About Scienspur
Launched in 2021 with a Mittal Institute faculty grant, Scienspur is a non-profit organization that provides free, high-quality STEM courses to underprivileged students attending public colleges and universities in India. The program aims to teach fundamental concepts and introduce emerging concepts in science, sparking student interest in STEM and preparing them for future scientific careers.
The program was conceptualized by Nagaraju ‘Nag’ Dhanyasi, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard, and Vinay Vikas, a biotech professional, under the leadership of Venkatesh Murthy, Raymond Leo Erikson Life Sciences Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard. They recruited an ever-growing, all-volunteer team of postdoctoral fellows and industry professionals from leading universities in Europe, India, and the U.S. to teach the online courses.
Starting with just two courses and 60 students in 2021, Scienspur accomodated 100 student participants in the summer of 2022. In 2024, it offered five courses to 550 students, who were chosen from more than 1,000 applicants based on their economic background and interest in STEM. The Mittal Institute continues to co-fund the project.
More Information
To know more about this program and for all course details, visit the Scienspur website, LinkedIn profile, or Twitter/X account.
Team
Nagaraju ‘Nag’ Dhanyasi, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard
Vinay Vikas, biotech professional
Venkatesh Murthy, Raymond Leo Erikson Life Sciences Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard
We want to inspire scientific curiosity. That is our ultimate goal. We try to talk about science as a field that brings together endless possibilities and important discoveries.
In the Molecular Genetics course, I had the opportunity to engage with exceptional instructors and professionals in the field, who generously shared their experiences and research. The learning approach was research and application-based, making the experience even more enriching.
It’s an exceptional source of knowledge and experience and a very kind environment to socialize and build an international research network, even to start a friendship. It was absolutely amazing, and I wish I will have this opportunity again.
Scienspur greatly helped me to develop the skill of asking questions openly without fear. The course also introduced me to basics that gave me a deeper understanding of these techniques. The course also helped me learn the essential skills of reading research papers and adequately interpreting the results.