Women in Scientific Domains (WiSDom) – Flagship Program of INYAS

INYAS conducted three events under WiSDom in July and August, 2023 to involve and discuss key aspects to empower female students, and early career scientists/researchers/academicians.

First one “The STEAM Gap: Nurturing next – generation women leaders” was conducted on 07th – 08th July 2023 in offline mode at IIT Gandhinagar. Approx. 90 participants from different parts of the country including women to men in 75:25 ratio attended the event to discuss various points about limited women visibility in Indian academia leadership roles. Multiple women leader icons gave the talks on their career journeys and many sessions involving gender gaps, women leadership, inputs from Govt of India were also conducted. The event was attended by students, teachers, professors, scientists, doctors, industry people, healthcare attendees, funding agencies and the overall feedback was very positive.

 Second event being “ICONIC Women Scientist of INDIA” conducted on 12th July 2023 in online mode. This event aimed to cultivate a scientific mindset among school students and ignite their curiosity with approx. 80 participants. The event served as a platform to honor and celebrate the exceptional achievements of women who have pushed boundaries leaving an important mark on the world of knowledge. The event started with a message from Dr. Rajendra Dhaka, Chair INYAS, who briefed the audience about the diverse range of activities undertaken by INYAS. Further, the invaluable motivational talks by the esteemed guest speaker, Prof. Sudha Bhattacharya and Prof. Gagandeep Kang (recorded), captivated the audience. It also featured two storytelling sessions, delivered by INYAS members Dr. Neha Sardana and Dr. Nishad Fatima (alumni) which shed light on the extraordinary lives of iconic Indian women scientists, Kalpana Chawla and Anandibai Joshi. Through these sessions, the attendees were immersed in the awe-inspiring journeys of these trailblazing women, learning about their determination, and groundbreaking contributions to the scientific community. As a part of the event, a quiz competition and a poster competition were also organized, themed on women scientists.

“Trailblazers” was conducted as third event in series on 18th August 2023 in online mode. The inauguration of Reels and Podcasts was done by Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, INSA president. The first session was chaired by Dr. Neha Sardana and discussions on the life and work life balance of Prof. Ashutosh Sharma and Mrs. Neeti Sharma went on with the take away message to Keep Humor alive throughout your life. The second session was chaired by Dr. Sriparna Chatterjee and discussions were with Prof. Bhadra (first INYAS chair) and her spouse Prof. Ayan Banerjee and ended with the take away message to be true to our kids and keep the dialogue open. The last and final session was chaired by Dr. Tarun Sharma and discussions were with Prof. Ranjana Pathania and Prof. Naveen Navani. The 3rd session ended with a take away message that hang in there when you have difficulties, it will pass.