CDFD launches ‘Gyandeep’ initiative to train DNA scientists in Kendriya Vidyalayas-Telangana Today

Dr. Shweta Tyagi, scientist and head of the Cell Cycle Regulation Laboratory at CDFD, chaired the event and introduced guest speaker Dr. Chandana Basu, Early Career Fellow with DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance and Co-Founder of GENETIKS4U.

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Center for Fingerprinting and DNA Diagnostics (CDFD) has launched a new outreach initiative ‘Gyandeep’ aimed at producing DNA scientists from Kendriya Vidyalayas (KV). The inaugural session of Gyandeep, launched by CDFD in collaboration with GENETIKS4U, an outreach project funded by India Biosciences and KV Sangathan, Hyderabad, was organized at CDFD on Friday, said Dr. Varsha, Scientist and Head of Science Communication, CDFD.

Dr. Shweta Tyagi, Scientist and Head, Cell Cycle Regulation Laboratory, CDFD, chaired 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 captivated the KV students by explaining the basics of DNA, genetic codes and fundamental genetics in a fun and engaging way, making complex concepts easy to understand. The event saw enthusiastic participation from students of various branches of Kendriya Vidyalaya in Hyderabad. One of the highlights was a hands-on demonstration where the students isolated DNA from bananas, and the experience of holding the extracted DNA left them in awe.

Throughout the event, a series of interactive sessions kept the students fully engaged and prizes were awarded to the winners. All participants received a souvenir, including a science comic created by GENETIKS4U.

Both students and teachers expressed great enthusiasm and strongly recommended that similar sessions be organized in the future, not only for students but also for teachers.