New Delhi: IIT Delhi has launched the ‘Research Communications Award (RCA)’ for its PhD Scholars with an aim to enhance their communication skills. The first batch of winners, who won other research communication-related events like research story writing and a 3-minute thesis competition, each received a plaque and a monetary award of Rs. 25,000.
Research Story Writing Competition: PhD candidates were required to compose a brief narrative that was inspired by their research for this competition. For a general audience, it has to be a powerful story about the importance of their study and their own part in it.
Three-Minute Thesis (3MT): PhD candidates had to provide a three-minute summary of their work to an interested audience. The 3MT competition honors the student discoveries and fosters their ability to persuade the general public of the value of research. The Research Communications Award was given to eleven PhD candidates who had won the 3-Minute Thesis competition.
The following students won the 3-Minute Thesis competition:
Ispshita Majumdar in Chemistry
Shivansh Mehrotra in Materials Science and Engineering
Kusum Saini in Civil Engineering
Sushovan Ghosh in Atmospheric Sciences
Ritanksha Joshi in Biochemical Engineering
Vivek Kumar Nair in Interdisciplinary Research
Abhishek Nair in Chemistry
Ankita Raj in Computer Science
Simran Kaur Rainu in Biomedical Engineering.
The eight award winning research stories can be read here:https://shorturl.at/offsZ
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Winners Share Insights
The PhD students who received awards for their research stories described the ‘Research Communications Award’ as a wonderful initiative by the Institute.
Shazia Shareef, a PhD student at the Centre for Rural Development & Technology, said, “The RCA initiative by IIT Delhi is a wonderful platform for research scholars to enhance their communication skills. It allows us to share our research with a wider audience in a clear and confident manner. Such initiatives not only recognize our efforts but also inspire us to express our research in a more engaging way.”
Juwariya, Biochemical Engineering, said, “Initiatives like the RCA truly nurture creativity and innovation among research scholars. Being part of this platform allowed me to share my own ideas while gaining recognition. It was also incredibly enjoyable and inspiring to read the stories from fellow winners, making the whole experience both rewarding and memorable.”
Sushovan Ghosh, Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, said, “Let’s turn discoveries into dialogue and ensure knowledge reaches those it’s meant to impact. The Research Communications Award (RCA) is a timely initiative to inspire researchers, echoing Sir Mark Walport's words: 'Science is not finished until it is communicated.”
Anju, Biomedical Engineering & Biotechnology, said, “The RCA initiative taken by the Institute fosters awareness, appreciation and support for scientific work beyond academic circles. It gives us the opportunity to bridge the gap between complex research and public understanding.
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The goal of IIT Delhi's "Research Scholar Week" initiative, which took place earlier this year in March, was to empower research scholars by promoting work-life balance and well-being, increasing productivity, raising awareness of research, and creating a lively academic community.
While talking about the Research Communications Award, Prof. Dhanya CT, Associate Dean, PG Research, IIT Delhi, said, “Our goal is not only to strengthen the research environment at IIT Delhi but also to enrich the scholars and help them become independent researchers. While our curriculum already provides enabling platforms to encourage scholars to step out of their labs and participate in debates, seminars, and competitions, we also initiated the ‘Research Communications Award' as a co-curricular activity with an aim to create and provide our society with more independent and efficient researchers and engineers.”