INVENIO 2025 — Annual Science Fest of IISER Berhampur
Why INVENIO Matters
INVENIO is IISER Berhampur’s flagship science festival, held every year to celebrate curiosity, creativity, and community in science. On 13th September 2025, the campus came alive with talks from leading scientists, poster presentations from research groups, and a wide spectrum of competitions and interactive activities led by student science clubs. The festival was not just a showcase but an invitation—bringing researchers, faculty, and students together in dialogue about science in practice and in imagination.
Activities and Highlights
The event spanned across disciplines and interests. Science clubs designed engaging activities that merged rigorous knowledge with playful formats: quizzes that tested scientific recall and application, treasure hunts infused with chemistry clues, birding expeditions that linked ecology with observation, and demonstrations that brought theory into tactile experience. These activities created an atmosphere of excitement that drew in participants from across the institute.
Talks by Invited Scientists
Renowned speakers from across India were invited to deliver research talks, covering fields as diverse as molecular biology, astrophysics, chemical catalysis, and environmental sciences. These lectures connected the IISER community with cutting-edge advances and offered insights into how fundamental science is translated into applications that touch everyday life.
Posters and Campus Research Showcase
Research groups at IISER Berhampur prepared posters of their ongoing work, turning corridors into galleries of science in motion. Faculty, PhD researchers, and undergraduates presented findings, fielded questions, and shared future directions. For students and visitors alike, this was a unique window into the living laboratory that defines IISER.
Our Participation — Presenting POSEIDON
For our team, INVENIO 2025 became a platform to connect the institute with our mission. We prepared an engaging presentation that introduced the urgent problem of heavy metal contamination in water and our proposed solution—Project POSEIDON. Using carefully designed visuals, interactive slides, and a promotional video, we explained how our plant-based biopolymer filters aim to provide affordable, decentralized, and sustainable remediation for contaminated water.
Our booth invited peers, faculty, and visitors to step into the challenge and imagine solutions. By weaving together scientific detail with a narrative of impact, we generated conversations not only about the technology itself but also about its broader implications for public health, environment, and sustainability.
Talks, posters, competitions, and club-led activities made INVENIO 2025 a campus-wide celebration of science.
We presented POSEIDON through visuals, video, and discussion—sparking dialogue with students, faculty, and researchers.
Campus Reception
The response was overwhelming. Students across batches paused at our presentation, intrigued by the idea of using synthetic biology for real-world environmental problems. Faculty engaged us with critical questions about scalability, sustainability, and implementation, offering valuable insights that we will carry forward. Researchers appreciated the clarity of our design strategy, while peers offered creative suggestions and connections.
Perhaps the most inspiring moment was when participants started suggesting their own ideas—could algae be harnessed to filter water? Could indigenous plants inspire new biomaterials? This collective imagination confirmed that our project was not only understood but embraced.
Broader Impact of INVENIO 2025
INVENIO reaffirmed the importance of science festivals as spaces where education, outreach, and innovation converge. For POSEIDON, the event achieved three things: it spread awareness about water contamination among the IISER community, it validated our approach through scientific dialogue, and it created excitement that carried beyond our own team.
By embedding ourselves in INVENIO, we ensured that our project is not isolated in the lab but part of the living culture of science at IISER Berhampur. This spirit of openness and exchange is at the heart of our human practices. For related outreach efforts, see stream-2025 and dockingthon.