3rd Chris Freeman Lecture: by Smita Srinivas | 5th Nov, 16:30 ─ 18:30 | JNU CC

3rd Chris Freeman Lecture: 

Smita Srinivas: Evolution from the Economics of Innovation to Economic Development Plans

Chair: Prajit Basu

5th November 2017 | 16:30 ─ 18:30 | JNU Convention Centre

You are cordially invited.

Paper "Public Understandings of E-waste and its Disposal in Urban India: From a Review towards a Conceptual Framework" | by A Borthakur & M Govind

Public Understandings of E-waste and its Disposal in Urban India: From a Review towards a Conceptual Framework

by Anwesha Borthakur, Madhav Govind, Journal of Cleaner Production, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.218

Highlights: Presented an in-depth review on important E-waste associated concerns. Urban India's intricate E-waste experiences are assessed. Households' electronics purchase and E-waste disposal behaviours are evaluated. A new conceptual framework has been proposed in the context of urban India. The new framework is tested against a primary field study in Bangalore.

Abstract: Responsible management of electronic waste (E-waste) is a major apprehension in contemporary urban India. As a toxic waste stream, E-waste calls for conscientious management practices in order to avoid possible human health and environmental consequences. Publics' consumption, disposal behaviour and awareness/perception are central to any successful E-waste management initiative. This paper is a journey from a review of existing literatures on some significant aspects of E-waste (including some widely used conceptual frameworks for waste management studies) towards a new conceptual framework of 'public understandings of E-waste and its disposal' in urban India. Accordingly, the paper is divided into two parts: 1) In-depth literature review on a few important aspects of E-waste and 2) Review of publics' perceptions of E-waste and the determinants of their consumption and disposal intention with the help of specific theoretical underpinnings. The concluding conceptual framework underlying our work uses elements that stem from the ideas of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and conspicuous consumption. Further, a case study carried out in the city of Bangalore is considered to validate the relevance of the new conceptual framework. Thus, the paper is an attempt not to restrict ourselves to the review of the existing literatures alone, but also to test the new conceptual framework formulated through the literature review against a primary field study.

Keywords: E-Waste; Theory of planned behaviour; Conspicuous consumption; Public understandings of E-waste; Urban India

Download Full-text Paper

CfPs: 2-day International Conference on ‘Strategic Competency Mapping for Talent Management and Retention’ | at Chandigarh, 18-19 January

University Business School (UBS), Panjab University, Chandigarh is organizing two days International Conference on 'Strategic Competency Mapping for Talent Management and Retention' on 18-19 January, 2018.

 

 Detailed Information and the Conference Brochure

    

Conference Chairs

Professor Deepak Kapur, Chairman (+91 9416006837)

Dr. Luxmi, Associate Professor (+91 9463888038) D

Dr. Kulwinder Singh, Assistant Professor (+91 9855900379)

E: jatindercds@gmail.com

New Book | A Biography of Innovations: From Birth to Maturity | by R. Gopalakrishnan

A Biography of Innovations: From Birth to Maturity

by R. Gopalakrishnan, Penguin India, 2017, ISBN 9780670089895.

Overview

R. Gopalakrishnan, the bestselling author of The Case of the Bonsai Manager, explores how concepts turn into ideas, which then become prototypes, models and products. Defining thought as the ancestor of innovation; as without thought, there could be no innovation, he explores the impending questions such as - What happens next? How can you take on challenges and keep your ideas relevant? The Biography of Innovation is the definitive book on the life cycle of new ideas and transformations.

About the Author

R. Gopalakrishnan has been a professional manager for forty-two years. He has a wealth of practical managerial experience, initially in Unilever and more recently in Tata. He has lived and worked in India, the UK and Saudi Arabia, and has travelled extensively all over the world. He began his career in 1967 as a computer analyst with Hindustan Lever after studying physics in Kolkata and electronic engineering at IIT Kharagpur. He has attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. He worked initially in computer software, later in marketing, before moving to general management. During his Unilever career, he was based in Jeddah as chairman of the Arabian subsidiary; later, he was managing director, Brooke Bond Lipton India and then vice chairman of Hindustan Lever. He has been president of the All India Management Association. Currently, he is executive director, Tata Sons, based in Mumbai. He also serves on the boards of other companies. He is married with three children. 

