It narrowed the gap between scientists and commoners ever more, they say
The four-day science extravaganza at the India International Science Festival (IISF) in Kolkata concluded on November 8, 2019, bridging gaps between scientists and commoners and making science more interesting and understandable to students.
According to Union Minister of Science and Technology, Health and Family Welfare and Earth Sciences, Harsh Vardhan, a prominent outcome of the festival was igniting the spirit of Jigyasa or questioning among students.
“One of the key takeaways from the festival is clearly breaking the barriers between the general populace and scientists, thereby making the research being conducted in laboratories more people- centric and meaningful,” said Arvind Ranade, registrar of Vigyan Prasar, the key implementing agency of the festival.
An important achievement of the festival according to him was that it became a platform to expose students and teachers from some of the remotest areas of the country like Pauri Garhwal, Joshimath in Uttarakhand and far flung villages of Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh to the latest scientific ideas.
The gap between industry and academicians was also narrowed with experts and stakeholders showcasing their research and requirements respectively through discussions, papers and interactions. Thus, it was an amalgamation and fusion of ideas from the entire gamut of society, stressed Ranade.
Meanwhile, keeping up its tradition, IISF set three Guinness Book of World Records this year. The third was set on November 8, when a group of 415 school students came together to form the largest-ever human image of a chromosome.
The second came up on November 7, when 268 students successfully assembled radio kits from scratch. The first was achieved during the opening day of the festival, when 1,598 students got together to create a spectroscope in 45 minutes.
Such efforts were purely children-centric according to Ranade and were aimed at creating excitement in the next generation, bringing them in close contact to work together and create something new.
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