‘Knowledge I got I couldn’t get from books’: India Science Festival in Pune leaves a mark on attendees | Pune news

The festival, organized by Advancing Science and Technology (FAST India) in association with Deccan Education Society, also included various aspects of collaboration. The Nukkad Theory group session showcased their efforts in communicating science using nataks or street sports.

Interactive booths at the India Science Festival (Express Photo by Soham Shah)

Deepanshi Karwall, a PhD student at the University of Manchester and founder of Nukkad Theory, told The Indian Express, “We bring together the ideas of street theater to talk about our science. When we were doing street theater, we realized that it’s much easier to reclaim space, talk about what you want to talk about, keep people engaged, and adapt based on how the audience reacts. We will train scientists to use street theater tools to communicate their science. Tools like using metaphor, using props, etc.”

The CERN booth symbolizes the Higgs field and the discovery of the Higgs boson (the elusive particle that gives almost all other particles their mass) using the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva in 2012. The booth had a game called proton football for kids to play and focus on science.

Scholars from Ashoka University’s Young India Fellowship organized a discussion booth to see how attendees responded to real and fake science topics. The booths of the National Center for Radio Astrophysics-TIFR, along with companies like Aether Energy and Bajaj Engineering Skills Training, showcased their various technologies.

In another session, scientist Berry Ashley and the Groove BLR team played songs on the periodic table and AI.

Nukkad Theory session at Kimaya open theater on Ferguson College campus.

Scientists emphasize the importance of public science events

Speaking about the importance of public science events, Professor Nayana Shah told the Indian Express, “I feel that this (event) is very important for people to understand how science works. People have misconceptions about how scientists do their work. Listening to scientists is really important. After giving the talk, I was filled with students for an hour. These connections that happen after the talk are very valuable.” Even though the appointments were not filled by the time of publication, Professor Shah feels that the enthusiasm of the students is helping them.

Dr Chatterjee was also impressed by the questions that the science-loving youth came up with. He said, “This is contagious. I am very happy and impressed with the knowledge they have. I was also invited to the National Space Challenge, and I saw 8-year-olds asking me questions that PhD students ask. They are not superficial and they are actually interested and curious. This is good news for India. “

Young science enthusiasts and budding scientists also enjoyed the opportunity to interact with leading scientists. Jarvinnya Bharvani, 15, an astrologer who wishes to attend both days of the event, said, “I knew this celebration would help me a lot…My barriers have been cleared. I know what I have to do and what my next steps are. Everyone is really cooperative and helpful. I got knowledge that I can’t get from books.”

Her friend Deepika Ghotankar, also 15 years old, said, “I really liked the event as I like to learn about new ideas in science, especially quantum physics.”