#IICF2016

Speaking about Santosh, Sriraksha, and Hinal’s research at the India  International Coffee Festival in Mumbai today!  

  

  

Pragadheesh’s Birthplace

Today Shannon got to visit where Pragadheesh was “born” as an analytical chemist at the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Lucknow. It was amazing to see their collection of herbal, aromatic, and medicinal plants, as well as all of the chemical and biological techniques they use to analyze, utilize, and preserve them.  They even had a “human garden” where they planted specific medicinal plants for parts of the body (hair, mind, skin, etc.). Thanks for a wonderful visit, Pragadheesh!

At CIMAP
Plants for Extraction

 

On Curiousity 

@NCBS_Bangalore Today, Shannon is thankful we work at an Institute that lets us test crazy ideas for curiosity’s sake. So thankful NCBS realizes curiousity can lead to amazing discoveries. Today we’re watching insects nap. #doinsectsdreamofsixleggedsheep? 

  
 

TEDxMAIS

Here is a copy of our recent TEDx talk here in Bangalore on December 6, 2015.  You can also see it on our website at: http://nice.ncbs.res.in/tedx/

Bon Voyage!

Today we say goodbye to Amadeus, who has been with the NICE lab for the past 6 months. Amadeus has played an important role in both the hoverfly and universal pesticide projects. Thanks from all of us for your hard work and dedication- you will truly be missed, and we wish you much success for your bright future!   
 

The Mother of Invention

This morning Shannon came into the lab to find this crafty humidifying chamber for our fly populations. Pans of water on the floor, A humidifier, and an eerily-suspended washcloth. Here in India, we don’t need climate chambers, as the temperature is almost always 25ºC inside and 60-80% humidity. So we keep our insects in a semi-chamber that is mainly to keep them contained and isolated. But for about 2 months of the year, the humidity drops down to around 30-40% during the days and we need to increase the humidity.  They say that necessity is the Mother of Invention, but I think it’s Hinal and Pavan 🙂

IMG_0380.png

Our First Year!

2015 saw the beginning of the NICE Group, and what a great year it was!  Below are some highlights from our lab’s first year. It is a privilege and honor to be part of such a wonderful group, and we can’t wait for 2016!