Hyderabad, August 29: A set of programmes intended to boost the scientific spirit among schoolchildren was held at the National Geophysical Research Institute on Friday.
The highlight of the day-long set of events was the ‘meet the scientists’ programme where the children, drawn from 25 schools interacted with three scientists, one each from National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB).
Friday’s events were part of the ongoing celebrations of National Technology Day. Although May 11 has been celebrated as National Technology Day, the celebrations are spread out over four-five months. The ‘Meet the scientists’ programme was held at NGRI and after the scientist-student interaction the students visited the campuses of NGRI and CCMB to get a feel of scientists at work. The event was organised by the Planetary Society of India in association with AP State Council of Science and Technology and the Union Department of Science and Technology.
May 11, 1998 is the day when India exploded three of a total of five nuclear devices. Since then the day has been celebrated as national technology day as a ‘defining moment in the growth of the technological prowess of the country’.
The objective, according to PSI General Secretary Raghunandan Kumar, is to celebrate the technological breakthroughs of the country. “ The students’ exposure to scientists will inspire them to become scientists themselves which will contribute to the development of the country,” he said.
In his opening remarks, NGRI Director V P Dimri talked about the importance of geology. “India is divided into five geological zones and Hyderabad is located in Zone 2 which is relatively less earthquake prone,” he explained to the kids. He also explained how the Deccan plateau and the unique rock formations around Hyderabad were created 65 million years ago through volcanic action.
Dr Dimri also drew attention to the importance of the study of geology for a tsunami warning. “We will have a 2-hour response time in case of a tsunami. We need to strengthen our preparedness and need more geological scientists, which I hope you kids will take up,” he said.
Dr Murali Krishnan of NRSA primarily talked about the India’s moon probe Chandrayaan. The NRSA is part of the Department of Space and had a major role in designing instruments on board the craft. Dr Murali Krishnan said that Chandrayaan was a remote sensing satellite and also talked about the challenges of moon exploration.
The talk by NGRI scientist, Senthil Kumar was along similar lines. Dr Senthil Kumar talked instead about the geological features of the Moon, Earth and Mars. He devoted a part of his lecture to the ‘moon mineralogy mapper’. The M3 , as it is called, is a special device that maps the moon’s surface for minerals and Dr Senthil Kumar is an acknowledged expert in the workings of the M3.
Dr Rachael Yesudasan’s talk was somewhat different. The CCMB scientist explained genes and microbiology to the wide-eyed children. “Microbiology is the science of the 21st century. It will contribute to future breakthroughs with which we can understand the human body,” she said.
The inquisitive children had a lot of questions for the scientists who answered them and fired their imagination.
–Agencies–