Some notes of science communication

This is one of the strangest periods that I have ever experienced. This generalized fear and suspension of disbelief. It is reminiscent of what George Orwell wrote about the Spanish Civil War, where most of the time nothing happens. But one of the things that has happened is that all my Ph. D. students are not in IISc. So, the last 6 months have been a period like none especially as regards communication. In this period, we have been communicating, using every possible device. Telephone, email, whatsapp, googlechat, skype, teams, zoom...no stone has been left unturned. But the difficulties in scientific communication stem from the fact that we have to exchange information long-distance. We have had group meetings where each of us has to state very precisely what we have done, and we intend to do. We need to communicate where we are with a particular problem and what are the techical difficulties. To this extent, each of us has had to sharped and hone our communication skills. We have had the discipline to maintain what we have been calling `balance sheets' where we note down in short paragraphs and bullet points all that the data pertaining to our research projects. And to date we have 14 of them!

While the `original' mandate of my talk was on scientific writing, I have now expanded it to cover scientific communication, partly because of the situation we are in. Whereas writing is probably one of the oldest and best and time tested forms of communication, modern technology has enabled us to communicate in a multitude of ways. Including what we are doing right here. Using electronic communication. This has opened the path to methods of communication that are audio-visual. Talks, seminars, presentations are by now part of human culture. When I began, seminars would feature people with transparancies, with several colours. In many countries shortages meant that a speaker could have only 2 or 3 transparancies. People would use every square mm of the transparency and write, with all kinds of squiggles and arrows and curves. But the times have changed. We all now have softwares to produce beautiful slides, with lots of pictures and moving elements, and emojis and little creatures sitting on them. While the possibilities are mind-boggling, the content is the important issue. There is no substitute to knowledge and being able to convey it properly.

I find that some of my students in the years they have been here have improved their communication skills dramatically. My seniormost student now has excellent communication skills, both written and oral. I am particularly impressed at the way in which my students are writing. It reflects a high level of understanding of the subject, maturity and the ability to communicate their ideas very precisely. So, the question is how do they get to this high level of writing communication? In my opinion, it comes from concentrated reading of other technical literature. To learn by reading and then expressing it through writing. To pay attention to grammar and to be state clearly what one wants to state. It is also important to use short sentences. Break them up. I did not have to explicitly teach my students any of these things. They just pick it up from the air. One of my former students, who sadly is no more, came from Nagaland. His writing English used to be grammatically ok, but the turns of phrase were a bit unusual. Probably he was translating from his mother-tongue. But within a year or two, his written English had changed and he was writing what I would call `normally'. His spoken English was just fine and face to face there was little chance of mis-understanding. The issue with writing is that you may not have a chance to explain.

Our methods of communication can now be frozen in other fora as well. Tedx talks, seminars on youtube, etc.. Each of these would be a permanent contribution. But it does not mean that everyone will have talent for such things.

On-line teaching is the new frontier in challenges in scientific communication. But I do not plan to cover it here.

Professor Patrick Henry Winston is quoted as saying “Most scientific papers are unintelligible because the authors either don’t know what they are doing or hallucinate that they are writing clearly.”

Another quote from Patrick Winston “Your careers will be determined largely by how well you speak, by how well you write, and by the quality of your ideas… in that order”.

Mónica I. Feliú-Mójer writing in Scientific American blog says, ``...science communication broadly, meaning any activity that involves one person transmitting science-related information to another, from peer-reviewed articles to tweets.''

She also says, ``Effective communication means transmitting your message clearly and concisely so that it is understood. It’s about engaging your audience – it’s about the ‘So what?’ and ‘Why does it matter?’ of your message.

When scientists communicate more effectively, science thrives. Science is increasingly interdisciplinary and the ability to communicate more effectively across disciplines fosters collaboration and innovation. Being able to communicate the relevance and impact of their ideas and discoveries can enhance scientists’ ability to secure funding or find a job. It allows them to write better and more comprehensible research papers. It also allows them to be better teachers and mentors for next-generation scientists.

When scientists are able to communicate effectively beyond their peers to broader, non-scientist audiences, it builds support for science, promotes understanding of its wider relevance to society, and encourages more informed decision-making at all levels, from government to communities to individuals. It can also make science accessible to audiences that traditionally have been excluded from the process of science. It can help make science more diverse and inclusive.

Although having more scientists who are effective communicators benefits science and society greatly, there are still relatively few training opportunities for science students and professionals to develop these skills.

Fortunately, effective communication skills are no longer perceived as soft skills. Increasingly, they are becoming part of the core professional skills every science student and professional should have.''

