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Mission Possible: Conversations on the Breakthroughs of Indian Women in STEM

Celebrating Women in STEM

Mission Possible: Conversations on the Breakthroughs of Indian Women in STEM

31 July 2020

Our event Mission Possible created onversations and sparked dialogue about the breakthroughs led by Indian women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). We explored the collective pleasures, possibilities, and perils of doing science in India. We marked the contributions of the trailblazing women in STEM through masterclasses, a panel, art and performances.

Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) have often been sidelined and their labour made invisible, although they have been integral to science and other allied disciplines through time. Who are the women in STEM in India that we should know about? How do they navigate a field that has multiple implicit gender biases and hurdles? How can we amplify diverse voices from the field? How have women contributed to solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic and what has been the impact of the pandemic on their daily lives? These questions formed the base of an exciting collaborative event by India Culture Lab and Point of View on 17, 24 and 31 July 2020.  

We hosted a special masterclass by the founders of LifeofScience.com, science writers Nandita Jayaraj and Aashima Dogra on 17 July 2020. The Life of Science is a feminist science media platform, and they mapped the terrain for women in STEM so far - how they navigate a field that has multiple implicit gender biases and hurdles? How can we amplify diverse voices from the field, and envision a feminist practice of science? 

This evening brought together Ramya K Tella, urogynecologist Dr. Aparna Hegde, mathematician Geetha Venkataraman in a discussion about the pleasures, perils and possibilities of doing STEM in India. This event was held on 24 July 2020. The discussion was moderated by sociologist and feminist Gita Chadha.

Our last event in the Mission Possible series brought out the intersections between STEM and art. Musician-activist Vidya Shah told us the story of Indian women in STEM through the ages through a performance. Afrah Shafiq took us through her work st.itch, which is a multimedia patchwork that looks at the transgressive potential of women’s domestic labor and its connection to cybernetics and code.

We experimented with digital formats to bring to you a masterclass, a panel discussion, art, and performances centered around the trailblazing women in STEM who have been vital contributors to the progress of our collective human journey. Stay tuned to watch the videos from these events.