Before the Eureka!

🧪👩🏽‍🔬When was the last time you attended a bar talk about untold stories from the history of science?

In our upcoming lecture, Dr. Punam Medh will share stories of scientific discovery before the eureka moment. Scientific discoveries are the bedrock of science. And yet popular accounts often reduce discoveries to a single Eureka moment. A closer look at the history of science reveals a different story - one marked by determination, unmatched scientific expertise and above all, work that is almost always collaborative. Many of these stories remain untold because discoveries are often remembered as the achievement of a single individual.

This talk draws on two such stories: Lise Meitner, whose work made it possible to theorize nuclear fission, and Bibha Chowdhuri, whose work contributed to identifying mesons in cosmic rays, strengthening the foundation of particle physics. Both were brilliant physicists, exceptionally skilled in experimentation and scientific judgement. Attending to their work as women scientists also brings into view how scientific discovery is shaped by social and institutional contexts.

Taken together, their stories show that scientific discovery is a process of skilled scientific work through which understanding builds gradually. The talk concludes by reflecting on why the history and philosophy of science are essential to scientific thinking - not as background knowledge, but as ways of understanding how science actually works.

About the Speaker: Dr. Punam Medh is a curator of science stories rooted in the history of science. She holds a Ph.D. in Education from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, where she teaches the course Pedagogy of Science. Her decade-long engagement with the history and philosophy of science has focused on identifying lesser-known episodes of scientific discoveries and reworking them into stories for science teachers and wider public audiences. She has been a visiting scholar at MIT, Boston. In addition, she has received formal training in science storytelling from Story Collider, New York. Her academic work has been published in leading international science education journals. Alongside her research, Punam works as an independent instructional design consultant with clients across sectors including IT, BFSI, EdTech, and manufacturing. Her work involves designing story-based learning experiences delivered through formats such as short films, graphic novels and podcasts. Some of her projects which used graphic novels and podcasts for learning have received international awards.

What to Expect:

🧪👩🏽‍🔬 60 minute lecture about the process of scientific discovery through the life and work of two scientists

🎤 30 minutes of interactive Q&A with the speaker

👋 30 minute mixer with the speaker and other participants

🍺 One complimentary Moonshine Mead or Cold Drink/Hot Drink and a snack is included with your ticket

🤩 Avail "happy hour" benefits from Woodside Inn from 4 pm to 8 pm

Pint of View Mumbai is inspired by the Lectures on Tap and Pint of Science communities, and we're taking this format across 10+ major cities in India and counting! It’s where big ideas meet bar tables.

Event Details:

📅 Saturday, 24th January 2026 | 4 pm to 6 pm

📍 Woodside Inn Bandra (How to get here?)

💰 Ticket link in bio

🎫 Limited to 75 attendees only

💰 Early bird pricing available for first 5 tickets

Disclaimer: Ticket holders must be of legal drinking age (21 and above).

At Pint of View Mumbai, curious minds gather over drinks to explore cutting-edge ideas and to unravel the threads of human culture. It’s the perfect way to spend your weekend - stimulating your mind, meeting people who think like you (or challenge how you think), and learning something you’ll definitely talk about all week.

See you at the lecture!

Find us on Instagram, Substack or Linkedin