Like schools and colleges, the Anna Science Centre - Planetarium has also switched over to virtual platforms to sustain its interface with the student community.
The Centre started off its online activities through a monthly ‘Meet the Scientist’ programme earlier this week. A lecture on the topic ‘Laser and it's Applications’, handled by Jamal Mohammed Jaffer, Head, Department of Physics, Jamal Mohamed College, had about 400 participants comprising college students and teachers.
Those among the students who had given their observations in the comment section of the hour-long webinar video uploaded on Youtube, were given e-certificates. “Nearly 130 students received e-certificates. It was a way of encouraging active participation,” R. Ahilan, Project Director, Anna Science Centre, Tiruchi, said, adding that the Planetarium has reached out to the Regional Joint Directorate of Collegiate Education with a request for facilitating interactions with colleges.
For the next few months, the Planetarium will also be conducting ‘Meet the Medical Expert’ programmes online, with a specific focus on the COVID 19 pandemic. M.A. Aleem, senior neurologist and former vice-principal of K.A.P. Viswanatham Government Medical College, will be interacting with the student community later this month, Mr. Ahilan said.
Prior to the pandemic, not less than 3,000 students, mostly from schools, used to visit the Planetarium every month. The Environment Gallery, with exhibits on the themes of Eco Systems, Bio-geochemical cycles, Biodiversity and Conservation, Pollution and Sustainable Energy sources and the science movie shows were the main attractions at the Planetarium.
“Due to the uncertainties over the abatement of the pandemic, we at the Planetarium decided to conduct awareness programmes of relevance to the prevailing pandemic situation. We intend to raise awareness among the public on the need to take precautions against the novel coronavirus through virtual programmes in the coming months," Mr. Ahilan said.