Battling COVID-19, Wave after Wave

Developing COVID-19 solution hasn’t been easy for researchers working since the pandemic began, as well as for those who jumped into the foray recently   When the country was rocked by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2021, oxygen conservation became a prime concern. As hospitals designated for COVID-19 became swamped, patients […]

Making IISc More Inclusive

A group called Queer and Straight Allies at IISc is working to support LGBTQ+ students     “I had read about IISc having a queer group before I came here,” says Anwesha, an MTech student. “I was excited to meet people whom I could relate to as I didn’t have any queer friends before that.” […]

Bridging the Technology Gap in Healthcare

The MD-PhD programme is a unique collaboration between IISc and Christian Medical College (CMC) at Vellore to improve healthcare in India   Technology plays a key role in healthcare – in diagnostics, therapeutics, as well as in rehabilitation. Though technology has progressed considerably in the last few decades, innovations in healthcare, compared to other fields, […]

Snakebite Treatment in India (and What We Can Do about it)

Why traditional antivenom therapy is inadequate in treating this neglected tropical disease Humans have always been fascinated by snakes. In some cultures, snakes are considered divine because they are indispensable to humans in controlling rodent pests that can otherwise cause enormous damage to food crops. But snakes can also be deadly to humans, and have […]

The Land on Which We Stand

 IISc’s neighbourhood has a long and rich history In the late 1890s, JN Tata was hunting for a suitable location for what eventually came to be known as the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). By the early 1900s, Bangalore had become the frontrunner to host the research institute, not least because of the wholehearted support […]

How Can We Prioritise Mental Health on Campus?

“Do people in highly competitive spaces lack empathy?” That was a question a student had for a panel of mental health professionals at an event on 9 November 2019 called Shades of Blue: Understanding Depression. With increased concerns about students’ mental health on campus (two students took their lives this year), this was a student-organised […]

Half a Century of Worship at “Tata’s Temple of Science”

The evolutionary biologist recounts his love for the campus of IISc which has also served as a laboratory for his research The year was 1963, and it was my first week in Bangalore. As a 10-year-old boy, I was travelling with my parents and my two siblings, in the Bangalore Transport Service (BTS) bus no. […]