Nearly three months on

It will soon be three months. Three months! Is that already so long ago, or is it only three months? I remember that fateful day in July when I was in IIT Hyderabad when I saw the words `metastatic disease' which are some of the most dreadful words one can see. It came after the the PET scan the previous day. She had gone for the X-ray by herself a few days earlier and Dr Sahay did not like what he saw. She had this bad fever in June. It came and went. But I told myself, only few months earlier we went again and again to the AOI and Dr. Babaiah was satisfied and surprised beyond is imagination. Only three months earlier we had been through this ordeal with Appa and his heart attack and his quadruple surgery. He came out ok, albeit slow and forgetful but surprisingly alright for someone of his age. The next Dr. Sudha told me it was quite bad, maybe a year. I said, a year and started crying in her office. The previous day when Sitanna and I were coming back from IIT Hyderabad and I cried the whole way back. I cried when I saw her in the living room with Appa. She did not know why I was crying. But I am sure she guessed. She was too clever by half. But did not let on. After meeting Sudhar, Umax and I were coming back and I was telling her she will be with us only for a few months. And yet I was not believing it. Then we got opinions from Hochstin. He said to start on trastu and the other immuno-therapy. I was optimistic. This cannot be happening to us us. We are in the best hands possible. The odds are in our favour. She went every Saturday without complaining. Getting her own cat bag and other bag ready with her clothes, change of clothes, curd rice. I was happy I was there every 3 weeks. We will win. We will get a year or two, I told myself. Uma told me Sudha had told her may be 5 months or 6 months. I did not want to believe it. How prescient of Uma to have cancelled her trip to Tirupati for the key-note speech. I said to myself, why is she doing this. Chitti will be ok. She was ok. I see her still, walking in her nightie in Jubilee Hills opening her cupboards, and looking for this or that. With her whatsapp. How cruelly she has been taken away from us. The light of our lives. What can I say? That it is good she went without more pain and suffering? Without more hospitals and tubes and ventilators? I want to look for the bright side. Sadly I am yet to see it. I see her still, talking willy-nilly to everyone. Walking in her garden. Talking to the passers-by, talking to Bheemesh, to Radha. I remember going with her to the pension office on the way to JH in November. She was so pretty even if without hair. I am sure she knew. But she would not tell us...no, this cannot have happened to us...I will not accept it...death be not proud.

Memorial Address for V. Venkataraman

This is an extended and updated version of an email sent to Mrs. and Miss Venkat

Thank you very much for giving me your email address. I am sorry we have not been able to visit you and Priya personally and would like to do so as soon as possible when it is convenient for you. The day we got the news, I had to leave for Hyderabad as my mother was in the ICU. Sadly we lost her on the 29th. Considering how painful the loss of a mother who had reached the comfortable age of 82 has been for us, it is hard for us to imagine how you must feel at the loss of a life partner and a father respectively at the age of 52. I remember Venkat's birthday distinctly, since July 28 is that of my late beloved periamma who has a special place for all of us.

How can I start, and where shall I start? First of all it is ironical to have to write about someone who is younger than oneself. But I will try.

I think I first met Venkat at Princeton when I was visiting Prabhu probably around 1989 or so from Delaware. Venkat was also a friend of my old friend Kothandaraman who had also passed through Princeton, while he was working there. I believe they had common interests in semi-conductors and the like. I believe that we had a year or two overlap in IIT Madras but I don't think I knew him then.

Our acquaintance took place after I came to IISc in 1996 December and I remember seeing more of him in Tunga as we would drop by to visit the Prabhu's. I also remember seeing the two of you, although Priya must have been about 2 feet high at that time. I must congratulate both you and Venkat for her having grown into a fine young woman, responsible and sincere and the hope of the future for you and for our country. She has a particularly difficult task in coping and if there is any way we can help, please let us know.

I got to know Venkat better over the years professionally since he was in charge of so many things, like courses, I. Ph. D. programme etc. Our real serious interactions took place every summer for several years when we would jointly compose the I. Ph. D. entrance exam paper, in the old CTS building. It was a great pleasure to be with him and many others, including Tarun and Justin who were regulars. Over Adiga's dosais and thair vadais we would work out each problem and think about all possible ambiguities, type them up, make the keys and what not. It was a lot of work, but it gave us a chance to bond which I cherish. After we finished bonding, together we decided to get rid of the exam, and made a proposal to enter the Joint Admission Test of the IITs. Venkat saw this through to the end and that was the end of the exam as it was too much to conduct one more exam when there was already a national exam in place. I should note the extreme precision of Venkat and his sharpness and quickness and attention to detail during these interactions. Later on, we both served concurrently on the Board of Editors of Current Science and would often cross-referee manuscripts that the Chief Editor would send to us.

Our most serious interactions were when Venkat became Chair of Physics and I was already Chair of CHEP for some years. As I would often say, I went from being a younger brother of Chandan and Krish to becoming an elder brother of Venkat, as I would be to an even younger Prabal for a month and a half in 2018. I would refer to Venkat as Thambi for no particular reason, except for warmth and friendship that I felt for him which he reciprocated in his own quiet way. I understand from Mrs. Venkat that he would at times refer to me as Anna or ChepAnna! Thank you Venkat for that. I would also talk to him in Tamil for no particular reason except for the reasons above, and probably because we had a shared idiom. For instance, he was Venkatakrishnan Venkataraman the son of Venkataraman Venkatakrishnan, indeed as I am Balasubramanian Ananthanarayan, son of Ananthanarayan Balasubramanian. And also our shared idiom of service and a sense of duty towards our employer, although I must admit he was far more selfless than I. This shared idiom and warmth also enabled us to have some private jokes between us, which I will now enumerate to the best of my recollection.

