Science Communication
I am passionate about spreading the love for science and especially neuroscience. I have worked on various projects that have given me the opportunity to share my knowledge with students, friends, colleagues and the public. Some of my work in science communication is listed below.
I gave a talk to kids aged 6-16 years on The Neuroscience and Mental Health at TTAS on their Season 8: Episode 9. The session covered a few subtopics such as the neuroscience behind different emotions, such as happiness, sadness, anger and fear. We also discussed how neurotransmitters are responsible for some of these emotions and how them being not balanced can cause different types of neuropsychiatric disorders like addiction, depression or anxiety. We then explored the symptoms of these mental illnesses and the treatments for all of those mental illnesses. We then made an attempt to understand how we use mouse models of addiction, depression and anxiety to understand the illnesses better through research and develop better treatments. Finally, we touched upon the neuroscience behind love and bonding.
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You can find the PDF of the slides here.
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I organised Project Encephalon Brain Awareness Week with a €1250 grant I won from International Brain Research Organization (IBRO). This was the first grant I ever applied for and a project very close to my heart, as I love teaching neuroscience and instilling my love for brain sciences in young minds. We hosted 14 talks from speakers around the world on 2 themes, neuroscience of everyday life and tools used in neuro-research. We also hosted over 30 mentorship sessions and competitions like NeuroArt and NeuroStory. To know more about PEBAW, click here.
Along with 11 students in June 2020, I cofounded Project Encephalon, an international trainee-led non-profit organization that advocates for inclusivity and accessibility in neuroscience. We have a discord community, where everyone is welcome. We organize regular events related to neuroscience, including conferences, talks, networking sessions, podcasts, blog (Neuronotes and Sapiens in Neuroscience) and informal brainstorming sessions on different topics in neuroscience (NeuroRants).
You can join the community here.
The Science Jam
I was interviewed by The Science Paradox where I talked on the topic of Deciphering depression. We touched upon topics such as symptoms of depression, how we identify and treat it, mechanisms of antidepressant action, a little about my research on inflammation and depression and new and upcoming treatments for depression such as psychedelics, ketamine, brain stimulation and much more! Here are the videos.
Deciphering Depression Part 1
Deciphering Depression Part 2
Deciphering Depression Part 3
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I am a part of the team at O.U.R.P.S.Y.C.H.E, which is a mental health collective that raises awareness about mental illnesses. We have of students, psychologists, faculty members from various parts of the country on the team, who help to organize the sessions and reach out to people who need help, but are not sure how to proceed. Through O.U.R.P.S.Y.C.H.E I try to combine my education in psychology and research on depression, to understand and learn to help people with mental illnesses better. To know more about O.U.R.P.S.Y.C.H.E click here.
CHILD RIGHTS AND YOU (CRY)
I worked with CRY while I was in Kolkata, India during my undergrad. Every Sunday, we used to go to this place called Dhapa and take classes for underprivileged children in the area. I used to teach science to the kids, and it is where I developed the love for teaching. Some of these students couldn't afford to go to school, but the diversity in their talents and eagerness to do better inspire me till this day. Sometimes, they would ask me about what I do other than teaching, I'd tell them a thing or two about my research in neuroscience, and astonishingly, they'd never shy away from asking questions, and make me reflect on my work more!
To know more about CRY, click here.
