Bengaluru: The International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS) in Bengaluru has launched a fully virtual science exhibition, which aims to explore the cosmos and take visitors “from the small to the big”.
Titled ‘Cosmic Zoom’, the exhibition takes visitors through the different ranges of scales of lengths and sizes in our universe, from the smallest to the largest.
It also features talks and lectures from scientists across multiple institutions each day. There are other planned events as well for science engagement, including interactive sessions with observatories and laboratories, book reading sessions, film screenings, workshops, and conversations with scientists.
The events are intended to showcase research performed by Indian scientists in a wide range of fields, from astronomy to particle physics to biology to climate science.
Starting this weekend, the exhibition will also have guided virtual tours that individuals or groups can sign up for, including students. Events are planned until 18 April.
The exhibition is planned as a curtain raiser for a proposed science festival for Bengaluru, called Bengaluru Science Habba, being planned by a consortium of research institutions in the city.
The ICTS is a centre of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, a city-based research institute.
‘Vastness of the universe’
In a statement, Ajith Parameswaran, astrophysicist at ICTS and the curator of the exhibition said, “We have tried to give the visitor a sense of the vastness of the Universe, starting from the smallest things, going all the way up to the largest… Visitors will also find surprising connections between the micro and macros worlds, like quantum physics and the Universe, and dung beetles and the galaxy!”
The exhibition is curated by scientists, artists, and communicators from ICTS, in conjunction with other consulting experts from the rest of the country.
“CosmicZoom is a very innovative response by an ICTS team of scientists, designers and science communicators for an online interactive engagement with the public,” ICTS director Rajesh Gopakumar said in the statement.
“The theme of the exhibition is meant to evoke wonder that, through science, we are able to probe phenomena so removed from our immediate perception. In the process we learn about the amazing interconnections across different distance scales and its importance to us,” he added.
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