Further Details

Download "State of Open Data 2017" Report

Check out the latest State of Open Data Report from figshare. 

- Report - State of Open Data 2017 Happy Open Access Week! As part of the annual celebration of open research we have released our State of Open Data report. Some of the key findings include: - Respondents have become more aware of open data sets (82% up from 73%) than in 2016 - Age does not appear to be a major factor in this trend - 74% of researchers are curating their data for sharing - Willingness of researchers to reuse open data sets in their own research has grown, a 10% increase to 80%, with the increase replicated across age groups - Researchers who routinely share their data has also grown since 2016, although by a smaller amount, from 57% to 60% - The proportion of researchers who have never made a data set openly available has reduced in the last year - Looking deeper we can see further promise for the future of open data, as 70% of these researchers are now willing to reuse open data sets in their own research (up from 65%) Check out the report and let us know what you think! Thanks Team figshare figshare · c/o Digital Science · 4 Crinan Street · London, Eng N1 9XW · United Kingdom  Copyright © 2017 figshare, All rights reserved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dr. Anup Kumar Das 
Centre for Studies in Science Policy 
School of Social Sciences
Jawaharlal Nehru University 
New Delhi - 110067, India

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9490-7938

Web: www.anupkumardas.blogspot.com

Twitter: @AannuuppK | @IndiaSTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Countries of north-eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and connected seas to test tsunami preparedness

UNESCO Press Release No.2017-125

Countries of north-eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and connected seas to test tsunami preparedness

Paris, 27 October—Countries in the north-eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and connected seas (NEAM) will test their tsunami preparedness in an exercise coordinated by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission from 31 October to 3 November.*

The purpose of the exercise, known as NEAMWave 17, is to evaluate local tsunami response plans, increase tsunami preparedness, and improve coordination throughout the region. It is the third such international exercise in this region.

To maintain operational readiness, National Tsunami Warning Centres (NTWCs) and civil protection agencies regularly need to test their emergency response procedures, including lines of communication and the ability of professionals to perform the tasks assigned to them in the event of a tsunami. NEAMWave 17 will be an opportunity to test the strengths and weaknesses of each country's tsunami preparedness mechanisms.

NEAMWave17 will simulate four regional Tsunami events requiring the activation of national tsunami response plans and procedures. It will engage the region's National Tsunami Warning Focal Points, National Tsunami Warning Centres and Civil Protection Authorities.

The exercise will feature four earthquake scenarios:

1. Western Mediterranean scenario (7.3 magnitude earthquake, north of Algeria) with CENALT (France), 31 October, 09.00 to 10.20 UTC. It will include a simulated request for International Assistance in the afternoon.
2. Eastern Mediterranean scenario (7.4 magnitude earthquake, Samandağ) with KOERI (Turkey), 1 November, 09.00 to 12.00 UTC
3. Central Mediterranean scenario (8.5 magnitude earthquake, South of Zakynthos Island, Ionian Sea) with both CAT-INGV and NOA (Italy and Greece respectively), 2 November, 09.00 to 12.30 UTC
4. North-east Atlantic scenario (8.5 magnitude earthquake, SW San Vincent Cape) with IPMA (Portugal), 3 November, 09.00 to16.00 UTC

Civil Protection Authorities have the option of carrying out different exercises, i.e. an orientation, a drill, a table-top exercise, a functional exercise, or a full-scale exercise including evacuation. Member States have been encouraged to extend the exercise to the community level and include critical infrastructures and establishments such as harbours, power plants, schools etc. The Western Mediterranean scenario will also include simulation of a request for International Assistance.

The exercise is coordinated by the UNESCO/IOC Intergovernmental Coordination Group for Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the North-eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Connected Seas (ICG/NEAMTWS), supported by the Emergency Response and Coordination Center (ERCC) of the European Commission Civil Protection Mechanism.

