Celebrate the wonders of science and technology at the third edition of India Science Festival 

India Science Festival 2022 (ISF 2022) will be a 15-day virtual celebration of science. This year’s festival, themed “Continuum – where do we come from, where are we going?”, will explore the evolution of science and technology and its vital and intriguing interfaces with culture, politics and society through a multitude of creative, thought-provoking and fascinating programs.

FAST-India’s CEO Jayant Krishna said: “Our foundation is delighted to present its flagship event, India Science Festival, as a celebration of science and technology in India. Within the span of three years, it has already grown into India’s largest non-governmental scientific communication platform. Our festival will feature some of the most celebrated speakers from the best universities in the class such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University, University of Cambridge, Stanford University, University of Oxford, IISc, IISERs, TIFR-NCBS, Ashoka University, and more! Apart from India, the countries represented have spread all over the world such as USA, Canada, Japan, UK, Continental Europe, China, South Korea, Singapore, South Africa and several others. This year we would also invite several scientists from government labs and S&T institutes from India to participate in the festival.”

India Science Festival 2022 (ISF 2022)

The festival partners with world-class organizations such as Social Alpha, The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University, National Science Center – New Delhi, IndiaBioscience, Cactus Communications, Asian Century Foundation, MIT Knight Science Journalism Programme, Science Gallery Bengaluru , The Indian Express and DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance, to name a few, to provide people of all ages with the opportunity to learn and participate in science that impacts our daily lives and shapes our collective future.

The festival features live talks, panel discussions and fireside chats with leading Indian and international experts in STEM, humanities, media and business. The lineup of speakers include Prof. Vijay Raghavan (Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India), Dr. Jyotsna Dhawan (CEO, DBT/Wellcome Trust-India Alliance), Prof. Tarun Khanna (Harvard Business School, USA), Deborah Blum (winner of a Pulitzer Prize Science Journalist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA), Prof. Bhramar Mukherjee (Biostatiscian, University of Michigan, USA), Kris Gopalakrishnan (Chairman, Axilor Ventures, India) and Prof. Gagandeep Kang (Microbiologist, CMC Vellore, India). These events promise to provide an inside look at some of the most exciting, groundbreaking discoveries and socially relevant science of our time. A sneak peek at the exciting science talks lineup:

Leading virologist and a critical voice of reason and science during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Shahid Jameel in his lecture following the evolution of viruses and what this means for future outbreaks.

The inimitable bio-roboticist Prof. Barbara Webb shares fascinating insights into how nature inspires modern technology in her lecture on ‘what can insects teach us about robots?’ Leading roboticist and AI expert Prof. Sethu Vijayakumar will be giving attendees a talk on the future of automated robots, as well as giving a live demo of humanoid robots from his lab!

The well-known neuroscientists Prof. Anil K Seth and Dr. Sumaiya Shaikh, and the celebrated psychologist Prof. Richard Wiseman will talk about how they use science to unravel the many mysteries of the human brain.

This year’s festival is themed “Continuum – where do we come from, where are we going?”

World-renowned geoscientist and science communicator Prof. Iain Stewart will trace the history of one of the most pressing challenges of our time, climate change, in an effort to improve our current understanding of this global crisis.

In his lecture, Prof. Vikram Patel – one of the most influential and important voices in the field of mental health worldwide – will discuss how empowering communities will ensure mental health for all.

Find the full list of conversations here: http://www.indiasciencefest.org/talks

The festival also features engaging discussions and panel sessions with historians, artists, filmmakers, writers and other professionals working at the intersection of science, technology, media, history and art.

Award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster Angela Saini has been instrumental in initiating a global dialogue on discrimination and inequality in science through her well-researched and compelling writings. Catch her at the festival as she talks about all this and more.

Renowned historians of science, Dr. Jahnavi Phalkey and Prof. Dhruv Raina meets with science journalist Hari Pullakat to discuss the history of science and its coming of age.

Written out of History: Forgotten Indian Scientists, a series of short films showcasing the unsung heroes of the Indian scientific community, will be unveiled at the festival by creators, National Geographic Explorer and filmmaker Munmun Dhalaria and biomedical scientist Dr. Minhaj Sirajuddin.

As part of the ‘ISF Booktalks’, Prof. Dashun Wang, author of ‘Science of Science’, talk about decoding big data to clarify the patterns and workings of science with the aim of improving scientific productivity and impact.

By encouraging us to appreciate science in our daily lives, tech and musician Krish Ashok, author of a fascinating book ‘Masala Lab’ will guide us through the science behind Indian cooking.

Founder of ISF and MIT-trained scientist, Varun Agrawal and bestselling author, Nistha Tripathi, will come together to discuss their new book “Futurepreneurs”, which examines various deep technology and artificial intelligence-based startups in India and demystifies these concepts to the inexperienced.

ISF runs from January 8 to January 23, 2022.

A variety of innovative and immersive workshops have been designed for the festival to spark and nurture young people’s interest and participation in science. These include sessions on science comedy and improv, science policy for dummies, science fact-checking, careers in science, science communication, astronomy class, DIY science experiments for kids, and more! The virtual PhD Program Booth, a three-part workshop on scientific writing, networking and marketing research using social media at the festival, offers a unique opportunity for PhD scholars and young researchers to hone their skills.

There will be various competitions and competitions for both young students and science enthusiasts. TalkYourThesis (for MS/PhD students), SpinYourScience (science fiction writing) with acclaimed science fiction author Shiv Ramdas and filmmaker Arati Kadav, Science in Focus, a photography competition and exhibition with the National Science Centre, New Delhi, Meme-Making and InQuizitive India ( flagship science quiz competition) hosted by popular stand-up comedian and quizmaster Kumar Varun will ensure there is something for everyone at the festival!

This year’s Festival, as in the previous year, aims to celebrate and explore science in every way possible by bringing together a diverse array of professionals to engage and inspire a wide audience. Subscribe to our website to receive live updates from the festival. India Science Festival program schedule is accessible here.

Visitors can follow all the action on social media:

Facebook: @indiasciencefest

Instagram: @indiasciencefest

Twitter: @IndSciFest

LinkedIn: @indiasciencefest

YouTube: @tinyurl.com/2p82c7c2

About FAST India

Founded by Varun Aggarwal and Ashish Dhawan, FAST-India is an outstanding non-profit institution dedicated to building capacity and advancing policy solutions that advance scientific research and inquiry and facilitate the creation, dissemination and translation of new scientific knowledge in India.

The work at FAST-India is broadly divided into five verticals: policy reform, government engagement and support, institutional capacity building, industry engagement and science communication, with India Science Festival (ISF) serving as the Foundation’s flagship event.

About India Science Festival (ISF)

Since 2019, ISF strives to serve as a platform for a deeper engagement between scientists, researchers, professionals, entrepreneurs, young people and the general public. We want to involve the public in the latest scientific developments and have all actors in the ecosystem discuss, collaborate and make progress together.

Contact:
Shruti Sundaresan, Program Coordinator, India Science Festival: [email protected].