In the light of the ongoing COVID pandemic and fresher regulations getting into effect since Monday due to the rising number of cases in Maharashtra. Science Day celebrations of this year will be a quiet celebration and a virtual one.
Theme of National Science Day celebration 2021
The National Science day is marked on February 28 every year and ‘Future of Science, Technology, Innovation: Impacts on Education, Skills and Work’ is the theme of 2021.
Happenings of this celebration
Pune being home to various national-level scientific institutions anticipates the day as an Open Day. It is a common sight to witness student visitors along with teachers and parents from Pune and far-off districts of Maharashtra crowd to the labs and science parks on this day. An eventful day is marked with popular science lectures, screening of Sci-Fi movies, science games and activities.
Nonetheless, this year, most city-based scientific research institutions and organisations have lined up several online events, webinars, lectures, competitions for students and teachers.
Since Science Day in 2021 falls on a Sunday, a few institutions have even planned their celebrations on Friday i.e., February 26.
The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) will host an educational webinar ‘Our Atmosphere, Air Pollution and Ozone Hole’ by Ravi Yadav, scientist, Indo-UK Air Pollution and Human Health, on February 26 at noon through its YouTube channel. Plus, there is an online quiz competition organised especially for students on the occasion.
On February 26, the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory plans to conduct half-day online talks for some select invited audience.
The TIFR-National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) has asked school and college students to participate in a science project video making competition this year. A mobile-based application named GMRT Science Day – Growing Dots has been specially created, where participants can upload their project videos. Select top projects would be screened on February 28 and prizes for the best projects would get awarded. The centre will host talks also by eminent scientists and presentations on the works and functioning of the centre’s own Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) located at Khodad in Junnar taluka of Pune.
The Centre for Science Education and Communication, formerly known as Science Park, at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) is following a Science week in the run-up to the actual day. The Park will host a virtual tour of its laboratories on its premises, screen a show on aero-modelling along with streaming a session on ‘Fun with Chemistry’ via the centre’s YouTube channel on Sunday. Between February 24 – 27, four popular science talks would be streamed online on topics ranging from Hobbies in minerals, Astro-biology, Exploring Calendar and Teen Care at 4 pm.
