Jha uses secondary flower waste\u2014leftovers she receives after a collaborator\u2019s lab extracts the plants\u2019 nutraceutical components. What\u2019s left over is a dry, fibrous material that is great for making electrodes. \u201cWe do pyrolysis to convert it into a carbon material that looks powdery to the naked eye but spongy under the microscope,\u201d she says. \u201cWe then activate [the material] using chemical treatment.\u201d These carbon-based materials can be employed as catalyst supports because of their high surface area, optimal porosity, and good electrical conductivity.<\/p>\n
Jha is principal investigator at ICT\u2019s Nano Energy Lab, which is focused on the development of electronic materials for energy storage devices like fuel cells, supercapacitors, and zinc-ion batteries. Jha\u2019s other research interest is in water treatment. \u201cWe use biomass-based materials\u2014such as secondary floral waste, diesel soot, and sweet lime peel\u2013derived soot,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Jha has a locomotor disability, which makes it difficult for her to walk long distances or climb stairs. She became disabled after she contracted polio at the age of 12. She needed 2 years of physiotherapy before she could walk again, albeit with difficulty.<\/p>\n
But growing up with three rambunctious sisters meant she never felt left behind because of her disability. She played soccer, learned to swim, cycled everywhere, and got into trouble just as much as the others. \u201cThere were other things more important than thinking about my disability,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\n Two people speak in a lab with electronic measurement equipment on the table between them and other lab members listening to their conversation. A round electronic device about the size of a dinner plate lies on the table between them.<\/p>\n
Neetu Jha (right) speaks to Dilkhush Zaroliwalla (left), a PhD student in her lab, about materials in the zinc-ion battery array (white, center) they are making.<\/p>\n
Credit:
\n Alisha Vasudev<\/p>\n
These days, she tells people that she\u2019s different the same way that everyone is different from one another: \u201cSome are tall; some are short. Some walk straight; I don\u2019t.\u201d That said, getting accommodations hasn\u2019t been easy. When Jha joined ICT in 2012, she had to ask the institute for basic mobility-related accessibility. Modifications included railings on staircases, elevators wherever possible, and railings to access the stage or dais to teach. She also advocated for the addition of women\u2019s washrooms on every floor of the institute.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese small changes are good for everyone,\u201d she says. \u201cNot just me, but also other students, faculty, and scientists around me\u2014for older people, or someone who has sprained their ankle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jha has also made her lab more accessible by adding stools and chairs near all scientific equipment. \u201cI feel that many times we [people with disabilities] try to adjust, but over time I have learned that we have to speak out for ourselves,\u201d she says. \u201cIt takes a lot of courage because when you are new, when you are the only one speaking about these things, you don’t get acceptance very easily.\u201d<\/p>\n
By law, disabled people in India have the right to have access to education at all levels, and there are government-issued guidelines and standards for accessibility<\/a> (PDF). But educational institutions are only just beginning to think about accommodations<\/a> (PDF). Back when she was a student, Jha often had to depend on the kindness of teachers and fellow students. Today, though, she would like to see more inclusive spaces.<\/p>\n “These small changes are good for everyone.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0 Not just me.”<\/p>\n