****

* The following countries are scheduled to take part: Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey.

Allemagne, Chypre, Danemark, Egypte, Espagne, France, Fédération de Russie, Grèce, Italie, Irlande, Israël, Liban, Maroc, Portugal, Turquie

More information on the ICG/NEAMTWS

See also the NEAMWave 17 Instruction Manual

****

Media contact: Agnès Bardon, a.bardon@unesco.org

If you would rather not receive future communications from UNESCO, let us know by clicking here.
UNESCO, 7, place de Fontenoy, PARIS, NA FRANCE France

CfPs: Science and Technology Indicators conference | Leiden, 12-14 September 2018

The 2018 Science and Technology Indicators conference will be held 12-14 September 2018 in Leiden (The Netherlands) in collaboration with the European Network of Indicator Developers (ENID), and will be hosted by the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University. This edition will have a special focus on the discussion of "indicators in transition" as a driving force for more comprehensive, broader and socially oriented forms of Science, Technology and Innovation indicators and evaluations.

 

The website of the conference is already available (http://sti2018.cwts.nl) and it will be regularly updated with new information about the conference.

 

We invite you to submit proposals for thematic tracks (abstracts of 250 words) before January 15^th 2018. We welcome proposals for tracks dedicated to established or emerging topics, such as bibliometrics and/in social sciences and humanities, open science, responsible metrics, altmetrics and social media studies. We especially welcome transdisciplinary streams and international collaborations.

 

Selected tracks will be included in the call for papers and track organizers are asked to take place in the scientific committee of STI 2018 and assist in the peer review process of contributions submitted to their track. Thematic tracks might take a multitude of forms. Ranging from (one or more) paper sessions, roundtables, short provocations or other means of engagement. Thematic tracks will typically try to achieve more coherence throughout the track than the average paper session can provide.

 

For questions about possible thematic tracks and submissions of special tracks email us at sti2018@cwts.leidenuniv.nl.

 

Do you want to receive updates in your e-mail regarding the next STI2018? (e.g. call for papers, etc.), then send us an e-mail to sti2018@cwts.leidenuniv.nl with the subject 'Updates STI2018'.

 

Rodrigo Costas, Thomas Franssen and Alfredo Yegros.

 

STI2018 organising committee

 

Centre for Science & Technology Studies (CWTS)

University Leiden

PO Box 905

2300 AX LEIDEN

 

Visiting Address

Willem Einthoven Building

Kolffpad 1

2333 BN Leiden

The Netherlands

e. STI2018@cwts.leidenuniv.nl

[apeid.higher_education.bgk] Teaching Two Lessons About UNESCO

A newly published book titled 'Teaching Two Lessons About UNESCO' and other writings on Human Rights' is now available for free from Kindle on 23-27 October 2017. The Two lessons are designed to help teachers and faculty engage their students in understanding what UNESCO is and why it matters.

 

Links to the book:

https://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Lessons-Unesco-writings-Rights-ebook/dp/B076N41MPS/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508709568&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=teaching+to+lessons+about+UNESCO

 

https://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Lessons-Unesco-writings-Rights/dp/1978367996/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1508709568&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=teaching+to+lessons+about+UNESCO

 

Fernando M. Reimers

Ford Foundation Professor of the Practice in International Education

Harvard Graduate School of Education

Cambridge, MA

USA

Capacity Building Workshop on SDGs | at Development Alternatives, New Delhi | 28th October

Dear Sir / Madam, Greeting from Development Alternatives! Abhishek Dubey Development Alternatives B-32, Tara Crescent, Qutub Institutional Area New Delhi - 110016 Ph: +91-11-2654-4100, 2654-4200, Fax: +91-11-2685-1158 karora[@]devalt.org www.devalt.org

Blegian scientist Erik Jacquemyn to receive UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science

UNESCO Press Release No. 2017-124

Blegian scientist Erik Jacquemyn to receive UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science

Paris, 24 Octobre—UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova will award the UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of science to Erik Jacquemy (Belgium) in a ceremony to be held on 7 November during the World Science Forum in Jordan (at the King Hussein Bin Talal Conference Centre on the shore of the Dead Sea, 7 au 11 November).

