Delhi to host 'Vigyan Samagam' from Tuesday

New Delhi: India's first-ever multi-venue mega science exhibition, 'Vigyan Samagam' will be launched in New Delhi from 21st January, 2020 at the National Science Centre in Delhi.

The exhibition will be open for public display, unveiling the efforts of the International community in understanding the Universe, and will showcase the expanse of human knowledge and curiosity from micro to macro scales across space and time. After 8 weeks, the exhibition will conclude on 20th March, 2020.

The exhibition will be inaugurated by Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region; Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office; Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy (DAE); and Department of Space.

The National Science Centre Delhi will host the final leg of the 11-months-4-cities travelling exhibition after overwhelming successes in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata.

In the preceding editions, Vigyan Samagam witnessed enormous response at Mumbai and Bengaluru as evident from the footfall of about 1.3 lakh at both the venues. The footfall doubled at Kolkata to approximately 3 lakh visitors.

The National Capital is all geared up to host the Mega Science exhibition, which has garnered over 5.5 lakh visitors till date from the three previous editions. In addition to the ground event, digital and social media campaigns bolstered the reach of Vigyan Samagam among millions of people all over the country.

The inaugural function will also be attended by Dr R Chidambaram, Former Principal Scientific Adviser to GoI, Chairman AEC and Secretary, Department of DAE; Dr Paul Ho, Director General, East Asian Observatory, Hawaii, USA; K N Vyas, Chairman AEC and Secretary, DAE; Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary of DST; Yogendra Tripathi, Secretary, Ministry of Culture. Dr Paul Ho will deliver the Keynote Address on the occasion.

Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) are jointly organising this multi-venue mega-science exhibition hosting some of the world's biggest science projects under one roof.

A joint press conference was held at New Delhi on Friday detailing out the agenda, objectives and activities of the final edition of Vigyan Samagam. Arun Srivastava, Secretary AEC and Head, Institutional Collaboration & Program Division (ICPD), DAE, Mumbai; Dr Praveer Asthana, Head of INSPIRE and Mega Science Divisions, DST, Delhi jointly announced the programme and explained the objectives and various activities related to Vigyan Samagam.

The exhibition will highlight India's contributions towards world's largest scientific experiments and major fundamental breakthroughs in modern science, and deepen the awareness about the exciting world of front–ranking science and technology.

Vigyan Samagam exhibition is aimed at providing a common interactive platform for the three pillars of mega-science in India namely, industry, academia and students. It will host a broad spectrum of audience and will pave way for greater interaction between all stakeholders resulting in cross-fertilisation of ideas.

The Mega Science Projects in which India is participating are the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR), India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO), International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), Laser Interferometer Gravitational - Wave Observatory (LIGO), Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiments (MACE), Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT).

Speaking on the occasion, Arun Srivastava said, "Vigyan Samagam is a culmination of global science projects and a whole hearted effort to encourage science enthusiasts and student fraternity by bringing them closer to advance science.This initiative shows how India has grown at par with its global peers in terms of research and how important is its contribution to the scientific community. The exhibition will provide a unique opportunity for the students to witness and experience the projects live."

Explaining the objective and journey of Vigyan Samagam, Arun Srivastava added, "This Mega Science exhibition will be a scientific hotspot at Delhi for students and science enthusiasts alike".

Dr Praveer Asthana emphasised the relevance of Vigyan Samagam in establishing science as an attractive career option and said, "The scientific community in India needs more scientists and what better way to encourage youngsters than providing them a platform to experience the thrill of science through live projects. Vigyan Samagam will have much more than just projects as we have arranged many lectures and talks from the scientists which students can participate in and gather more knowledge about their interests. We want more students to take science as a career option in future."

Director of the National Science Centre Delhi, D Rama Sarma, through a message said that the National Science Centre Delhi will witness Vigyan Samagam as one of the major attractions and will provide an opportunity for students and science enthusiasts to gather more information about the mega science projects and related developments in the country.

The inaugural event will be followed by 'Scientre Stage', the scientific event comprising invited talks, lectures and panel discussions involving eminent speakers from the field of science, technology and industry. Industry partners working with the participating Mega Science Projects will set-up an Industrial Exposition at the venue to showcase their contributions.

The final edition is expected to see massive participation, bringing together world-renowned scientists from India and abroad, budding scientists, science enthusiasts, students, industry, academia, institutions and people from Delhi and adjoining states.

Global, Iconic Scientific Organisations to participate

Vigyan Samagam will have the presence of prestigious projects and organisations such as CERN, FAIR, INO, ITER, LIGO, MACE, SKA and TMT. The audience, apart from students and members of civil society, would also include invited members from various scientific organisations, industry and academia. Science Communication and Public Outreach

As part of project awareness activities, each participating Project will be carrying out week-long activities consisting of popular talks, science demonstrations, interactive quiz programmes, etc. Grass-root level outreach involving school is also an integral part of the event. Updates are shared on the digital and social media platforms of Vigyan Samagam.

The details about the exhibition, projects and schedule are available on the Vigyan Samagam website www.vigyansamagam.in and also on the mobile app Vigyan Samagam. Events such as talk shows, lectures planned during the Exhibition will be streamed live through popular social media platforms. The Exhibition will be open on all days, including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays till 20th March 2020 from 10 am to 6 pm.