National Science Day: The Shadow of the Lab

Navigating the Ethics of Scientific Discovery

14th February 2026 · 10:30 PM – 12 AM · R109

ECLIPSE marked National Science Day 2026 with a session that went far beyond telescopes and equations — an invitation to reflect on how science actually works: through people, choices, and responsibility.

The Talk

Sayak, a Research Scholar at IIIT Bangalore currently interning as a Data Scientist at Nykaa, delivered the session titled “The Shadow of the Lab: Navigating the Ethics of Scientific Discovery.”

The Story of Modern Astronomy

The talk unfolded as a narrative of how our understanding of the universe was built step by step:

Tycho Brahe — extraordinarily precise observations of the night sky that didn’t yet become theory, but laid the foundation for everything that followed
Johannes Kepler — used Brahe’s data to derive the laws of planetary motion, showing that planets trace ellipses, not perfect circles
The flow of science — how ideas progress from theory to data, from data to laws, from laws to evidence, and ultimately to unification
Isaac Newton — unified the thread under the law of gravitation, explaining both planetary motion and everyday falling objects through a single framework

On Standing on Shoulders

A particularly striking moment in the session was a reflection on Newton’s famous words about the giants who came before him. The talk used this as a lens to explore the ethics embedded in scientific progress: the obligation to acknowledge prior work, the danger of isolated genius myths, and the responsibility that comes with discovery.

Science advances because each generation adds its piece to a much larger story.

Stargazing Under the Campus Sky

After the session, participants gathered outdoors for a stargazing session with the club’s telescope. On a clear February night, students observed Jupiter and its visible moons alongside several prominent stars — moving from a discussion about the giants of astronomy to witnessing the universe with their own eyes.

Organized by ECLIPSE Astronomy Club in collaboration with IIIT-B’s Institution’s Innovation Council. Approved by Dean (SA).