Building bridges, striking conversations: Science Communication at TIFR Hyderabad

Institutional science communication presents a wide variety of opportunities to engage with the community, via both traditional channels as well as new media. In this talk, I will be discussing past and ongoing efforts aimed at strengthening the science communication and public engagement programmes at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Hyderabad (TIFRH). We have been exploring (and experimenting with) different ways to communicate institute research in an effective manner. Additionally, we have been conducting outreach activities for schools and colleges (for example: TIFRH Science Fair) and organising community outreach events (for example: Science café Sawaal-Jawaab: Conversations on Science, Knowledge Partner at the India Science Festival, 2023). We have also set up a structure for Strategic Communications that focus on increasing the visibility of the institute among the public. 

There are multiple successful models of captivating science communication initiatives across the country. We have incorporated these methods in our science communication programme, adding a few tweaks when necessary. TIFRH students are an integral driving force of our science communication programme. I shall discuss how we try to incorporate a training component in science communication skills for the students participating in these programmes. Apart from the above, we are conceptualising ways to bring in our audience as potential contributors that would eventually equip us to develop better scicomm resources and revisit existing methods if the need arises. We have also joined forces with peers from the science communication community in India, whenever possible, to maximise the impact of our programmes.

About the Speaker: 
Anusheela Chatterjee is the Programme Head of the Science Media Centre at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Hyderabad. She obtained her Masters degree in Biology from DBS-TIFR Mumbai prior to joining TIFRH as a science writer.