Students at the the Antique Meteorological Instruments Museum in the IMD office, in Pune, on Wednesday. (Express photo by Arul Horizon)
The heat and long queues failed to deter hundreds of school and college students, who thronged various Pune-based science institutions that were observing open day on the occasion of National Science Day.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), the National Centre for Cell Sciences (NCCS), the Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) and the many science departments of the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) observed open day on Wednesday.
Students from as far as Parbhani, Navi Mumbai, as well as parts of Pune and neighbouring districts, arrived in buses to visit these institutions and be a part of special programmes organised for the day.
The excitement of the visitors, most of them young students, was palpable. For many, it was their first time sharing ideas with, and posing questions to, some of India’s top scientists, including eminent cosmologist Jayant Naralikar. Naralikar, along with IUCAA director Somak Raychaudhury, held a special interactive session with students. During the hour-long session, the scientists fielded many questions from the visitors. The Big Bang, black holes and the age of the universe were the most popular topics for questions.
To a question regarding the distance of the closest black hole from Earth, Raychaudhury replied, “Earth is located far away from the closest black hole, which is situated about 20,000 light years away. One must not believe in false claims warning of any black hole approaching to destroy Earth.”
Many in the audience were surprised when, replying to a question on how the universe was born, Naralikar said he did not believe in the Big Bang theory.
“I do not like to believe the interpretations of the Big Bang theory, as I find that it does not apply the concepts of physics and math. Instead, I would say that the universe had always been oscillating, during which stars took birth. After they exhausted all their energy, they gave out radiations. It is a continuous cycle of birth and death of stars,” said Naralikar, who, along with Fred Hoyle, devised the ‘quasi steady state’ theory about the universe.
The SPPU campus saw large crowds of science enthusiasts visiting various departments. The Science Park, run by the SPPU, received a steady flow of visitors after it was relocated to a larger area inside the Department of Environment Science.
Pari Wadhwani, a Class III student from a city-based school, was out with her parents to see the exhibits.
“I had never before seen the magic of magnets. I also liked the mirror that made me look taller and fatter,” said the nine-year-old.
Sixty students from the Parbhani Astronomy Association (PSA) were on a day-long tour to Pune, during which they visited numerous research institutions on the SPPU campus. Every year, the association gathers bright young minds and sponsors a trip for them to Pune on Science Day.
“Very few opportunities come the way of students studying in rural areas even today. The idea is to introduce talented students to the latest scientific developments and inspire them to take up science in the future,” said Sudhir Sonunkar, a member of the association. He accompanied students of Class VII to Class IX from 20 schools in Marathwada’s Parbhani to Pune on the occasion.
Anil Bhowmick from IIT Kharagpur addressed a public lecture titled ‘Sustainable Materials in the Polymer Industry: Science and Technology’ during a Science Day event organsied at CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL).
“It is possible to replace 30 per cent petroleum products by biofuels by 2025 as newer interests from sectors like civil aviation are emerging,” said Bhowmick. Several instruments used for day-to-day weather monitoring were on display at the IMD on the Wednesday.
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