How has COVID-19 impacted South Asia? Throughout the spring and summer, the Mittal Institute is bringing together Harvard faculty and in-region experts in numerous webinars to discuss the interdisciplinary issues that have arisen in South Asia amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. From the science of the virus to changes in education, you can learn how COVID-19 has impacted South Asia.
The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute has issued a joint statement with several other centers and institutes at Harvard University condemning police violence in the United States.
Suhasini Kejriwal, a mixed media artist from India, joined the Mittal Institute earlier this Spring in our latest group of Visiting Artist Fellows. Through photography, paintings, embroidery, and more, Suhasini’s practice acts as witness to the lived experiences of those whom she observes, living out their lives in the busy streets of India’s urban landscapes.
This past year, the Mittal Institute has delved into South Asia’s arts, sciences, humanities, and more, partnering with faculty, students, and affiliates. You can read all about our latest research and programs in our 2019-2020 Year In Review, now available digitally, by clicking here. For a preview, read the report’s opening “Letter From the Director” by Tarun Khanna, Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor at Harvard Business School and Director of the Mittal Institute, below.
The Mittal Institute’s interns each have the drive and ambition to serve their communities and perform research to advance the greater good of our increasingly linked world. Their unique experiences and skills have been invaluable to our team, and we’d like to take the time to recognize and thank our graduating interns. Today, we’re introducing Preksha Singh, who will graduate this month with an Ed. M degree focusing on Mind, Brain, and Education. Originally from Navi Mumbai, India, Preksha came to Harvard in the fall and quickly became an asset to our team.
The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has saturated our society with massive amounts of data, from location data that measures social distancing efforts to apps, graphs, and charts modeling future trends or helping you assess your symptoms, all accessible at the click of a button. A recent article published in the Harvard Business Review, “Which Covid-19 Data Can You Trust?,” delves into the various technological solutions that have emerged in the face of the pandemic and the potential they pose to provide unreliable information to the populace and policymakers. More than ever, it has become essential to increase engagement between subject-matter experts and decision-makers to manage the reliability of COVID-19-related data moving forward.
This past winter break, with the support of the Mittal Institute, my classmate Jay and I ventured on a three-week journey through India. We hopped on a 16-hour flight from JFK to Mumbai the night after our last final, excited to hit the ground running. I couldn’t have imagined how enriching and fun our adventure would turn out to be. We were traveling to South Asia to meet with engineers, clinicians, and entrepreneurs to discuss medical technology innovation.
The Mittal Institute’s interns come from diverse places and backgrounds, yet each share the drive and ambition to serve their communities and perform research to advance the greater good of our increasingly linked world. Their unique experiences and skills have been invaluable to our team, and we’d like to take the time to recognize and thank our graduating seniors. Although they will not be walking, it is more important than ever to share their stories and accomplishments. Introducing: Alex Indira Sanyal! A Boston native, Alex will be graduating this month with a Masters in Design Studies (MDes) in Critical Conservation from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. We caught up with Alex to learn more about her experience as a graduate student at Harvard, and how her graduate research and life as a student have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Mittal Institute’s latest panel webinar, “The Science Behind COVID-19,” was moderated by Dr. Jennifer Leaning, Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Together, the panelists provided a deeper understanding of the science behind the COVID-19 virus, exploring the place of science in the COVID-19 response, and new methods of tracking transmission of the virus throughout South Asia through the use of mobile network data.
Coming from diverse places and backgrounds, the Mittal Institute’s interns offer unique experiences and skills that have been invaluable to our team. Please join us in taking the time to recognize and thank our graduating seniors. Although they will not be walking, we’d like to give them a stage upon which to share their story and accomplishments. Introducing: Yashada Wagle! Yashada will be graduating with a Masters in Design Studies (MDes) from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She came to Cambridge two years ago from her home in Pune, India.
Last week, the Mittal Institute held a panel webinar, “The Response to COVID-19 in South Asia,” moderated by Dr. Vikram Patel, Pershing Square Professor of Global Health at Harvard Medical School. Together, the panelists discussed the impact of the policy response to COVID-19 on the ground in South Asia, considering whether or not the policies are proportionate and appropriate — and what consequences they might have.
Recently, Dr. Tarun Khanna, Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor at the Harvard Business School and the Director of the Mittal Institute, addressed an online audience of more than 15,000 youth at the South Asia Youth Resilience Summit organized by Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC).