Aarthi Venkatesh, a second-year Psychology student at SIAS, has been selected to present her research at the South Asian Forum on the Acquisition and Processing of Language (SAFAL) – 2024, one of the more prestigious and competitive cognitive science and psycholinguistics conferences organised by the Association of Cognitive Science at IIT Bombay.

Aarthi will be presenting her research on generational differences in abstract knowledge and motor association in natural language verbs.

Nickhil Sharma, Visiting Faculty at SIAS, recently appeared on BBC Norfolk Radio to talk about his research on smart meters in Great Britain. On 11 November 2024 he participated in an interview with BBC Norfolk Radio, where they explored the rollout of smart meters in Great Britain. Despite being one of the most expensive government-initiated programs in British history, these internet-enabled energy meters have faced criticism for failing to meet targets and not performing as expected. During the interview, Nickhil shared insights from his doctoral research on why the meters might not work, how to identify potential issues, and discussed his research on how overly optimistic narratives that present technologies as quick fixes for complex problems—like optimising household energy use—often fall short. He emphasised the importance of researchers, citizens, policymakers, and technology developers being cautious about perpetuating such narratives.

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Turzo Nicholas Mondal, Doctoral student in Anthropology, SIAS and Dr Annu Jalais, Associate Professor of Anthropology, SIAS presented their paper at the International Symposium on ‘Precarious Water Futures and End(s) of World(s)- an Integrative Dialogue Across Disciplines and Societies’ organised by Käte Hamburger Center for Apocalyptic and Post Apocalyptic Studies (CAPAS), Heidelberg University, Germany. The conference was held at the India International Centre, New Delhi. They also participated in a stimulating round-table discussion on the Sundarbans with other Sundarbans experts.

Sayantan Datta, Assistant Professor of Practice, Centre for Writing and Pedagogy, Krea University delivered the 85th Popular Science Lecture at the Anna Centenary Library, Chennai on 23 November 2024.
Earlier this month, scientists from New York University showed that human embryonic kidney cells – disembodied and cultured for generations in the laboratory – could show canonical features of memory. Last month, Kolkata-based researchers engineered bacteria that could organize into artificial neural network-like architectures, and compute abstract mathematical problems. Memory and computing abstract problems are two processes that are typically thought to be the forte of the brain, a specialized organ composed of billions of specialized cells. But if cultured kidney cells can remember, and bacteria can be made to do (some) mathematics, what does this mean for us, and what we understand as intelligence?  In this lecture, Sayantan summarised recent scientific studies that report ‘intelligent behavior’ in ‘brainless’ organisms: learning and memory in non-neuronal cells, and problem-solving in slime molds. In doing so, Sayantan dwelled on the possibilities and opportunities offered by these findings – for science and for humanity.
The Popular Science Lectures is part of the Tamil Nadu Science Forum’s (TNSF’s) efforts to popularise science to the general public and students who are pursuing science as their career.

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• Organised by the SIAS Sports Club, 16 members of the SIAS football team showcased their skills at a football tournament in Puzhal on 16 November 2024, securing an impressive 4th place.
• Organised by the SIAS Sports Club, 20 students from the SIAS volleyball team participated in a practice match against the junior team from RSN Boys on 20 November 2024. The 5-set match was aimed at helping them gain valuable experience.

Sparsh Makharia, pursuing a double major in Data Science and Computer Science at SIAS, has been selected as a LINC (Centre for Large-scale Imaging of Neural Circuits) Fellow for 2024-25. LINC is a multi-institutional consortium funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Brain Initiative CONNECTS program to collect and analyse imaging data that will allow us to probe connections in the human and non-human primate brain at unprecedented resolutions. As part of this training program, Sparsh will participate in weekly meetings and undertake project work in data and machine learning under the supervision of professors from renowned institutions such as Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MIT, UCL, etc. Additionally, Sparsh will gain access to advanced computing resources to support their research.

We are thrilled to share Dr Srajana Kaikini, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, SIAS, Krea University’s new poems Points I Cannot Find are exhibited along with Jogen Chowdhury’s recent works as part of The Night the Writing Fell Silent, conceptualised by Priyasri Art Gallery at Art Mumbai 2024 .

Dr Joya John, Assistant Professor of Literature, SIAS, Krea University has been awarded the ICAS:MP short-term fellowship 2024-2025.

The M.S. Merian – R. Tagore International Centre of Advanced Studies: ‘Metamorphoses of the Political: Comparative Perspectives on the Long Twentieth Century’ (ICAS:MP) is an open, interdisciplinary forum for intellectual exchange. Located in New Delhi it critically intervenes in global debates within the social sciences and humanities. It is one of the five Maria Sibylla Merian Centres constituted by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as centres of advanced studies. Scholars associated with ICAS:MP examine and compare, from a wide array of disciplinary and methodological approaches, how ‘the political’ has been conceptualised, articulated and performed in specific arenas of contestation during what we call the ‘long twentieth century.’ 

Dr Prithvi Datta Chandra Shobhi, Dean, SIAS, Krea University is on the South Asia Advisory Board of Prospectus International which includes esteemed leaders from academia, government and industry who have shaped high-impact initiatives at international and national levels.