Can animal studies be truly objective? In the early 20th century, a horse in Berlin captured the world’s attention with its mathematical proficiency. When asked an arithmetic question, Hans, the horse, would start tapping his hooves and stop when he arrived at the correct number. This remarkable feat elevated Hans’ status to genius. […]
India needs the right technology and policy to realise a gallium nitride future Harshada Ahire was caught off guard as she opened the door of the Power Electronics Laboratory in the Department of Electrical Engineering (EE) at IISc, as I stepped into the large room. I was with Vinod John, Professor at EE, […]
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 […]
Two IISc students recount their expeditions into the unknown Satya Chanakya jolted awake when he fell off his bed in the middle of the night. He felt disoriented, wondering if he was dreaming. The room was swaying around him, and he heard a series of announcements through a speaker, asking everyone to remain in […]
Late hours on campus offer serene, vibrant vibes for students to unwind The night was filled with the sounds of crickets chirping. Leaves crunched under my feet as I walked towards the nursery gates to meet up with members of IISc’s Nature Club. We were going on a walk to see some of the […]
Unique centre at IISc’s Challakere campus exemplifies sustainable construction The temperature was a sizzling 40°C on the morning of 24 April when I reached the IISc campus in Challakere. Summers in this area have become worse in recent years. The sweltering heat was becoming unbearable as I made my way past various buildings to […]
How the genre has evolved and influenced researchers It was early 2005. GK Ananthasuresh had joined IISc a few months before. His neighbour in the campus quarters then was Utpal Nath, another faculty member who was researching gene mutations in plant leaves. It was known that certain genes are responsible for facilitating differential growth […]
Tracing the growth of a model training programme at IISc’s Challakere campus Smita Bala Panda is among the 112 teachers who have travelled from Odisha to participate in the Teachers’ Training Programme at the Talent Development Centre (TDC), in the IISc Challakere campus. She covered the journey from Ganjam district to Bangalore via train, […]
What IISc scientists are doing to help solve the city’s civic challenges In the 2014 Malayalam film Bangalore Days, the character played by actor Nivin Pauly is asked during a job interview about his opinion of being posted in Bangalore city. With a shy smile, he thinks, “Who can say no to Bangalore?” That […]
The need for archives in academic institutions In a pivotal scene in the sensational Christopher Nolan film, Oppenheimer, the protagonist, J Robert Oppenheimer, meets Danish physicist Niels Bohr while struggling with his research at Cambridge University in the early 1920s. Bohr urges Oppenheimer to move to Germany and study under the famed physicist and […]