An independent jury selected Erik Jacquemyn in recognition of his commitment to disseminate knowledge about the sciences among the general public. He is an expert in scientific communication, science centres, science museums and interactive museums.

Mr Jacquemyn holds a degree in electro-mechanical engineering. He became a science and technology advisor to the Minister-President of the Flemish Government in 1985. Since the early 1990s, he has launched numerous science communication initiatives, notably the Flemish Science Week, the Science Festival and a number of science contests. He also initiated Technopolis, the Flemish Science Centre he directed since its opening in 2000 until 2016.

Mr Jacquemyn has taken part in several international cooperation projects and notably chaired the International Programme Committee of the 1^st Science Centre World Summit, held in Malines, Belgium, in 2014.

The UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science was created by UNESCO in 1951 thanks to a donation by Patnaik Bijoyanand, Founding President of the Kalinga Foundation Trust of India. Awarded every two years, it includes a $20,000 prize, a diploma and the UNESCO Albert Einstein Medal. The purpose of the Prize is to reward outstanding contributions in communicating science or technology to society.

****

Media contact: Agnès Bardon, UNESCO Media Section, +33 (0) 1 45 68 17 64, a.bardon@unesco.org

 

 

If you would rather not receive future communications from UNESCO, let us know by clicking here.
UNESCO, 7, place de Fontenoy, PARIS, NA FRANCE France

JNU cordially invites you to Annual Open Day 2017 on 27th October

​Celebration of JNU Annual Open Day on 27th October 2017. 

JNUTA Talk on Locating Nanoscience & Technology in its Socio-Cultural Imbrications: A View from India | by Pankaj Sekhsaria | 25 October

Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association (JNUTA)

Cordially invites you for a talk on

 

Locating Nanoscience & Technology in its Socio-Cultural Imbrications: A View from India

 by

Pankaj Sekhsaria

Abstract: Science and Technology is culturally and socially influenced and factors of diversity and lack of resources that characterise Indian society are also seen with the mainstream S&T establishment. These are often not accounted for explicitly and through the study of research practices and innovation narratives in Nanoscience and Technology laboratories in India, the author argues that one should.

About the Speaker: Pankaj Sekhsaria is a prolific writer and an activist. He has authored several books and articles on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and issues of wildlife and conservation. He is, currently, Senior Project Scientist DST Centre for Policy Research, Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Delhi. Sekhsaria has a graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Pune University, MA in Mass Communication from Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi and a PhD in Science and Technology Studies from the Maastricht University, the Netherlands. 

 

Venue:  Seminar Hall, School of Computer and Systems Sciences

Time:  4:00 pm

Date: Wednesday, October 25^th, 2017

All are cordially invited.

RSVP: dbjyoti[@]gmail.com

The National Parks Board of Singapore to receive UNESCO Sultan Qaboos Prize

UNESCO Press Release No.2017-122

The National Parks Board of Singapore to receive UNESCO Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation

Paris, 23 October—The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has named the National Parks Board of Singapore as the laureate of the 2017 UNESCO Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation. The prize-giving ceremony will be held in Jordan on 7 November as a side event of the World Science Forum that will take place there from 7 to 11 November.

An international jury selected to honour the Singapore government agency in charge of nature reserves and parks for its significant contribution to environmental preservation. The National Parks Board promotes biodiversity in an urban environment through the restauration of habitats and species. It also supports teaching on biodiversity at all levels of education. The applied research conducted by the Board has also helped identify new endemic species of plants and terrestrial invertebrates.

The National Parks Board manages the World Heritage site of the Singapore Botanical Gardens alongside 350 parks and four natural reserves. Working with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, it has developed the Singapore City Biodiversity Index, a self-assessment tool for cities' biodiversity conservation efforts.

Created 25 years ago thanks to a donation by Sultan Qabus Bin Said Al Said of Oman, the UNESCO Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation consists of a financial reward of $70,000 dollars, a diploma and a medal. It is awarded every two years.

