Dr. Sindhu Mathai

Dr. Sindhu Mathai from Azim Premji University delivered an invited talk on ‘Emerging areas and research methodologies in Science Education’ on 12th July, 2019. Dr. Sindhu spoke about the concept of ‘Science Capital’ for improving science literacy, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary interactions and research methodologies in education. The talk was followed by a discussion among participants, wherein methods to improve education and integrate experiential learning into the curriculum were debated at length.

Professor K. J. Rao

An interactive lecture with Prof. K.J Rao, Professor Emeritus, Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit (SSCU), IISc., was held on August 26, 2019, at Prayoga office on ‘Modern trends in Science and Technology’.

Prof. K J Rao’s presence was enough to inspire the Prayoga team because he believes that Science is for everybody. He briefly spoke about various kinds of research happening in the world. The way he delivered the lecture was insightful, easy to grasp and pleasant. He emphasised on the importance of spending time with children and improving science education for the future generation.

He touched upon various topics covering all fields of science. Some topics include - Quantum computing, Applications of Graphene, Genetic Engineering, and the Periodic Table. His manner of speech was delightful and persuasive. The Prayoga family hopes to collaborate with Prof. K. J. Rao and learn about inculcating the values of Science in children and adults. 

Dr. Sushama Yermal

Dr. Sushama Yermal visited Prayoga on October 26, 2019 and delivered a talk on the topic, 'Providing suitable learning experiences, specially in teaching Biology'. The talk was focussed on learning experiences, stressing on the importance of a learning-centered education system. Dr. Yermal ensured it was an interactive, hands-on session, by facilitating a few activities. She laid great emphasis on the purpose of science education, insisting that it was necessary to create a scientific temperament among young learners.

Dr. Yermal obtained a fellowship at the reputed National Centre for Biological Science (NCBS-TIFR), Bangalore, culminating in an Integrated Doctoral degree from TIFR. She also holds a Master of Education degree (M.Ed., certificate awaited).

Dr. Geetha Bali and Dr. LS Satyamurthy

An interactive session with Dr. Geetha Bali and Dr. LS Satyamurthy was held on November 11, 2019, at Prayoga. It was an inspiring talk, with both Dr. Geetha Bali and Dr. LS Satyamurthy drawing on their vast research experience. Their valuable inputs were appreciated by the Research Associates, who look forward to more such insightful sessions.

Dr. Geetha Bali is an Ashutosh Mukherjee Fellow, is Chief Scientific Officer at Cellspace Research Organization and Chairperson, Board of Governors at Moulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal. Dr. LS Satyamurthy was Ex-Director, ISRO Satcom Telemedicine and Ex-Director of ANTRIX.

Dr. Ramakrishna Arakalgud

Dr. Ramakrishna Arakalgud, ex-Director of the Zoological Survey of India, delivered an engaging talk on December 18, 2019, on various domains of biology and how they could be taught. The lecture comprised of topics from the beginning of life on earth, varied geography and wildlife to evolution and heredity. Dr. Arakalgud also spoke about Bengal tigers, the diverse flora and fauna that are becoming extinct and certain speciation that is taking place currently as mechanism of survival, and mass extinction and how we can study it deeper, among several other interesting phenomena.

He spoke on how science has always been interdisciplinary, and gave us ideas for designing experiments based on these theories to make learning interesting for students. The Prayoga team eagerly looks forward to more such sessions of learning with Dr. Arakalgud.