WINGS Workshop 2024
Capacity Building Workshop · IIT Bombay · August 2024
WINGS (Work and Industry Neutral Growth Skills) 2024 was a capacity-building workshop under the INYAS-WiSDom (Women in Scientific Domains) initiative, tailored for women researchers and entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into impactful innovations. Held at the Victor Menezes Convention Centre (VMCC), IIT Bombay, the three-day programme aimed to bridge the gender gap in STEAM and empower women academicians and industrialists to step up the ladder of leadership. Registration for the workshop closed on 30 June 2024, under the banner "Ignite Your Power, Unleash Your Potential!"
Day 1 Report
Indian National Young Academy of Science (INYAS) under the aegis of Indian National Science Academy (INSA) in association with Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT B) concluded the inaugural session of WINGS (Work and Industry Neutral Growth Skills) 2024 Capacity Building Workshop at Victor Menezes Convention Centre (VMCC), IIT Bombay on 08 August 2024. The event was marked by the gracious presence of the Honourable Chief Guest, Dr. Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary, Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India.
The workshop initiated with an interactive Ice-breaking and Scene-setting session where the participants and organising committee members introduced themselves. Thereafter the pre-inaugural session themed 'Connect Her' was facilitated by Ms. Sukriti Somvanshi, Communications Lead at Shell Business Operations.
The day was also marked by the honorary presence of Dr. Archana Sharma, Director – Beam Technology Development Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre; Prof. Subeer Majumdar, Director General – Gujarat Biotechnology University; Prof. Ramanuj Narayan, Director – CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology and Dr. Tara Satyavathi, Director – ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research. The event initiated with the floral welcome of guests for the inaugural session. Moving ahead with the programme, Dr. Nishant Chakravorty, Chair – Indian National Young Academy of Science, highlighted the mission and vision of INYAS in the coming years. Dr. Chakravorty additionally mentioned the flagship events of INYAS, namely WiSDom, PRAYOJAN, Saransh and RuSETUP, which will be amplified in the 10th year anniversary celebration of INYAS in 2024. The event was moderated by Dr. Veda Krishnan, Secretary – INYAS and Convener WINGS-2024 along with Dr. Shobhna Kapoor, Convener WINGS-2024.
The dignitaries were then informed about the WINGS workshop, which aims to bridge the gender gap in STEAM and empower women academicians and industrialists to step up the ladder of leadership. To celebrate INYAS's achievements in the Women in Scientific Domain (WiSDom) initiatives, the dignitaries released three publications. The first publication is a snapshot of WiSDom 2024 that highlights the four different activities under the banner, namely WINGS, NAARI, GIRL Programme and HER Story. The second publication was the WINGS brochure, which meticulously outlines the entire programme in a single handbook. The third publication was the report on last year's WiSDom 2023 achievements.
The session began with an honorary address by Dr. Tara Satyavathi, who spoke about the significance of meticulous implementation, work-life balance and understanding the concept of action, reaction and emotion. Following this Prof. Ramanuj Narayan emphasised the importance of networking and connectivity. Dr. Archana Sharma then addressed the audience focusing on the necessity of consistency and execution as key factors for success. Prof. Subeer Majumdar followed by highlighting the necessity of improving 'Women's Agency', as it is crucial for the economic and political upliftment of any nation.
Following this trajectory the WINGS 2024 participants then witnessed the honorary address of the Chief Guest for the inaugural session, Dr. Parvinder Maini. She spoke about the significance of emotional quotient being at par with the intelligence quotient in the working environment. She also highlighted the necessity of gender sensitivity in the science and policy ecosystem, along with the 3 R's of effective leadership that she mentioned: Realization, Recognition and Repetition. Additionally, she addressed the concepts of 'Imposter Syndrome' and the 'Leaky Pipeline Issue' in the administrative domain, which pose enormous challenges to women in their professional journey. Towards the end, she exemplified the importance of utilizing the inherent skills of an individual.
Concluding the inaugural session, the dignitaries were then felicitated with tokens of gratitude by the Chair of INYAS, followed by a group photograph session with the participants and organizing committee members.
