International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), Hyderabad an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India celebrated National Safety day on 5th March 2020 as part of National Safety Week celebrations at ARCI from 4-10 March 2020 through which live demos and hands-on training are being conducted on usage of safety equipment and general safety procedures at ARCI.

Dr G. Padmanabham, Director, ARCI, emphasized that safety should evolve as a habit of every person, and needs to be propagated as the culture of the centre. Dr. T. N. Rao, Associate Director, said that safety should be of prime concern as it plays an important role in the socio-economic sectors in a significant way which will affect the growth of the institutions and have an impact on a national level.

During the occasion, safety pledges were administered, and lectures and interactive sessions were organized focusing on relevance and importance of safety in the workplace. As a part of celebrations, safety slogan competition for employees and students was conducted, and an internal safety audit report was also released during the occasion in an attempt to enhance safety protocols.

Dr Roy Johnson, Associate Director, and Chairman Safety Committee, highlighted that ARCI, as an organization prioritizes safety, health and environment in its policy. He urged everyone in the organization to remain committed to safety and follow procedures and protocols for a sustainable organization with a conducive working environment.

Mr G Jeevan Raghavendra, Manager (Safety, Health, and Environment), M/s. Sai Life Sciences Ltd, Hyderabad delivered an invited talk. Talks were also given by ARCI Scientists Mr. Manish Tak and Mrs. S. Nirmala. Mr V. Balaji Rao, Scientist F, highlighted the findings of the Internal Safety Audit and Mr D Ramesh, Safety, Fire and Security Officer presented the activities of ARCI Safety Committee. The employees and students participated enthusiastically during the interactive sessions.

Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), organized a one-day Indo-Thai workshop on ‘Investigating the Stellar Variability and Star Formation’ to strengthen ongoing collaboration and expand the Indo-Thai cooperation from stellar sources to other areas of astronomy and astrophysics such as extra-galactic astronomy and instrumentation.

The workshop deliberated on various topics such as stellar variability, star formation, stellar abundance, transient events, and instrumentation with 14 talks by the scientists and students of both the countries.  About 60 participants from the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT), Nanjing University China, Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Kumaun University, Nainital, and ARIES, attended this international conference.

In his welcome address Dr. Santosh Joshi, the convener of the workshop, stressed the importance of Indo-Thai collaboration in science and technology and invited the astronomers from India and Thailand for cooperation in space science and instrumentation. Dr. Joshi also presented a glimpse of the ongoing and planned activities under the Indo-Thai collaboration.     

The guest speaker Prof. Ram Sagar, the former director of ARIES, summarized the importance of bilateral programme supported by the funding agencies of both the countries. The Chief Guest of the event, Prof. H. C. Chandola, head department of Physics, Kumaun University inaugurated the function and spoke about the history of ARIES and NARIT, Thailand, and similarity of the Indian and Thai cultures that brings the researchers of both the countries closer. The summary of the workshop and concluding remarks was given by Dr. David Mkrtichian, senior researcher of  NARIT, Thailand.     

To set up the cooperation in the fields of Science and Technology, DST and Ministry of Science & Technology of the Kingdom of Thailand sanctioned two joint bilateral programmes for joint research in the area of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Indian astronomers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bangalore and ARIES, Nainital in coordination with Thai astronomers from NARIT, Thailand are simulating the research in the area of the space and atmospheric science using the observational facilities available in both the countries. 

The workshop also discussed how collaborations and joint ventures help in exchanging the knowledge of the investigators involved in the projects and gives the opportunity to train the young researchers as well.

The Indo-U.S. Fellowship for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (WISTEMM)” program of Department of Science and Technology (DST) in association with Indo-U.S. Science & Technology Forum (IUSSTF) have provided international exposure to several women scientists. Around 20 women scientists have visited 20 leading institutions across the United States of America for furthering their research work and to get trained in the state of the art technologies related to their research.

WISTEMM aims to provide opportunities to Indian Women Scientists, Engineers & Technologists to undertake international collaborative research in premier institutions in the U.S.A, to enhance their research capacities and capabilities.

The programme is run for two categories of women scientists--- Women Overseas Student Internship (Module I) for women students pursuing Ph.D., and Women Overseas Fellowship (Module II) for women with the Ph.D. degree and holding a regular position at any recognized institution/laboratory in India.

The first batch of women scientists comprising of 20 women has completed their visit to 20 leading institutions across the United States of America. Selected from among the application from the women scientific community, the second batch of 20 women is undergoing visit across premier institutions of USA this year.