****

Media contact: Djibril Kébé, UNESCO Media Section +33 (0)1 45 68 17 41, d.kebe@unesco.org

 

If you would rather not receive future communications from UNESCO, let us know by clicking here.
UNESCO, 7, place de Fontenoy, PARIS, NA FRANCE France

New Books in National Policy of India Series

New Books in National Policy of India Series

Education and Human Resource Development: Public Policy & Governance in India

by Shalini Sikka, 2017, Synergy Books India, ISBN 9789382059592. 

About the Book: The essence of Human Resource Development is education, which plays a significant and remedial role in balancing the socio-economic fabric of the country. This book incorporates the original texts, in verbatim, of a select national government policies and programmes of India. It contains legislative measures and national programmes towards creating a better India enacted in the field of Human Resource Development. For the first time, to fulfill the long-felt need of the students, researchers, policy-planners, civil servants, administrators, this book is being brought out as a ready reference material, to be used alongwith the existing textbooks on public policy and administration. 

Further Details

Women Empowerment: Public Policy & Governance in India

by Shalini Sikka, 2017, Synergy Books India, ISBN 9789382059608. 

About the Book: The policies/ programmes of the Government of India are all directed towards achieving inclusive growth with a special focus on women, in line with the National Policy for essence of Empowerment of Women. This book incorporates the original texts, in verbatim, of a select national government policies and programmes of India. It contains legislative measures and national programmes towards creating a better India. 

​

 

Social Justice, Health and Empowerment: Public Policy & Governance in India

by Shalini Sikka, 2017, Synergy Books India, ISBN 9789382059677. 

About the Book: This book, towards building a better India, incorporates the original texts, in verbatim, of a select national government policies and programmes of India.

Child Development: Public Policy & Governance in India

by Shalini Sikka, 2017, Synergy Books India, ISBN 9789382059691. 

About the Book: National Policy for Children, adopted by the Government of India in 2013, reaffirms the rights of children in the country. This book incorporates the original texts, in verbatim, of a select national government policies and programmes of India. It contains special legislative measures, national policies and programmes towards creating a better India.

​

Upliftment of Minorities: Public Policy & Governance in India

by Shalini Sikka, 2017, Synergy Books India, ISBN 9789382059684. 

About the Book: The Government of India has made concerted efforts for the past six decades of so towards the educational development and employment and empowerment of the weaker sections of the society to enable them to join the mainstream of the socio-economic development. This book incorporates the original texts, in verbatim, of a select national government policies and programmes of India. It contains special legislative measures, national policies and programmes towards creating a better India.​

​

Brilliant Inventions and Innovations from India: A YouTube Documentary

Brilliant Inventions and Innovations from India: by Karolina Goswami, India in Details Channel

​

Half-Day Workshop on Rethinking the Social Contract of Science | at JNU Convention Centre | 28th October 2017

Half-Day Workshop on Rethinking the Social Contract of Science

28th October 2017, 2 PM Onward

Venue: Lecture Hall-I, JNU Convention Centre, New Delhi

Workshop Programme

SESSION-I                            Chair: Mewa Singh, Editor-Dialogue

2 PM-4:15 PM

Introductory Remarks

Dhruv Raina, JNU

 

Introducing the Journal 'Dialogue: Science, Scientists, and Society' | Mewa Singh, Editor- Dialogue 

Economics of Research Funding in Sciences and Social Sciences | Saumen Chattopadhyay, JNU 

Thinking About Technical Skills and Livelihoods | D. Raghunandan, AIPSN 

Transforming Indian Science: Recent Initiatives in Science Education | Arvind, IISER-Mohali 

Institutions and Knowledge: The Sciences in India's Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition | Rajeswari S. Raina, SNU

4:15 PM- 4: 30 PM            TEA BREAK

SESSION-II                          ROUND TABLE 

Title: Knowledge Forms and Social Interests

Chair:  Dhruv Raina, JNU

Participants

Amitabha Mukherjee, DU

Anirban Chakraborti, JNU

Gurpreet Mahajan, JNU

Sneha S. Komath, JNU

Tabish Qureshi, JMI

 

4:30 PM- 6 PM                   HIGH TEA

This is to invite you to half a day deliberation at JNU as part of a series of meetings being held throughout the country on science and society. At JNU we see this as the first of the meetings that has an odd format - three to four presentations and then a round table discussion.

