A new outreach activity of CDFD named ‘Gyandeep’ in association with GENETIKS4U to ignite young minds:
HYDERABAD, NOVEMBER 22, 2024: The BRIC-Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) has launched a new outreach initiative called “Gyandeep” in collaboration with GENETIKS4U, an outreach project funded by India Biosciences and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Hyderabad.
The inaugural session took place on Friday at the CDFD premises, organized by Dr Varsha, Staff Scientist and Head of Science Communication at CDFD. Dr Shweta Tyagi, Staff Scientist and Head of the Laboratory of Cell Cycle Regulation at CDFD, presided over the event and introduced the guest speaker, Dr. Chandana Basu, DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Early Career Fellow and co-founder of GENETIKS4U.
Dr Basu, the resource person for the day, captivated the audience by explaining the basics of DNA, genetic codes, and fundamental genetics in a fun and engaging way, making complex concepts easy for children to grasp.
The event saw enthusiastic participation from students across various Kendriya Vidyalaya branches in Hyderabad. One of the highlights was a hands-on demonstration where students isolated DNA from bananas, and the experience of holding the extracted DNA left them thrilled.
Throughout the event, a series of interactive sessions kept the students fully engaged, and prizes were awarded to the winners. All attendees received a souvenir, including a science comic created by GENETIKS4U. The PhD students at CDFD, Ms. Siba and Ms. Vandana, also provided valuable assistance during the hands-on experiments.
Both students and teachers expressed great enthusiasm and strongly recommended that similar sessions be held in the future, not only for students but also for teachers. The event truly lived up to its name, Gyandeep—meaning “Light of Knowledge”—by sparking curiosity and inspiring young minds with the fundamentals of basic and applied genetics.
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