Geoscientist Meghomita Das believes everyone deserves a seat at the equity table

Written by Ezrah Roy, edited by Adele Lopes 

Meghomita Das, a recent PhD graduate of McGill’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, first discovered a passion for science communication in the wake of a natural disaster. When Das was a high school student in India, an earthquake in nearby Nepal impacted both countries. 

When government officials held a press conference to address the crisis, they used technical language and political jargon, leaving many affected communities feeling isolated and confused.  

“When you're in a crisis, you don't want jargon, you want somebody to help you and give you direct information,” Das said.    

This experience inspired Das to volunteer with Teach for India, an independent organization with a mission to expand educational opportunity and excellence across India. Leading a class of elementary school children learning math and science impressed upon Das the importance of teaching science in an accessible and engaging way.   

Once Das began their PhD studies, they started their own blog to communicate their work collecting data from Angel Island in California to study how earthquakes form and then transfer energy through examining rock records.  

Their first official science communication project at McGill was a storymap collaboration with the Redpath Museum. The site takes visitors on a virtual field trip of fossils all around the city, making geosciences accessible for everyone, regardless of scientific background or ability to perform fieldwork. 

Das strongly believes that students, as the next generation of scientists, should be empowered to voice their opinions. During their time at McGill, they were a member of the Science Equity and Climate Committee. As one of only two graduate students on the committee, Das didn’t feel intimidated by sitting alongside older and more experienced committee members. 

“It's equity, you're at the equity table,” said Das. “I don't care about your background; we are all the same”.  

Das currently freelances as a writer for Tremblor Earthquake News, a catastrophe modeling organization that publishes news articles about anything related to earthquakes. Looking to the future, Das hopes that more students take the step to become involved in science communication.  

“Your STEM identity is whatever you want it to be,” they said. “You don't have to be a certain kind of scientist to do science communication or to engage in science.”  

Keep up with Meghomita Das through their website, and X account.