If you are love science and technology and want to come up with innovative solutions to day-to-day problems, you can go work on your ideas at the National Science Museum in your city.
The National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), an autonomous society under the ministry of culture, is taking several steps to encourage students to take up research and come up with innovative projects by providing them resources to train and experiment.
One such step is its collaboration with Intel India to launch the National Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Acceleration Programme recently. The programme focuses on initiatives aimed towards promoting creativity, innovation and a do-it-yourself attitude among students. This collaboration would work to create the world’s first Galileo Corner at the Innovation Centre of NCSM at the National Science Museum in New Delhi.
GS Rautela, director general, NCSM, says, “With such initiatives, we try to help them demystify technology and unleash their innovative capacities. We give them a platform to take their ideas to the next level, participate in competitions, attend lectures and exhibitions and also interact with experts. We have established 60 innovation centres across India in three years.”
NCSM administers 25 science centres/museums/planetariums across the country.
In addition to development of science centres/museums, NCSM strives to communicate science and educate masses by its mobile science exhibitions, lectures, demonstrations, training and workshops. “The school system in our country doesn’t encourage problem-solving. We have set up information resource centres, robotics labs, ideas labs, an ideas box and a problem corner at the museums. A National Innovation Festival held annually encourages students to showcase their innovations. Students can also become members of our Innovation Hub, facility aimed at supplementing formal school education for seeking new ways to bring innovative science teaching to them,” adds Rautela.
In 2013-14, NCSM is creating dedicated spaces for innovation-centric activities by the youth in five of its major science museums/centres in Guwahati, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and New Delhi.
Thanks to : Hindustan Times 12th March 2014.
