Science Day 2013 at GMRT

Introduction

Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), which is the world's most powerful radio telescope operating at low radio frequencies, has been built and is operated by the NCRA-TIFR under the control of DAE, Govt. of India. GMRT Observatory also has programmes to popularize science and technology among the general public, especially the students community. National Science Day is celebrated at GMRT on 28th February and the next day every year.

Science Day at GMRT

February 28th is celebrated throughout India as National Science Day, and marks the discovery of the Raman Effect by C. V. Raman for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. NCRA celebrates Science Day by organizing one of the biggest science festivals in the country at the GMRT campus in Khodad. There is a grand Science Exhibition on 28th February 2013 and on 1st March 2013, where many schools and colleges (Science, ITI, Engineering and Diploma Colleges) exhibit their best projects, and prizes are given for the best entries in different categories. No fee is charged for participation. Project must consist of a working model on any educational/technical theme and related information sheets for display.

This festival sees about 20,000 people visiting us every year, a majority of whom are students and their family from rural and semi-urban talukas and districts in Junnar and nearby areas in Western Maharashtra.

More then 600 science projects are demonstrated by school and college students. National and State science institutes and universities too show off their latest research. There are public talks, science movie screenings, night sky observing, live demonstrations, and many more.

For more information, take a look at the Science Day website

What is GMRT

NCRA has set up a unique facility for radio astronomical research using the metrewavelengths range of the radio spectrum, known as the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), it is located at a site about 80 km north of Pune. GMRT consists of 30 fully steerable gigantic parabolic dishes of 45m diameter each spread over distances of upto 25 km. GMRT is one of the most challenging experimental programmes in basic sciences undertaken by Indian scientists and engineers. More Information

Our Theme for the Science Day

We are planning to have a stall at GMRT for promoting the importance of FOSS to the students and how can they use free and open source software in their day to day life.

Some Ideas

1. Create pamphlets on different topics - we already have one on Chamba Free Movie Project, Raju working on Free Software introduction. Meha is working on Diaspora. Suggest/volunteer for more
2. Create posters/banners - need volunteers
3. Have a photo album of Free Software contributors like Richard Stallman, Linus Torvalds, Aaron Swartz, Eben Moglen, etc - need volunteers
4. Have a Raspberry Pi demo - let people play with it
5. Have a Debian Live system for people to play with - install Marathi, Hindi locales

• add more ideas here

How To Reach GMRT

On Science Day there will be special bus facility starting from NCRA to GMRT, the schedule will be uploaded soon. How To Reach

More Information

Science Day Committee of NCRA/GMRT

Click here

Volunteers

1. Akshat Singh
2. Shirish Agarwal
3. Praveen

Contact Information

Akshat - 8806963718

Abhishek Johri - 7875644249