educator at Ramjas College, New Delhi, and a digital literacy champion provides an overview of some of the online platforms and resources that can help educators engage with their students in a bidirectional teaching-learning process, even remotely.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought science and scientists to the forefront of public scrutiny. At the same time, it has forced many scientists to take a step back and introspect as lockdown procedures are implemented throughout the country. We spoke to Jyotsna Dhawan, Emeritus Scientist at CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, about the impact the current situation has had on the way scientific research is conducted in our country, and the lessons scientists can take away from it for the future.

K. VijayRaghavan is the principal scientific adviser to the Government of India. He is also professor emeritus and the former director of the National Centre of Biological Sciences, Bangalore. He has been part of the ICTS-TIFR Management Board since its inception. Here are excerpts from his speech about Aarogya Setu, an integrated data and decision support platform to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, on the digital platform Digital India Learning.

Gautam I. Menon is a professor of physics and computational biology at Ashoka University, Sonepat, and the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai. In the interview with Ananya Dasgupta he answers our questions about the global pandemic COVID-19, especially in the Indian context. This interview first appeared in Vol. VI, Issue 1 of ICTS News: https://www.icts.res.in/sites/default/files/newsletter-2020-vol-6-issue-1_0.pdf. Please be aware that some information given in this interview may be dated.