Following the inaugural session, the theme-based session talks were delivered by the invited resource person. The talk for the second session themed 'Empower Her' was delivered by Dr. Parul Ganju, Co-founder and CEO of Ahamune Biosciences Pvt. Ltd. Thereafter an interactive session was facilitated by Dr. Rohini Garg from Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence and Dr. Mudrika Khandelwal from Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad themed 'Knowing Self'. Moving ahead the session themed 'Power Up talk' was resourced by Dr. Vandana Singh, Head WISE KIRAN Division Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. The trajectory of the event was then diverted towards the engaging panel discussion moderated by Prof. Subeer Majumdar, Director General Gujarat Biotechnology University themed 'Fire-side Chat.' Concluding the entire Day-1 of the WINGS 2024 workshop the Lift Off Lecture was delivered by Prof. Ramanuj Narayan, Director CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology. To wrap in all, the Day-1 of the workshop was filled with vision, enthusiasm and productivity.
Day 2 Report
After the successful completion of Day-1 of WINGS-2024 Capacity Building Workshop, the second day started with brimming enthusiasm. The first session themed 'Harmony in Life' was facilitated by Dr. Shubhasree Ray, Lead (DGM) – Nutrition and Wellness, Reliance Industries Limited. The talk encapsulated the importance of work-life balance, physical fitness and mental wellbeing in workplace settings. Following this, Prof. Rajeshwari Raina, Professor and Head, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, presented on 'Ethical Leadership,' addressing qualities of effective leaders and crisis management approaches.
The subsequent session, titled 'Girl Math,' featured Dr. Deeksha Gupta, Director at Global Strategy and Society Programs, American Chemical Society. The talk was engaging and unique as it was related to the rational approach of female counterparts in professional decision-making.
A panel discussion followed on 'Role of Institutions to Facilitate Women in STEM' with Prof. Ruchi Anand (IIT Bombay), Prof. Sandhya Koushika (TIFR Mumbai), and Prof. Geetanjali Sachdeva (NIRRH Mumbai), moderated by Dr. Arnab Datta. The session was energetic and discussed the core stereotypical demarcation of subjects based on gender.
Dr. Patrick Deneny from the Royal Society of Chemistry concluded the day's proceedings with an 'Empowerment Talk' discussing resource support and recognition frameworks. The day concluded with personality analysis and SWOT analysis activities for participants.
Day 3 Report
Moving ahead after the triumphant conclusion of Day-2 and stepping ahead for the final day of the workshop that is Day-3 of WINGS 2024 Capacity Building Programme, the day was filled with a sense of accomplishment and energy. The first session themed 'Spark Session' was facilitated by Dr. Vinnie Mathur, General Manager External Relations Office of the Vice Chancellor at Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence. Her talk encapsulated the essence of sustainability and biodegradability. As the growing market cap in India she emphasised on a self sustained business model that favours nature and how we can achieve the same. Moving ahead, the second session was facilitated by Dr. Pavan Kumar Togapur from CSIR-IMMT and moderated by Dr. Sriparna Chatterjee from CSIR-IMMT themed 'Championing Women' that dealt with the intricacies of IPR and reservation of rights. His talk was immensely engaging and interesting as it quoted day-to-day examples of rights reservation and the necessity to protect the indigenous ideas. His talk also focussed on the legalities of IPR as well.
Continuing the momentum the third session was a Panel Discussion themed 'Women in Science Governance' moderated by Dr. Mudrika Khandelwal and the esteemed panellists were Dr. N. Anandavalli, Director CSIR-SERC Chennai; Dr. Archana Sharma, Director Beam Technology Development Group at BARC and Prof. Chandra Shekhar Sharma from IIT Hyderabad. The panel discussion was centralised over the skills to be developed by women in the administrative sector and the policies undertaken to increase inclusivity of women in leadership roles. The session also had an open discussion format for the participants to interact. Moving ahead a brief unmoderated caucus was planned to recognise the humongous efforts of the organizing committee members in conceptualising and organising the workshop. They were facilitated with gratitude hampers by Prof. Chandra Shekhar Sharma.
To conclude the entire workshop with enthusiasm and vigour the valedictory session was graced by Prof. Pratibha Sharma, Dean (Academic Programme) at IIT Bombay. The valedictory session was initiated by Dr. Veda Krishnan, Convenor WINGS and Secretary INYAS by providing a brief overview of the entire 3-day programme followed by the honorary address by Prof. Pratibha Sharma who congratulated the entire INYAS team for organising an event centric to women development and empowerment. Thereafter the felicitation of the participants with certificates was taken forward. Towards the finale the programme was then concluded by delivering the vote of thanks by Dr. Nishant Chakravorty, Chair INYAS followed by a group photograph session.