Famelab

Famelab, 'The world's biggest Science Communication competition' challenges participants to Communicate Science in 3 minutes without using any visual aids. My talk, titled Cosmic Fireworks, explained one of the latest discoveries in my field: how two neutron stars collide in a \textit{Kilonova} explosion, using a pair of balloons filled with confetti. Winning the 3rd prize here gave me a chance to represent India at the Cheltenham Science Festival. Check out the story in The Times of India


EURAXESS Science Slam

Organized by EURAXESS, the science slam is a scientific talk where researchers compete to present their work in front of a non-expert audience. The slam is a way to show the engaging and fascinating side of research to the wider public. To qualify for the science slam, I wrote, directed, composed music for and starred in a short 5-minute video on observing sources of gravitational waves like a collision of neutron stars, using optical telescopes. The final round took me on stage (again, in my favorite Einstein Tee!) for a live 10-minute slam on the same topic. Watch it here:

Public Talks

• The British Council's Cafe Scientifique: I spoke about 'The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Astronomy' at the British Library, Pune to an audience of around 60. Cafe Scientifique provides a unique forum for the discussion of scientific issues in a way that is much more relaxed, informal and accessible than a public lecture. (January 5, 2018)

Other Activities

• I am a co-editor of the Humans of LIGO blog, an initiative which celebrates individuals in the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, comprising of more than 1300 scientists and engineers from over 100 institutions and 18 countries worldwide.
• Halloween spooky physics night: I dress up in nerdy costumes, serve liquid nitrogen candy and conduct physics demos like `the pumpkin drop' at this family-friendly event attended by over 300 locals every year at the UM Department of Physics and Astronomy.