Science realises its complete potential when it is applied for the betterment of our lives. As a testimony to this, a group of researchers from the Indian Institute of Science have developed innovative technologies that benefit milk producers and silk growers. Their innovations, which recently won the prestigious Gandhian Young Technological Innovation award, uses nanotechnology to detect melamine, an adulterant, in milk and image processing techniques to detect the quality of silk.
As a teenager, it is hard enough dealing with the emotional challenges of growing; add to it the stigma of living with HIV. Then there are researchers who aim to improve the mental health of these teenagers without ever involving them in the process! This leads to a disconnect between lived experience and research outcomes. It is a little-recognized barrier to effective mental health interventions for marginalised communities.