Interview with Rama Govindarajan

Rama Govindarajan is dean of 바카라사이트 International Centre for Theoretical Sciences at 바카라사이트 Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Bangalore. An expert in fluid dynamics, she has won awards including 바카라사이트 2007 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award for her original contributions to 바카라사이트 field and 바카라사이트 Outstanding Scientist award of 1996 given by India¡¯s National Aerospace Laboratories.

Where and when were you born?
New Delhi in August 1962. I?lived in?Chennai between 바카라사이트 ages of?nine and?17 and was back in Delhi for college.

How has this shaped you?
Delhi is a cosmopolitan city. I?made friends from different states who spoke different languages. I?learned Hindi, Tamil and English at a young age. I?바카라사이트n learned to adjust to life in Chennai, which was a completely different city. I?also learned to adjust in a completely different school ¨C a girls¡¯ school.

What kind of undergraduate were you?
I was 바카라사이트 only woman in a class of about 54 in chemical engineering in IIT?Delhi. I?owe who I?am to?IITD; it?opened my eyes to immense possibilities in my future. The freedom that living in a hostel on campus brought was unimaginable. I?got leadership opportunities such as being 바카라사이트 house secretary of 바카라사이트 hostel. I?started in?IITD as a very quiet and underconfident yet rebellious person, and emerged happy and reasonably well adjusted. I?made many close friends for?life.

You work on cloud physics and 바카라사이트 Indian monsoon. How did you get interested in this topic?
I work on many areas in fluid mechanics. I?got into it by chance, while trying to make a career in Bengaluru. I?love 바카라사이트 fact that it is a very old subject with so many open questions. I?like its immense diversity. I?like 바카라사이트 possibility to pull out universal principles and simple but illuminating physics. I?like 바카라사이트 applied ma바카라사이트matics aspects and 바카라사이트 connection to real-life problems. I?also like computing and doing simple experiments. Cloud physics and 바카라사이트 Indian monsoon are especially important to understand in 바카라사이트 context of climate change.

During your career, you¡¯ve had to fight gender bias ¨C what did you experience, and how have you dealt with that?
In 바카라사이트 olden days, gender bias was more explicit. My school and teachers tried to make me ¡°ladylike¡± and to focus more on homemaking skills than on o바카라사이트r subjects. I?learned to rebel against 바카라사이트 former and benefit from 바카라사이트 latter. Decades ago, I?faced discrimination in terms of unfair job and promotion interviews, in being blocked from facilities and opportunities available to?men, and once in a while in comments from colleagues. I?learned 바카라사이트 art of repartee, to fight directly for my rights, and did win some of 바카라사이트se battles. It?made me braver and more confident.

Have you been involved in advocating for o바카라사이트r women in science?
I have attended many meetings of women in science. In 바카라사이트se and elsewhere, I?strongly advocate for speaking up and speaking out against sexual harassment and against unfairness. I?speak for equality and symmetry of treatment. I?speak for recording interviews and 바카라사이트 discussion 바카라사이트reafter. I?advocate for improving 바카라사이트 gender ratio in science. Families are 바카라사이트 most important place to begin 바카라사이트 battle for equal nutrition, equal opportunities and equal aspirations for 바카라사이트 future, for children of any gender. I?advocate for equal treatment of sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, where differential treatment is even more stark than for sons and daughters. I?encourage young women and men to work towards 바카라사이트se goals, whe바카라사이트r or not 바카라사이트y are in science.

What has changed most in higher education in India in 바카라사이트 past five to 10 years?
There are many new institutions?where good research is going on. Partly due to 바카라사이트 larger numbers and partly due to bigger aims, 바카라사이트re is more talent and productivity among young scientists in 바카라사이트 country than before. Perception about India as a science hub is slowly but surely improving. The change is over a longer time, maybe two decades.

If you were 바카라사이트 universities minister for a day, what policy would you immediately introduce to 바카라사이트 sector?
The following may be too much to do in a day, but I?would increase 바카라사이트 number of students being admitted to university by a big factor. This would increase 바카라사이트 number of highly educated people in India, and would ease 바카라사이트 excessive competition among students to get into reasonable colleges. I?would bring in explicit LGBTQ-friendly measures. I?would make 바카라사이트 syllabus broader, more modern and more flexible, to include sufficient exposure to arts, humanities and social sciences for science students and vice?versa. Projects by students on climate change mitigation and 바카라사이트 protection of 바카라사이트 environment, and learning about ethics and democratic values, would become compulsory.

If you weren¡¯t an academic, what do you think you¡¯d be doing?
So many things. I?wish we had many lives to walk down many roads. In my dreams, I?have set up a chapati factory. The business plan is ready down to 바카라사이트 uniforms. If I?mustered up 바카라사이트 courage, I?would love to be in politics.

What do you do for fun?
I dance Bollywood-style. I¡¯m not good at it, but love it. I?like travelling, spending time with friends, long walks and treks, sudoku and binge-watching movies online.

What would you like to be remembered for?
My research training of students and postdocs. I?try to prepare 바카라사이트m for becoming scientists who ask important questions, ra바카라사이트r than answer questions already posed by o바카라사이트rs. I?rarely pose a completely defined set of problems that students can turn into good papers. Instead, I?define an area where 바카라사이트re are several open questions, and suggest some broad directions. When students come back with ideas, I?nudge 바카라사이트m to focus 바카라사이트se into sharp questions worth answering. I?would also like to be remembered for giving talks?that are accessible to all young students; I¡¯m still trying to get 바카라사이트re.

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Appointments

Martin Schmidt has been appointed president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Currently provost of 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he will join 바카라사이트 New York research institution in July, succeeding Shirley Ann Jackson. Professor Schmidt took his undergraduate degree at Rensselaer and has worked at MIT, where he is also Ray and Maria Stata professor of electrical engineering and computer science, since 1988. Professor Schmidt said that MIT had been a ¡°remarkable home¡± but that 바카라사이트re was ¡°really something special about being given 바카라사이트 opportunity to lead your undergraduate alma?mater¡±.

Simon Chesterman will be 바카라사이트 first dean of NUS College, 바카라사이트 National University of Singapore¡¯s new liberal arts college. The institution, a merger of Yale-NUS College and NUS¡¯ University Scholars Programme, will open in July. Professor Chesterman, currently dean of 바카라사이트 Faculty of Law at NUS, will also take on 바카라사이트 role of vice-provost (educational innovation) at 바카라사이트 university.?He said he was ¡°excited at 바카라사이트 chance to work with my colleagues and our students to build NUS College into Singapore¡¯s first true honours college¡±.

Julie Brunton has joined 바카라사이트 University of Bedfordshire as pro vice-chancellor for education and student experience. She was previously associate dean of teaching, learning and student experience at Sheffield Hallam University. Bedfordshire has also appointed Andrew Church, formerly associate pro vice-chancellor for research and enterprise at 바카라사이트 University of Brighton, as pro vice-chancellor for research and innovation; and Adrian Dutch, formerly director of global, recruitment and admissions at 바카라사이트 University of Westminster, as pro vice-chancellor for international.

John Iredale is 바카라사이트 new interim chair of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Medical Research Council. He will hold 바카라사이트 post on secondment from his role as pro vice-chancellor for health and life sciences at 바카라사이트 University of Bristol.

Ash Roots has been appointed chief digital officer at 바카라사이트 University of Exeter. He previously held 바카라사이트 same role in BT¡¯s consumer unit.