School students get hands-on exposure to public health research at ICMR-NINE
Around 200 school students each day are getting a glimpse into public health research, disease surveillance and biomedical innovation at a two-day programme being organised
Around 200 school students each day are getting a glimpse into public health research, disease surveillance and biomedical innovation at a two-day programme being organised by the ICMR- Institute of NCD Epidemiology (ICMR-NINE), Bengaluru, under the ICMR-Science and Health Technology for Nextgen Explorers (SHINE) initiative. The ICMR-SHINE 2026 programme was inaugurated on Tuesday (August 11) and continued on Wednesday (August 12) to encourage students from classes 9 to 12 to explore science, technology and public health. The programme is being organised to commemorate the birth anniversary of Prof. V. Ramalingaswami, a prominent figure in Indian medical research. Students from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya-Bengaluru Urban, Delhi Public School-Bengaluru North, Carmel Jyothi High School-Doddaballapura, Government Boys High School-Malleswaram, and Swami Vivekananda Vidya Kendra-Hoskote are participating in the programme.
From vaccines to AI-enabled research On the first day, ICMR director General Rajiv Bahl addressed the students and spoke about milestones in the organisation’s research journey. He encouraged them to experience the work of scientists and explore research as a career. The students are being shown short films on ICMR’s work, including the development of the COVID-19 vaccine and the use of drones to transport vaccines, blood, organs and human corneas for transplantation, as well as medical samples such as sputum. The presentations also highlight ICMR’s contribution to tuberculosis control and the development of i-Scope, an AI-enabled microscope designed to assist in the early detection of cervical cancer.
Hands-on exposure to research At ICMR-NINE, the students are being introduced to ongoing research on non-communicable diseases, including cancer, stroke, diabetes and hypertension. Interactive demonstrations and hands-on sessions are giving them an introduction to how information technology and data analytics are used in disease surveillance and epidemiological research. A session on biostatistics is introducing students to the use of data to understand health trends. A quiz on non-communicable diseases, along with demonstrations of survey tools, dashboards and geospatial mapping, is giving them an introduction to some of the methods used in public health research. “This initiative is about planting the seeds of scientific curiosity early.
We hope these students leave inspired to pursue careers that contribute to India’s scientific and public health goals,” said Prashant Mathur, director, ICMR-NINE. The SHINE programme is being conducted across ICMR institutes nationwide to promote scientific curiosity and research among school students. As part of the initiative, ICMR is also organising a national-level competition in which participating students can submit research papers. The 100 best papers will be recognised and awarded at the national level.
The BriefWire