It was quite a challenge to run the two departments but I think we had an outstanding rapport. I cannot remember a single time when I felt I was not satisfied with the outcome of a discussion, or vice verse. We had a delicate balance between requirements of each department and the need to have an equitable solution that would probably satisfy or not satisfy anyone. Many of the things that you would see in the physical sciences building was the product of our joint efforts, often initiatives coming from me, because we would have some funds left towards the end of the financial year and the need to have a creative solution for their use. Venkat would always support any initiative. Some of the notable examples are the large improved balcony on the first floor, the large patio in the western part of the building which serve as spaces for common use. There were also challenges when the new wing was constructed. For instance, we were walking together one day and one of the persons from the Estate Office or whatever it is called, perhaps PMG asked how to name the new floors and office. Within 5 minutes we gave a solution: call them E, F wings and we gave the formula for numbering them. And so on. Together we planned what you may all have taken for granted: the eaves on the corridors, poring over floor plans, making proposals for additional wings which are yet to be constructed. We used to have a private joke that the two proposed wings on the 2nd floor abutting CHEP and JAP should be named the Venkataraman and Ananthanarayan Memorial Wings. I should also add that all the above did not mean that Venkat was a pushover. He could stick to his guns and argue out his positions, but basically he had a sympathetic approach and an approach of fairness and objectivity.

In terms of academic initiatives, I thought that it should be good to invite Applied Physics and Instrumentation to join the I. Ph. D. programme and Venkat gave his unqualified support. And it was supported by all others and it happened. As time goes by, I think the successes of our academic programmes rests on the tireless work of those that were in positions of responsibility and they will become part of the firmament as stars which light the night sky, but will remain unnamed.

Let me turn now to what I meant when I said Venkat was selfless. Looking at his outstanding scholastic record of IIT M, and doubtless a topper, his Ph. D. from Princeton, any normal human being would have used it for self-promotion, including also his academic position in IISc. But he was not normal. He was saintly and shall I say trans-human. Our private joke when we would talk about recognition was that he would say `samblam kudta porun'. But he ensured that his younger colleagues got all the recognition by supporting them. Show me one other person who would have done something like this! And yet, his Institute colloquium was a brilliant tour de force peppered with immense amounts of information where he displayed his breadth of knowledge and also his sense of humor. For instance, it was here that he mentioned while introducing a well-known figure in his field that according to his wikipedia page, he was a mathematician and an entrepreneur. Venkat made a quiet remark that this seems like a contradiction in terms, which I think members of the audience took a second to understand! It may also be an opportune moment to note that Venkat was taken away at the beginning of the prime of his career with a peak awaiting him in the coming years, since he already had his administrative duties behind him and also because of his own entrepreneurial foray during his sabbatical year. He did tell me once in a rare moment of tiredness during the heydays of his Chairmanship that one of the reasons he came right back after his Ph. D. at Princeton was that he wanted to leave a quiet life -- he never thought his life would become so hectic!

At a personal level, I think Venkat had never taken a sick day in his tenure before June 2019. I had noticed that over the years he had got slimmer, probably decided to watch his sugar levels and BP, indeed as all of us south-Asians should. He would also ride his bicycle for his fitness regime, I suppose. I would also tease him once in a way about his thinning hair line, or his vazikh mottai, but would point out that even amongst apes, baldness was a sign of higher social standing and wisdom. And carry an austere lunch except for lunch at times at the Faculty Club. I would rarely see him at teas and coffees, probably for the same reason. Mrs Venkat tells me that at times he would ask for a double serving of grapes for his lunch because he was aware that I would gatecrash into his office and demand to share the grapes! It is therefore doubly ironic that he should have been taken away so early.

In fact, I had noticed in May when we went for the Animesh grihapravesham that he was not driving very well on the way back when you dropped me off. I attributed it to our talking while he was driving. Later I saw him in the building sort of looking down and walking, probably some problem with his vision.

During his year on sabbatical, he would come once in a way and I would tease him saying that I am looking forward to the IPO of his company so that I could invest wisely. My possibly last conversation with him was when he was coming back from sabbatical, was to pull his leg that now the Institute will make him the next Divisional Chair. Who would have imagined that things would have come to this pass? I understand that his reputation as a phenomenal teacher has been recognized by the announcement of the Jaya Jayant teaching award. It is probably the award that would have meant the most to him.

I could go on and on, but I think I will stop here. While we all must rationalize everything, we can only hope that he has gone to a better place. Let us also remember that Whom the Gods Love die young. I hope that you will be able to find some solace in the fact that you could share so many years with such a gem. His honesty and sincerity will be a touchstone for all of us. To an extent he is more like persons for past generations who put society and others before themselves. Let us all be thankful that our lives were touched by his brief one.

I will miss his immaculately dressed self, with a little tilt of the head and a hand in the pocket and his unhurried walk.