The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune on Tuesday launched the VOICE Fellowship 2025 under its Communicating Action and Resilience for Environmental Health in India (CARE) project. This training and capacity-building initiative is specially designed to help grassroots journalists, science communicators, storytellers and content creators working in rural and regional media. The primary goal of the fellowship is to encourage the coverage of how climate change impacts public health, focusing on critical issues such as mental health, respiratory disorders, waterborne diseases, and food insecurity. By empowering these grassroots media professionals, the project aims to ensure that vital scientific information reaches people living in rural and remote areas. The program has brought together over 40 selected participants from different states across India who will participate in this intensive workshop over the next four days.
During the inaugural address, Professor Sunil Bhagwat, Director of IISER Pune, highlighted the importance of science communication. He noted that high-quality research is consistently being conducted in India, and journalists who write about science in regional languages are a crucial link in ensuring this information reaches the general public.
In a panel discussion organised for the inauguration of VOICE Fellowship 2025, journalist Nidhi Jamwal engaged with researcher and author Dr Saurja Dasgupta from the University of Notre Dame, scientist and artist Argha Manna from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar, and social science researcher Dr Shalini Sharma, a professor at IISER Pune. Their discussion explored the intersection of art, illustration, cartoons, and doodling with science. During the session, the panellists emphasised the urgent need to ensure that scientific knowledge and research findings reach the general public in an accessible way and that the upcoming field of science communication is the key to this.
The session also included a discussion with the participants on how to bridge the gap between journalists and the scientific community. Journalists and VOICE fellows working in rural and remote areas shared the specific challenges they face in their field. The VOICE Fellowship has planned various activities over the next four days to address these challenges and find practical solutions.
During the conversation, some students also shared that they use doodling to take notes while studying in class. This observation highlighted how visual representation significantly enhances human understanding and makes learning more intuitive. An exhibition blending art and science was also organised for the occasion. It featured excerpts from the comic ‘Cradles of Life’, by Dr Saurja Dasgupta and Argha Manna. Additionally, a selection of drawings and doodles by students at IISER Pune was on display, showcasing the artistic skills of science students.
