A day in the life of Security Officer K Jayaraj K Jayaraj usually begins his day around 9 am. But this October morning, an unexpected call prompts him to rush out the door an hour earlier. He tells his wife that there is an emergency and that their kids’ school is cancelled today. […]
Author: Pratibha Gopalakrishna
Bourne to Lead
How Alfred Gibbs Bourne became IISc’s second Director After overseeing the construction of several early buildings at the Institute and laying the groundwork for its growth, Morris Travers stepped down as IISc’s first Director in 1914. What followed was a year-long hunt for the person to fill this role. Members of the IISc […]
Plastic, Plastic Everywhere
Going beyond the ‘reuse, reduce, recycle’ model to curb plastic pollution I turn off the alarm on my phone, slowly wake up, turn the fan switch off, and head to the bathroom. I push paste out of a tube onto my toothbrush, and brush my teeth. Then, I scoop water out of a peach-coloured […]
Keeping a Clean Lab
Twenty years ago, T Chandrashekar joined PB Seshagiri’s lab at the Department of Developmental Biology and Genetics or DBG (earlier called Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics) as a lab assistant. Since then, he has helped countless students with their research by prepping their worktables every day. Along the way, he worked at different labs in […]
Electronic City Was Not Built in a Day
The story of Rama Krishna Baliga, a government bureaucrat who laid the foundation for Electronic City, which eventually led to Bangalore becoming the “Silicon Valley of India” Ragavendra R Baliga has fond memories of his father, Rama Krishna Baliga. “There’s an article my father wrote for my medical school journal after he retired. [In that], […]
For the Love of Bangalore
Harini Nagendra is a Professor of Ecological Sciences at Azim Premji University, Bangalore. She also leads the university’s Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability. Over the past 25 years, Harini has been studying the impact of urbanisation on both the ecology of a city and its people. For her interdisciplinary research, she has received many […]
From Navy Discipline to Fiscal Prudence
A deep dive into one day in the life of Aparna Kandi, a former navy officer and current Deputy Registrar It is a quiet April morning at the pale cream-coloured administrative building at IISc, close to the main gate. On the ground floor are offices of the Finance and Accounts (F&A) section as well […]
‘Why Can’t We Make Small Talk About Science?’
Kollegala Sharma has worked as a science communicator for over 40 years. After quitting his PhD in radiation biology, he worked as an Assistant Editor for Science Reporter – CSIR-NIScPR’s magazine – then as a Kannada science columnist in the newspaper Kannada Prabha, and as a chief scientist at CFTRI, Mysuru. He has written articles […]
Water: The Elixir of Life
The tiny molecule that wears many hats inside our body A memory brings a smile as I gulp down water to quench my thirst. School, science class, and tiny desks. Our teacher was explaining to us that “water is colourless, odourless, and tasteless.” “But miss, I can taste water!” one of my classmates piped […]