Scienspur

PLATFORM Scienspur: Free STEM Program Continues to Grow in 2022

Scienspur aims to nourish the scientific curiosity in students by teaching fundamental concepts and introducing emerging areas in science to students at Indian public colleges free of charge.

/ Project Team VENKATESH MURTHY NAGARAJU DHANYASI VINAY VIKAS

/ Instructors MAYA ANJUR-DIETRICH JONATHAN BOULANGER-WEILL RUDRA NAYAN DAS RAJESH GUNAGE FARAH HAQUE SIDDHARTH JAYAKUMAR AISHWARYA KRISHNAMOORTHY KUMARESH KRISHNAN TARUN KUMAR KAMALESH KUMARI RUBUL MOUT ANUP PARCHURE MOSTAFIZUR RAHMAN MADHUMALA SADANANDAPPA SHIVAPRASAD SATHYANARAYANA SANJEEV SHARMA PARIJAT SIL RAJAN THAKUR

In the fall of 2021, Scienspur, a new initiative “spurred” by a Mittal Institute grant, enrolled its first cohort of 60 undergraduate and master's students in courses in cell biology and neurobiology, which were taught virtually by over 15 instructors, including post-doctoral fellows and senior Ph.D students from many Ivy-League institutions.

Conceptualized by Nagaraju Dhanyasi, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard, and Vinay Vikas, a biotech professional, under the leadership of Venkatesh Murthy, Raymond Leo Erikson Life Sciences Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Scienspur was designed to provide free STEM courses to economically disadvantaged students attending publicly funded colleges and universities in India.

The founders, who both grew up in India and found their way to leading labs in the US, have thought a lot about that path and how particularly challenging it is for students from India’s government schools. They decided that students could become globally competitive if they had a stronger foundational training and solid mentorship.

The two recruited and brought together an all-volunteer team of post-doctoral and independent researchers from world-class institutions across Europe, India and the US to teach key foundational science courses. The program has quickly grown in popularity, and in the summer of 2022, courses will run from June to August and will expand to accomodate 100 student participants. New course offerings will include developmental biology and molecular genetics.

In addition to expanding students’ foundational training, Scienspur also provides mentorship opportunities to guide student participants as they decide on their future endeavors, particularly their career paths. “We believe it’s always helpful to have a mentor who can guide students at key times during their academic career. This can help tremendously when making decisions and navigating their academic journey. Most

Scienspur participants from India’s public colleges receive free STEM courses led by postdoctoral researchers from Harvard and beyond.

We try to talk about science as a field that brings together endless possibilities and important discoveries. In our classes, we discuss ground-breaking discoveries in biology to pique our students’ interest, and we combine these talks with the scientific methods that led to those results. We have found that this style of teaching helps students develop a strong grip on scientific concepts.

—NAGARAJU DHANYASI AND VINAY VIKAS

of us were fortunate to have excellent mentors as we navigated the journey towards our current positions,” say Dhanyasi and Vikas.

All students receive training in cutting-edge scientific concepts and techniques related to the course topic, a certificate for active participation and an overview of career options.

The founders both believe that the program is more than just a science education program focused on memorizing textbook concepts. “We want to inspire scientific curiosity. That is our ultimate goal.”

In Their Own Words: Student Participants Share their Experiences

“Scienspur is really a wonderful initiative. This course has helped me understand scientific concepts and improve my observation skills–both of which are much-needed qualities for a researcher to have. The course provided me with the exposure and motivation I need to strengthen my goal of pursuing a career in research.”

“This course helped me get a clearer idea of my career path ahead. The way we are taught has impacted me positively. I want to enter the research field, and I will continue to look for guidance by team Scienspur.”