Author: G.V. Pavan Kumar

Namaste, Hola & Welcome from G.V. Pavan Kumar. I am a Professor of Physics at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India. My research interests are : (1) Optics & Soft Matter: Optically Induced Forces – Assembly, Dynamics & Function; (2) History and Philosophy of Science – Ideas in Physical Sciences. I am interested in the historical and philosophical evolution of ideas and tools in the physical sciences and technology. I research the intellectual history of past scientists, innovators, and people driven by curiosity, and I write about them from an Indian and Asian perspective. My motivation is to humanize science. In the same spirit, I write and host my podcast Pratidhvani – Humanizing Science.

Conversation with Neeldhara Misra

Neeldhara Misra is a computer scientist interested in algorithm design, computational social choice, and combinatorial games.

She is an Associate Professor at IIT Gandhinagar: https://www.neeldhara.com/

This episode discusses her intellectual journey from literature and mathematics to computer science. Through this journey, we learn how she developed an interest in this field and her experience communicating computer science and mathematics.

Listen…as we humanize science…

Youtube (audio):

Spotify :

google podcast

apple podcast

References:

  1. “Neeldhara – About.” n.d. Accessed December 26, 2023. https://www.neeldhara.com/about.
  2. “‪Neeldhara Misra‬ – ‪Google Scholar‬.” n.d. Accessed December 26, 2023. https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=XFgieDYAAAAJ&hl=en.
  3. “IIT Gandhinagar | Neeldhara Misra.” n.d. Accessed December 26, 2023. https://iitgn.ac.in/faculty/cse/neeldhara.
  4. “Neeldhara – Blog.” n.d. Accessed December 26, 2023. https://www.neeldhara.com/blog.
  5. “Neeldhara – On Career Choices.” 2023. May 26, 2023. https://www.neeldhara.com/blog/on-career-choices/.
  6. “Neeldhara 🐦|🐘 (@neeldhara) / X.” 2022. X (Formerly Twitter). November 20, 2022. https://twitter.com/neeldhara.
  7. “Concrete Mathematics.” 2023. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Concrete_Mathematics&oldid=1191307072.
  8. “Home | Center For Creative Learning.” n.d. Center For Creative. Accessed December 26, 2023. https://www.ccl.iitgn.ac.in.
  9. “Home – Mount Carmel College.” n.d. Accessed December 26, 2023. https://mccblr.edu.in/.
  10. “Masala Lab.” n.d. Penguin Random House India (blog). Accessed December 26, 2023. https://www.penguin.co.in/book/masala-lab/.
  11. “The Man Who Loved Only Numbers.” 2022. In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Man_Who_Loved_Only_Numbers&oldid=1120987937.
  12. “Theoretical Computer Science | The Institute of Mathematical Sciences.” n.d. Accessed December 26, 2023. https://www.imsc.res.in/theoretical_computer_science.

I am on Substack now

I have a newsletter on Substack. Please subscribe there to get direct blog updates via email

https://sciencemeetshistory.substack.com/

WordPress is getting too commercial and inflexible. So, I hope to make a gradual transfer towards Substack in 2024.

Update: Substack also has problems: it does not interface with Twitter and vice versa. As per my observation, substack posts do not generate thumbnails correctly, and their sharability is an issue on Twitter and other platforms. So, I will keep it as a weekly newsletter and continue to blog here.

Teaching and its impact

Recently I got this email from one of the students who took my optics course:


I don’t know what to say…I am humbled is only thing that comes to my mind..

Fyi: this student is deeply interested in theoretical high energy physics, and I had a great time interacting with him during my course..

Teaching is enriching.

…

Next day:


After I posted the email by the student, there has been a flood of messages from many other students (current+former) sharing their experience of our interaction. I want to thank them all🙏🏽 and reiterate some points :

1.I continue to learn through teaching.

2.Learning needs context. Historical viewpoint is one of the ways.

3.Teaching has positively impacted my research and writing.

4. Technology can positively aid classroom teaching, including teaching on the board. Strategically adapting audio-visuals can enhance discussion in the class.

5. A course is a starting point to learn something. Many a times, the actual learning happens long after a course is completed.

6. One of the greatest challenges in academia is to measure impact. In research or in teaching, it is not easy to quantify how our work can influence the society.

A capitalistic Galileo ?

Some books on the history of thermodynamics

Müller, Ingo. 2007. A History of Thermodynamics: The Doctrine of Energy and Entropy. Springer Science & Business Media. https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/A_History_of_Thermodynamics/u13KiGlz2zcC?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover.

Truesdell, C. 2013. The Tragicomical History of Thermodynamics, 1822–1854. Springer Science & Business Media. https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/The_Tragicomical_History_of_Thermodynami/3EjaBwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover.