by Mahantesh Biradar/Graduate Ph.D. Candidate, Molecular Medicine
Do you know what’s the next big thing in biology/technology/physics or any other field of research? As a scientist-in-training, it’s imperative we have a broad understanding of the latest advancements in all areas of science.
While it is easy to be overwhelmed by our own PhD projects, it poses the danger of us being myopic in our world view. At Academia Sinica, we have the privilege of access to experts in all fields and here is a way to engage with the top news in research, not just with facts and figures but with nuances and critique.
The Graduate Students Association is pleased to announce the Scicomm and Outreach Club as a platform to connect with a wide spectrum of researchers, share stories, discuss socially-relevant scientific issues and build a community.
Activities
We will begin with a podcast featuring conversations with recent authors about their work, research, impact and relevance. Fear not, this will not be an audio version of a Journal Club/seminar. It will focus on interactive discussions, making research in all fields accessible to everyone.
It will be a casual chat about how a person settled on their research question and how they went about tackling it, always contextualizing it to the general public. It is a way to help us understand exciting science, how it has transformed our lives and how it is being used to solve complex problems around us, like climate change, Internet of Things etc.
Why podcast?
Digital audio is an easy and passive format of media to consume information. Words in your ear enables the brain to build images and helps you understand ideas. You can listen to it on the go, while cooking or in the gym. It is time-efficient and gives you an immersive experience of all the amazing work happening in our own campus.
How is it helpful to me?
As a listener, you can get an introduction to all the different research in Academia Sinica with little/no effort. It can be your source of motivation when you hit a roadblock in your work. Or simply, it can be entertaining to know what others are doing. It will help you build a network of experts inside your own campus who you can approach for a possible collaboration. In the next step of our careers, we will be required to diversify our expertise and be independent. This club can be your gateway to be a part of a community of experts.
As a participant on the podcast, talking about your work in a broader context helps you articulate it better. It can improve your communication skills and make your science more relevant and accessible. It is an important skill to be able to tell a good story and here is your chance to try it.
We are all doing cool science. It’s time we shared our interesting stories. It is easy to get sucked into negativity, doubts and frustration on this long PhD journey. Let’s take a moment to appreciate what our colleagues are doing. The best part is you get to have fun while you learn. You can write this off as an intellectual exercise while taking a break from your work.
How can you access it?
We have a trial clip for you to get a sense of what this podcast will be like. Please listen to it on the STEMSpeak social media accounts and let us know in the comments what you think of it. You can tell us what kind of research you might be interested in knowing more about and we will try to get those experts on our subsequent episodes. You can listen to our episodes seamlessly on iOS and Android devices using the buttons below.
How can you participate?
If you have recently published a paper and want to share your story with us, please write to us using this link. We will contact you with the details. If you are just starting out and do not have a paper yet, no problem. Write to us with your pitch of a science story that you are passionate about and want to discuss it. We can help you find appropriate colleagues who may be experts in the field and amaze us with some cool science.
Who are behind STEMSpeak?
Mahantesh Biradar
Mahantesh is a graduate student in TIGP-Molecular Medicine program. He is the current Vice President of TIGP-GSA. With an interest in digital data management, he is the founder of Research Stash, an online resource for curated data and tools for STEM researchers. He has previously worked with several startups.
Sahana Shankar
A TIGP-Molecular Cell Biology PhD student with previous experience in Science Communication. She has written for Indian news portals such as Newslaundry and Brainwave. 2 of her published articles are featured in this edition of the Newsletter.
Listen to STEMSpeak on Android and Apple Devices
