Ashoka University students shine at the Asia Pacific Worm Meeting 2024
Ashoka students attended APWM 2024; a Ph.D. student won the poster prize, and another Ph.D. student won the Sci-Art competition. Attending these meetings provides valuable exposure and opportunities for students to enhance their skills and network within the scientific community.
Yukti Arora
22 July, 2024 | 5m read
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Attending global conferences like the Asia Pacific Worm Meeting(APWM) 2024 offers students invaluable opportunities for academic and professional growth. These events provide exposure to cutting-edge research, networking opportunities, and insights into the state-of-the-art practices in their fields. Students receive feedback on their research and the methodologies they are employing to address specific research questions; this helps them refine their work and enhance the quality of their research. Furthermore, they have the opportunity to identify and connect with potential reviewers for their work, fostering relationships that can lead to mentorship and collaboration.
Various competitions such as oral/poster presentations, science illustration/art, science slams, etc. help students hone multiple skills, which are invaluable when communicating their research. For students at Ashoka University, such experiences have proven immensely beneficial.
Ashoka University congratulates Debodyuti Mondal for winning the best poster prize and Divyashree A N for winning the worm art competition at the APWM 2024. This conference brings together C. elegans biologists from various research areas around the world.
Debodyuti Mondal investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying the crosstalk between cell-cell adhesion and cell division using C. elegans embryos as a model system. APWM 2024 allowed Debodyuti to broaden her understanding of the field and receive valuable feedback from co-participants, which she is incorporating into her work as she prepares for publication. As a final-year PhD student, the conference also exposed her to potential career opportunities, enhancing her professional trajectory.
Divyashree’s fascination with how tiny microbes create havoc in higher organisms led her to study the role of the intestinal epithelium during Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection at Ashoka. Her curiosity and dedication to research were complemented by her emerging interest in Science Art, sparked by a beautiful picture of a firing neuron during her master’s. This dual passion for science and art found a perfect outlet at the Sci-Art competition at the APWM 2024, where she presented her work, “Melting Into The Oblivion,” winning the best artwork prize.
Divyashree believes that incorporating such opportunities in more meetings and conferences can make science more engaging and visually appealing. The Ashoka Bioimaging Facility played a crucial role in nurturing both her Sci-Art passion and her research endeavors. Among the best in the country, this state-of-the-art facility has enhanced our understanding of sub-cellular phenomena at nanometer resolution through advanced light microscopy.
Alongside the PhD scholars, Promiti Mitra and Diya Anand, undergraduate students at Ashoka University, and Sanjna Kartik, a graduate of the Ashoka Scholars Program (ASP) presented their research at the meeting. Sanjna presented her ASP thesis work at the conference, studying the role of specific sugars in the intestinal epithelial cells of C. elegans during Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Sanjna recalls how her experience at Ashoka University sculpted her research career, emphasizing the importance of access to diverse labs, talks, symposiums, and student-run events like the Ashoka Science Research Festival. These experiences have equipped her to pursue her masters at Oxford University, UK.
Ashoka University extends its heartfelt congratulations to the participants at the APWM 2024. Their successes highlight the benefits of attending global conferences, such as gaining subject-specific knowledge, building networks, and exploring career opportunities. These experiences not only enhance their research skills but also prepare them for future endeavors in their respective fields.
Debodyuti and Divyashree are part of the Cell Shape and Morphogenesis Lab working with Dr. Anup Padmanabhan, Assistant Professor of Biology at Ashoka University.
Written by Kangna Verma and Yukti Arora, Academic Communications, RDO, Ashoka University