The fellowship is for bright Indian women citizens within the age bracket of 21 to 45 years. Such a broad age criteria not only caters to those who are currently pursuing research but also to those outstanding women researchers who would want to return after having taken a break onto their research path. The funding support extended under the program includes stipend, airfare, health insurance, contingency, and conference allowances.

DST has started several pioneering initiatives for promoting women in science. In the year 2014, DST restructured all women-specific programmes under one umbrella called Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing (KIRAN), which encompasses women-exclusive schemes and encourages them to foster their career by not only undertaking research in Science and Technology (S&T) but also focusing on S&T solutions of issues & challenges at the grassroots level for social benefits. The mandate of the KIRAN Program is to bring gender parity in S&T through gender mainstreaming. Women Scientist Scheme (WOS) addresses challenges faced by S&T qualified women primarily due to social responsibilities. Its two components WOS-A and WOS-B, are directly implemented by KIRAN Division, and the third component WOS-C or KIRAN-IPR, is implemented by TIFAC with grant-in-aid from DST.

Providing avenues to women scientists and technologists for capacity building, knowledge, and skill enhancement at the global level is another objective achieved through its international component called ‘International Fellowship for Women in Science.’ The program aims to provide opportunities to Indian Women Scientists, Engineers, and Technologists to undertake collaborative research and gain exposure to excellent research facilities at the international level.

In the year 2018, Dr. Savleen Kaur from Chandigarh was working with a tertiary health care unit in Ophthalmology at the Post Graduate Institute of Education and Research in Chandigarh. She had neither the salary nor a full-time job. But what she had was an ardent wish to pursue research. She had done all her background work, but opportunities seemed to be eluding her.

Circa 2020: the young lady is working as an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology in the Advanced Eye center at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh.

The blessing came in the form of a fellowship the WOS-A scheme of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in March 1, 2019, which was the turning point of her life.

The WOS-A scheme provides a platform to women scientists and technologists for pursuing research in basic or applied sciences and offers them the opportunity to work as bench-level scientists. This scheme plays a pivotal role in gender mainstreaming and also training and retaining women in the system as well as prevents brain drain from the S&T system. The support is available in five disciplines under WOS-A are namely, Physical & Mathematical Sciences (PMS), Chemical Sciences (CS), Life Sciences (LS),  Earth & Atmospheric Sciences (EAS) and Engineering Technology (ET)

Dr. Savleen finished her post-graduation in ophthalmology from Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi. After marriage, she moved to Chandigarh. After waiting for a year, she joined as a senior resident at PGI and, after that, continued as a research associate at PGI only. There came a time when she sat jobless at home and wondered whether she would ever be able to continue in her field. DST gave her a platform to not only showcase her research but also gave her the opportunity to work in one of the best institutes of the country under her favourite mentor. 

Dr. Kaur says, “I was looking for a podium to stand on. I was looking for a break to tell the world about my work and was ecstatic when I got it. I was among the seven in the country who got it in life sciences, and it made all the trouble worthwhile. I had a long break at work, with the responsibility of family and kids. The scheme made me come back with full force.”

“I worked hard to have an in-depth knowledge of my subject. I was confident, and I could defend the work I had done myself. Not to forget the guidance of my mentors Dr. Amod Gupta and Dr. Mangat Dogra ex HODs in Department of Ophthalmology at PGIMER, Dr. Jagat Ram, current Director and Head of the department and Dr. Jaspreet Sukhija, Additional Professor in the same department who taught me to work hard and keep aiming high. The support of my husband and in-laws is priceless,” she added.

Women aspiring to return to mainstream science after a break in career should never give up, she said. “Persistence and perseverance will always pay. We should believe in God and ourselves. Don’t ever think that family is pushing you back. It is making you stronger. Keep an eye open for schemes like these,” she added.

Now that she is in a permanent job, Dr. Kaur is looking forward to expanding her research. There are only a handful of dedicated pediatric ophthalmologists in the country, and she wishes to fill this gap and work towards the elimination of childhood blindness in India by further research.

“To me, WOS-A Scheme allowed me to pursue education, intellect, and research in the field of pediatric ophthalmology. I would like to expand research in this sub-specialty and also like to teach and motivate others to fulfil the ever-increasing demand in this area.” Dr. Kaur pointed out.

 “Women in a scientific career are like soldiers in enemy territory. You can’t go back to where you came from, and you have to fight in hostile environments. Keep your focus and your faith. Believe in yourself and your training. Luck favours those who are prepared for it!” she emphasised.