 

​RSVP: omprasad14[@]gmail.com

Internet Researchers' Conference 2018 - Offline | Call for Session Proposals

Internet Researchers' Conference 2018 - Offline | Call for Session Proposals by Nov 12

Dear colleague,

Does being offline necessarily mean being disconnected? Beyond anxieties such as FOMO, being offline is also seen as disengagement from a certain milieu of the digital, an impediment to the way life is organised by and around technologies in general.

Being offline, however, is not the exception, as examples of internet shutdown and acts on online censorship illustrate the persistence and often alarming regularity of the offline even for the 'connected' sections of the population.

Who is offline, and is it a choice? The global project of bringing people online has spurred several commendable initiatives in expanding access to digital devices, networks, and content, and often contentious ones such as Free Basics / internet.org, which illustrate the intersectionalities of scale, privilege, and rights that we need to be mindful of when we imagine the offline.

Further, efforts to prioritise the use of digital technologies for financial transactions, especially since demonetisation, has led to a not-so-subtle equalisation of the 'online economy' with the 'formal economy'; thus recognising the offline as the zones of informality, corruption, and piracy. This contributes to the offline becoming invisible, and in many cases, illegal, rather than being recognised as a condition that necessarily informs what it means to be digital.

The experience of the internet for most users is mediated through prior and ongoing experiences of traditional media, and through cultural metaphors and cognitive frames that transcend more practical registers such as consumption and facilitation. How do we approach, study, and represent this disembodied internet – devoid of its hypertext, platforms, devices, it's nuts and bolts, but still tangible through engagement in myriad, personal, and often indiscernible ways.

For the third edition of the Internet Researchers' Conference (IRC18), we invite participants to critically discuss the *offline*.

We invite sessions that present or propose academic, applied, or creative works that explore social, economic, cultural, political, infrastructural, or aesthetic dimensions of the *offline*. 

Please submit sessions proposals by Sunday, *November 12*.

Conference details can be found here: https://cis-india.org/raw/irc18-offline-call.

Conference poster can be found here: https://cis-india.org/raw/irc18-offline-call/image/image_view_fullscreen.

Please write to us at raw@cis-india.org for any questions regarding the conference.

Warm regards,

sumandro

--
Sumandro Chattapadhyay
Research Director
The Centre for Internet and Society

E: sumandro@cis-india.org
http://cis-india.org/

Indo-German Symposium on Science Communication | November 7, 2017 | at German Embassy, New Delhi

The German Embassy New Delhi cordially invites you to the Indo-German Symposium on Science Communication November 7, 2017, 3.30 pm onwards German Embassy, New Delhi Register now   Science Communication is an often underestimated, yet crucial part of science. The Indo-German Symposium on science communication invites students, scientists and practitioners from India and Germany to explore the possibilities of science communication. Questions like 'What makes good science communication?' 'Why is it important?' 'And how is it done?' will be addressed at the symposium.   A Keynote Lecture on "Science communication in the digital age: New opportunities, new players, new challenges" by Prof. Dr. Carsten Könneker, Editor-in-Chief of "Spektrum der Wissenschaft" and professor for science communication and science studies at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology will be followed by a panel discussion on "Exploring the Secrets of Successful Science Communication"   Panelists :   Dr. Radhika Mittal, Communication Strategist; Fellow, LBS National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, India Dr. Anett Richter, Citizen Science Expert, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ/ German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany Ramaseshan Ramachandran, Physicist and freelance science journalist, New Delhi, India Alexander Waschkau, Psychologist, podcaster, publisher, founder of „Hoaxilla", a popular podcast covering a variety of topics from a scientific viewpoint, Hamburg, Germany   Moderator: Heike Mock, Director of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) India and Director of the German House for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New Delhi. www.dwih.in