Hands-on Learning for Under Graduates

In 2013, we, at the University of Delhi, were Lvisited by the distinguished French biologist Jules Hoffman.

- Dinesh Singh

Hoffman had won the Nobel prize in Medicine in 2011. I must confess that though I had heard of him I was not very familiar with his precise area of research. In a private and extended conversation with him I discovered some fascinating things about his research. His Nobel prize winning work was accomplished by working on the common fruit fly whose scientific name is Drosophilamelanogaster. This insect is found in almost every household in India. It's study has played a significant role in helping us understand embryonic development in many organisms, including humans.

Instinctively, I felt that given the easy accessibility of the fruit fly and the shortness of its life cycle this could be used in undergraduate programmes of study.

Hoffman agreed with me at once.